"Dr Janneh can have a sigh of relief, he is repaying some of his past conduct...Hence, Dr Saine and Foday Samateh, widen your nets, many more fish in the sea. " Hmmmm!

 

The above statement is misleading.  It is false and untrue to say or even insinuate that Dr Janneh is being picked on or people are trying to distract him from fighting against the regime in the Gambia.  Dr Saine's and Foday Samateh's observation are apt reactions and provide context to the claims in the book written by Dr Janneh which must be rigorously scrutinized.  Without a doubt for some of us it is obvious that Foday Samateh and Dr Saines nets are full of other worthy fish.

 

Janneh's criticism has mostly been against the false Mandela-like projection we are being forced to swallow and the false reasons we're being sold about why he joined Jammeh's criminal government.  Janneh is no Mandela, period.  Many more Jannehs are being criticized for joining Jammeh and this has always been the case and will continue.  The Njogu Bah's and  others have never been spared and this will continue. 

 

Mboge

  

On Thu, Aug 1, 2013 at 3:47 PM, suntou touray <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

Joe an incredible succinct take on the subject. Thanks. One is always at odds in attempting to place the serious complexities we face. It happens that, the academic levels we attain tend to have little or no impact on our outlook in live, as per, collectivism. The author is spot on, Dr Janneh is not the lone culprit here...One wonders if this is mainly an undercurrent of acute poverty and/or the fear of it.

I remember back in 2009, my MA degree course supervisor advising me to get myself away from all 'dissident' activities and focus on my career. He said "you will waste your time getting involve in speaking against dictators". He strongly recommend going back home and working in the environment, beefing up my CV and then parachute.

I was dumbfounded, but the reality is, many of the Dr brothers choose that option. But then, they are all private individuals who can choose to conduct themselves in such a way. On the opposition front, there is serious soul search left to be done. Dictators don't respond to half-measures, and the leaders have all learnt that now.

Hopefully, all is not lost, we have the Dr Jaiteh's, Dr LJD's, Dr Galleh's, Dr Saine's, Dr Abu Jeng and others. The vast majority are too docile for my liking...Dr Ceesay am afraid, is a kingpin of forwarding stuffs, nothing interactive this days. I wonder if that is what becoming a Dr does...

Joe, this will be a very a 'long walk to freedom'

Thanks for the insight. Dr Janneh can have a sigh of relief, he is repaying some of his past conduct...Hence, Dr Saine and Foday Samateh, widen your nets, many more fish in the sea.

SUntou

On Thu, Aug 1, 2013 at 1:58 PM, Joe Joe <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

Suntou, I agree with the author. We cannot cherry pick those we castigate and those we cuddle for similar behavior. I'm glad there are those that saw the need for equity in our affairs. There has been well meaning folk who for some reason cannot or refuse to connect the dots when it is very very obvious. It is not rocket science to see that all these folks listed are on the same boat and we talk about one, we must talk about all. Now, there are folks here who have dealt with all these prostitutes, past and current and their opinions litter this landscape and am sure the author knows that. The majority of us must be seen to do just that if we are to shape the Gambia of tomorrow. After hundreds of murders and disappearances and all sorts of criminal activity, we need to stop saying what these folks engaged in were/are a mistake. One runs the risk of their integrity being questioned when they full well know what is going on is pure greed and nothing else, yet, they for reasons best known to them continue to peddle lies. The author talked about hypocrisy/Maslahaa and he cannot be more correct. The level of hypocrisy is sickening. I also agree with the author that we will wait a long time time for Yaya to be gotten rid off by Gambians in the inside. That can only change base on what the opposition leaders do. I am not talking about the opportunists among the leaders, but those with integrity. Their attitude to change must change if we are to get rid of Yaya now, as oppose to his natural death.
 
Those leaders need to stop believing they can rehabilitate, reason, joke, or teach a dictator worthy of his salt. Love, education, democracy, and laughter has never gotten rid of a dictator and they will not be the first to achieve that in the history of humanity. The army should have been the place to get rid of him, but currently Yaya is one and the same with the army. A minute on the Army. We say that Yaya is putting Jolas as the higher ups in the army, but the majority in the army are not Jolas? That majority can do something about Yaya, but for the greed the author talked about. They are all looking for crumbs and titles and have no time to think about getting rid of Yaya, just like the Jolas surrounding him.
 
Going back to the opposition leaders, they may mean well, but they help Yaya by default through their actions. Let's take Ousainou, Halifa, and Sidia (I did not include Hamat for obvious reasons and OJ's PPP is non-existent). Now, why do these guys think that obeying the law/Yaya, or educating Yaya will see Yaya out? It will never happen. After 19 years they know exactly what they need to do - be seen to lead the people to take back their country. They need to bring the masses who support them to the streets. But we all know they are not ready or willing to do that. I know their supporters are by now up in arms to lodge a charge for Joe to go to Gambia and lead the people to the streets. Lord knows if I were in their position I will do just that. Let's say I land in Gambia today, I will be picked up at the airport while these guys preach calm and engage in reasoning to eternity. That is what will happen to any vocal diasporan that has been a thorn in the flesh. If these party leaders will let their own officers rot in jail, you think they will skip lunch to rescue Joe to continue to fight with them? No, they will not. If you replace Joe with Suntou, Nyang, or any other partisan who is vocal you will get the same result. Since these guys are going to continue to educate Yaya, it is high time those of us on the outside to form a group that will force the issue in the streets. We will find out that we should have done this a long time ago, for when the heat is on the Yayas are cowards. At this stage of the game confrontation by any means is very very necessary.  What is needed is dedicated Gambians to start, that's all. 
 
A while back we saw the Bayo Group to appear. Some of us were open to their direction, however, to be blunt, the group was too homogeneous and that was not by accident. That sort of mindset is what has kept Yaya in power and we need to have the proper representation to be taken seriously. Another group was compiled but they lacked commitment and confidentiality.  We are at crossroads, we either resolve to start to stop this beast now, or we will see another 19 years go and counting. 
 
Now, I know some quarters are already tense and all they will hear is another Jola trying to lead Gambia/Gambians. No, not this Jola. I have been around all this while and participated in almost everything here, yet, you never saw me lead. Precisely because I know our people are sensitive to that. Don't trust me, just follow my steps and do not just start from the US, you can go as far back as Gambia. We just need a few good men and women to start a little something. Alternatively, if there is any such serious group in existence, please contact me and we can take it from there. No folks, this is not in competition with the democracy forces or directions out there. One can get to Gambia using various means. I am not televising either. It is called starting some where, just like one starts a political party, a pressure group, or an Umbrella group. The only difference is the stakes are higher in what I am soliciting for. Folks know my email.
 
Joe 

---

Date: Thu, 1 Aug 2013 11:25:36 +0100
From: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [G_L] When Dr (PhD) Became Personal Pleasure seeking: Gambian Dr Under attack
To: [log in to unmask]

The Gambia has it fair share of academics at present and the number is growing. Although the bulk of our intellectuals, or should we say, those with Doctorate titles are hardly heard in conversations, even in their field of expertise. What is puzzling is that, a number has succumbed to the trappings of the Jammeh dictatorship, as opined by the writer of the article below.

 A source in the Gambia immigration services indicate that, quiet a number of Dr titile holders actually travel with President Jammeh's approved diplomatic passports, advising him and sometimes running secret errands for him. One may see attaining a PhD as something monumental, but actually, does it just mean a licence to fall into the petty trapping within the elite of the third world. A vehicle to get some hearing, but not a tool to change society for the better. 

The Dr (PhD) Gambians haven't put anything tangible on the plate yet, or do some expect too much from ordinary men/women who just want to be left alone to do what they want, rather than shouldering the burden of our social ills. A recent article in Aljazeera by Mamdani explain the faults of the secular liberals in Africa...a case study of this group may help us help them...
Suntou

http://kibaaro.com/why-do-you-single-out-dr-amadou-janneh/

Why Do You Single Out Dr. Amadou Janneh

Reads :567

By David Bansama

Dr. Janneh: I’ll not allow anything to distract me. I am therefore responding with silence. Let them rave and rant until rivers run dry!

I read the interesting piece by Foday Samateh on Dr. Amadou Janneh and got tempted to react.

Foday’s piece in indeed interesting because it touches on a number of issues that characterize not only Amadou Janneh in particular but the average Gambian intellectual in general. That is why we need to put this phenomenon in its proper perspective rather than the selective application trend it is currently taking. Whatever is underpinning this selective criticism needs to be cast away to establish absolute objectivity, especially when Foday himself aptly stated “The anything goes image-making and self-glorification finally and thankfully belongs to the bygone era”. I cannot agree with him more! Mr. Samateh (and before him, the erudite Dr. Saine) raised pertinent issues in his probing piece.

However, I would like to bring two things (better described as diseases) to the fore for Gambians to ponder over. Generally, Gambians (particularly our so-called intellectuals) are inherently selfish. In that, we first think of ourselves, then our nuclear family, then our extended family, then our tribe before we think of our country. This is not a sweeping generalization. We have some exceptions but they are fast becoming a rare breed in today’s Gambia. Following from above, Gambians can thus trade anything for government positions (especially ministerial).

These two factors explain why we still have this social misfit as our president for 19 solid years and, I am not being pessimistic, but without Divine intervention, he is likely to stay on for another decade and life will continue to be seemingly normal for all Gambians.

Having said that, let us delve into these two points in detail. Amadou Janneh is a Gambian, born and brought up in Gambia (except for his stint in the USA) inheriting these sordid characteristics that we all have including my humble self. So singling him out for castigation, in my opinion, will not help our cause. For instance, despite his unparalleled arrogance and barbarity on The Gambian populace leading to his eventual downfall, some people continue to see Sanna Sabally as faultless and in fact one of the best for our country. Our own Mathew Jallow, inspite of his exposure, intellectual standing and literary prowess, fell for this myopia. (Rerefences of Mathew’s contributions in defense of Sanna Sabally could be found in The Gambiaecho’s archives). I wonder what led him to tow that line in spite of the overwhelming evidence against his Fulani compatriot. The only logical conclusion I can give is their common Fulani heritage which bonds them together. Therefore, Mathew’s good judgment, at the time, was beclouded by his tribal sentiments.

Dr. Sedat Jobe became Minister after the November 11 1994 bloodbath; after the mysterious murder of the young Finance Minister, Ousman Koro Ceesay; and after (or was still minister during) the April 10-11 massacre of innocent students. In fact, for Dr. Jobe, having regained his credibility after his land-mark resignation in 2001 (the only one I remember after Mrs Satang Jow’s) his credibility was badly dented when years after his resignation, precisely during the 2006 presidential and parliamentary electioneering, he stood on an APRC political platform to cast aspersion on the Opposition. He holds a Ph. D and was supposed to know better. He did not think of the average man (at the time of accepting the ministerial offer) who sees him and his Ph. D as a savior. He let them down. He did not see the poor farmer in Njain Sanjal, Badibu, Niumi, Jarra and Kiang looking up to them (the intellectuals/Borom Hamham yi) to save our small Gambia from the disaster it has already slid into. The only logical conclusion I can make is that they were more interested in the 2Ps i.e. their pocket and personal prestige that comes with such positions. Our intellectuals indeed!!!

Dr. Saja Taal, arguably the most prostituted Gambian intellectual, held several positions during and after all of these sad events had taken place in our small society. He did not bat an eye. In fact, some accounts of Chief Manneh’s disappearance implicated Dr. Taal. Only God knows the truth about that. He holds a Ph. D and was supposed to know better. He did not think of the average man who sees him and his Ph. D as a savior. He let them down. He did not see the poor farmer in Njain Sanjal, Badibu, Niumi, Jarra and Kiang looking up to them (the intellectuals/ Borom Hamham yi) to save our small Gambia from the disaster it has already slid into. Our intellectuals indeed!!!

Mr. Sidi Sanneh, a one-time Foreign Minister, became minister after all of the above quoted incidents, and after the deliberate attempt on the life of Lawyer Ousman Sillah and the gunning down of Deyda Hydara whose family continues to seek justice until today. Sidi is not a Ph. D but he has a very impressive career both in and outside of The Gambia before and after the illegal Jammeh enterprise in the Gambia. Yet his vast exposure and experience could not save him from accepting the ministerial offer when it came his way. Today, like Dr. Janneh, he is Yahya Jammeh’s arch critic judged by his almost hebdomadal online postings. He did not see the poor farmer in Njain Sanjal, Badibu, Niumi, Jarra and Kiang looking up to them (the intellectuals/ Borom Hamham yi) to save our tiny Gambia. Our intellectuals indeed!!!

The recording-breaking speech of Dr. Njogu Bah, another PH. D (whether real or fake) in which he prayed for (and requested his audience to pray for) Jammeh to stay in power for 900 years, was a classical case of an intellectual thinking of himself first before a dying nation. He did not see the poor farmer in Njain Sanjal, Badibu, Niumi, Jarra and Kiang looking up to them (the intellectuals/ Borom Hamham yi) to save our tiny Gambia. It would be interesting to know whether Dr. Bah still maintains the same view on Jammeh. Our intellectuals indeed!!!

Dr. Crispin Grey Johnson became minister after all of the above quoted incidents, including the deliberate attempt on the life of Lawyer Ousman Sillah and the gunning down of Deyda Hydara. He holds a Ph. D and was supposed to know better. He did not think of the average man who sees him and his Ph. D as a savior. He let them down. He did not see the poor farmer in Njain Sanjal, Badibu, Niumi, Jarra and Kiang looking up to them (the intellectuals/ Borom Hamham yi) to save our small Gambia from the disaster it has already slid into.Our intellectuals indeed!!!

Our own Nana Grey Johnson, is the current Information Minister, – also an intellectual. He read all the books in The Gambia and the great seas beyond, yet his “wisdom” could not save him from accepting Jammeh’s ministerial position. He did not see the poor farmer in Njain Sanjal, Badibu, Niumi, Jarra and Kiang looking up to them (the intellectuals/ Borom Hamham yi) to save our Gambia. Our intellectuals indeed!!!

Dr. Momodou Tangara, a serving minister in the Jammeh regime, is a Ph. D. He became minister after all the atrocities mentioned earlier. He did not think of the average man who sees him and his Ph. D as a savior. He let him down. He did not see the poor farmer in Njain Sanjal, Badibu, Niumi, Jarra and Kiang looking up to them (the intellectuals/ Borom Hamham yi) to save our small Gambia from the disaster it has already slid into. Our intellectuals indeed!!!  I can go on and on with examples of Gambian intellectuals going about messing everybody up. All these PH.Ds are jokes.

Buba Baldeh, our serious activist in Dakar, was part of the overthrown PPP and it did not prevent him from accepting Yahya’s offer when he had the opportunity. He is not an intellectual like the caliber of those mentioned above. But he has the Gambian blood in him transmitting our common disease which beclouded his judgment at the time of accepting Jammeh’s poisoned chalice.

Yet with all of the above, we continue to say our society is a “close-knit” one where everyone knows each other thereby reinforcing the need to exercise MASLAHA. Yet from our “close-knit” society, people are willing to accept Jammeh’s offer when the next door neighbor is crying over an assassinated son, husband, father and/or a jailed brother who puts food for them on the table. What an interesting society!! Is it Maslaha or sheer hypocrisy?

When I first read the humorous Papa Kumba Loum’s sarcastic piece on Gambians, I initially felt like drawing him close to me and punching him on the head. However, upon a second, and this time, a sober reading of his piece, I felt like calling and congratulating him because he was just so apt with our comportment. So Dr. Janneh belongs to the same Gambian intellectual club with the same features. This is why singling him out for criticism, in my opinion, smacks of some hidden agenda. In fact, he has realized his mistakes and is willing to make good what he did wrong. We either get rid of all of them (including the ones I have mentioned above) and start with people who have unblemished records or we accommodate them whilst holding them in check to ensure they do not mess us up the second time.

Education is supposed to benefit the larger society and it is not the same as intellectualism. Education is intellectualism plus character. Most of our co-called intellectuals do not have that required moral character to be able to use their “education” to benefit our society. Instead, most of them see their education as a means to obtain wealth and prestige at the expense of the impoverished lot. So I have but very little respect for most of our intellectuals. They said Yahya is not educated, is dumb, he is this, he is that, yet with his supposed ignorance and dumbness, he uses all these intellectuals (some PH.Ds) to his advantage and later dumps them. So who in fact is dumb – Yahya or our so-called intellectuals? If our men of the book and Western orientation and busy jockeying for positions in an illegal enterprise, what makes us, the Gambian Diaspora, think that Gambians in The Gambia will rise up against the Jammeh regime? How sure will they be that our so-called intellectuals will not highjack their cause to become Jammeh-reincarnations? No Gambian (inside Gambia – both Military and Civilian) will ever bell the cat in rising against Jammeh and Jammeh (the wise fool) knows this. Let us be objective and rid ourselves of these destructive diseases that we all have – selfishness and lust for position, prestige and fame. Even our Diaspora liberation associations as well as our on-line papers and their contributors are not immune to this. You do not need to have a magi to see the bickering?

 

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