News Detail
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  The Gambia: Essa Bokarr Sey - 11/25/2005 3:16:04 AM
BY PA NDERRY M'BAI
Gambian Affairs Writer

  Former Gambian ambassador to the United States of America Essa Bokarr Sey,  has spilled the beans, as he unveils  present and past corruption scandals  involving the Jammeh administration. Mr.Sey,  a seasoned diplomat, who also at one time headed the Gambian Mission in Taiwan, discloses  a  deal which was secretly signed between a Taiwanese company and the Jammeh government to secure electoral marbles for the Republic of The Gambia. According to Mr.Sey,  the said deal was reached without his consent, even though he was the official representative of The Gambia in Taiwan. The leading career diplomat,  who is now residing in the US with his family also discusses the "Taiwanese missing millions" which was a subject of debate in the National Assembly.  The former Gambian outspoken envoy,  said he had opened a  SAVE DEPOSIT  ACCOUNT, here in the US, where he kept classified documents featuring Jammeh's dubious deals.

  Mr.Sey said such documents will speak for itself in the event he Essa met his death-be it naturally or politically.  Mr.Sey who is also a poet and prolific writer said he is aware of President Jammeh's move  of  killing  his opponents  abroad.  A retired military sergeant,  Sey says following an advise from his family,  he thought it necessary to open such an account, which will help any future government to bring President Jammeh to book.  In an exclusive interview with this paper, the former ambassador commented on allegations that he forwarded Gambia Government documents to the Wade government, his sacking,  the arrest of opposition officials, The Taiwanese tractors,  controversies concerning Gambian immigrants  and a host of others.  Below is the full text of the interview we had with Mr.Sey.


  Question: You are one of those who has been campaigning for the release of Halifa Sallah, Hamat Bah and Omar Amadou Jallow (0J). President Jammeh is apparently not heeding to such calls.  What needs to be done to mount further pressure on Jammeh to release these people?


  Essa: Well thank  you Mr.M'Bai,  for the services you are rendering to The Gambian public as a  season  journalist.  I think indications are that even if Jammeh is heading towards releasing these people, one has to understand that Jammeh himself,  is an egocentric personality. knowing very well that the three,  who had been arrested are smart intelligent people, those who carved Jammeh's approaches understand that, he was again using wings and caprices and that is a  danger as far as advising dictators are concerned. You are expected to give them advices that will please them even completely irrational situations, hence the reason why decent minds should observe that for the first time, instead of the direct orders, as the police will say, we received orders from the top. Yahya Jammeh this time round decided to use the Ministry of Interior and the state media....As some one who understands Jammeh's  tricks very well, I will give you the following list of reasons as to why he took
 this approach. Jammeh like beating his chest and he promised Gambians that Halifa and Hamat Bah will not return to parliament. After the verdict of the people, who wanted Halifa back, Jammeh understood that he had failed before the electorates. Jammeh now have to find reasons to show his "burr" tendencies.


  Question: The world is yet to react to Gambia's political crisis- in that I mean developing countries,  including the United Nations are yet react to the said developments. If you have the opportunity of meeting President Bush, Kofi Ann and Tonny Blair of the United kingdom, what will you tell them?

  Essa: I would not want to gag world reactions through leaders and states only. I want to gag my perception through people to people relations. In view of the latter, I'm convinced that the world community had reacted. A bright example is congress woman who openly wrote a letter about the issue. This congress woman is representing electorates within the United States.  It is these congress men and congress women who made the  laws of the Unites States.  There is a saying in France that there are four line of power that controls society. The executive, the legislature, the judiciary and the forth arm,  that is the most powerful which is the media.  Well, a bright example is you are  interviewing me plus your colleagues. You and your colleagues have used the unprecedented way the power of the media, indeed within 48 hours, your reactions have born some sweet fruits. Just  to list a few,  Radio Tam Tam show, every week, the powerful articles posted on ALLAFRICA, which is read all over
 the world, Frontpage Africa, which is a US based paper also.  The most recent reaction from the world community is the killing of 15 journalists within Commonwealth countries, which Gambia tops the  list. In all fairness, Mr.M'Bai the world community have reacted.

  Question:  You served President Jammeh's government as an ambassador. Do you regret falling out with Jammie?

  Essa: Absolutely not. I have not regretted falling out with Jammeh at all. And I hope Jammeh too does not regret falling  out with me, because it most better for a dictatorial person to be free from an outspoken person like myself.  Having worked under Jammeh was not a nicest thing as a professional while exercising my duties.  As a result of that, our relations had soured.

  Question:  Are you implying that you never enjoyed working  with Yahya, even though he elevated you from first secretary to an ambassador?

  Essa: There is no place for enjoyment while work is being done. So I  would not say, I did not enjoy, but I could not understand, how to be following unpredictable patterns that kept on changing on daily bases.  So Mr.M'Bai,  if you would allow me to substitute the word enjoy with understanding. It was really difficult to serve under two difficult opposing forces. A Gambia with citizenry,  which is yearning to be free from dictatorship and dictatorial regime, which is yearning  to stay in power at all cost. Indeed, Mr.M'Bai, I could not understand how to serve in such a confusion. One thing I understood was how to serve the Nation. So I kept on rolling every day, expecting the unexpected from Jammeh, until  the day we parted.

  Question:  What type of leader is President Jammeh? Is he nationalistic as he often claims?

  Essa: You see Mr.M'Bai, it is until one is caught red handed that dictators would really understand  the meaning of nationalism and patriotism. These are concept that had been hijacked through out history. Adult Hilter used nationalism and patriotism to promote hate. If you face Hissene Habre, he will tell you yes I'm patriotic.

  Question: You said you were not surprised to be handed with marching orders. Some of your critics say to some extent you allowed to be used by Jammeh.  How would you react to such critics?

  Essa: I have no right, to determines how another person should think. But I have the right to dispute things from another person's thoughts.  This is why I said openly on the launching of NADD that politics is like  weather. It is either cool, windy or hot.  I agree with some of the critics, who called me a turned coat, because they based it on past experiences on other people who served under Jammeh. But  where I do not agree with some is for them attempting me to accept a turned coat. Exactly,  as I told you earlier  on, when the weather was too hot under Jammeh, I did not turn my coat, that where they missed the point. I removed the coat instead. I have not been used by Jammeh. I was being used by my profession.

  Question: You told opposition supporter in New York at a NADD meeting that you are prepared to testify before  a  credible Commission of Enquiry in the event of a new government. That your hands are clean and you are ready to face an enquiry? Do you still stand by your statement?

  Essa: Mr.M'Bai, allow me to make a little rectification.  I cannot  subjectively determines if my hands are clean or dirty. But I can confidently say that I'm ready to  to face any future commission of enquiry to be formed by a  future government in The Gambia, that is not based on witch hunting. The reason being, the present regime had negatively affected so many sectors of society.  That  we expect to establish a decent sense of morality in any future government, before we succeed.  Who I'm to serve under Jammeh, for almost a decade and then expect not to be challenged by present critics and a future government?   But one thing,  I'm not ready to honour is a commission of enquiry based on witch hunting.  How can some one with muddy hands can clean other people's hands?  So I still stand by what I said Mr.M'Bai.


  Question: What will you tell Gambians if questions relating to the Taiwanese missing millions are raised by future government(s)? We gathered that you served as an ambassador in Taiwan under Yahya's government and a sum of $15Million dollars gift or grant went into the hands of Jammeh without passing through the National Assembly? What can you tell us about the said unaccounted $15 million dollars, which was raised in the House by the detained NRP leader Hamat Bah?

  Essa: Well time factor matters in responding this question  Mr.M'Bai.  Remember that it was six years,  after Gambia reestablished relations with Taiwan that I went there as an ambassador.  The first ambassador was Antouman Sarho, the second ambassador is Mamburay Njie, who is the currently Secretary General at the office of the President.  After him, it was me. As far as the missing, millions amounting to  $15million is concerned, which was reported in the house parliament by Hamat Bah, as you rightly said, what I handled as official dossiers are as follows: The purchase of electricity generators, which was forwarded and presented in parliament by the authorities. This is a loan agreement between The Gambia government and the bank of China amounting to $35 Millions dollars, which is no secret. It is right there in the files of The Gambia government. As a professional representative of a state, my duties stopped at helping securing the loan.  The other side of the story is that it
 is the duty of the legislature involving Mr.Hamat Bah and others to ensure that check and balances are respected by the state. The other areas involved as far as the embassy is concerned is the soft loan and the government of Taiwan and The Gambia government, which is channelled through the ministry of health. This is also no secret, because the executive  of both countries are involved in it.  In that area too,  parliament had the right to probe whether such funds had reached the beneficiaries. The other sector we handled involves the tractors from  Taiwan to Gambia government farmers. This area the Taiwanese government, asked me to ask The Gambia government to furnish them with a report on the handling and managing of the first batch of tractors, which were distributed before I came in. The  progress reports were successfully sent by the Department of State For Finance via The Gambian embassy in Taiwan. As far as I can recalled, any tractor that reached The Gambia was financed by
 the Taiwanese. I understand that a controversy arose along those lines, where over zealous APRC sycophants claimed these tractors were financed by President Jammeh himself through what they called "ALLAH'S BANK".  That is false.  One thing I want to add,  let Gambians stop  committing sins, as ALLAH'S bank is heaven and in hell and non of us can say what is exactly in their personal accounts.  So ALLAH'S bank does not exist on earth. Of course,  ALLAH'S business enterprise exist on earth.

  Question:  Are you telling us that Jammeh did not succeed in twisting your arm to transfer  Taiwanese grants meant for the  people of The Gambia to him  (Jammeh) directly? That you want  to tell us that you never transferred funds to this government secretly without the National Assembly knowing about it?

  Essa: That is absolutely what happened. Jammeh himself had never solicited such actions from me, neither had he sent any third party to solicit such actions from me.  Indeed, I will repeat myself, Mr.M'Bai, that the legislature reserves the right to probe into the activities of the executive to make sure that check and balances are respected. My above answer does not mean that unilateral approaches does not exist between the government in Banjul and other people in Taiwan. A bright  example is when the Presidency requested from a private company in Taiwan to manufacture voting marbles for them. I never knew about it,  until when I arrived in Banjul with a delegation from Taiwan itself that brought along samples of those marbles who came to witness Jammeh's inauguration in 2001.

  Question: This is very interesting, Mr.Sey.  Are you telling us that the government you  served were running official errands in Taiwan without your consent? That the government was hiding certain official matters from you?  How can you travel with such a delegation, without knowing that they were contracted by Jammeh to secure marbles for The Gambia?

  Essa: I would not generalise, but I will pick up that example, which I never like and I made it very clear to some of the officials I spoken to when we arrived and surprisingly saw the marbles.  Remember, Mr.M'Bai, I told you that it was after six years when Jammeh established relations with Taiwan that I became his ambassador there. Self denial will stop some people from saying the truth, but no ambassador under Jammeh except few will tell you that they are exposed to all the errands being run for Jammeh under their areas of jurisdictions.  Be they personal or official. In around 1996, the ambassador at the time in France, cannot genuinely and openly said that he was  exposed to every little detail when Babanding Sissoho was purchasing escort riders for Jammeh in France.  You see, Mr.M'Bai, I'm not out to witch hunt anybody. I'm out to set the records the straight.  The only way  that President Jammeh can earn respect from a person like me who knows him very well, with his series
 of commission of enquires is for himself to go before such commissions and allowed to be probed.  He should not tamper with witnesses and evidence in the interest of justice and fair play. Any day he does that, he will earn my respect.  I fear less to say the things I'm say because I have ample evidence to prove them in any court of law. Let President Jammeh stopped accusing people and called himself a decent person, when others  can say things about him, which he cannot dispute.It has come to a point where, I have to chose old friendship Jammeh and Gambia.  I have decided to chose Gambia and God is my witness.

  Question: Coming back to the marble revelations.  Moral conscience dictates that you should have called  it quits on the day in question, since Jammeh was not transparent with you. Why don't you resigned in protest before receiving  the usual inevitable sack?

  Essa: Well,  it depends on how you interprets moral conscience. There is an old Chinese saying that "between the two evils, you chose the lesser one."  Could you  just image, if I  had openly resigned in  Newspapers, while the Taiwanese,  delegation and other respected African leaders including Alpha  Konare were there.... Clean conscience is much better than a court verdict. I knew and I still knew that my conscience is still clean and Mr.M'Bai, honestly Washington is the highest position in the diplomatic profession as an ambassador. Ask your self, why I decided to call it quits in Washington and then compare that to your question.

  Question:  But on the other hand the government says you  were fired instead. How would you react to such claims?

  Essa: I like that question Mr.M'Bai. If I recalled very well you were the very journalist who ran the story on the Point Newspaper that I was fired. The same government sent a rejoinder not at your paper, but at Washington Times and said I was not fired.   The same government turned round when my replacement was named said on the Daily Observer that my successor was replacing me and I was relieved of my position for undisclosed reasons. The same government sent an agent on Gambia L  insinuating  that I was recalled because I was reporting Gambians to the State Department.  The same Government sent the former Deputy Chief of Protocol,  James Mustapha Kujabi to call me while  Jammeh already in Washington. I challenge Mr.Kujabi to come  in the open to say he never spoken to  me few days after I was relieved from my position. In  view of the above, Mr.M'Bai, you the journalist who ran the story on me are here today as an asylee. And I do understand that Mr.kujabi is not in The Gambia
 today.  I have more evidence to clarify on this question, however until the time arise when it will be a good part of history to bring the documentary evidence,  I have against Yahya Jammeh himself, which I have in save deposit account here in America. I understand that fighting against a dictatorial person like Jammeh, no one is completely saved being gunned down from being silence all over the world,  a  person like myself. Hence the reason,  why my close family members advise me to open save deposit account, where I can keep all documentary evidence I have against Yahya Jammeh. This means,  if I were to pass away today, be it naturally or politically, my own wife or family members can lead Gambians to the deposit account and to see if Essa Bokarr Sey,  is fabricating stories against Yahya Jammeh or is saying the truth for the sake of God.

  Question:  You said Jammeh recruited an agent to black mail you on The Gambia L. Who is this agent and what interest will he/she  earn to undermine you?

  Essa: Exactly,  as I said in the last  part of the above question. Mr.M'Bai, take note of things I said.  I just don't talk for the sake of talking. Another factor is that courts do not rely on emotions, but they rely on evidence and facts. Any accusations that Essa  levelled against someone, shall always be back by evidence. For strategic reasons, if I reveal all that I know about that agent, I will be doing disservice to other opponents that Jammeh is trying to frame at the moment. My only last word on that is give a fool a long rope to hang him or herself. And I think my fool has been hung.

  Question:  You are often linked with controversies. Just recently,  one Gambian posted on Gambia L,  accusing you of forwarding damaging documents to the administration of President Abdoulie Wade of Senegal against Jammeh's regime. The writer also alleged that you had some government documents stored on your lab top. He even suggested that I'm working with  you  to undermine  Yahya's government. The writer went as far advising the Jammeh government to consider pressing charges against us in absentia.  What is your reaction?

  Essa: Mr.M'Bai,  people played with the semantics of words, when they do not understand what they really mean. Damaging, damaging who? I have just said that I served as Jammeh's ambassador and I repeated the dossiers I have been handling. How on earth can I cook palm oil without that very palm oil touching my epron?  The agitator online should understand that all the documentary evidence I have against Yahya Jammeh cannot fit in one lap top. For forging signatures,  I think I did not need to crack my head on that. Wherever, they have any evidence, let them come forward. Let them also remember that it is an insult to Wade's intelligence and to  the intelligence of people for any one to run round with documents  coming from Yahya Jammeh's office. Mr.M'Bai, this agitator is really helping to hang Yahya. As I'm speaking to you know my fax machine is receiving Yahya Jammeh's own letter, in which he is accusing the Senegalese government and a reply to that very letter from the President
 of Senegal. In fact, this claim from the agitator online is a blessing  in disguise. I have a strong network, when they saw this online, they decided to sent me more ample evidence to  save the opposition from this government's fabrications.  We are dealing with law and I will never put all my cards on the table. I'm waiting for them to start. Fabrications are like fairy tales and is nice to listen to them if one want to sleep.  The contrary is that evidence is like hard work, you must sweet before you get good results.

  Question: Thank you  very much Mr.Sey,  for sparing your busy schedules to talk to us.

  Essa: Thank you Mr.M'Bai.   I will seize this opportunity to inform Gambians  that you are one of the finest and dedicated patriot that I have ever come across. All I can say here is that freedom is sweet, but these sweet fruits are usually from a thorny tree. I want to quote an old  scientist whom I like quoting a lot. H is called Galileo, who said "Truth is never tried by authority, it is always tried by time."

  The author is the former Secretary General of The Gambia press Union and also a former Voice of America radio Banjul Correspondent. Mr. M'Bai who now resides in the US State of North Carolina Raleigh was a leading political and crime reporter with the Point and Daily Observer newspapers respectively. He can be reached by email at the following addresses: [log in to unmask], [log in to unmask] or [log in to unmask]


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