Denying the Undeniable

The Independent (Banjul)
OPINION
November 3, 2003
Posted to the web November 3, 2003
Banjul

Denying the undeniable? Justifying the unjustifiable? Unthinkable!

That the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs Baboucarr Blaise Jagne,
would keep denying and denying that the government he serves is not found
wanting in the wake of recent events undermining their claim to good
governance leaves the rest of the civilised world choked in its sigh of
bewilderment.

First of all, Mr. Jagne who is supposed to be the face of The Gambia to the
outside world vehemently denied knowledge of the fact that Alexandre Djiba,
an MFDC official was living in Banjul despite this being common knowledge
for people here, in Senegal and the outside world.

That he strongly denied knowledge of the arbitrary arrest and detention of
Abdoulie Sey and the arson attack on The Independent questions whether his
government has seen the necessity of addressing the disturbing climate of
impunity that follows such actions based not on any law of God or of man
but reserved for those in apparent aversion to the rule of law, a cardinal
tenet of the kind of democracy the government wants to be seen as touting.
Nothing, it seems, can make this regime come off its mindset that is
preoccupied with taking on journalists as the irredeemable enemies of the
state - a state we have all sworn allegiance to defend by means of our
actions and integrity.

For this regime, independent-minded journalists and alternative politicians
are the number one public enemies - and threats - for which no room for
compromise should be entertained. This, unfortunately, is true because
independent journalists are never on the same wavelength with them. This
uneasy relationship has provided the hype breeding ground for
misrepresentations and to unkind passions blown out of all proportions.

That Mr. Jagne without the restraint of conscience and the sophisticated
calling of his office could instead cast aspersions on "untrained" Gambian
journalists for "writing whatever they like" about the government throws
some light into the inner perceptions of the inner circle of the regime.

First of all, not all journalists are untrained and even those untrained
have made epic contributions to our nascent democratic culture. What about
untrained presidents? Doctors of Philosophy who have never seen the inside
of a college classroom?

Interesting, isn't it?

Mr Jagne also tried to justify the unjustifiable - Waa Juwara's detention.
He went in lame defense of the government over how Waa's call for a
peaceful demonstration was directly calling for trouble that could lead to
a breakdown of law and order. Unbelievable! As a shuttling "man of the
world" everybody knows that the Honourable minister as a prerequisite for
his office, knowledge of current affairs in the international and local
scene should be within his grasp and that it was outlandish of him to deny
wily-nily.

Being away from home does not give him the necessary excuse to deny
knowledge of the situation in our country. It is quite unfortunate that Mr.
Jagne's government would choose to be defensive instead of being proactive
over some burning issues that they should be seen to be open about. By
attempting to shield the government, denying the undeniable and justifying
the unjustifiable, SoS Jagne has glibly exposed his own inadequacies, which
seems to be underlined by the urge to say anything as long as the inner
circle would see it as defending the regime.

But yet again, relying on diplomats to tell us the real thing is an
irritating and disappointing business. They are always the wrong category
of people to scout for information since the system has taught them to
guard their forked tongues. They can twist truths for untruths, the obvious
for the apparent and even the kind for the unkind. We all know too well how
in this chequered world of diplomacy diplomats entertain less room for
plain talk and more room for glib-talk, which sends conflicting signals.
Diplomats say what they say because the system they serve requires them to
say so. So what more should we really expect from SoS Jagne aside from
poking his finger high above the Andeas in morbid denials that suggest that
his government is a saint.


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