MOBUTUISM RESURFACES IN THE GAMBIA Mobutuism is perhaps yet to be given a bitter political definition,but what ever the case the appropriation of the state by the head of State,the routine abused of political responsibility and the continuous degeneration of the State into a state of insecurity and brutality as a method for political control will be very central in such a definition. The resurfacing of Mobutuism in the Gambia is a sad story,given the fact that we have a young president who have been very indignant to the state of affairs not only in his own country the Gambia but throughout the continent,a president who would have jubilated like any other ordinary Gambian,soldier, at the overthrow of the decadent PPP regime.Coming from a poor rural area and family,no one should have been in the position of understanding poverty with all that it contains than this young man.The Independent editorial of july 22-23, concluded that we have something to jubilate after five years under the regime of the Junta because we have new hospitals and roads.When national development is been reduced to building hospitals without medication and roads,it shows a picture of how technological backwardness weigh down so much on our consciousness ,to the extend that national development becomes no more equated with human development.For without clean waters you can never have enough hospitals beds,without clean environment you will always have mosquito colonies like Banjul,thus more malaria,without enough food you will malnutrition and hunger,without jobs you will have more crimes and social disorder,thus more soldiers,more police brutality etc,etc what then becomes the essence of hospital and roads.What happen when Taiwan can no more pay for the salaries of Cuban doctors ?We know that our new hospitals have been lacking incubators,and political clans were on the scene to make their presence felt,they when on collecting money to buy incubators without questioning how is it possible that the president of the republic of the Gambia Dr Yaya Ajj Jammeh is able to have a zoo,with animals from all over Africa feeding them every day,and that Gambian hospitals are lacking incubators, basic medications ?In an interview with the BBC Dr Jammeh said among other things, QUESTION :I want you to tell me about your animals because like we are in an animal farm.I was really surprise when I I came here ? ANSWER: You see,the animals are a source of inspiration for me.You see..watching these animals..I have always love through out my life...I have seen them behave better that human beings. .....But what I want to tell you, among the animals there are no lesbians ,no guys or what ever.I have animals from different countries-some from Mali,some from Niger,some from Mauritania and The Gambia.They have leave here without discrimination.But we human beings,we are always at each other. Well people this is Dr Jammeh speaking.It seems this was really George Owels animal farm.Dr Jammeh blamed human beings for "been after each other" and just some sentences after he was again lunching attacks against Lesbians and guys,not only saying that his animals are better than these people(guys and Lesbians) but that they behave better than other human begins. In this same issue of the Independent Eagles EYE wrote : "....Some of the money could have been so well spent on our deteriorating roads in the sprawling greater Banjul area.At least,in the name of the revolution,our leaders should have thought of doing something about the wretched conditions of our roads,which have now been transformed into pools of dirty water,and impassable for both human beings and vehicles.......of course,Eagles Eye thought,the owners of the revolution would not know about the terrible condition of our roads,driving in air-conditioned 4 wheel drives " If roads are no longer passable for Human beings as Eagles Eyes said,then if people must pass that road,Dr Jammeh should not be surprise to see that Gambians turned to animals by his regime should behave better than his animals when crossing these pools,they dont have the qualities.His animals will not swear at crossing these pools,Gambians might do it not only because it is frustrating but that it is degrading. I am as concerned as Eagles Eye,do they need all these comfort,4 wheel air conditioned vehicles, if they are committed to national development,how would they be able to feel the conditions,the realities on the ground even though most of them are from poor families,5 years is too long a time.Does president Dr Jammeh really need Caravans to leave in Kanilia ?How is he expecting to have contacts with the mosquitos,what about the leaking roofs,how much does it cost the nation to have those Caravans at Kanilia ? And in this same Independent issue of july 22-23,UDP was questioning the where about of the 35 million dollar loan from China,this seems to be different from the Taiwan deal.The UDP claimed; "Yahya Jammehs revolution has made him one of the richest men in the West African sub-region after the looting of 35 million dollars Chines aid to the Gambia,and other shady deals that has earned him the reputation of being the most corrupt head of state in Africa " After five years in political power Dr Alhaji Abdul Aziz Yahya JJ jammeh have not only gain more names but also being referred to as one of the richest men in the sub-region.If he is manipulating state property and sending people to mecca,the caravans,the zoo and still insisting that he has seen his animals behave better than some human beings,then I have all rights to ask were is my country heading to !! Among other things is the unemployment situation.The increasing unemployment in the country is getting out of hand,a president who is committed to national development will not think of having a personal Zoo in these trying times,the resources that are being use to maintain the Zoo could have been used to ,among other things,built a Tomato paste factory,this will not only reduce the foreign exchange needs of the Nation but will also create jobs for the youths. Our People are hungry and are getting poorer,the social consequences are many and this is no good thing for a small nation like the Gambia.A sister in this forum was appealing that talks about war in the Gambia be stop because Gambia is a small nation and could afford war,that is true ,but such appeal should not be directed to poor us,who are only concern with the state of affairs in our country,we could turn blind eyes to reality,we all know the reasons behind the war in Liberia,in Congo,Sierra Leone ect.Any such appeal should be directed to those who are using force to marginalise the people.People who are hungry and have no political and economic rights would not care if there is war,for they would prefer to live than just to exist.The social consequences are not only drug abuses,the rising crime rates but also the increase number of young Gambinas who are not able to complete their schooling,this is serious as far as national development is concern. There are political thinker who insisted that religion is a drug.It can be used to arrest the development of the minds of the people.Dr Jammeh did try this method.He built himself a Mosque at the State house,he brought the arrogant Imam Fatty to be the face of State House,this did not work.With our hot sun he dressed himself up as if snow balls are soon to fall down.He used mosque to make national speeches.And at one time he lunch a serious attack on our women liberators,accusing them of being in the service of the West.Yes here is a president trying to tell us that the idea of freedom is that of the western world,our sister are not capable of thinking freedom.But since these sister do not entertain bullshitts,their response to Dr Jammeh did not only proved to him that he could not threaten them to silence but that they have human minds to think Freedom.Their letter to the president was one full of dignity,maturity and responsibility. We have now in the Gambia,the ministry of religious affairs,do we really need it and for what reason ?and this is even at a time when the Ahmadiyya movement was put under serious attacks because people like Imam Fatty did not like them.These are people who have for ages been offering the Gambian People educational institutions,hospitals without costing the State a single penny.They have never recruited any Gambian by force.Did the religious affairs ministry defended their right to existed,their right to practice their believes ?I am just wondering ! One day when the Gambian people could no longer be silence by the NIA and the July 22 movement,Dr Jammeh would have to answer many questions.We know he has only cosmetic infrastrucutures to show,a typical sign of the development of the underdeveloped,but for how long can hear him telling them that he has built hospitals for them,when they are dying like flies because of lack of incubators and basic medical facilities. The Gambian army is bigger than ever before,it has more military equipments now than any time of our history.The spending on the military is diving into the skies.What is all this for,are we in the state of paranoid,when everything becomes threatening or are we preparing for Kokoi Samba Sanyang ?What is all these military thing for ?in a hungry country like the Gambia,I am still just wondering !! If Mobutu had died for 40 years ago,those who believed in reincarnation would have swear that he is alive again,only this time in West Africa.But the personification of the State by Dr Jammeh is no hidden fact.He needed this in the process of building his new personal image,which has also increased demand on our national TV and radio station.To head such departments will no longer be a national issue but a personal issue ,he will fire and hire as he wishes as far this department is concern.Perhaps this is one of the most important departments in his propaganda crusade,but this is not his personal property,it is that of the tax payers.Members of this forum have all rights to believe that the Director of GRT will never jeopardise the interest of Dr Jammeh in favor of national development,we have seen his naive defense of Dr Jammeh in this forum,that made some of us to conclude that he can never be neutral and loyal to our national interest. When Syngle Njase was set free,we thought that unlawful arrest and detention was in and out.The recent arrest and detention of the Independent Journalists was no comfortable news,whose turn it will be next has again ed returned into our minds,no matter how long it will be there,it was must never threaten us to silence !!! For Freedom Saiks ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html ----------------------------------------------------------------------------