The Daily Observer Published Wednesday, January 26, 2000
JAMMEH: IN HIS OWN WORDS
On rumours
Rumours are thriving because there is a market for it. The
reason
why there is a market for it is the fact that people do not
question...
that is a sort of naivety on the side of the citizens. If
somebody
comes to you with a story that you know is hard to believe,
if you
question the person once or twice, you do not give him much
appetite for him to go and talk to another person again.
But you
see, an idle mind is the devil's workshop. And we have a
lot of
people who think they can show importance by spreading false
rumours, who think that they can be respected or be seen as
people of authority by merely telling people that, 'I'm just
from the
president' or that, 'I'm always with the president, this is
what he
said...' when I've not even seen those people. And we call
ourselves good Muslims and good Christians and in both holy
books, they said: Thou shalt not tell a lie. But in this
country one
would tend to ask yourself, how intelligent are we that we
can
accept the most fictitious of stories and assume that it is
true.
And in fact, they insult the intelligence of Gambians by telling
stories. Remember, there was a time when they said I was
sick
and even though I passed standing up, they said that was a
photograph, a portrait, a poster...
And unfortunately, people are so gullible that they accept
without
questioning and it is very sad. But of course, they never
spread
rumours about a lunatic, they will always spread rumours about
good people...people who are delivering. These are the people
who do not wish this country well. And the effects of rumours
are
all there to be seen. They put people on edge, jittery...I
think there
are too many malicious people around and it is the duty of
every
citizen in this country to get rid of these people in any
way
possible, that is, you do not even give them the cause to
spread
their malicious lies. Rumours are all lies, it is just the
Englishman's
way of not telling you directly that, it is a lie, and calling
it
rumour.
On how to curb rumour-mongering
Rumour-mongering is a sign of intellectual and moral
backwardness. And I think Gambia is the only country where
you have all this rumour-mongering in West Africa. I think
we
should come out of this 13th century mentality. Of course,
it can
be eradicated by questioning Yahya Jammeh when he comes to
tell you an unbelievable story about Neneh McDoll or about
any
other person, but we encourage it by listening to the person's
lies,
and then you become a willing liar by spreading the same rubbish
to somebody else. Where is your faith in God... How moral
are
you in fact where it concerns someone else's private life
or an
individual's integrity? Rumours are backbiting and this is
what
the Almighty Allah condemns in the Qur'an and the Bible.
I think
we have passed the stage where you believe whatever you are
told without any evidence.
On why he would not react to clarify issues
I have a big responsibility - to develop this country, to
move this
country forward and not backwards - you do not expect me to
distract my attention from national development to answer
to
cheap talk where you have perpetual rumours. Leave it to the
judgement of people and God. In fact, what is important is,
I have
this country to build and I will build it at any cost, nothing
will
distract me from that. You do not expect me to spend all
my time
trying to clarify rubbish knowing that the sources are malicious
people who do not wish this country well.
It is up to the people to judge and if they accept the rumours,
that
is their business, my business is to build this country and
nothing
will distract me from that, I do not have that time.
On 'running a state from a village'
It is only a sense of immaturity. I think what is important
to the
average Gambian is what we can deliver in terms of
socio-economic development, not where we can deliver it from.
I
think even if I stay in the last village of this country,
what is
important to patriotic Gambians and human beings is whether
I am
interested in their welfare and socio-economic development
and
not where I stay... This is what I mean about moral and intellectual
backwardness. Does it really matter where I stay as far as
I am in
the country... The majority of the people live in the provinces.
I
think being with them gives them assurance. I am not staying
here because I am born here, but because everybody knows that
there are major works on that old building, that is why I
am
staying here. We are talking about decentralisation....rural-urban
drift.... Those who criticise me are the same people from
the
provinces who do not have even a hut in their own villages
and
whenever they go back to their villages, they are strangers
in their
own homes and this is what they are jealous about. Should
I
listen to those people?
Another strategy is that when people come to Kanilai, they
see
the state of our roads, diplomats and emissaries come here
and
they see the state of our roads and so tomorrow, when you
explain to them how the country is like, they will understand
because they have first hand experience. But where I stay
is not
important, what is important is what I do.
On why roads are priority
I feel sorry for the average Gambian person who have to suffer
the dust, potholes and in most areas, no roads at all. For
300
years of British rule, and of course I would not want to mention
the other, Gambians have been subjected to hazardous roads.
Without communications, there cannot be development. I will
tell
you a personal experience and why I am particular about the
road...
and this was on the south bank road which was then the best.
I
boarded a 405 (Peugeot) from Mayok. We were going to Banjul.
Then, this sort of transport stop at Brikama. There was a
pregnant woman (on board), the road was bad, portions of the
road were very bad, and all of a sudden, we went into a big
pothole and three minutes after that the woman delivered right
in
our presence and this was because of the pothole. Right inside
the vehicle! Sick people have died on the way to the hospital
because of the bad roads. Bad roads are a big obstacle to
economic development. Look at the women who toil the land
12
months of the year. They grow vegetables during the dry season
but their produce perish because of bad roads, becoming a
huge
impediment to socio-economic development. Unless we tackle
this problem, there cannot be socio-economic development.
On allegations of corruption
When people accuse me of corruption, I laugh because
corruption is the highest stage of greed... Does it make
sense to
you as a human being, a Gambian, that Yahya Jammeh is greedy
and corrupt because he wants to be rich, he wants to grab
everything but spends all his money on people. We have seen
corruption. When there was corruption, we know. How many
people have their children sponsored by government or by
individuals in government? Does it really make sense that
I
would steal to enrich myself and instead give it to people.
I am
not afraid of any human being on this earth. I am not afraid
of
anything in this world. I am only afraid of Allah (glory
be to Him,
the Highest) Who knows everything I do. Of course, if a
government official is corrupt, that does not mean Yahya
Jammeh is corrupt. After all, I have done my best and I am
doing
my best to see that there is no corruption. That is why anybody
who does not toe the line that I want, we will get rid of
him before
he engages in anything that is unbecoming of a public official.
Do you think if I am corrupt we will develop this country.
The
thing is, that is the only thing they can say and they cannot
prove it. Remember, they were talking about a Swiss bank
account quoting numbers but nobody ever made an attempt to
find out who owns that account. What is there to prevent
the
enemies and detractors of this country from opening an account
and claiming that it belongs to Yahya Jammeh? Let them ask
the
Swiss authorities to investigate whether I have a Swiss bank
account. But of course, they have never accused a lunatic
of
anything. You see, these are people who do not love this
country
and they do not want to see progress because they wanted to
maintain the status quo of 'big man', 'small man'. You think
they
are happy with what is going on? No! You think the former
'big
man' is happy that his children and yours are attending the
same
school under the same circumstances, after 30 years?
These people, no matter what you do, they will never praise
me.
But you think if there is that corruption they are talking
about
that Yahya Jammeh is that corrupt, what is there to oblige
me to
build anything? What is there to oblige me to do things for
people. Ask people who know me. You can say Yahya is
arrogant, hard to deal with but Yahya Jammeh is dishonest,
that is a lie! Because what is important to me is not this
material
world. They say I live in a mansion. They call this a mansion
(laughs)!
Those are the people who were not secretaries of state or
even
permanent secretaries. Their homes, compared to mine, are
better. How did they get the money? They have run short
of
what to say and the only thing they can say is play to Gambians
and this is an insult to Gambians.
If I am corrupt, I want to be rich, that is the bottom line.
And
instead of being rich, I give things to people and even giving
things to the state that belongs to me. Does it make sense
to
you? But what have they got to say? Now it is the norm in
African politics to blame governments of corruption. Yes.
There
are instances of corruption but that does not mean that Yahya
Jammeh is corrupt. And we are dealing with the situation.
...like the Auditor General's Report?
One thing Gambians should ask themselves is, why isn't there
a
distinction made between pre-1994 and 1994 up to date. Most
of
the cases of corruption highlighted in the Attorney General's
Report are cases that had already been dealt with by the
commissions. And they did not also put before the people
the
answers given by the accounting officers. Then what was the
objective? Of course, we have set up a commission to look
into
those allegations and the commission will commence very soon
as I promised at Brikama. Corruption under Yahya or corruption
under anybody is corruption and I'll will not condone it.
And in
fact, if you read the papers, they will tell you the crude
oil saga.
What saga? I have a right to cancel any transaction which
is
not to the interest of this country, which is perpetrated
by other
people in the name of the government. They think that it
is a big
deal. It is nothing. It is just like a storm in a tea cup.
When we
learnt of the deal, I wrote to the Nigerian government and
told
them that as far as we are concerned, we are not aware of
any
such contract and we are cancelling it. I requested that
it should
be cancelled because we have nothing to do with that. Of course,
those who signed the contract with Chantrils signed on behalf
of
the Gambia Government with fake documents.
If Chantril wants their money back for breach of contract,
they
can look for the Gambia government. And all efforts for us
to
negotiate out of court, I refused because I made it very clear
to
them that I want justice to be done, because if we negotiate
out of
court, it will seem like the Gambia government has something
to
hide. We have nothing to hide, we are not part of it and
let us go
through the court process. What are they talking about?
The so-called guy from Economic Intelligence Report . It
was
from the Economic Intelligence Report that I realise that
there was
a deal that The Gambia was listed among all West African
countries as a recipient of crude oil allocation and I made
inquiries
and realised that in actual fact, there is somebody lifting
oil in the
name of The Gambia and I stopped it because it does not make
sense that the Gambia government for eight years or six years,
went into a transaction that will give us 1.6 million dollars.
You
think it's worth that trouble? So we cancelled it. We turned
down
the offer and somebody decided to take it, went behind the
government to take the offer in the name of the government.
And
for anybody as far as that is concern, to lift oil on behalf
of any
particular country, there should be a power of attorney from
the
head of state to the Minister of Trade or from the head of
state
directly to the NNPC which is not possible. So, the power
of
attorney has to be from the head of state to the Minister
of Trade
authorising him to sign a contract. But look at what they
show me
on the document, purportedly, a secretary of state was giving
power of attorney to somebody, a protocol officer (smiles
wryly).
Does it make sense to you? But of course, if somebody has
nothing to say ... a drowning man would cling to any straw.
This is what they are talking about and they blow it out of
proportion, 'Eh! eh! This is a crude oil saga.' What saga?
We
cancelled it because it was not in the interest of this country.
What is wrong with that. They could have called it a saga
or a
deal if we have lifted it and diverted it. I want Gambians
to
understand that if they talked of 20,000 barrels a day - in
fact
that is one reason why we rejected the offer - out of every
barrel,
with all your trouble of lifting and signing contracts with
other
companies, you only have 10 cents or 12 cents. I said that
is not
worth our while, 1.6 million dollars will not waste our time
with all
that trouble and of course, knowing the implications of such
a
transaction.
And that same Mr Smith, was very inconsistent. He said well,
'we do not know whether it was allocated to an individual
or to
the country.' And just to show how biased he is and how
prejudiced they are to this country, they did not name all
the
countries that are recipients of that offer.
On whether he lives a flamboyant lifestyle
Well, they can go and live in the gutter to make people believe
that they live humble lives. Everybody has the Pajero I have,
Inter-Cooler. What do I have? Nissan Patrols? Most
businessmen have Nissan Patrols. There is nothing extraordinary
about these, you can go to TK Motors and get a Pajero or go
to
Shyben Madi and get a Nissan Patrol. What kind of flamboyant
lifestyle are they talking about? They want me to live on
the roof
or in a hut?
My clothes are materials tailored in The Gambia, how can they
be
expensive, tailored in The Gambia? And those who criticise
me
wear Western suits that cost nothing less than 50 pounds.
That
is not flamboyant? And they are nothing in this country!
On journalists and join-the-lists
A journalist should be a man of high moral value; should be
a
well-schooled person...and you must always endeavour -
because it is a lifetime career - to be honest and tell the
truth
irrespective of what your personal opinion is of the person.
But if you start with the wrong foot your career may be in
jeopardy and you may one day be in jail. If from the beginning,
all what you are interested in is cheap street talk,
flashy heads
so that people will buy only to realise that you are talking
garbage,
by the time you are 10 years into the profession, you are
in jail,
because somewhere along the line, somebody will take you to
court. A press man should be investigative, you have to be
balanced. I am not asking anybody to praise me and whether
they praise me or criticise me, that does not reduce a hair
from my
head. The press can destabilise or stabilise a country.
Somebody
tells you that Yahya Jammeh has married. I am not afraid
of any
human being in this world that I can marry discretely. They
wrote a story that I married X,Y,Z. They could tell you where
the
person is but they could not tell you the name. Does it really
make sense to a trained journalist. And you always think
that the
international community will only recognise you when you
criticise the government, and a journalist is suppose to be
a man
of integrity and high moral value. You shall not, as a Muslim
or a
Christian, try to tarnish the image of someone falsely just
because
you belong to a particular political opinion. And some of
them,
because they want American visas, and they cannot get it,
they
write fictitious stories and once you call them for questioning,
it is
headlines, 'So-called journalist arrested and detained by
NIA' or
other security agency, and the next minute, he is at the American
Embassy or British High Commission looking for visa. If you
want a visa, be honest enough and tell the Americans or the
British that you want a visa, but you do not have to create
trouble for yourself in the search for your visa. Who can
see a
bird flying and they write the headline that it was a jet
fighter?
How many times did they write that I have been shot at Kanilai?
And each time they write, people see me walking.
Under the former government we know what type of journalism
was in this country. The government press is not praise-singing
to anybody, they are telling the truth, which they would not
want
to do and so they will call it praise-singing. What story
was
carried by the government press which was not true?
And finally...
Remember that I am a soldier. I fear nobody else except God.
These cowards. Whoever wants to do something, come to
Yahya Jammeh at Kanilai. Banjul is populated, come to Kanilai.
That will be the end of the story.
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