Taboo Breaking: Sankanu Defends Speaker FJ Ceesay! 

Fatoumatta Jahumpa Ceesay, I Love!

By Bubacarr Sankanu, afromediafilmtv.net 

I am deliberately breaking a taboo here and I bear no regrets. But before coming to the point I just have two (2) clarifications to make as I would not like any premature and shallow-minded person to misinterpret my arguments. Please read every sentence carefully and if you do not understand how I mean, click me an email at the bottom: 

First of all, I am not trying to abuse the editorial policy of this respectful medium in order to win the heart of the Jammeh Government. I have passed that cheap stage. I know the road to State House and the Kanilai Palace so I need not hide behind the mask of journalism to access those in power. Since I suspend practising journalism, I can free myself from the tentacles of professional ethics and fly as free as a bird in the air. I have a role to play in our Gambian affairs and as such have the right to speak my mind as I deem fit. Sincerely, I am not a loose canon; my reader-specific patronage of the Gambian online papers in rotation does not mean I do not understand the rudiments of publishing my own paper to disseminate my thoughts when necessary. I am simply giving compatriotism a decent honour. 

Secondly, I am not trying to coax The Gambia Government into giving me a red carpet welcome whenever I enter The Gambia. I am not a stray goat; the decision on my active cooperation with the government of the day rests with my family. If my family court rules that I work with and in the government of the day, I will fly down home to serve The Gambia as a technocrat or a politician. I am a realist, they way the security officers would salute me through the VIP lounges, it is in the same manner they could handcuff me into the next court room or into the infamous Mile II Prison. In this nasty situation, the family that prevailed on me to flirt at the centre of power would be there to offer me the needed psychological and moral booster! 

I am not afraid of visiting the Gambia for fear of sharing the same fate as Fatou Jow Manneh (on trial), Deyda Heydara (murdered on cold blood) or the prisoners of Mile 2. If a farmer says he has 1.6 million mango trees on his farm and starts chopping them recklessly, he will end up begging for mangoes in the streets. No state can exist without its people, be they supporters or opponents of the status quo.  

What I am saying is that a pragmatic human resource policy is in the interest of any country that wants to survive the challenges of globalization. In the knowledge-based economy of our time, nations compete in turning brain-drain into brain-gain, to say the least. Threats like "we will kill you and nothing will happen" do not scare me for, my killers will not stay in this world forever. They will surely join me in that hotel called "six feet deep". The angel of death will kill himself after taking the souls of all human beings. Therefore, those supporting abuse of human capital and impunity are literarily digging their own graves. I will visit Jammeh's Gambia whenever my family asks me to and whenever I see the need to land in Banjul. It will be very unfortunate for people to blacklist me as an enemy of the state that must be cut short! Gambia is my home too! 

Now to the purpose of this piece, I fully understand that public citizens across the world cannot escape public scrutiny, criticisms and satirization. Members of our own Gambia Government cannot be exempted no matter how hard they try to run away or suppress critical voices. However, in the name of human sense, one should be constructive enough to balance the human weaknesses and the socio-political competences of our public figures before judging them. Since the proliferation of Gambian internet communities, some public citizens, particularly Fatoumatta Jahumpa Cessay (FJC), current Speaker of our National Assembly, did not know peace. FJC is being repeatedly portrayed as a she-devil who knows nothing but praise singing of the government. I am yet to hear any one look at her from a realistic perspective as a human being with feelings, wishes, weaknesses, competences and aspirations. I called this piece "taboo-breaking" as I dare the mob by being among the first, if not the first person, to openly defend FJC before a global audience. Mon Dieu, let the idiot without sin cast the first hypocritical stone! My sympathy for FJC is even greater in that we share something here. Like her, I have been mercilessly insulted on some of the online Gambian platforms until I shouted for my mother before launching my counter-attacks. 

I know I have gone too romantic in my defence of FJC, I have no regrets. It is the bitter-sweet taste of challenging the dogma by defending a person people love to insult. It's crazy. Isn't it? You can freely label me "the devil's advocate" if it would please you. I can no longer hide my feelings but openly confess my love for FJC. If FJC were till single, I would marry her, our age difference notwithstanding. For, Hadija was older than Prophet Muhammed (PBUH). I do not care how the whole world castigates me over what I am saying here. The amount of insults I receive so far in my life has immuned me against character assassinations and scandals; the more the insults, the stronger I become!

During the days of Fatoumatta Jahumpa Ceesay (FJC) as spin doctor, we did not get rude international Public Relations (PR). Sorry; the devil deserves its due. I am not defending her because I love her, her records vindicate her. Worst PR did not happen in the days of FJC as the Government's image manager compared to what we have today. Was it not FJC who organized a reconciliatory breakfast between two Gambian media personalities who were not on speaking terms? 

To be frank, FJC might not be the best academic student and the best nun in town; she is, frankly writing, the best multi-purpose female politician you can deploy in every political terrain. She is more robust than a Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV/Hummer/Pajero)! She has the human touch. She is beautiful, sexy, bad, diplomatic and a sweet woman of my taste! 

Okay, FJC is a bit bitchy; I love political bitches. She is a bit stubborn; I enjoy hunting and kissing stubborn ladies who are difficult to grab like a sprinting gazelle. She is a bit childish; all women behave sometimes childish. She is brave; right, brave girls fall for bad guys like me. She is provocative; a proud woman knows how to provoke a man. In short, FJC is the best female organizer, the best social trouble-shooter, the best image maker and the best cheerleader currently at the disposal of our Government. She has untapped public value which she can use in helping the Government modernize and solidify its national and glamour, without changing her current position of Speaker of the National Assembly. Her recent sponsoring of a football friendly between female executives of the Senegalese and Gambian Governments is a perfect example of what I mean. This gesture will help us repair the damages caused by the Daily Observer's anti-Senegal reportage. President Jammeh just sent FJC to Abdoulaye Wade of Senegal. This justifies my open letter to Dr. Saja Taal on the need to talk peace with Senegal! 

I would like to express my sincere gratitude to FJC's husband SULAYMAN MASANNEH CEESAY, LLM, for his tolerance and self-discipline. I wonder how many conservative and stagnant-minded husbands will allow their wives build careers in the limelight and, controversial ones for that matter. I remember how a number of my ex-female GRTS colleagues ended up becoming divorcees due to the intolerant nature of their supposedly "educated" husbands. Their men could not understand that television/media job is not like that of an accountant with a stable work schedule. There was this beautiful colleague who went to the extent of practising "self censor" in a desperate move to save her collapsing marriage. If her male interviewees smile widely while answering her questions, she will delete that portion of the picture even if it will affect the flow of the news item. She lamented how the negative perceptions of her "modern" husband turned her matrimonial home into hell on earth; not counting the rumours and gossips that accompany a celebrity lifestyle. At the end divorce became the inevitable option for her like most of the other TV girls I worked with! 

I am living though this tragic situation everyday in my current engagements. I keep discovering very creative young African ladies who can send both Beyoncé Knowles and Oprah Winfrey back to nursery school when given the chance. But their conservative families and husbands, instead of training them to balance career and family, force them into choosing either family or career. A few will go for careers while some will respect the decision of the "family and God", though God never said women are created only to be treated as baby-producing machines and trophies. Other funny men would choose the strategy of "quickly impregnating" their ambitious wives so by the time the child learns to walk independently, the woman's time would be wasted and she might not have the initial energy for career planning. I ran into bizarre cases in which terrorist mothers and sisters-in-law threatened career-conscious wives with polygamy if they fail to have time for their husbands as demanded by the dogma! 

FJC is very lucky to have an understanding partner. The fact that I can jokingly call FJC my "sugar mummy" demonstrates the sophistication of Sulayman Masaneh Ceesay's understanding. The old boy deserves special honour as one of the best husbands in the Gambia today. As for FJC, she deserves whatever privilege she is enjoying now, if the insults she receives are considered. I remember sometime in 1996, I was so concerned about FJC's public relations, I told her "Ajaratou, people are insulting you too much. Why wouldn't you ask for a quieter job, like in the diplomatic service? You are so beautiful and so presentable that you will make a very sweet ambassador. You can still win beauty contests of ripe ladies provided the judges have good functioning eyeballs…!"  

She politically told me "Sanks (I fondly call her Ajaratou and she calls me Sanks), the people insulting me want the same privileges: the opposition people want to be in power; the business people want contracts; relatives/friends want favours; the educated people want government jobs and scholarship. When they fail, they insult…" She then gave me a very good and priceless advice. I tested it in real life and I happy with the outcome as it saved my life on several occasions. I therefore remain indebted to FJC since a good advice, they say, is second mother of a stubborn kid like me. So even if the whole world hounds her as a witch, I will wipe off her tears and make my arms her cushion of consolation! Sounds too romantic for the rough Male Chauvinist Dogs (MCDs)? I am told Hell is a nice place to go! 

I have since learned to respect FJC's decision as she fully knows the price she is paying for her chosen political career. She further confirms what her late dad, Garba Jahumpa said, that of his children, FJC is the one stepping into his big shoes of political activism with passion. If this piece is to qualify as a report card on FJC's career, then I believe she is an accomplished politician, not a failed one.  

As I will always emphasize, real life politics is not about being a holy-religious person or an intellectual with briefcases full of degrees/certificates. FJC has proven beyond all reasonable doubts that she is a very capable, very passionate and a very brave pro-Government politician of the first call. She is a qualified role model for other young ladies aspiring to become professional politicians. She therefore deserves commendation, protection, promotion and support when and where necessary. 

It is very sad for people to wish the woman's downfall now. Where were her adversaries when she was being insulted as "presidential whore" among other nasty names? Should President Jammeh disgrace FJC today with a rude dismissal or arrest, she would become a laughing stock and a punching ball of the people she may approach for help. Some would even like to sexually exploit her before helping her out and then laugh about it at the vous. My mouth is not "harram"; it is the dirty face of our society that makes me vomit!  FJC has every right to plan her pension as she deems fit. She is not the first and she won't be the last politician to receive a "token of appreciation" from grateful investors. How many Gambians have gained jobs through the investors FJC introduced into The Gambia at a time when mass youth migration and unemployment are affecting our national productivity? Is this not patriotic of her? I am not condoning corruption but will you prefer African politicians to keep following the examples of the Mobutus and the Abachas by bunkering stolen monies in Europe and America? Some members of the current generation are investing in Africa. Even if corruption is not positive, this trend is laudable since Africa is winning at least! Why has the President of Nigeria granted a 2-hour exclusive audience to the said investor barely 24 hours after his release from medium security prison? Leave real life politics to the masters! 

We can expose, cry and complain about corruption, but we will never eliminate this menace until and unless we embrace what my teacher Ebrima G. Sankareh of The Gambia Echo refers to as "attitudinal change". For, no amount of harsh anti-corruption laws, be it the U.S Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) of 1977 or our local Economic Crimes Decrees, will ever deter corruption. The corrupt-minds will always find legal loopholes to escape and operate. 

However, in an environment where lies, hiring/firing, hypocrisy and intrigues are entertained like common sports, it will be very foolish of one to be careless of oneself. If I were in FJC's position, I will equally make hay whilst the sun shines. If she is allegedly using her NGO (Non Governmental Organization) to enrich herself, then Bill Gates, Richard Branson, the Lebanese business men and all the other rich guys donating to non-profit causes are just washing off their sins through corporate social responsibility! 

The colossal hypocrisy and ingratitude in our society makes wonder whether it makes sense for one to be that selfless. As a former Commander of the Gambia National Army (GNA) wondered whether it could have made any sense for them to waste their lives resisting Jammeh's 1994 coup considering that some of the dead woods of the collapsed PPP (Peoples' Progressive Party) Government decided to lick Jammeh's boots in order to keep their privileges. 

Mon Seigneur, I am not a saint and I am not interested in becoming a saint. If I should rot in hell, I won't rot there alone since the world is over flowing with evil-minded people who would serve as fuel for hell fire. If I end in paradise, those virgins would be pestering me over their "turns" and after some time it would become boring. Basking the time away in a soft romantic setting like a lizard feels better for me than every time working like a mechanic in the towing department! 

In any case, FJC and all the other people enjoying the favours of the Jammeh Government will not escape their sins. If they are not paraded before an investigate judge, the will one day be summoned before a commission of enquiry to account for Jammeh's Gambia before they are forgiven and rehabilitated. For those who cannot wait, we now have an ombudsman in town. If you think FJC and the other government officials are abusing their offices, you can complain to the ombudsman or drag them to court. I understand FJC and Lawyer Mariam Denton are currently in a civil legal battle. I hope President Jammeh would not dump her if she loses the case. It is natural for women to gossip and quarrel. Under normal circumstances FJC and Mariam Denton would engage in the usual women's game of senseless petty quarrels before hugging each other as "brave sisters" but the political Jammeh Factor brings in a new dimension. Therefore my Brother Yahya A.J.J. Jammeh has a moral responsibility in the matters of Mariam Denton versus Fatoumatta Jahumpa Ceesay. For, FJC was and is simply doing her part of the bidding as a dedicated pro-Jammeh cheerleader! 

If President Jammeh makes the mistake of brutally dumping FJC due to the intrigues of her rivals after all these years of painful following, I will immediately cease being his unofficial "adviser-at-large" and moderate critic. For I will know that it does not make any sense for even a dog to bark in Jammeh's defence! 

On a last note, I just want the political vultures and witches to note this: I do not have the time, let alone the energy, to maintain any channle of communication with Honourable FJC be it public or private, formal or informal, direct or indirect and active or passive. She has a comfortable place in my heart and this is enough. You cannot therefore misuse this simple expression of honest and natural love to dig her political grave. There are no sections in our Gambian Constitution of 1997 that say it is a crime to fall in love with a fellow Gambian above the legal age of consent. I have the right to even climb on top of Arch 22 in Banjul and shout "Fatoumatta JC my, Big Girl…I love youuuu….! Anyone who cannot bear it should go hang! 

God Bless Mother Gambia! 

Bubacarr Sankanu, alias The Serene Prince of Taste© 

The author can be reached at: bubacarr@gmx.net, www.afromediafilmtv.net

Editors note: The views of the author do not reflection the position of the Freedom Newspaper. This paper cannot take liability for the content of the author's piece. The Freedom Newspaper stood by all what it reported about Fatou Jahumpa Ceesay. Our source was Fatou's close buddy and as such, his credibility cannot be doubted. Sankanu is free to defend FJC, but he should not be economical with the truth. His piece was devoid of the truth, misguided and calculated to defend the indefensible. Let justice guide our actions. FJC is alive and nothing is stopping her from reacting to these damning allegations brought against her. A second party reaction,  full of fiction  and pettiness cannot move us. We wish our brother Sankanu good luck in his quest to be FJC new "JALIBA." You are as well free to dine with the devil Jammeh. We are bound to agree and disagree on issues. We respect your views, and we expect you to respect ours. No comedy game here...This paper is democratic and would always promote divergent views. We hope Sankanu knows where we are driving at. Let sleeping dogs lie. Our recent pieces on FJC  are factual and undisputable.