Of Militants, Cowards and Fence-sitters: Disaporan Gambians and the
Political Situation in Gambia

In all enterprises, introspection and retrospection are necessary
tools in quantitative and qualitative analyses to determine success
or
failure. As stakeholders in the future of The Gambia, Diaspora
Gambians have, since the seizure of power by the A(F)PRC, taken
various
stances ranging from outright support to outright opposition. Such
stances have found outlets ranging from discussions at social
functions
to online fora and mailing lists. The proponents, active or passive,
of
such stances have taken various forms and personalities, some timid,
some nonchalant and some militant. Whilst most Gambians have some form
of opinion, it is not all who have the ability or courage to make such
opinions known especially on fora such as Gambia-l or Gambia Post, due
among other things, to limitations in the usage of the English language
and fear of personal attacks. As such, only those who have the courage
and/or ability to partake of discussions on those fora appear to have
carried the mantle for the identification and proposal of solutions to
the problems facing Gambia. Does this however mean that the silent
majority have no opinion? Does this mean that they accept as panacea
the solutions thrown around or pertinent the problems identified as
affecting
Gambia? In trying to deal with such issues, some questions need to be
asked and such questions include:
- Who speaks on behalf of Gambians?
- Are the opinions of outspoken people on the internet to be taken as
representing the opinions of online and offline Diaspora Gambians?
- Are the aspirations and opinions of Gambians abroad and those at
home
similar?
- Is the failure of people to participate in the discussion of Gambian
issues online tantamount to sitting on the fence?
- Is the failure of people to engage in the discussion of Gambian
issues online tantamount to cowardice or a passport to ensuring their
ability to visit Gambia without fear of harassment by the authorities?
- Are the hard-line, militant stances taken by people online
realistic?
Do such stances correctly and objectively identify the problems
affecting Gambia and are the solutions put forward workable ones?
- Do the militant stances stifle discussion of the issues that are
pertinent to all of us?
- Do Gambians have a right to freely choose the party of their choice
to support and be able to propagate and defend their views without
fear?
The questions are many and in trying to deal with the topic at hand,
these and other issues will be dealt to see whether Diaspora Gambians
who, for one reason or other, fail to participate in discussions are
indeed fence-sitters or cowards or those who take hard-line positions
are justified in taking such positions and whether the solutions they
propose are indeed practicable ones.
Since the prosperity or failure of Gambia as a state affects all
Gambians and non-Gambians who have interests in the country, it can be
taken as a given that all Gambians have an inherent stake in its
affairs. As such, it can be expected that they have a duty to
participate in all aspects of its governance. This means being expected
to take stances on issues that affect the country. However, as
proponents and supposed proponents of democratic values, it should be
expected that those who push for democratic change in Gambia?s
governance should respect and protect the rights of fellow Gambians to
either take stances or not. This brings to the fore the question of who
speaks on behalf of Gambians. Since Gambian communities abroad are
microcosms of Gambians at home, they can be expected to comprise of
opinions and political leanings as diverse as those found in Gambia. As
microcosms, the same problems and issues lamented as debilitating the
social, moral, religious and political fabric of Gambian society back
home are a reality within our own Diaspora societies. The values and
opinions are equally diverse. This by natural extension results in
contrariety of opinion with regard to the identification and proposal
of solutions to the problems affecting the country. As such, it can be
concluded that none has the mandate to speak for and on behalf of
Diaspora Gambians. What is to be expected and accepted is a diversity
of opinions with regard to both identification of problems and proposal
of solutions. What should be avoided is obfuscation of issues and the
imposition of what one regards as the way things should be. People are
more passionate about some issues than others. In situations where
people disagree, one should provide proof or other material or facts to
convince others of the superiority of one?s ideas and positions. Since
different tactics are required during different debates or phases of a
debate, one can be expected to assume various postures and
personalities depending on the characteristic of the debate. However,
when all is said and done, the ultimate aim should be the convincing of
the adversary of the superiority of one?s ideas. Failing that, one
should agree to disagree. The simple reason is that every Gambian has a
right to his / her opinion no matter how disagreeable and should not be
cowed into silence. No one online, be it my very self or anyone else,
has a mandate to speak on behalf of Gambians no matter how deluded we
might be in our assumptions of responsibility.
The second issue is whether the opinions of the most outspoken people
online should be taken as being representative of the majority of
Gambians. As alluded to earlier, many people are discouraged from
partaking of the discussions online due to various reasons including
limitations in the usage of the English language. Some do not have the
time to engage in the back and forth that characterizes many
discussions, the name-calling, the labeling etc., some are discouraged
by relatives back home and some are plain scared. Does that mean that
they do not have opinions? Does that mean that they do not express
their opinions in platforms different from the internet? The answer
cannot be in the affirmative in all cases. There are many people who
just read and do not participate in the discussions and do not make
their opinions known regarding the situation back home but might be
contributing in other ways. Since writing online exposes one to
unpredictable and sometimes unpleasant responses, many choose to keep
quiet. However, their silence should not be misconstrued as being in
acceptance of the positions of the most vocal. Their silence should not
be misconstrued as abnegating their opinions and positions. As such, it
should be accepted that anyone who expresses an opinion online speaks
on his / her own behalf or those who opine with him / her and is not a
representative of the sum total of Diaspora Gambians.
The next issue is whether the opinions and aspirations of Diaspora
Gambians and Gambians at home are the same. Some of us, including
myself, sound like broken records regurgitating the same rhetoric for
many years without the most miniscule of changes having been effected
with regard to the status quo in Gambia. This means that we are either
not effective in delivering our message or that we are out of sync with
the opinions and aspirations of those we claim to be fighting for. It
is very easy to blame the Gambians on the ground be they political
leaders, religious leaders or the ordinary Samba or Demba. This takes
away the responsibility of introspection from us. The same things we
accuse Gambians back home of are dividing and tearing our Diaspora
societies apart. Tribalism, indifference to or even gloating about the
suffering of fellow Gambians, lack of support for each other, self-
interest at the expense of community etc. are equally prevalent in our
societies abroad as they are in Gambia. Whilst we are pointing the
finger of blame at Gambians on the ground, we should be doing more
introspection to correct ourselves. If we are as we want Gambians on
the ground to be, the issue of showing solidarity to people being
victimized would not arise. However, if we close our eyes to our
inadequacies and pontificate to Gambians at home, the gap in our
opinions and aspirations will widen. One mentions a gap in opinion and
aspirations because that is the reality. Some of us have become so
fixated with what we deem to be the problems affecting Gambia and what
we believe are the solutions that we have become intolerant of
differing opinions. This is a liability because in many an instance, we
have been away from the country for a long time and the ideals and
opinions we hold dear are no longer the same as those of the average
Samba and Demba in Gambia. If I can remember correctly, Yusupha Jow
tried to educate us about this disconnect between our ideals and
opinions when he came back from his visit to Gambia some years back but
people got on him. I cannot remember the exact exchanges but what I got
from those exchanges was that he was somehow being painted as a sellout
because what he saw made him present opinions contrary to the prevalent
view. I saw the same disconnect when I visited Gambia. During the Yaya
AIDS cure period, many online said all kinds of things and some even
wanted to change citizenship because of embarrassment but many, many
people in Gambia actually believed that Yaya could indeed cure AIDS. I
was in the country at the time and even educated people believed it.
People, even educated people, believe that Yaya has magical powers.
Many believe that Yaya ?dafa yaa bopa?. People sitting in Bakau would
be afraid of talking about Yaya because they believe he can hear them
whilst sitting in Kanilai. This might sound ridiculous to many but
people actually believe it. That is the reality of things in Gambia.
Why would people impose curfews on themselves during the time it was
said Yaya?s spirits escaped? They did so because they actually believed
it. In order to be effective conduits of progressive change, we should
realign our thought patterns and think on the level of the average
Gambian and learn to identify the issues that Gambians hold dear and
not the issues we expect them to hold dear. Whilst democracy, human
rights etc. are basic necessities in any decent and civilized society,
we accord them positions of necessity discordant with those accorded
them by the average Samba or Demba preoccupied with how to find the
next meal for his / her family. This does not absolve the Samba or
Demba of his / her responsibility to demand his / her God-given rights.
It just shows that expediency takes precedence over principle. Maybe
ignorance of one?s rights is the reason. Can he / she be faulted? Most
if not all of us who come online do so on a full stomach with roofs
over our heads. Many in Gambia do not have this privilege. How would we
behave in their positions?
Is the failure of people to participate in the discussion of Gambian
issues online tantamount to sitting on the fence? The participation in
discussions online is a voluntary endeavour. As such, the time and
importance accorded to individual topics and issues are governed by the
time an individual has, interest in the topic, willingness to engage
etc. An individual might fail to participate in a topic because he /
she simply does not have time due to work, health and domestic
priorities. He / she might fail to participate because he / she is not
interested, is not willing to expose himself / herself to back and
forth arguments. As years come and go, people?s participation has
varied. Some have been vocal or active for a few years, silent for a
few only to reemerge to restart the cycle. Failure to participate in a
given topic, no matter how important to those discussing it, should not
be misconstrued as representing fence-sitting. Even if it represents
fence-sitting, people might sit on the fence because they have no
opinion about a certain issue or their opinions are not strong enough
to warrant engagement. Should they have this privilege?

TO BE CONTINUED.

Buharry.

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