Could anyone imagine a few years ago that Saddam Hussein would be executed like a common criminal by his fellow citizens with American support? I wonder what was going around the dictator’s head when he knew about his eminent execution, when he was handed over to the Iraqis for execution, when the judge read to him the death sentence and that it was time to carry it out, when he was escorted by guards to the death chamber, and until he was finally death? Was he thinking about the brutality he inflicted on Iraqis and other nationals, or was he thinking about himself as a martyr, who fought for the Iraqi interest? 
   
  The Iraqi government official video of Saddam’s execution show a fearful and angry man facing death, while a low quality unauthorized video shows Saddam’s executioners taunting him and Saddam’s usual defiance. I wonder what the Bush Administration and the Iraqi government is trying to proof? The consensus is that Saddam was a tyrant dictator who orchestrated countless atrocities against the Iraqis and their neighbors but the manner in which he was treated by the Americans and the Shia led Iraqi government also tantamount to inhumane treatment. Saddam was treated, exactly the same way his regime used to treat perceived or real enemies. Nothing has changed. The reason to overthrow Saddam’s regime is to change the status quo from brutal dictatorship to democracy, rule of law, human right. 
   
  The lousiest trial of the century is the trial of Saddam Hussein for genocide in Dujail after at attempted assassination on his life. The whole trail was marred with drama. Some of defense council members were executed or barred from attending hearings; the chief judge was fired for being lenient to Saddam and replaced by a judge who clearly has scores to settle with Saddam. Majority of prosecution witnesses unveil their testimony behind a vile of dark curtains, limiting the defense’s ability to cross-examine the evidence presented. 
   
  I wonder why the Iraqis hastily execute their former dictator before trying him on more severe charges. Why was he executed on the day of Edi Adha? According to media reports, the Kurds are not happy with the hasty execution; they wanted to convict Saddam of crimes committed against their people with chemical weapons. I agree. In order to promote nation unity, Saddam should be tried for all major crimes his regime is accused of committing against Iraqis and their neighbors. It would be like a “truth commission” to bring about a permanent closure to the atrocities meted against them and final reconciliation and reconstruction. Execution of Saddam at the very eve of Edi, which is the biggest Islamic feast in the year for Sunni Muslims, is a similitude of Abraham sacrificing his son Ismaila. It is a serious mockery to Sunni Muslims. It seems to me that the Shi led government is indeed deepening the religious and sectarian divide in Iraqi. They are dispensing their majority
 with dictatorial tendencies. 
   
  The living standard of Iraqis has deteriorated very severely and security is still a formidable problem. According to UN count, more than 650,000 Iraqis have been killed since the start of the American led invasion and other estimates have it that 3,700 Iraqis die each month due to the war efforts. Iraqi life is shattered into pieces; their future is being destroyed. One of the richest countries in the world is being destroyed at an unsustainable rate. All the current hardships are caused by Saddam’s misrule. The country is literally divided along ethnic and sectarian divides. Even the political parties and support is based on these lines. This is very dangerous. 
   
  I think this is a good lesson for all dictators to learn that the power they dispense over the people is not theirs. It must be borne in mind that true and lasting power belongs to the people. You can only deceive people for so long. Dictators must understand that their actions lead to multifaceted consequences, some of which are difficult to envisage but they are deadly and long-term. 
   
  For example, several innocent Gambians are currently being detained by the government in violation of the constitution, which Jammeh was, a few day ago, sworn in to uphold. The detainees range from former government officials to lay average people. Kanyiba Kanyi was arrested by the security forces at his home in Bonto a few days before the last presidential election. Despite a court order to release him unconditionally, Kanyiba is still detained at an undisclosed location. No one has seen him since his arrest. 
   
  Kanyiba is the breadwinner in his family and his absence is causing havoc for the family both financially and psychologically. According to one account, Kanyiba went to attend a meeting relating to his job at a village in Kombo east where APRC political rally was taking place. When he (Kanyiba) past by the meeting, one of the APRC official saw him and accused him of attempting to disrupt the APRC meeting. Kanyiba did not even stop at the meeting; he immediately proceeded to the official function that brought him there. Where in this world would a citizen be infinitely detained for such a flimsy charge? Thousand of Gambians are subjected to such unconstitutional treatment by Jammeh and his boys. 
   
  During the trial of the March 21, 2006 abortive coup, suspected croupiest narrated severe torture being meted on them in the hands of their fellow Gambians. So many Gambians have disappeared during Jammeh’s rule, so many are killed in broad day light. The perpetuators of these heinous crimes are never found or brought to justice. If Jammeh’s intelligence can foil almost a dozen coup attempts, why the same intelligence cannot find the murderers killing our brightest? 
   
  Is it not true that Saddam was doing a similar thing for more than two decades? Saddam used to win the ballot by 99 percent; similarly, Jammeh won the last presidential ballot with a bigger margin. Now we know that Saddam’s popularity was imposed on the people without alternative. Is this not the same in the Gambia today? Jammeh used the public resources to exert his power on the people so much, so that to be seen as opposing him is equivalent to excruciating pain at Mile 2 and NIA headquarters. According to media reports, Saddam is responsible for killing more that one million people during his era. On the other hand, since 1994 when Jammeh came to power by force, several people, including military civilian and students were killed, detained, disappeared; independent media houses are harassed, burnt down, closed down, journalists killed and imprisoned in violation of the law. These people have family and friends who love them and would never forgive your government’s
 inability to protect their love one’s life. This is why thousands of Iraqis applied for the position of Saddam’s executioner. Most of them said their families members were killed or tortured by the Saddam’s regime. I hope Jammeh understand that his recent electoral victory cannot be taken to represent reality on the ground. His popularity is imposed on the people through the Governors, chiefs, Secretary of States, the media, and other governmental machinery. We have to realize that Jawara was very popular just before his government was overthrown by Jammeh. The popularity evaporated into space within days of the coup. Dictators always fail to understand that their power originates from the people and they can take it back any time they want it. As Bob Marley says, “You can fool some people some time but you cannot fool all the people all the time.” Any time people realize themselves and their duties and rights in a society, they tend to revolt against injustice inflicted
 on them. This means that no matter how long it would take, one day, Gambian people would revolt against your human right violations and take you to task.
   
  The responsibility of President is an enormous challenge and a wonder opportunity to serve the people. According to Plato in the Republic, only philosophers, who care deeply about truth, are imbued with great integrity, and overriding concern about the welfare of the public, are qualified to be leaders. I think this is abundantly true. It implies that good leaders work towards the welfare of his her people and bad leaders orchestrate atrocities against their people and work towards their self-centered desires. 
   
  Jammeh’s regime is credited with many infrastructure developments projects but this is not matched with required technical resources to operate them efficiently and effectively. When you go around the country, you would see, many white elephants projects or semi white elephant projects which amounts to wastage of precious resources. The life of an average Gambian has not improved during the past twelve years; instead, it has plunged to almost unbearable levels. 
   
  I wonder what Jammeh is gaining by refusing to uphold the constitution and the laws of the Gambia? I think it would even be easier to uphold the constitution than to violate it as president of a republic. What prevent Jammeh from tapping the Gambian intellectuals into national development? Why Jammeh cannot allow technical professional to design, implement and evaluate government programs and projects to ensure economic viability and feasibility? Why Jammeh cannot make sure that all rights accorded to us by the constitution are protected? Are we free from arbitral detention, disappearance, killings? Does being president make anyone more important than the other citizens? No. Being president is like being employee of the state. Good employees dispense their service with utmost truthfulness and desire to improve the living standard of citizens or employers; bad employees dishonestly render their service. 
   
  Is it not a shame that we cannot judicious utilize our precious resources to translate them into prosperity for all? I think Gambians are equal to everyone else; therefore, if others are able to maximize prosperity for their people, Gambians are capable of the same thing or even more. Good leadership is the key ingredient to the soup of prosperity. Under good leadership, the opposition would be seen as alternative governments and are guanteed all the rights accorded to them by the constitution. The media is free to operate independently to provide relevant information to the citizen so that the people would evaluate the programs and projects. A vibrant civil society is a prerequisite for economic, political, and social development of any society.
   
  Muhammed Lamin Touray
   
   

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