Gambia L,

Now that the dust has somewhat settled, in the wake of the alleged coup plot
in the Gambia, it is imperative that all Gambians (should) pause for a
while, and take stock of what has been happening in our country since Mr
Jammeh seized power on July 22, 1994.

I sincerely believe that this would then prevail upon us, to see the
urgency/need to quickly work out realistic ways and means of rescuing, or
freeing our country from its hijackers before it is too late.

Indeed, this is a moment of sober reflections, and history certainly behoves
all of us who care about the country, or who want to see a much more
prosperous Gambia in the 21st Century, to be in the forefront for the
massive repair work that needs to be done, so as to rid our country of the
corruption, poverty and tyranny it has known since Mr Jammeh came to power.

What the Gambia needs, at this critical juncture, are more independent and
critically minded citizens, so that our dream of seeing a Gambia which can
guarantee liberty, dignity and prosperity to its inhabitants, in this new
millennium, can come to fruition.

It is true to say that Gambians have now become more politically
enlightened, since the Jammeh coup, but our people still need more
enlightenment if we expect, or want them to make the right choices in the
21st century.

And needless to mention, prosperity and freedom can only be
realised/achieved if our people are more politically enlightened. Therefore,
from now on, it is incumbent on Gambians, especially the enlightened ones,
to help clarify very complex issues for our people, so that the right
choices can be made by them.

As we approach the 2001/2 presidential and parliamentary elections, we are
duty-bound to prepare ourselves in order to recoup our hijacked motherland
from Jammeh and Co; otherwise we would continue to live under massive
poverty and tyranny.

We must be ready to recoup/regain our country, because if we fail to do so,
the consequences would be too grave.

Meanwhile, the Gambia is at a crossroad, and it is up to Jammeh and his
colleagues in Government, to decide which way they want to go. The options
are not many: it is either the route to democracy or autocracy.

Democracy certainly would be more desirable since it presupposes freedom,
peace and tranquility, while, on the other hand, autocracy presupposes
tyranny, lack of freedom and, eventually, chaos!!

However, it needs to be said that events such as the closure of Citizen FM
radio station, the continued arrest and detention of journalists from the
independent media, coupled with the recently exposed crude oil deal, suggest
that the Jammeh regime has opted for tyranny, intimidation and corruption.

Actions such as these ones as cited above, can only lead to one thing and
that is the politics of confrontation, plotting, dissidents and accusations
and counter accusations. And, increasingly, this is what appears to be
gripping the Gambia's political scene.

This has led me and many observers to believe that the Jammeh regime is a
bubble about to bust. I know it may sound a little bit far fetched making
such a statement that predicates doom and gloom; but upon closer
examinations of the facts and past historical experiences, one cannot help
but concur with such an assertion.

The indicators are there, manifesting themselves unambiguously in day light,
not the least are the flouting of the Nation's wealth with arrogance, the
lack of accountability, the lack of tolerance and the continued harassment
of journalists, members of the civilian population and some politicians.

All these things exist in our country, despite the denials, and certainly,
these are symptoms of a tyrant in the making. In fact, some would even argue
that Jammeh is already a tyrant. Anyway, the fact that the Jammeh regime
cannot see that it is increasingly alienated from the people, positively
affirms that it is subsumed in its own arrogance and lack of understanding
of the outcry of the people.

Since Mr Jammeh usurped power and metamorphosed to become a civilian
president, insecurity has become more of a cultural thing than anything
else. There is a permanent sense of insecurity, more often, on his part than
the general public. Testimony to this is the fact that he spends quite a lot
of money buying heavy arms and ammunitions to reassure his dastardly ego.

This act of cowardice and insecurity, many would argue, first manifested
itself when he organised a putsch against Sana Sabally, his former Vice
Chairman, in January 1995. Admittedly, Sabally was a hot head with a
reputation of a ruthless brute who was feared. But Jammeh, harbouring the
same worries at the time, arrested and detained him under very obscured
allegations of a coup attempt.

Sabally's elimination from the political scene was seen more as a tactical
move than anything else. Perhaps Mr Jammeh was right or wrong  but the
underlying fact remains that it exposes a part of Jammeh that is barely
acknowledged and that is his cowardice.

Further testimony to this fact is the way he uses the National Intelligence
Agency (NIA). If Mr Jammeh was a true convert to democracy, instead of
continuing to induce fear, he could have easily disbanded the NIA and rested
all his actions on the rule of law.

But the NIA is, and continues, to serve as an instrument of tyranny and,
certainly, its relevance under a genuine democratic set up is unjustified.
And also it needs to be pointed out that the way coup allegations had been
handled by Jammeh and his security forces completely ignores basic
democratic decency.

Frankly speaking, the sanctioning by Jammeh of the shoot on sight of "rebel"
suspects, who might have been completely innocent, clearly confirms Jammeh's
policy of tyranny. Jammeh is now seen as all mouth and no delivery.

The little substance, or respect, he had in some quarters - both
international and locally - has long since waned into thin air, since it is
now clear to many that all his hands are covered in/with blood.

The innocent lives that have been taken through mob justice, have left him
totally exposed. And the anti-corruption crusade he professed to have
championed has completely eluded him, especially having regard to the
recently exposed crude oil deal with Nigeria. The crude oil transactions, to
say the least, were opaque and messy. And, of course, they leave a lot to be
desired about his integrity.

Despite whatever his acolytes may say, Jammeh cannot, any more, convince the
none gullible Gambian public. "One must not profess to be clean, but must be
seen to be clean," remarked one.

The above statement epitomises the true feeling of the people. Another said
to me: "Jammeh is all mouth and no substance"...

Indeed, these are the true feelings of how people are seeing Jammeh, and
instead of listening, he continues to insulate himself from the voices of
the people. Interestingly, he himself even encourages the breaking of the
law.

For instance, in the crude oil deal, he allowed a Senegalese to be issued
with a Gambian diplomatic passport, so as to conduct his (Jammeh's) business
affairs. And, Gambia L, this is a president who exploited the moral
bankruptcy of Jawara and yet, he is doing almost - in identical fashion -
all the things his predecessor did.

He must not forget that no matter how much he tries to inject fear in the
country, there will always be people who are willing to defend justice and
die for it if necessary. Such a people can be found in the army, in the
police and, of course, in the civilian population. Hence his policy of
intimidation is both futile and foolish.

Needless to say, his attempt to ensure that fear replaces reason and good
judgement is rather unfortunate, because many had hoped that his regime
would be genuinely democratic upon coming to power. Jammeh had the
opportunity to prove to the whole world that some thing good can indeed come
out of military rule, but he failed to live up to expectations.

Anyway, it is now very clear that Mr Jammeh is bent on political
retribution. However, history is very instructive. Those who rule as tyrants
shall be confronted with defiance, obstinacy and will, eventually, be
defeated and pilloried.

My advice for Mr Jammeh, if he is reading this piece, would be to broaden
his mind and allow the people to live in peace and harmony. For heaven's
sake, Mr Jammeh, please, stop the misuse of the national wealth, create more
jobs for Gambians and development the whole country, not just your home
village, Kanilai.

Mr Jammeh, you better wake up to this call before it is far too late. Be
reminded that life is a temporary, much more a process in one's life.
History is replete with many examples of tyrants such as the Mobotus, the
Nguemmas, the Samuel Does etc, who used all forms of repression against
their people, but where are they today?

The people will always have the last laugh, because, in the final analysis,
power belongs to them and not the leaders. This a historical fact that no
one in his/her right senses can dispute it.

Really, I cannot just figure out what is wrong with African leaders. Apart
from the Nelson Mandelas, the late Thomas Sankaras and a few others, African
leaders are best at keeping their brothers and sisters down and not
providing positive leadership.

This is why our people need enlightenment, more than before, so that they
can finally say NO to the politics of demagogy and lies which only brings
misery and poverty to their doorsteps.

Meanwhile, Mr Jammeh needs to be told, in clear language, that because of
his repressive actions, he is now leading a very divided Gambian society,
and I only hope he will realise the historical prudence to allow the
creation of a much more democratic society which alone can restore our pride
and save our country from chaos.

In fact, there is a theory that any country with too many exiles, whether
genuine or self imposed, is not a good place, and certainly, the Gambia now
has too many of them. The economic woes of our country, coupled with
unending repression, have forced many Gambians into exiles.

Look at all the brilliant Gambians who are overseas today. The West in
general, and the USA in particular, is great, because it allows, to a very
large extent, individuals to remain in the Western world to exploit their
potentials.

Anyway, if we agree that the Gambia needs to be saved, then I sincerely
believe that the time has now arrived to seriously ask the question as to
who will save our motherland - the Jammeh regime or another one?

A lot of damage has been done in the country, since Jammeh came to power,
but we can find consolation in the fact that it is not TOO LATE to speak out
and save our country. Long live the Gambia and her people; and long live the
people's struggle for liberty, dignity and prosperity!!!

Ebrima Ceesay,
Birmingham, UK.




______________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L
Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html

----------------------------------------------------------------------------