Omar Joof
Ex-president, Gamsu
By Pa Kemo Jarju
Nov 20, 2004, 07:51
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The AuthorIn the aftermath of the gory student demonstration of April 10/11
2000, the president of the Gambia Students’ Union, (Gamsu), Omar Joof, went
into self-exile. In this weekend Bantaba, he talks with Observer’s Pa Kemo
Jarju about the events of that fateful day, Napsa and life in exile.
Four years ago, you staged the April 10 demonstration in which 14 young
people, mostly students, were killed and properties worth millions of Dalasis
damaged. Looking back, do you regret your actions?
Omar JoofOver the years, I have done tremendous amount of reflections,
basically geared towards seeing how justified or otherwise our actions were. And I
have no doubt whatsoever that given the situation we were in, our actions
were justified. However, we regret the loss of life and property. It must be
remembered that we were out, among other things, to see justice done as regards
the death of one of our members.
Has your quest for ‘justice’ being attained?
I am positive that justice will be done some day. It may not necessarily
come through the exclusive actions of Gamsu. The fact is, April 10/11 has come
to pose a big challenge to the entire body of social justice in The Gambia and
the relationship between those in public office and the general public. It
critically questions the situation as regards people's empowerment!
Student leaders paid a courtesy call to the President during which they
apologised for the events of April 10/11, what is your reaction?
It is not normal for us in the student movement to publicly denounce each
other’s actions. I do not know the reasons which may have led them to decide on
this action. But I am aware that the monumental error that was made even in
the build-up to April 10/11 came in the guise of some people viewing our
action as having been anti-Jammeh. This has led to the politicization of
everything we did. However, if I were in their shoes, I would not have been so
simplistic in any presentation before the president. This is because that may
discredit the action we took four years. They should know among other things that
even where we have always accepted the responsibility for organising the
demonstration, nobody has yet publicly accepted the responsibility for giving the
orders which saw us being shot at.
You talk of justice, but student leaders in the country are calling for the
opening of a new chapter in their relations with government, aren’t you out
of touch and out of sync?
Seeing justice done with regard to April 10/11 may not have anything to do
with regard to accepting gifts from the president. I am really interested in
some kind of reconciliation, but the records need to be put straight. It
should also be remembered that the current leadership is simply involved in a
struggle for survival. The victims of April 10/11 were not. Their circumstances
will not be changed by any such action. It is however incumbent upon everyone
of us not to indulge ourselves in anyway which represents an insult to those
who gave away the most precious thing they had, in a selfless struggle for
justice. Look, the president is the president of the entire country. To fulfil
our role as a pressure group, we must engage in dialogue with whoever is in
that office. This is indeed what we have always tried to do. It however
becomes another issue if the president insists to meet us on his terms only. But
even there, we can only disengage the occupant of that high office on short
terms only. There is nothing wrong in going to the president, what may be wrong
is what one uses the opportunity for.
Do you feel guilty for what happened to fallen colleagues?
My fallen colleagues will forever remain in my mind and the events of that
fateful day are still fresh in my mind. It would indeed be treacherous if we
forget them! I am convinced that those fallen comrades have in a single day
contributed towards the course of justice more than the sum total of our
national contribution in that regard since independence.
Your critics say you are a traitor, and that the bloody demonstration was
part of your grand design to gain national and international fame. What do you
say to that?
I love my country, family and people. I have lost more than anyone can
imagine by living outside my country. I have been depressed all these long four
years. Such [statements] surely come from my personal detractors. And I am sure
there are many of them. No, to put it simply, they are lying about me! I
simply cannot betray my colleagues, my conscience and Allah.
What lessons have you learned about your actions in your life in exile?
Everything we did was right and everything they (authorities) did was wrong!
It is interesting that a week after my arrival in exile in Dakar, I found
workers demonstrating in the streets. The police were there to protect them.
When a student was shot and died a year later, the Senegalese government
immediately criticised the action of whoever may have pulled the trigger.
Investigations were immediately put in place and punitive action was accordingly
taken. I have come to see how powerful students are here in Canada. When I
contrast all these with what obtains in The Gambia, I realised that there is a big
misconception in The Gambia which urgently requires rectification. People in
public office in The Gambia do not see themselves as servants of the people.
Thus, they can afford to be high-handed in their treatment of people who insist
on being accorded their constitutional and legal rights. Unfortunately for
the course of justice, when others are forced to make huge sacrifices to see
justice done, the majority of our compatriots can still afford to stand on the
sidelines and say, "It’s not worth it". So, politicians play on this
national deficit and treated them with arrogance. It is sad to note that while in
most parts of the world, the process of democratisation has reached a stage
where politicians are afraid of their electorate. In The Gambia its the people
who are afraid of politicians and those in public office. As long as this
scenario remains, the rest of the world will move ahead of us in terms of social
justice and good governance. We must develop a capacity for controlling
politicians and people in public office. A coroner’s inquest and a commission were
set up after the demonstration which indicted both Gamsu and the
authorities... The indictments are gathering dust somewhere. We earnestly accept our
responsibilities, and other parties involved should have the courage to accept
theirs as well. This is a moral responsibility!
Are you ready to stand trial for causing public disturbances on April 10 and
11?
I have said so before, and I still stand by my words. It would be a fair
game if others also accept their responsibilities and remove the constitutional
provisions which have been extended to some of the parties involved and not
the student leadership.
What are your views on Napsa?
Over the years, we have endeavoured to explain the virtue of "positive
student activism" to our membership. There is nothing wrong in organising a
student organisation that concentrates on the specifics needs of secondary school
students. What is wrong in this case is way a political party is using it to
undermine the strength of Gamsu's vanguard. Those of us who have been in the
business for long, know that previously, authorities have tried to divide the
national student movement, for example, by instigating discord between Gambia
College students and secondary school students. I would advise Gamsu's
current leadership to engage Napsa in dialogue and see what they can do together.
It’s not a completely hopeless situation.
Why are you still in exile when the government has said you are free to
return home?
Let me explain that the situation as it obtained four years ago has
undergone tremendous changes. I did not leave The Gambia because the police or NIA
were after my blood. There were two fundamental reasons that forced me into
exile. One, the July 22nd Youth Movement was powerful and there was no doubt
that in view of what transpired between me and them in the build-up to April
10/11 2000, and on the grounds at Westfield Junction on the morning of April 10,
they could have had plans to harm me. In fact that night, the individuals
who kept on waking up my wife and mom were not in any official uniform of the
regular security forces. We were later vindicated in this connection when
individuals known to be close to them started making weird movements around me in
Senegal. Two, I had to leave The Gambia and concentrate on explaining and
defending our actions. Presently, therefore, I am basically outside the country
to continue my studies which would be impossible in The Gambia in view of
the enormous amount of pressure I will have to endure.
How is your life in exile in Canada?
Well, as one of my professors would like to say, you come in as an outsider
and you remain one. Besides, it’s a fair liberal country and their
recognition of the cultural diversity here makes things a lot better for people like
myself. But make no mistake about it, it can never be for me like home.
Frustrating is the word! Throughout all those wonderful years that I was at home
with my family and friends, I had never thought that one day I would be
compelled to live in exile. If someone had said it, even my associates, I would have
dismissed him or her as crazy. For years, I have associate myself with the
muse that inspires me to write poetry with the River Gambia. However, I have
learnt things I would never have learnt if I was not forced into this reality.
I obtain a tremendous amount of strength from my numerous friends, colleagues
and well-wishers. And above all, the awareness that better men and women had
been forced into such a circumstance throughout history is a great source of
comfort for me.
When are you returning to your home in Bakoteh?
Sooner than later, by the grace of Almighty Allah!
When, exactly?
It is beyond me to say that at the moment, but it is my ardent wish that it
takes place within the next 24 months.
Aren’t you scared?
I did not leave the country because I was afraid, I left because I am not
stupid!
What are your dreams for The Gambia?
Freedom, justice and development!
You read stories about The Gambia online, what is your assessment of the
state of affairs?
I do so everyday, and like all Gambians I am very much concerned about the
daily cost of living, and the climate of political intolerance. One thing that
I am ever proud of and like to point out to my fellow students from other
parts of Africa is the level of religious tolerance in this small but great
country.
How do you sustain yourself in Canada?
I work to pay my bills.
It’s said you work on a potato farm.
(Laughs) That’s funny, isn’t it? However I have never worked on a farm
since my arrival here. I am positive I have never even visited a farm. I do not
however mean to say that if such an opportunity comes my way and it looks like
my best option at the time I won’t do it. Surely I will do it. Remember I am
a farmer's son and no other vocation has had a greater impact than turning
the soil and putting in the seeds. As a child and even as an adult, I did a
lot of farming back home. I know how to take care of a vegetable garden and a
groundnut or sorghum farm!
Why did join Juwara’s Ndam?
I joined Ndam because as I have already stated, I desire freedom, justice
and development for my beloved country. It has nothing to do with President
Jammeh personally. He is indeed my brother and kinsman. I am not the one who
will harbour hatred against him. But over the years, a system has come to be in
place in the country which is anti-justice, anti-freedom, anti-development
and has the capacity to tear the fabric of our society through bad politics.
The president is my brother, kinsman and compatriot, and I feel morally
inclined to help him out in the way I think best, anytime he is in a fix. That is my
mission!
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