The Highjacking of our Coup D’etat
Event though the July 1994 coup was an illegal removal of a
democratically elected government, it was a necessity if we were to save
our country from the clutches of mismanagement, rampant corruption and
poverty. The coup created an opportunity to improve on our democratic
values, creation of an independent justice system, eradication of the
“Mansa Mentality”, improvement on living standards and infrastructure
development and to effectively strengthen the power of the other arms of
government-the National Assembly and the Justice system. Some how, the
Baba Jobes and the Fatou Jahumpas, to name a few, that have become a
symbol to the new power structure highjack our coup and have threatened
the very essence of the whole coup.
The coup d’etat was the people’s coup, from Permanent Secretaries to
Managing Directors of different businesses, there was unanimity that
change was necessary and that Gambia needed a new beginning. The AFPRC
were singing the song that people wanted to hear. It was time for
change, accountability, the end to corruption, the end to political
patronage, the eradication of the “Mansa" mentality, and the beginning
of transparency and a new political order. We were tired of few powerful
people who have dominated the political scene for the past thirty years,
and the game of musical chairs orchestrated by one man. Ultimately it
was this power structure that needed to be shattered. The AFPRC, a new
wind has blown into the Gambia, and to some of us the MESSIAH has
arrived. The colored photos of our new heroes’ splash on the front page
of the Observer were a reassurance that a new day has begun. The
rhetoric was equally reassuring, that the power structure of the former
is buried, and it is indeed what led to our thirty years of stagnancy.
Not many of us needed convincing, and our concern was that the
indomitable Jawara era was not going to just withered away quietly, and
with prayers and support our coup d’etat became a real mark of History.
From the beginning mistakes were been made, and in the early phase of
the coup, these mistakes were easily characterized as youthful
indiscretion, inexperience, and undoubtedly the enormity of the
responsibility. Some of the good things that stood out in the early
phase of the coup were the fact that power lied within the council, and
that one person did not have monopoly on making decisions. This was
important because it was a total departure from the old ways that the
power structure revolved around one person. Unfortunately, this
opportunity did not last that long, the good intention of creating a new
political order was running into new realities, and the very council
that power had lied was in disarray. The vice-chairman found himself at
Mile 2 and there he still resides; another died while still in custody,
and the other two still partners but their power have been drowned out
and remained to be in the mercy of our anointed Mansa.
Now our coup have been high jack by the Baba Jobe’s, and can any serious
Gambian tell me that Baba Jobe is a real asset to the very essence that
brought about this coup. Does any serious person believe that the Baba
Jobes are going to carve and create a political environment that will
help in our development effort? Why and how did a person like him
highjack our coup and our country? In addition, what about the new
business leaders, they were suppose to be different and the bedrock of
our new economy. The only thing different are the faces of the people.
They have continued to perpectuate the Mafia syndrome that our once good
driven Chairman liked to attack. Of course, our Chairman, who has become
the “Mansa” and has replaced himself with everything that, was Jawara
and more. Our Chairman that hated all form of praises and the Mansa
treatment, which he continuously attacked, now shroud himself in it. An
impotent and irrelevant National Assembly replaced the irrelevant House
of Parliament of yester year. Yes, our coup has definitely brought about
new players in the decision making terrain, infrastructure development
of some sort, but also traded out most civil liberties that we had.
We have waited for thirty years for a change of government that will set
our country in a new direction. The creation of a new, stable and viable
political order; the creation of an Presidency that will work with a
power and relevant National assembly, and who the President would see as
partners and together they will work on issues of national interest.
This would be capped with an independent Judiciary that no single
individual can exert influence, and the civil liberties of every Gambian
would always be protected. Our coup was suppose to bring us term limits,
that would do away with having one person to be our leader for over
thirty years, a professional cabinet that can independently function
without the pressure of one individual, and an end to one party
political domination. I t is very sad that the power players of today,
under President Yaya Jammeh have stolen our coup and handed it over to
the same players, only with different faces. We are still patiently
waiting to get back the very essence that led to our Coup D’etat, that
is the creation of a new political order.
Musa Jeng
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface
at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html
To contact the List Management, please send an e-mail to:
[log in to unmask]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
|
