I completely identify with KB's sentiments. The record need to be set
straight for posterity. Thanks for a great job Mr. Colly. Can't wait for the
next posting.

On an anecdotal level, a friend of mine who was a senior officer in the NSS
stationed at Jawara's State House while Yaya was also there, told me a story
right after the coup. I was able to verify part of it, but not all of it. I
believe him totally, but I can't prove the story, if you know what I mean.
It concerns the early 1990s Demonstration by the soldiers who came back from
Liberia -the one that was halted by the TSG at Denton Bridge. My friend told
me that the Demo was led by one Private Sulayman Jammeh (who was
sacked/discharged because of that incident.) This I verified. (The guy is a
friend of Capt. M. Kinteh who's now in Command at Farafenni.) But here is
the interesting stuff:
When news reached the security heads at State House about an army demo
headed for Banjul, this friend told me that they -the senior people, were
scrambling to figure out how to diffuse the situation peacefully, and as
quickly as possible. But, Yaya (then not even a full Lt.,) bursted into that
meeting asking for permission so that he "could go and 'bombarde' -HIS EXACT
WORDS- these foolish boys." He said, they kicked him out of the room. When
things calmed, they called him in for a real dressing down, because of his
penchant for engaging in overkill.

This friend told me this story in the first week of the coup when "Kanilai"
was supposed to be the Chairman. (He said no one calls him Yaya in Bwiam.)
At the time, I couldn't be happier for our country because I really thought
we'll break with the cycle of hopelessness that we were in. But this friend
kept telling me that, "if it is the same Yaya that I went to school with in
Bwiam, then god help us." He said Yaya's second name is "kufang" which is
synonymous with a mixture of buffoonery, and arrogance. And he kept telling
me that "if it is our Yaya, that country is in real trouble because HE'LL
NEVER LEAVE IN PEACE. He doesn't know when to stop; he's not responsible,
etc, etc" This friend has such a low opinion of Yaya that I couldn't believe
he was talking about the same person as the coup leader. When Yaya had his
first press conference, this friend sent me a copy, with a note to "pay
attention to the way this boy speaks." The most notable part of the press
conference was where Yaya was asked if they'll let Prez Jawara come back:
"We will ne-ba! We will ne-ba allow him to rule this country again..." he
replied. My boy kept telling me, "you see what I'm saying? Does this fellow
sound like he can run a country?" It didn't take me long to concur with him.

The twist to the story is that, through his Kujabi cousins (one of them
lived off this guy for months in NY,) he tried to recruit this guy to work
for him.  With the guy's brains (A Levels, Advanced Intelligence Training at
a West African Intelligence Academy, BSC,) he is one Foni native one won't
be able to dismiss as Yaya's Affirmative Action brad. Back in 1994, we were
all looking forward to returning home after college. But despite this guy's
close personal relationship with Yaya, he tells me that he wouldn't work for
Yaya if he was the only employer on the planet. While in Gambia recently, he
said he had visitors (mutual friends of his and Yaya's) who tried to pull
the same ethnic crap Joe Sambu's visitor's did: "This is a Jola govt. We
need our own people like yourself to lead. We should all support this govt.
When this govt fails, all Jolas will suffer. We've told Yaya that you're
here. He wants to see you. He's still the same Yaya. He's your boy, your
own..." My friend said he told them he'll be in Foni for a week, after which
he'll visit Yaya the "following Wednesday." That following Wednesday, he was
airborne to NYC! We speak almost weekly, and to this day, Ma Boy keeps
telling me that I shouldn't forget what he told me about Yaya on the first
days after the coup. He repeated it just yesterday: "win or lose elections,
Yaya will never leave in peace."
I keep praying that he's wrong.

Saul.


Mr. Colly, another masterpiece. Your rendition is irrefutable. To say that I
am glad that you are on our side, would be an understatement. I am glad that
you cleared the smoke-screen that was being peddled about the involvement of
the Americans in the coup of 1994. Nothing but utter and vicious lies

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