By Jadama Sadibu (Stockholm Sweden)

I am a professional Journalist with wealth of experience spanning 10 years of active freelancing to mother Gambia and fellow citizens. My services to my country have not been devoid of the political altercations that characterised our political history from independence as I know it. My attempts to do what is fair to all manner of Gambians, as demanded by the ethics of my profession and code of conduct, as a Journalist could not pass without confrontation, even with the threat of imprisonment, from the political powers that be in each political environment, be it under the military or the civilian leaderships. But as the adage rightly admonishes: the child who knows how to wash his hands well dines with the kings and the queens. I have, therefore, developed attitudes, a typical characteristic of  my village type  over the years as a result of the accrual of experiences which make me agreeably a follower even when I dissent; a tacit espouser and a practical believer.

One may be tempted to ask what at all is this elderly statesmen are driving at. Just hold your peace for a moment and I shall arrive at the home truth which should offer some insight to our leaders and the citizenry at large.

With many inspirations, I started freelancing after graduating from the London School of Journalism With   honours Diploma. My Practical job assignments brought me directly into contact with gentle colleagues of the same profession and the general public in the execution of my duties. I made scores of new friends immediately after my graduation and consolidated the old ones on the line of duty. Family relationships and former schoolmates got closer and faster that within a very short time these relationships begun to take their toll in many ways. Apart from the unwelcome visits and numerous financial demands while I newly arrived in the Gambia and in my home village of Kiang Dumbutu in the Lower River Division many were those who would like me to exploit my position to aid the recruitment of their family members, friends and other relations into the journalistic profession. This situation rather got worse when I earned my professional reputation in just few years on. By this time, I conducted several interviews in the civil service, the private sector and other important state institutions. But the sad truth is that instead of strict adherence to my interview criteria or principles based on qualification, diligence and merit, ethnicity, cronyism and plutocracy became the most important considerations in the processes. The result is that we have many individuals in the Gambia’s civil service in positions they do not deserve to hold if the rules were applied to the letter. Intelligent and hardworking individuals who could come on board with qualities that could propel growth and transformation of our economy have been left to rot with their ideas and ingenuity. I have witnessed many of such incidents in my 10 years of Journalistic experience and received many complaints about how interviews are conducted. I have even received complaints about credible names of short listed candidates altered overnight with new list slipping through the back door the next morning in a spectacular fashion code name put aside with acronym. I can go on to list names of people in high places who circumvented these rules for the sake of their children and relatives to the detriment of the social order of meritocracy.

I had to bear the fault of politicians and other high-profile personalities in this country, the Gambia as a result of my incorruptible attitude when it comes to the creation of opportunities for young people who are not only seeking opportunities for self-development but also finding ways to eke a living and contribute their quota to national development. I have always challenged that decision which appropriate positions, but wrongly, to the sons and daughters of the wealthy and high-profile office holders. How can you support the view that the son  or relative of  a Secretary of State  deserves a priority place in our work places  than the son or daughter of a poor farmer coming from the L.R.D, U.RD,  N.B.D or the from the Fonis? Considering the facilities at the disposal of the children of these high-profile individuals, I have always spoken against what is referred to as the protocol list which guarantees a future for the children of the politician and other notable individuals in our society. I have also, on many occasions, spoken against what is termed as the concessionary list, which guarantees a place for children of state employees. But unfortunately, for the beneficiaries and their parents, I have been a nuisance all this years as a Journalist. They are only thanking God that I am about to retire from Professional Journalism without success but I believe there are many Gambians out there who will take the challenge up in our struggle to create a just and equitable society for the poor, the rich, the weak and the powerful.

Ethnocentrism, cronyism and plutocracy are rather getting worse with time, in my estimation. It will be unfair to the current political leadership to say these things did not happen in the past; they did, but have worsened under the current political dispensation this I believe without the knowledge of his Excellency the young, visionary and dynamic President Jammeh. We all recollect how the P.P.P government embarked on a project i.e. the R.D.P which was to make things easier for the poor farmers. This has created problems for officers who, in some cases, have to base their decisions on name, looks and other unimportant trivial characteristics of the individuals to make a decision whether to be employed or not, instead of the merit criteria which is supposed to imbued in us the spirit of free, fair and transparent competition with the effect that those who merit it are offered.

For the tribal based employment into the civil service, security services---the army, the police, and the others---when it happens that one particular tribe is not able to meet its given quota, and then the requirement for employment could be altered which could lead to employing low calibre men and officers into the important civil services. What it means then is that, the quality of service rendered thereof is affected or compromised. This is against the backdrop of qualified candidates been denied what is right and just by all merit standards.

Regrettably today, the above development has taken a notorious dimension which must be nipped in the bud before it consumes our young, fragile democracy if we are to move forward in unity. I have also observed  officials made strenuous efforts  to have the names of their relations, cronies and their children fixed inn; so have I also seen money bags changed hands to influence employment   processes. I even hear of sexual favours. Job advertisements have also become ways of satisfying legal requirements which must be satisfied by both state and private institutions in their bid to employ new members of staff, as most of the time the names of those favourites are already known to employers. If such is the case, can the politicians now be campaigning for tribal balance on interview boards? What will be the repercussions for our forward march? Can the politicians be asking for competent employment officers especially at the P.M.O with the opportunity to investigative teams and auditors in cases where individuals suspect procedures have been circumvented? There are many more questions to ask.

 Government and other important persons of note should be trying to whip up interest in the youth to consider setting up on their own, with some describing the youth as creativity, drive, entrepreneurial skills and not being risk averse. The paradox is that, interestingly, some of the individuals who are at the forefront of these messages lack the creativity drive and even the credibility to be putting out these messages to a huge number of our disoriented youth. Now, doesn’t the young Gambian graduate who has worked so hard through university the right to work in the civil service, the private sector or set up by himself? Is it not a matter of choice that the individual considers his situation, interest and God-given talent in deciding which direction to go? If the young Gambian graduates decides to work in the civil service, any public enterprise or state institution, I think the time-tested criteria is merit, if even we are employing 10 out of a thousand. Therefore, if the young Gambian graduates have failed in their endeavour to create jobs or to do well after graduating, then our leaders must first accept responsibility for failing the youth by not mobilizing their productive energies right from the Primary School and directing them towards what is productive and competitive.

As I prepare to embark on my manual on ethics in a few months, I am saddened by the level of unemployment among Gambian graduates especially higher degree holders who are apparently being alienated from their own society by the attitude of employers who are bent on employing only sons and daughters of their cronies, the powerful, and people coming from similar ethnic backgrounds just as them.

If we are not careful in handling this situation, we may get to that point where many young graduate groups may be agitating for secession as is becoming increasingly apparent. Let’s work hard to eschew tribal and other divisive tendencies among our people and make sure that opportunities are offered all Gambians devoid of discrimination of any kind.  Long live the Gambian people back home who are tirelessly concern with the welfare of our people and the development of our country in a positive way!!!