Note: I am asking Gambians in the Gambia with access to the Internet to make
many copies of this message and distribute them as widely as possible. Also,
take note that more messages relating to The Gambian situation will be
coming from me: watch out for them and take note of them.
********************************************************************
My fellow Gambians:
Next Saturday, the APRC is planning a lavish celebration to mark six years
in public office, but the question to be asked by all Gambians is this: "Do
they (the APRC) have any reason to celebrate their forthcoming 6-year
anniversary of seizing power in The Gambia?". I say a very definite NO. Why?
You may ask.
Well, when Yaya Jammeh seized power on 22 July 1994, he made a whole series
of grandiose promises to the Gambian people: he promised the people "a new
era of progress, of transparency, of ethical politics, of accountability and
probity." He claimed to be "a soldier with a difference": a mere mortal not
wishing to stay in power for a moment longer than necessary "to put the
country back on the right course." His brief, he announced to the Gambian
and international media, was to rectify what he called "the wrongs of the
Jawara years". In short, he said he had come "to put an end to the rampant
corruption and nepotism that had characterised thirty years of Gambian
life."
Jammeh made high-sounding promises to organise the shortest possible
transitional period following which, he went on, a new democratically
elected government would assume the reins of the country. He proclaimed that
he personally had no interest in political power; he was the broom that
would sweep the path clean for the new breed of politician of the Gambian
future. He said he would never aspire to the Presidency himself: that would
be for a person other than himself. Politics, he stressed on many occasions,
"was for the thieves, rogues, drunkards." His role was the cleansing one -
away with nepotism, with corruption, with mismanagement. His goal he told us
was this: that in the wake of the "old", a new Gambia would emerge which
would be fit for its place on the world-scene of the second millennium…and
it would all be thanks to him, Yayha A.J.J.Jammeh.
When he eventually announced the four-year transitional timetable in October
1994, the international as well as the Gambian community - at home and
abroad - condemned him in the strongest terms, and he was forced to reduce
the time by half through the National Consultative Committee (NCC). He
expressed anger at Sana Sabally and the late Captain Sadibou Hydara for
wanting him to continue to rule the country indefinitely. Later on, in
January 1995, he accused his two former colleagues of attempting to kill
him, because he, Jammeh, had accepted the reduction of the timetable from 4
years to 2 years, whereas Captains Sabally and Hydara were insisting that he
held onto power for as long as possible. Lieutenant "Squeaky Clean" Jammeh
kept reiterating his promises to hand over power to a civilian government:
his plan, he announced, was to retire quietly to a life of pastoral calm.
So, Gambians, where is Yaya Jammeh now? No longer a Lieutenant in retirement
on his farm in Kanilai, but a retired "Colonel", an Honorary Doctor, a
PRESIDENT!! Therefore, one thing is clear as a noon day: over the span of
the last six years, this villain has reneged on everything he had promised
the Gambian people. His grasp on power and his control of every facet of
Gambian life is tightening every day; he rules the country as though it were
his personal playground, his bank vault, his own territory and his
possession.
My fellow Gambians, we now face a situation where every sector of national
life is in despair and disarray. Our country is being increasingly strangled
into a state of total collapse, thanks to Jammeh. The public services are
crippled; economic life is paralysed; our nation's infrastructure is
grinding to a complete halt. Indeed, six years of Jammeh's brand of
political leadership have brought us to the very brink of disaster. So who
IS celebrating?
Certainly, it is not the Gambian people. As for the Civil Service, all the
best brains in the Service, most of whom were very dedicated and who worked
to the very best of their abilities have been summarily and arbitrarily
dismissed. Many civil servants have left of their own accord, not wishing to
compromise their principles. Of course, whenever professionals of the
highest calibre detect increasing symptoms of tyranny on the national
horizon, they are normally the first to distance themselves from it: they
take their families and go, often to greener pastures overseas where their
skills and talents will be properly utilised since they have marketable
skills.
To name a few: where are the Basiru Jahumpas, Oussou Jahs, Shola Mahoneys,
Isatou Njies (Environmentalist), Ruth Sowes? Who is now left to take over
their key roles? It is a fact that many of our former politicians were
incompetent, but, equally, many of our qualified Civil Servants, in my view,
were of high repute throughout West Africa and the wider world. Gambian
standards of civil service were reasonably OK. Now, we lament what has been
lost: the current Yaya Jammeh-breed of civil servant is epitomised by poor
levels of education, by an inability to sustain any sort of intellectual
argument; by a lack of any type of skill with language or dialogue.
Also, our Ministries are today full of "Vacancies" because most of the civil
servants have been fired. In fact, countless key positions are now left
empty in the Service because of the dearth of skilled professionals to fill
them. Our Ministry of External Affairs; our Ministry of Justice; our
Ministries of Education, Agriculture, Health, Education are all being
brought to their knees by a lack of qualified personnel to lead them into
the future.
It should be patently clear to any clear-minded Gambian that Yaya Jammeh and
his entourage have nothing left to offer to Gambians, if they in fact had
anything of substance in the first place. The man and his puppets have lied,
cheated, stolen and manipulated their way through six years of history. Our
country is now the laughing stock of West Africa, of the African continent,
of the world, thanks to Jammeh. Really, we should be crying for the shame of
it all.
Another important point we should not forget: when Jammeh took power, he
raged against his predecessor: he was fiercely critical of the way in which
former President Jawara had travelled on the international stage, taking
with him an entourage of epic proportions. Now, let us consider the travel
brief of Yahya Jammeh himself: the truth is that he is hardly ever at home.
His journeys take him to every last part of the world; his travelling
companions are as numerous as the Euro 2000 final audience! All is paid for
by a compliant Gambian public, who have even now footed the bill for a
private plane for Jammeh.
Who in The Gambia now knows where Jammeh is, or where he has just come from,
or where he will go next? Just yesterday, I read an item on GRTS that our
"illustrious President" is returning Friday from the OAU in Togo when in
actual fact Jammeh had returned to the Gambia from Togo on Wednesday. Why
does he need to indulge in this type of subterfuge? Could it be that the
man is frightened by his own people's reactions to his journeys?
Also, how many times over the last years has Yayha Jammeh lambasted Gambian
women for their skin-bleaching attempts to enhance their beauty? "Black is
Beautiful" has been Jammeh's message. He has been forthright in his
condemnation of the "bumsters" in particular who marry foreign spouses,
particularly those of white ethnic origin. Gambians for Gambians has been
his proclamation. How sad, therefore, that he felt the need to dump a
Gambian woman in favour of a light-skinned Moroccan (even though her daddy
is in the super-rich hoodlum bracket). Yahya Jammeh, my fellow Gambians, is
proving to be a Big Time Liar with one set of standards for himself, and
another inhibiting, parochial set for the people he is terrorising, robbing
and looting.
Having said that, Jammeh's history as a "Murderer" over the last years is
extraordinary. The names of those he has sent to their graves stand as
sentinels to the awfulness of his regime: Captain Sadibou Hydara, Lieutenant
Saye, Lieutenant Barrow, Foday Makolo, Ndot Faal, Yayha Drammeh, Almamo
Manneh, the young dead of April 10th/11th. Each one of these names tolls a
bell to remind us all that Jammeh is the bringer of death to his people.
Who holds the list of all those unfortunates who are languishing in Old
Jeshwang, in Mile Two, in Jangjangbureh because of the will of dictator
Jammeh? How many have died in custody and yet their families have not been
told? How many families in the Gambia still mourn the disappearance of loved
ones? Who will be accountable for all these lost souls? The answer of
course is Jammeh, Jammeh, and Jammeh.
Furthermore, how many people of the highest calibre have been deported from
our shores? Jammeh has spoken of his Pan African spirit while at the same
time forcing out people of the quality of Kenneth Best, Justice Fofana,
Rodney Sieh, Ali Badara Sheriff, the great cartoonist Jose Lahai. Who is he
fooling other than himself? Even genuine and hard working West African
teachers, entrepreneurs in The Gambia have all been trounced by guess who??
Jammeh, Jammeh, Jammeh.
Frankly speaking, Jammeh's short-sightedness of political vision is becoming
legendary, at the same time as his notoriety on the international stage is
growing. His heavy-handedness is growing daily; he shows no regard for the
rule of law: people are detained and held incommunicado for weeks, even
though the new Constitution clearly states that no-one should be detained
for more than seventy two hours without charge. What a terrible state of
affairs is evident in our country today. I charge Jammeh with high treason.
Let us also take a look into our Foreign Missions abroad: over the last six
years, Jammeh has been filling them with incompetent people who have sold
their souls for a butut or two. Deputy Director of the NIA, Abdulai Kujabi
(a cousin of evil Jammeh) is calling all the shots on appointments to key
positions in our diplomatic missions. Under Jammeh's leadership, nepotism is
the name of the game, and the stakes for those willing to forgo their
principles are high indeed. Many of our overseas representatives are as
corrupt and cold-hearted as their boss in The Gambia.
Sadly too is the fact that our beloved nation, which was once the standard
bearer for peaceful co-existence, has now allowed tribalism to rear its ugly
head in our country. Where is our interracial tolerance and respect heading
to under Jammeh? Our country was feted as the model for a multiethnic,
multi-faith world. Why is Jammeh destroying all this? He is carrying out a
nefarious policy of "divide and rule"; he touts tribal difference; he
upholds and propounds even greater racism within our small country. What was
once a jewel of freedom, tolerance and fairness in the African crown is fast
becoming, under Jammeh's tutelage, a society fraught with inter-tribal
prejudice and racial hatred.
My fellow Gambians, I am making a personal plea for the Jola people to
understand that Jammeh is just trying to inject tribal sentiments for his
own interests: he should not be allowed to divide the various ethnic groups
in The Gambia because they have always coexisted in peace and harmony. Like
all other tribes in the Gambia, the Jolas are a good and law-abiding people
who have a legal right to their place in West African society. Therefore,
we should not be attacking the Jola people for actions committed by one
member of their group. The culprit is Jammeh himself, not other members of
his tribe. We should take note of the fact that Jammeh is not a symbol or
representative of the Jola people, and this should be clear in our minds. We
should not blame the Jolas just because Jammeh is using his tribe against
the rest of other tribes in The Gambia.
As for the various Security Forces in the country, which Jammeh has
developed, they should realise that they are being increasingly used to
harass the Gambian people, to kill innocent citizens and to do their
President's donkeywork. Today, people in our wonderful country have lost all
confidence in the security forces, especially the Gambia National Army
(GNA). Members of the GNA should therefore understand that Jammeh's time
will be short, but that the people's memory will be long. Jammeh is using
his military as a personal service: in fact, it may not be too far in the
future before he orders his army personnel to open fire on their mothers,
their sisters, their cousins.
I therefore call upon all serving men and women to resist Jammeh and his
minions: to refuse to carry out any of his unlawful orders and commands.
They should know that Gambians have lost faith and trust in them. But we do
know that there are SOME in the Army who are caring, loving, sober and
responsible. My fellow Gambians, let us be in no doubt that there are good
people who are attempting to serve their country's best interests from
within the security forces.
To this end, whoever takes over power when Jammeh is finally deposed will
have to ensure that these right-minded soldiers form the backbone of a
restructured, downsized, streamlined and new look army, which truly serves
the best interests of the Gambian nation. There will need to be high
quality and regular military/civil interaction characterised by harmonious
relations: these will be crucial in ensuring sustainable democratic
governance as well as economic development. The GNA of the post-Jammeh
future will be a professional force, which will be instilled with democratic
values so as to ensure its neutrality in national politics.
My fellow Gambians, I have been watching in despair whenever I see what is
happening to the vast majority of high-principled and hard-working Gambian
entrepreneurs: men like Mustapha "Taf" Njie whose efforts to encourage
economic growth are being stymied. People like Taf are being discouraged,
and worse still, harassed and victimised. Sad too is the fact that Jammeh
has given valuable tourist development land away to his questionable
business partners. Most of the land in the Kotu Tourism area has been given
to unknown foreign investors, while genuine Gambian business people, like
TAF, are being ignored, just because he, Taf, sent a bill to Yahya Jammeh
after he (Taf) did some work for him at his Kanilai residence; needless to
say, the Gambian economy is in a dire state, growing more dire by the day
because of the result of the dubious BIVAC scheme, which seems to be lining
only Jammeh's pockets.
As the economy is squeezed, so the crime rate in our small country is at an
all-time high: people turn to dishonesty in order to surmount the punishing
daily routines of life, and as they struggle to survive, they resort to
criminal acts. The situation in The Gambia, in all honesty, is no longer
just chronic: it is acute. There is no dispute about the fact that Jammeh
represents doom, despair, failure, bloodshed and lack of hope.
My fellow Gambians, there is nothing for Jammeh and his entourage to
celebrate on the 22nd July. Instead, it is a good opportunity for him to
admit publicly that he has failed the nation; that he is a liar; that he is
a cheat and that he is a bloodstained murderer. Anyway, take it from me that
his day is surely coming, and in fact, in the meantime, he should be told in
clear language, that he must be held to account for every single one of his
actions. He will have to repay every Dalasis and dollar that he has stolen
and stashed away in foreign accounts.
He will be taken to the highest court in the land to answer all the charges
of murder and treason that the people will lay before him. Let Jammeh not
forget the examples of recent history: tyrants like Idi Amin, Samuel Doe,
Mobutu, Bokassa, Nguema. Like these African despots, Jammeh will be
denounced, humiliated, pilloried and totally defeated.
Now knowing that Jammeh ONLY represents all that is mayhem, turmoil and
chaos in our land, I therefore call upon Gambians - at home and abroad - to
get their act together for the sake of the future of our country. We have to
adopt a pragmatic, practical and common sense stance to ensure our country's
survival and redevelopment as a leading West African nation. We HAVE to
start to prepare now for the fast-approaching Presidential election
scheduled for November 2001.
I have personally hoped and prayed that the current Opposition parties in
the country could get together to form a tactical alliance and campaign for
a mutually acceptable presidential candidate. So far, my prayers have not
been answered: neither PDOIS nor UDP support the idea of presenting a united
opposition force to challenge Jammeh in the first round of the Presidential
election. In any case, we all need to be mindful of the scenario which could
develop if there were a sudden pre-election proliferation of political
parties: we should be playing directly into the hands of Jammeh and the APRC
if we allowed this to happen.
Yaya Jammeh's political future depends on his ability and power to "divide
and rule" the Gambian nation. Let us safeguard our futures, and be on the
guard for this. Let him not divide us; let us rather unite in pragmatic
compromise in order to defeat him once and for all. The electoral events in
Senegal should give us all heart and hope: by uniting under a common
anti-Diouf banner, the opposition in Senegal has been able to take power in
conditions of transparency and honesty.
In my view, the ballot box is the most powerful tool for change in any
nation: it beats the gun, and it beats corruption and strife. We Gambians,
need to do all in our power to give credence and due importance to the
forthcoming elections. We should be educating the people about their
paramount role in their nation's future. We have to get across the message
that one ballot paper is worth more than a sack of diamonds: every vote from
every voter will make a difference. We need to sensitise the electorate in
order for it to be discriminating when it comes to casting a vote. Our
people need to know that they should vote for the reliable, the honest, the
competent, and the incorruptible. They should elect potential Members of
Parliament who will have the people's genuine interests and well-being at
heart.
Just look at what happened recently when the APRC MPs in the House outvoted
the motion to investigate the Crude Oil Saga: what a lost opportunity to
reveal Jammeh as the biggest crook in the sub-region. We lost a golden
opportunity to see a thorough and painstaking investigation into Jammeh's
corrupt deals taking place in the public eye; and the fault lies fairly and
squarely in the hands of the APRC puppet MPs.
Consequently, what The Gambia needs above all else is a new politics based
on issues and honesty, and not on personalities. Voters should be sure in
their understanding and belief that they are the ones to call the shots: our
MPs should be our subordinate servants: the People put them in power and
they should be doing the job for the People.
These are the hopes, dreams and prayers of so many Gambians at home and
abroad as we move into the future. In the meantime, let's all join in a
toast to the unseating of the Kanilai Butcher in order to celebrate his six
years of misrule.
Now, I'm going to enjoy a bit of kora music from the late Lalo Kebba
Drammeh, and a taste of good "attaya".
Ebrima Ceesay,
Birmingham, UK.
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