Gambia-L:
The e-mail below is a commentary from one of my sources in the heart of
Government.
Ebrima
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Hello Ebrima,
When I decided to join in the struggle to dislodge Yahya Jammeh's
despotic regime from power, I did so out of conviction and good conscience.
That conviction, Ebrima, is still there and unshakened for that matter,
despite the occasional distractions (some deliberate, others not) from
members of the L. I want to assure the List members that I will continue to
dedicate myself to the cause with the truth. I will not, under any
circumstances, provide information to the L which I do not have full
confidence in. I am in the know and, because I am in a suitable position to
know what is going on in the Government, I shall continue to provide you
with the information without fear or favour. For me, this is a mission that
I am doing not only for myself and fellow country men and women, but for
posterity as well. The information I'll continue to give you would remain
accurate and without malaise; and which information can always be verified.
So far, I have been able to exactly do that. In cases where members have
requested clarification, I have always tried to provide it under the most
difficult of circumstances and of course at a great risk. But in my honest
opinion, it is a risk worth taking given the physical, psychological and
human destruction brought onto the Gambia by Yahya Jammeh and his brutal
regime. I would have left this Government long time ago, but I am only
working, in order to be in a position to know all the government secrets and
then expose them to Gambians and the International Community. Ebrima, this
regime has killed innocent students in broad daylight whose only crime was
to peacefully demonstrate to air their "grievances" to Government. Also,
military and security personnel have been arrested, kidnapped, killed and
buried in unmarked graves all around this once peaceful country. Individual
private citizens, who have chosen to return home from Europe, so as to set
up organisations which they hope would make a difference in the lives of the
ordinary Gambian, have been kidnapped
and tortured in the name of State Security. School girls have been
undressed in Police stations, humiliated, taunted and in some instances,
raped in the name of retaining the current status quo. Our
elders have been summoned to State House, including the Imams and
Clergymen, and insulted by none other than Yahya Jammeh who, barely
six years ago, was an army officer living in a single dormitory with
only two pairs of underpants to his name. He was seen every day walking
along the Atlantic Road chewing on a stick of carrot to fill his empty
stomach. He was also seen in Night Clubs as far as Cassamance, Senegal,
following prostitutes. Tell me, what right does Yahya have to call in our
elders, our parents, only to insult them? A Yahya Jammeh who would preach
the virtues of hard work, going back to the land when he, as the president,
has never put in a day's work. That is the truth. I worked with him. A Yahya
Jammeh who would rather sleep until afternoon before getting up to attend to
the affairs of the State. A Yahya Jammeh who would steal from the Gambian
people's funds: funds he signed for in the name of the Gambian people and
yet he ends up putting the money in his pockets. Ebrima, Yahya Jammeh's
hypocrisy, his dishonesty, his brutality, his hatred for Gambians and
anything Gambian, his laziness, his lack of intelligence, his total
disregard for human life and, more importantly, his determination to hold
the Gambia hostage come what may, have led me to take the risk of exposing
his brutality, his "inhumaneness", his corruptness, his dislike for anything
Gambian. Maybe, I should have entitled this piece: "An appeal for Gambian
solidarity", because I now see a trend developing on the L which must be
arrested immediately if we want to defeat Yahya successfully. We must stop
lambasting people or being at each other's throat simply because one has
expressed a differential view (no matter how different from the views of
the "majority"). Humiliating Gambia-L contributors because they hold
unpopular views should be stopped. Knitting here and picking there over
tangential and peripheral issues should not also continue on the L. We,
Gambians, in the Gambia see the L as a very vital tool in our struggle to
defeat Yahya Jammeh and, as such, we must continue to use the L very
effectively and efficiently so that we can achieve our goal of defeating the
Kanilai butcher. That is how we - who are on the ground - see it. Therefore,
something must be done to re-focus the L on the most important task before
all Gambians be they in Basse, Kuloro, Kerr Cherno or the diaspora. AND THAT
TASK IS TO MAKE SURE THAT YAHYA IS VOTED OUT OF OFFICE, ARRESTED AND THEN BE
TRIED BEFORE A COURT OF LAW FOR THEFT AND MURDER. THIS COMMON OBJECTIVE
SHOULD BRING US ALL
TOGETHER. So please I am appealing to all List members to set aside our
differences and work toward this common goal. By the way, I share Buharry's
view that Haddy Njie's X-rated posting was not deliberate. I want to believe
that it was a case of pushing the wrong reply button. But don't get me
wrong: I am not, for a minute, tolerating her behaviour. All the same, if
the victim of this posting, Sigga, had replied just once and requested for
an apology from Ms. Haddy Njie, then we should just live at that and move
on. Let us bury the hatchet and move on. I have also observed that Ebou
Colly's excellent contributions are becoming less frequent and I suspect
that the ranting and raving over some insignificant issues may contribute,
in part, to this. No evidence whatsoever; just a hunch. Kebba Dampha's
contributions continue to be inspirational to me and those of us in the
Gambia. Ebrima, you'll recall that at some point, I told you that I was
considering channelling my efforts elsewhere where I think holds promise in
getting the butcher of Kanilai out, because of some of the attacks that were
seen on the L. You then prevailed upon me to press on with the task of
exposing the Jammeh regime; anyway, I am glad that I stayed because being in
the Gambia, I know the impact that the L is now having on shaping public
opinion here. Besides, for me, the risks are too high, but they are worth
it. However, the personal attacks must cease. By the way, I believe that the
experiences of people like Ebou Colly, Ebou Jallow, KB, Jabou, "Aunty"
Soffie, Kabir, Buharry, Jassey-Conteh and others will certainly help direct
our cause. So please keep it up. Lastly, Ebrima, what can I say to you
except to thank you for the confidentiality and discretion in treating the
materials I and your other sources provide. Perhaps my identity would have
been known by now, if you were not handling my postings with greater care.
Ebrima, how many times I myself sent postings to you without even realising
that there were certain aspects of my e-mails that could have clearly
indicated to the Government who you source was? But you have always used
your timely judgement to delete anything in my e-mails that could reveal my
identity. My message to The Independent, Daily Observer and The Point
newspapers: You guys must also demonstrate vigilance in pursuit of tips
provided. When ex-Commissioner Alagie Kanteh revealed the approximate site
of the remains of Foday Makalo, you people should have been the first one
there as suggested by the wise Ebou Colly and reiterated by KB. You cannot
just sit in your offices and expect the evidence to be brought to you.
Please folks, some investigative journalism. The longer we wait, the more
likely the chances are that the body of Makalo is exhumed and transferred
elsewhere or dumped in the "bottom of the sea" to borrow Fatoumatta
Jahumpa's phrase. FINALLY, IT IS TIME WE GOT OUR ACT TOGETHER AND MOVE
FORWARD. THE GAMBIA EXPECTS A LOT FROM THE L. Thanks, Ebrima for giving me
the opportunity to take this thing off my chest. HAVE A GOOD WEEK END, FOLKS
________________________________________________________________________
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