Brother Modou Sidibeh,
I meant to respond to your comments long ago, but time did not allow me.
You wrote:
quote
"Well Sis, my point of departure is simply that the threats themselves
were the effects of President Jammeh's knowledge of the purported
forgeries. So again, whatever means he finds to make good on his threats
will have been indirectly produced by the decision by the Senegalese
authorities to make him privy to the contents of documents of dubious
origin and authenticity. Consequently, even now, when NADD should have
been strategising for the campaign, consolidating it positions in
different constituencies, selecting its flag bearer, the little
resources they have in terms of money and time, are going to be
channeled into securing the unconditional release of its leaders."
unquote
I agree it is unfortunate that NADD is going to spend resources they clearly
do not even have to defend the three arrested officials, but let us not lay
the blame on Senegal, that is far too easy and self medicating. Instead, let
us realize that we cannot look to other nations to put Gambia's interest
first and their's second. It is both unrealistic as well as symptomatic of our
lack of understanding of how the World really works.
The NADD leadership cannot also hide behind this incident as the reason they
have not named a flag bearer. That should have been done long ago if the
truth be told. We have to be willing to do a retrospect and be willing to tell
the truth and let the chips fall where they may because in that lies the
greater good for all and unless we realize this, we are doomed to always repeat the
past.
We had 30 years of the Jawara regime with their corruption and nepotism but
today, because we have Yaya Jammeh, some of those same people from that
corrupt government have re-invented themselves and are presenting themselves as
part of the solution and we happily accept that without question. Perhaps
tomorrow, if another regime should present itself because those in office have
become power hungry as those in power in Africa are wont to do, and start to dig
their heels in and kill people to stay in power, some of the Jammeh gang we
simply slapped on the wrist and let go will re-emerge and present themselves
among a new band of saviours and some of us will be singing their praises.
Brother Modou, the most important point here is that there still needs to be
clarification as to whether these "documents of dubious origin" are the work
of some over zealous supporter of NADD,( which I doubt because NADD needs
that kind of support like they need a hole in the head, and anyone who did this
knew what the results would be) or if this was a situation concocted by
Jammeh to get the results he wanted which is the most likely scenario.
The jury is still out on whether this was a plot and who the players were
and which issue by the way I do not think should just be set aside and just
taken lightly as some have suggested.
Now, are we to believe that what was expected of the Senegalese was that
they just sit on the information in order to protect Gambian politicians and
assume that their national security does not come into play in the matter? Or
that they would undertake to do the job of investigating this matter for The
Gambia? Or perhaps they would just jump for joy upon receiving such documents
and then proceed to trust and secretly proceed to cooperate with the people
who sent it to them? Any of these would be grossly simplistic conclusions
that no country whose leadership is worth their sale would adopt. .
What we must understand is that nations act on self interest and to ensure
their national security. Did we really expect that Senegal would just sit on
such information and not confront the Jammeh regime with it, whether directly
or through the U.N, ECOWAS or the AU?
Even the argument that they should have investigated the matter more
thoroughly before acting is weakened by the fact that one cannot investigate a crime
without going to the source, the crime scene so to say and this should
definitely have been an urgent matter for the Senegalese to attend to if they
cared about their own national welfare.
Further more, there is no way that the Gambia government would not have been
privy to this information ( if they did not invent it) even if Senegal went
through these organizations listed above to bring this matter to light, and
bring it to light they should have, so it can be investigated and refuted by
the Gambia government. Somewhere down the line, Gambia would have had to be
informed of it if they really did not know and as for Senegal not to have
reacted to this in order to safeguard our politicians or national interest before
their's is unrealistic.
What is important to note is that Senegal, like any other nation in this
situation, has the obligation to ensure their national security and therefore,
they did exactly what any country who cares about their own welfare would have
done in this case, give first priority to the welfare of their own
government and state as opposed to just sit on this information in order to protect
even opposition politicians in The Gambia.
Despite what some of us may assume, or no matter what empty rhetoric is
spewed out about the international community coming to our aid or issuing decrees
against dictators and tyrant, no country in the World puts the interest of
another country before their's, especially when it comes to matters of
national security and economic interest and they only act if this interest is
negatively impacted by the actions of that country, and in some cases, such
actions are sometimes clothed in a semblance of coming to the rescue of another
nation or it's people, but that is never really the entire story. The proof of
this is that there have been and there continues to be many tyrants in the
World with whom countries that sell themselves as the bastions of democracy are
working hand in hand because such cooperation serves either their political
or economic interest while untold atrocities are being committed against the
people in those countries even as this cooperation is taking place.
For example, the United States has now branded Saddam a tyrant, but he was
once a tyrant they supported with the tools he used to commit some of the
crimes he is now being vilified for. Why? At the time he was the ally of the
United States in their efforts to fight Iran and what made the U.S act now is
that he stood in their way to get the oil lying under Iraqi soil, and the
acquisition of which they deem vital to their national interest and security. So
suddenly, the human rights violations on his people are remembered and used as
the reason for invading them and turning their lives into a living hell.
Before that, the U.S was well aware of all the atrocities Saddam was heaping
on his people just like they are well aware of everything that is happening
all over the World. The country reports the CIA puts together from detailed
information they gather every year on every country in the World is far more
comprehensive than any information anyone can give them. Likewise, the
British, French, Germans, Russians, Chinese etc have their own intelligence
gathering apparatus that does the same thing, and the number one reason these
countries have this machinery is to protect their national security and interest
first and foremost, and not because they want to police the World so they can
go to the rescue of the people whenever some despotic tyrant emerges somewher
e.
So in this case, the United States used the same methods that governments
can utilize and hide behind to attain their goals and which unfortunately for
us, our tyrants have also become aware of, they went through the motions of
going through the U.N which in truth they control, to give a semblance of
exhausting all diplomatic means before they let the bombs fall on the same people
they say they are bringing democracy to while Saddam escaped the mayhem. He
is now on display complete with a show-case trial and charges that are
carefully crafted to avoid any risk of exposure of any information regarding where
he got the gas that he used to kill the Kurds for example. A quick conviction
and execution will follow no doubt because dead men don't talk and the U.S
can then get on with the business of setting up a new puppet regime that will
allow them to accomplish their real reason for going to war in Iraq, which is
to secure control of the oil in that country for American oil companies. So
the good guys going out to save the people from oppression is never the reason.
Anyone with even a rudimentary knowledge of International law and diplomacy
is well aware that the United States or any other western power to whom we
are asked to look to as saviours from the tyrants that ravage our countries
only get involved in the affairs of another country or act to supposedly protect
them if the activities of that country impacts or has the potential to
impact their national security or economic well being, no exceptions.
Unfortunately, the tyrants and their helpers also come to learn how to play
this game very well, so they can invent lies and traps and then use
internationally accepted methods and code words to give a semblance of legitimacy and
get away with all kinds of illegal acts..
These tyrants also know that they can hide under the banner of National
Sovereignty which ensures that no other country's leader can issue any decrees,
write any letters or pick up the phone and order the leader of another country
to do anything because that would be interfering in the internal affairs of
that country. These so called decrees and acts of intervention when done, are
clothed in carefully crafted excuses and unfortunately, The Gambia does not
hold any precious deposits or have a large population of ex-colonialists in
the country whose private property holdings, albeit illegally acquired, are in
danger of being taken from them such as in the case of the Ex-Rhodesians in
Zimbabwe.
The U.S and other western nations who present themselves as the champions of
freedom and democracy all have embassies in The Gambia and all of them have
been right there on every occasion that the Jammeh regime has openly engaged
in acts against the people that require no interpretation to label them what
they really are, and which acts are completely unjustifiable under any
democratic principle, and yet, not one of them has interfered in any form or manner
all these years, we are still crying to the international community and some
are blowing smoke screens at us to make us believe that the so-called
international community can just march in and rescue us.
Unless we want to apply to be a protectorate or revert to being a colony of
another country or to invite them to invade us, there is no government that
can intervene on our behalf. With enough attention to our cause, boycotts or
sanctions may be possible, but what market share or what precious commodity
does The Gambia hold to make that a credible threat and sanctions hurt no one
but our people. Sanctions and decrees are issued in the case of countries like
Zimbabwe because of the White Minority that is impacted by Mugabe's
decisions or actions and not because anyone cares about the plight of the indigenous
people in Zimbabwe. In the case of Sierra Leone, the U.S government's concern
that terrorist groups will use the diamond trade to launder funds they
cannot pass through the Federal Reserve banking system ( which by the way is not a
U.S government entity, but a private enterprise set us and controlled by
monied families in Europe and United states years ago, families like the
Rotschilds, Morgans, Rockerfellers etc) and in the case of Liberia, some U.S
business enterprises are stake holders in that economy. There was no worse atrocity
than apartheid and how many years did that evil system survive with the
money flowing from South Africa's wealth into the pockets of major financial
stake holders all over the World and the Africans were being murdered and
treated like slaves all the while? Sanctions and the ANC resorting to giving the
Boers an eye for an eye is the only reason that evil system came to an end and
not because the international community rode to our rescue there.
You also wrote:
"Yes, it is unfortunate that we should call Senegal a foreign country,
despite our ethnic affinity with its people. But I have no doubt that
the regimes in both countries will be pursuing their national interests,
or rather the interests of the power elite, even if that should be
detrimental to the wishes and hopes of large sections of their
populations. Senegal, has shown time and again that it has little regard
for the security of ordinary Gambians:
The second most violent student demonstration in Gambian history was
prompted by the severe beating of Gambian villagers by armed Senegalese
soldiers in the early seventies. The soldiers crossed the border and
attacked villagers in the North bank.
Days after the tragic killing of Eku Mahoney in October 1980 at the
police depot, Senegalese air force personnel landed at Yundum
international airport and forced its closure. (And you know, I was a
trainee communications officer at the airport, and I was on duty, and a
certain colonel Ngom, a graduate from the university of Dakar, said to
the air traffic controller and myself that he could not explain the
reasons behind the order; that he was simply following them).
Others had embarked and occupied MacCarthy Square in Banjul. It was
nothing short of an invasion. President Jawara went on the air and lied
that their presence was on account of a joint military exercise!
Then came the Kukoi rebellion, and perhaps more than a thousand Gambians
were killed by Senegalese soldiers; and then the Confederation and its
lopsided arrangements in favour of Senegal..
Senegal will pursue its strategic objectives irrespective of who is
Gambian president. So while Jammeh-bashing is in vogue, it is perhaps
all the more necessary to cast a glance across the the border once in a
while."
We must be honest in admitting that in 1981, the Senegalese army did not
just decide one fine morning to invade Gambia in pursuit of some national
agenda. They were invited by Jawara whose government was in the throes of being
overthrown, and they came in to resolve the situation and regain control of his
government for him. I think we can all agree that in such a situation, an air
communications tower at the airport such as the one where you brother
Momodou were a trainee is one of the most strategic points in a situation of a coup
d'etats. Therefore, a Senegalese soldier commanding control of such a place
was to be expected I would say unless the assumption is that the soldiers
should have come in and work with the rebels instead of to honour the security
pact between the two countries and work to contain the attempted coup which by
the way they did.
The behaviour of the Senegalese soldiers in such an instance should have
been outlined within the agreement between the two governments and there should
have been allowances made to address any improper behaviour if such occurred
while the Senegalese were in The Gambia to quell this uprising, and The Jawara
government should have investigated and addressed those issues after the
incident if they cared about Gambians and their welfare as well as the
sovereignty of the country under such a pact, but I expect they were just happy to
get their kingdom and power back, so we really cannot just lay the blame on the
Senegalese.
Also, during the attempted coup of 1981, all of the people who died were not
killed by Senegalese soldiers. Did the coup makers not open prisons and free
and arm prisoners? In such a situation, who knows how many were killed by
these culprits? Did the police not arrest masses of people some of whom they
locked up in places that lacked proper ventilation resulting in the deaths of
many, including a near and dear friend of mine?
In addition, some of the coup makers were armed with machine guns and went
into neighbourhoods looking for certain individuals who they considered helpers
of the Jawara regime. I know this for a fact because one of these people is
an individual who grew up in the same neighbourhood with me and the person
he was looking for was none other than my own grandmother who was a Yai Compin
for the Jawara regime, a position that pitted her against many a member of
my own family to no avail but that is another story. This individual in the
company of two other young men armed with machine guns went to my grandmother's
house three times asking a young female cousin of mine in the house for her
whereabouts. My grandmother and the likes of her are pawns for the regimes
that use them and to me looking to shoot such people is a misguided effort.
They are victims who are in the lower echelons of the food chain in these power
hungry regimes who will use anyone, and the sad thing is they do not realize
it. They need to be educated, not shot, but that is only my opinion and not
just because it was my grandmother.My mother by the way was being hidden by my
own mother because that was her mother, and if that individual had known
that, he may have gone to my family compound near by and which was full of all
kinds of people including families who were our tenants and if they opened
fire in such a situation or attempted to, who knows how many people would have
died and maybe their deaths would have also been attributed to the Senegalese
and has the Jawara regime ever set up any commission of enquiry to find out
who killed whom and to address any possible violations of the military pact
they had with Senegal? I bet the Senegalese would have set up such a commission
to address and resolve such an issue for there people if they were on the
receiving end of this.
If Gambia and the rest of Africa wants to take their place among the
community of nations and earn respect, we must first have both leaders and citizenry
whose main objectives are to protect the interest and security of their
country and people instead of adopting a course that is geared to the protection
of just their own personal quest for power and then blaming others when they
act to protect their own national interest. We must also begin to see the
World realistically so as to be able to asses our place in it and to be able to
know how to proceed effectively to secure our own national interests and that
of our people but it has to start with genuine conviction to want for
ourselves what we want for everyone else or it will never work.
We have to do away with what I call Africa's lost little boy syndrome where
the combination of power hungry leaders and an ever present line up of
potential successors ready to follow in their footsteps leaves our people crying
out to the World to come save us. These leeches keep alive a culture that is
along the lines of the old adage that in the land of the paupers, it is easy to
be king. They keep alive a culture that says that political office is a
private enterprise for the purpose of enriching oneself and to attain it, one
must avoid telling the truth by all means, especially when that truth may
jeopadize our chances of some personal gain or even political office God forbid.
And when we succeed in gaining that political office, we then contribute our
quota by just posturing in our positions and letting the country rot and the
people suffer, keeping people ignorant and poor so that the pre-occupation of
daily survival by the masses of our people ensures that no one has time or the
courage to think about their rights while the real business at hand for
those in power is the concentrate of one's efforts towards the sustenance of the
mafia-like organization in place to ensure personal gain and there is never a
shortage of cronies lining up to get a piece of the action. These would be
successors have also learned to play the game well after years of observance
of those in power and they know all the right code words and rules of the game
and how to play it.
The people who had colonized Africa and carved her up into all the pieces we
are comprised of today are now forming unions like the European Union and in
the Americas, efforts are ongoing to forge trade and other treaties to foster
economic and political well being, and in contract, it is only in Africa
that we have people fighting to hold onto their own piece of fifedom even when
it not economically viable, because they see any attempt at unity as
something that may prevent them from holding the ever important post of president, or
secretary of state which our people are ready to kill for. It is this same
thing that prevents us from even genuinely pooling our efforts together for
the greater good of all because we always undertake these efforts with one eye
on the effort and another on the lookout for any possibility that we can
make it on our own thereby ensuring more personal gain as opposed to something
for the greater good of all. What a sad state of affairs for our people.
There is clearly a need to create opportunities for people to make their mark in
life through other avenues.
I am sorry I have rambled on and on and included all manner of things that
I have had on my chest and needed to vent.
Hope you are having a good Sunday
Sister Jabou Joh
In a message dated 12/1/2005 10:34:49 A.M. Central Standard Time,
[log in to unmask] writes:
Sister Jabou wrote:
"...Jammeh would have found other means of making good on his threats
against these men. He made the promise himself for all Gambians to hear
and record. He stood before Gambians and dared to say that some people
will not witness the 2006 elections".
Well Sis, my point of departure is simply that the threats themselves
were the effects of President Jammeh's knowledge of the purported
forgeries. So again, whatever means he finds to make good on his threats
will have been indirectly produced by the decision by the Senegalese
authorities to make him privy to the contents of documents of dubious
origin and authenticity. Consequently, even now, when NADD should have
been strategising for the campaign, consolidating it positions in
different constituencies, selecting its flag bearer, the little
resources they have in terms of money and time, are going to be
channeled into securing the unconditional release of its leaders.
Yes, it is unfortunate that we should call Senegal a foreign country,
despite our ethnic affinity with its people. But I have no doubt that
the regimes in both countries will be pursuing their national interests,
or rather the interests of the power elite, even if that should be
detrimental to the wishes and hopes of large sections of their
populations. Senegal, has shown time and again that it has little regard
for the security of ordinary Gambians:
The second most violent student demonstration in Gambian history was
prompted by the severe beating of Gambian villagers by armed Senegalese
soldiers in the early seventies. The soldiers crossed the border and
attacked villagers in the North bank.
Days after the tragic killing of Eku Mahoney in October 1980 at the
police depot, Senegalese air force personnel landed at Yundum
international airport and forced its closure. (And you know, I was a
trainee communications officer at the airport, and I was on duty, and a
certain colonel Ngom, a graduate from the university of Dakar, said to
the air traffic controller and myself that he could not explain the
reasons behind the order; that he was simply following them).
Others had embarked and occupied MacCarthy Square in Banjul. It was
nothing short of an invasion. President Jawara went on the air and lied
that their presence was on account of a joint military exercise!
Then came the Kukoi rebellion, and perhaps more than a thousand Gambians
were killed by Senegalese soldiers; and then the Confederation and its
lopsided arrangements in favour of Senegal..
Senegal will pursue its strategic objectives irrespective of who is
Gambian president. So while Jammeh-bashing is in vogue, it is perhaps
all the more necessary to cast a glance across the the border once in a
while.
Many thanks,
Momodou
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