By Journalist Muhammed Jawara, Seattle Washington
Behind Yahya Jammeh’s arrogant wall
In real democracies---no, the countries aspiring to be democratic, there is always hope future may be bright. Oppressed
people would point to the fact that reforms, political or social, may
lead to a state in which everyone has a chance to lead a decent life. Leaders
would set standards for themselves that would enable their subjects to
question the questionable and give credit where it’s due. Then
there would be some sort of openness that enables transparency to
dictate the daily dealings of state affairs, and leaders would see
themselves as servants who should be accountable to their subjects. These are all ideals of democracy. Critics
argue that there is no such country that is fully democratic, not even
the countries that consider themselves as the champions of democracy. However, some countries are more democratic than others.
Jawara sent Jammeh to the cleaners!
Call
it an arrogant wall or a paranoid leadership, Yahya Jammeh’s government
has been a disaster waiting to happen for a long time. The picture is clear. There are two Gambias that we all call home. There
is the Gambia that belongs to the farmers, the market men and women,
the teachers, the school children and genuine business people. For this Gambia , times have changed a lot for the past ten years. Where living standard used to be higher, with the cost of living affordable, it has become a distant memory. Where people used to stand tall with the pride of peace, they now live in constant fear of what the next day holds. Where
people use to be bold enough to debate issues of national interest,
they now keep their opinions to themselves for the fear of reprisals. Where there used to openness in social discourse as well as tolerance for diversity, silence is the acceptable norm now. Besides, there are numerous suspicions amongst people and distrust between the religious divide. For these and many more, Gambians are nostalgic for the good memories of the pre-Jammeh era.
Behind the protective wall of Yahya Jammeh’s regime, Gambians have awakened to the reality of the other Gambia . This
other Gambia includes the sycophants a la FJC, the unethical ministers,
the APRC bigwigs, the military top brass, the police chiefs, the APRC
propaganda machines and many more needless to be mentioned. With
the help of this circle of loyal, greedy, senseless, uneducated and
arrogant followers, there is hardly a better way to create a pariah
state. The Jammeh government has efficiently
used these people to create his arrogant wall, behind which nothing but
dubious and devilish activities take place. To
be paranoid is not anything newly associated with Jammeh, but his
extreme stupidity in handling state matters is a cause for concern. He berates his opponents, label allegations against them, imprison innocent citizens, and keep tight grip over their affairs. In addition it is believed that under his directions, dictatorship and authority, people are murdered in cold blood.
As
we approach the presidential elections, it has become clearer that this
event is going to be another exercise dependent on national coffers for
no reasons. After the breakup of the opposition
parties, it would be folly for anyone to think that any party other
than APRC would be victorious comes September 22. The mechanisms are in place for that to happen, as it did five years ago.
To be uneducated is no excuse for stupidity. It
seems to Yahya Jammeh is using his lack of academic background as the
cover to commit some of the most atrocious acts imaginable. Whenever Jammeh talks about the Gambia , it is clear how he perceives events. For him, he is the embodiment of the Gambia without whom the country would be in total collapse. His
rants, coupled with his raves during political campaigns points only to
the fact that he is politically immature and takes pride in it. For
instant, he was quoted in his mouthpiece Daily observer newspaper, to
have told people around the country that he would take back government
properties from the areas of who are found to vote for the opposition. Also, his propaganda machine went further, to coerced opposition supporters to label allegations against their leaders. To me these are utter stupidity, devoid of genuine political flavor.
As witnesses to history, many Gambians are saddened by our sudden fall from the proverbial grace to grass. People are silenced on daily basis, opponents are imprisoned, detain and torture on daily basis. Prices of commodities are ratcheting up by the hour. There is a growing trend of suspicion, anxiety, and fear in the minds of many Gambians. Under the rule dictated by the people behind Yahya Jammeh’s arrogant wall, Gambians would continue to suffer from the devil. The rest is history!