TGJ:
What role did Pengu George and the Moja militants play in the .jpg)
organization of the 1981 coup?
Mr. Sanyang:
Look the organization of the 31st July 1981 people’s uprising was not an issue of a single person, a particular organization but the wish and will of the entire Gambian people for freedom and justice. It was for laying the footpaths for the peoples struggle towards a New Independent and Democratic revolutionary Gambia with the rule of law, strict respect for civil liberties, peace, progress, prosperity and the pursuit of happiness.
The popular character and nature of this 31st July peoples uprising was the outcome of the general belief that when a society demands a change there is no need attempting to change it on old neocolonial principles, and also no need remaining unchanged in our political attitudes while the world change around us, we might very well become more reactionary than the enemy after having been revolutionary because the status quo would have changed so much in the meantime.
The people realized that we badly needed a positive change in the Gambia, not a change for change sake. It was of our conviction that the poor oppressed and exploited Gambian masses had little to lose from such a positive radical qualitative change we struggling for, but may hope to gain from the proposed socialists egalitarian policies this is why they took an active part in the struggle, while the well-to-do were seeing our proposed change as threats to their best interests, thus aligning themselves on the junta side.
What we urgently needed then was serious organized challenges and resistances not isolated acts to this human eating society. Contrary to President Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara’s believe and aims, ethnicity certainly was not the focus of our nationhood.
The strategy and tactics of this national resistance for change was determined by the reaction as usual of the enemy forces – and we were ready to meet force with force, reasoning with reasoning and dialogue with dialogue which never had a chance.
Because our objective was to serve the people of the Gambia by our deeds and in total truth, we have no doubt, what so ever that we will be understood by all Gambians as the struggle unfolds.
TGJ:
Why was it that you were the only one visible?
Mr. Sanyang:
All oppressed and exploited Gambians knew and were aware that the secret behind the survival of the existing neocolonial system in the Gambia was our lack of organization and unity.
You must know that leadership is a process not an event and that leadership is the energetic process of getting people fully and willingly committed to a new and sustainable course of action to meet commonly agreed objectives whilst having commonly held values.
TGJ:
What do you have to say about the violence and the large number of deaths?
Mr. Sanyang:
I think and strongly believe that you will obtain the right answers if you ask this question to Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara and President Abdou Diouf who are the cause of all the sufferings Gambians went through. The military intervention of the Senegalese army was a way “of the strong and weak”. I hate the intransigence and brutality of the tyrants only a violent revolution like that of the 31st of July 1981 was only needed. We did not stage this historic people’s revolution to kill innocent oppressed and exploited Gambians but to unify all progressive forces in order to struggle to meet the demands of our people. We know and believe that we needed people alive and healthy to sustain the revolution rather than dead people, we could have not killed our own people we were struggling to liberate and redeem for their survival.
TGJ:
Were you and your followers not playing into the hands of the Senegalese by staging such an uprising?
Mr. Sanyang:
Can you frankly tell me if Gambian Freedom, Justice, rule of law, and democracy should be judged by the Senegalese authorities? Gambians don’t need a foreign seal of approval to build the great nation state of the Gambia.
It was not necessary for that senseless bloodshed among brothers because what Gambians and Senegalese share in common is much more powerful than what divides them, and that people of good should have worked together and be enrichened by their diversity, not fearful of it, if we are to build landscape of peace.
TGJ:
Some say you were supported by the Libyan and Guinea Bissau government is that true?
Mr. Sanyang:
I can proudly say that throughout Africa only the 31st July people’s revolution of the Gambia never received support both military and financial from outside revolutionary countries. We wholly relied on the support of the oppressed people of the Gambian, on our own forces and the alliance of all progressive forces.
The first thing we learnt in the struggling to liberate our people relying on our own efforts was that “when a people laugh at your reality and your nature, they have you one way and when they teach you or train you to laugh at your own reality and nature they have got you another. We were not imitators neither trained mercenaries but conscious revolutionaries who relied on their efforts to liberate their people.We do not believe in importing the revolution.
TGJ:
The people you selected in your Revolutionary Command Council, how well did you know them and why were you so sure that they had the ability to man a government?
Mr. Sanyang:
We were a breaker of barriers and restrictions.
Members of the Revolutionary Command Council were comrades in arms for a long time and not just frustrated people who happened to meet together by accident and they were all revolutionary comrades who were ready to sacrifice their lives for the freedom and independence of the Gambia.
They were not power hungry but worthy sons of the Gambia who joined the struggle not for post or position or for personal gains. Our action was to pave the way for genuine leaders to come and rescue our sinking nation.
TGJ:
After the failure of the coup, you managed to escape to Guinea Bissau, Cuba and Libya, can you brief us on your experiences, your pain and pleasures and what you learned from living in those societies?
Mr. Sanyang:
Remarkably for the past 28 years living in exile and working for the total liberation of Africa I did continually served as an inspiration and light in the midst of Africa’s darkness, and so I today occupy a special place of interest among the blacks all over the world whether one agrees with me or not.
The knowledge and experience I gained in our dealings and solidarity with the countries you mentioned above did radical transform my potential political capacities for struggle more deeper arming me the skills and techniques to overcome obstacles hindering those capacities.
TGJ:
You later emerged in Liberia, tell us more on your experience there; were you and your people mercenaries for Taylor or just his comrades in arms?
Mr. Sanyang:
We are conscious freedom fighters but much more importantly we are convinced Panafricanists not mercenaries. Solidarity is not an act of charity or of selling out ones capacity but mutual aid to forces fighting for the same objectives. In Liberia with President Charles Taylor we faithfully provided security for him personally and helped in seriously organizing civil democratic organs within the society laying a solid foundation for a future stable democracy.
TGJ:
Let us talk about the Farafenni attack. What role did you have in that attack? If any, what were you trying to achieve by attacking Farafenni?
Mr. Sanyang:
We are an organized revolutionary movement fighting for freedom and justice and not adventurers. The role I played to avoid this senseless and non organized action resulted in people and even some comrades accusing me of being tribalist wanting to spear Mr.Jammeh and go in for peaceful negotiation based on a Jola platform. It is only brother Abdulai Sonko leader of that dissident group that attacked Farafenni who can tell you what he aimed to achieve in that attack. I have documented evidence of those accusations against me by Mr.Abdulai Sonko.Yes they are members of our group and we can never disown them but we as I was concerned never supported and never took active part in that attack.
TGJ:
After what happened in the 1981 failed coup, did you get to develop any relationship with Diouf? If so what was the relationship like and what was your role?
Mr. Sanyang:
Frankly speaking President Abdou Diouf is a man of himself who was ready to accept his mistakes and ask for forgiveness. He asked me and the Gambian people for forgiveness. In politics one has to know how to forgive in the interest of the people so I welcomed his stretched hand for peace and reconciliation with the Gambian people.
TGJ:
Cassamance is a standing issue in the region, what do you think of the MFDC issue? Do you have any relationship with MFDC if so to what level?
Mr. Sanyang:
The Casamance issue is a sad colonial issue which the enemies of Senegal and African unity exploited to show the seed of discord and cause unnecessary blood shed and division. I am a Panafricanist and I will never accept or support anything short of African unity that will divide Africa or cause sufferings to our beloved oppressed and exploited masses. I am not a trouble maker but a freedom fighter fighting for freedom, peace and justice. I do not jump into any hot spot in Africa without deeply understanding the situation and not knowing where the people’s interest lies.
TGJ:
Do you have any relationship with President Wade? If so, what is the nature of the relationship?
Mr. Sanyang:
Yes I have good relations with President Abdoulaye Wade since the seventies and are both Islamic in the first place, then political and Panafricanist. My relationship with President Abdoulaye Wade is of a Panafricanist nature dating back to the time he was not yet an elected President. We are both Panafrican freedom fighters and democrats.
TGJ:
Tell us about your meeting with President Jammeh in Banjul. What agreement did you strike with the President and how did it end? What is your opinion of him, as a man, leader?
Mr. Sanyang:
When you meet President Yaya Jammeh and speaking to him its so very clear that one notices he comes from a different time, reality and a different place, and one can feel the criminal motives behind the founding of state terrorism in the country to safeguard his regime.
We are African Gambian freedom fighters, fighting to protect and uphold the respect for human rights, freedom, justice, democracy and the rule of law through Transparency, Accountability and Probity in our fast sinking Paradise The Gambia. Our struggle to shift the balance of power in favor of the oppressed and exploited masses is for the genuine construction of a multi-party democracy based on republican values and principles in The Gambia and working to adopt a socialist market economic system where The Gambia will not be placed in an auction box, which is the cherished wishes of all Gambians.
President Jammeh’s regime has taken almost every possible step to show its disrespect for Gambian laws and the tenets of his self-tailored constitution, the rules of good governance, free speech and free press. These steps included, but were not limited to rejecting national limits on respect for human rights, refusing for a national dialogue and reconciliation so we never reached an agreement.
In actual fact there was nothing like a discussion that took place during our meeting that would have benefited the Gambian people except numerous destructive critics by him against his enemies, evil plans to harm Gambians and simple story telling in vanity.
TGJ:
What do you think about President Jammeh and his regime?
Mr. Sanyang:
Frankly speaking what I think of President Yaya Jammeh is that he is an indecent and unjust brutal murderer.
He wishes to measure out Gambians future like a potion.
As I said earlier to Gambians he is not a national voice in Gambian affaires.
He is not a man of good faith.
He is not honest and trustworthy.
He is a ruthless leader, a murderer and notorious criminal.
He is a dubious criminal manipulator.
He has a certain amount of irrational confidence in himself.
He cannot win the trust of the Gambian people for he cannot display integrity.
He lacks the knowledge of gutter fighting.
He lacks human imagination, intellectual and behavioral resources as president for the reconciliation of decency to prove his valor.
As an empty drum making too much noise, he is not a strategic policy maker.
He is not a strategic catalyst for progress in the Gambian political system and far away to be the central figure in the international system as well.
He is not and can never be an architect of Gambian public policy.
He uses the state power to oppress, exploit and kill instead of slaying the dragon of crisis and be the engine of change to move the Gambian nation forward.
He is not the nation’s personal and moral leader.
Jammeh cannot symbolize the greatness of the Gambia and can never ever radiate inspirational confidence and pull the nation together while directing Gambians towards the fulfillment of the Gambian great dream.
Jammeh is not the national symbol of reassurance.
President Jammeh knows the value of expropriating credit when policies worked well due to external factors and influence and he wickedly decentralizes blame when things go wrong due to his stupidity and shortsightedness.
President Jammeh is not a political broker but a political divider (spliticist).
The indelible cruel and state terrorist image of Jammeh’s regime should be erased from the minds of Gambians before it will be too late.
All Gambians are lamenting helplessly today that a great darkness envelops the lost African Paradise at a time when imaginary visions for prosperity and well-being dances in the heads of Gambians.
With Jammeh’s brutal oppressive regime:
1. Many among Gambians have been victims of an enormous quantity of injustice and gross abuses of power in our own country.
2. There is no doubt that the very large majority of Gambians wants to have a decent job, and to work and live in an environment of peace, justice and dignity.
3. We are daily witnessing the sad deepening of neo-colonial settlement in the Gambia by way of tribalism, nepotism, state-terrorism, theft, banditism, laissez-faireism and adventurism that hinders the implementation of a genuine democracy and justice.
4. The Jammeh junta regime adventures with every kind of conception without any sober reflection or deep serious studies.
5. Due to a lack of serious organization, the Jammeh oppressive junta regime cannot seriously engage in a meaningful economic development to guarantee the peoples survival.
6. There is total lack of political freedom and liberty, and the right for free speech and free press.
7. Today Gambians are constantly living in a life of psychological fear because of the regime’s terrorist and monolithic nature eliminating all possibilities of having a tolerant society where free contradictory debates can be openly organized.
8. The Gambia lacks political transparency and accountability.
9. No efforts are made for democratic openness allowing a genuine process for the solid establishment of the rule of law and respect for civil liberties.
10. Very sad and regrettable that the stupidity of the Gambian authorities not to understand that without serious political and economic deep qualitative changes not reforms to appease the anger and frustration of the oppressed and exploited masses neo-colonial Gambia has made a tragic return 500 years behind the colonial period.
11. The Gambian state with the Jammeh’s junta neo-colonial regime doesn’t favor the positive and radical change of mentality, but rather prefers the continuous reinforcement of the already existing mental slavery attitude.
12. Since the culture of the present day junta regime is laissez-faireism encouraging theft, intentional sabotage, embezzlement of public funds, its is clearly evident that civil servants are busy looking for ways and means for bettering the conditions of their lives neglecting government work for the good of the public.
13. The stereotype formulas of Jammeh’s regime have affected and imprisoned the political activities and relations of the Gambian population.
14. Jammeh’s regime is assassinating without regret the future of the Gambia.
15. Jammeh himself is a crime against humanity.
16. Jammeh’s regime has embarked on a criminal process of deeply demoralizing the population where Gambians are sadly witnessing the disappearance of our common values, the lack of sense for love of work and taste for effort and a minimum of honesty necessary for social life.
17. Jammeh’s regime has institutionalized individualism that has given birth to a crisis of values, the biggest obstacle for introducing meaningful changes indispensable for building our nation state.
18. Today there is the lack of a process of mutual enticement of a real dialogue paving the way for only a monologue that serves the interests of President Jammeh.
19. With Jammeh, our dear country the Gambia has left the atmosphere of a state with the rule of law and respect for civil liberties.
20. The present day government of the Gambia has become a family house for close friends isolating the people where all sorts of thieves, criminals, murderers, liars, traitors etc are assembled.
21. It is clear that, with everything that science can offer today as technical means, it is nowadays, a lot easier for a nation of less than 4 millions of inhabitants like the Gambia, to be rich, prosperous and happy rather than to be poor, miserable and become a begging state.
22. Because of the nature of Jammeh’s criminal oppressive and exploitative regime Gambian intellectuals who have received all their education, thanks to the taxes provided by the Gambian citizens, are today obliged to go and work abroad to earn a decent living, leaving the same citizens in misery, poverty and beggary and this is not betraying their fellow citizens but caused by this rotten Jammeh system.
23. Today the Gambia sinks deeper and deeper into darkness and uncertainty and the International community pretends not to see what is happening in that lost earthly paradise wrongly misguided and misruled by a mad man.
Wait for the triumph of a people’s revolution and you will see all hypocrites from every corner shouting to the top of their voices to condemn the liberation of our people, in the name of anti-democratic, ant-constitutional. Today no one says anything about the crimes Jammeh is committing with impunity. The people who voted for Jammeh voted him to power in accordance to our constitution for their freedom, justice and the development of our country, but Jammeh in violating the same constitution is treating the people who voted him to power as animals. Why can’t the International community, the UN, the AU, ECOWAS condemn this crime of high treason by Jammeh. This is a pure constitutional coup d’état.
24. Gambians living standards remain very pitiful, the basic human needs and genuine grievances of the people are never taken into consideration, lack of jobs, better education, better health care and system, good roads, a human rated income and great opportunities for direct participation in nation building must be met.
25. THE GENESIS OF HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES IN THE GAMBIA (All unwarranted crimes committed in the Gambia is in tune with the phobic fears of crack pot Jammeh)The brutality of man to man we are witnessing in the Gambia and a permanent sponsored government reign of terror with impunity, looting public property and subjugation of the Gambian people by means of state-terrorism, systematic use of brute force, torture, illegal arrests without a judicial arrest warrant, detentions for weeks seen months or years without trials to keep all of his opponents.. real and imagined into check and would finally instruct their killings after humiliation and false propaganda against them is anti-constitutional, the criminal gruesome killings of the 49 innocent Ghanaian citizens our African brothers along the beaches of Brufut, his involvement, financing and planning in the unjust misled separatist Casamance war ,disappearances of citizens who dare raise a finger to voice against injustice meted out to the masses, widespread of unjust dismissals from public and civil services for want of support to the regime, homicide, murders, kidnappings, the worst excesses and distastes have, it seems, been reserved for journalists, extra-judicial killings, collective punishment of innocent civilians to cow toe them to permanent fear and subjugation, taking of hostages, acts of state terrorism ,embezzlement of public funds running into millions of foreign currency units, theft, unjustifiable lavish spending on useless unproductive traditional festivities and ceremonies that doesn’t benefit the Gambian nation, fraud, force labour in his Kanilai farm, cheating and illegal dealings in the name of state and presidential powers, administrative injustice and routinely abuses the fundamental rights of Gambian citizenry which the Gambian constitution deem objectionable must be combated. It will be too numerous to list the crimes of President Yaya Jammeh and his junta neo-colonial regime since he came to power.
26. DICTATOR JAMMEH MUST BE TRIED. We are calling for the defense of the civilized Gambians against Jammeh’s state-terrorism.Jammeh’s regime has embarked on an orgy of senseless destruction, cruelty and manslaughter, motivated by Vanity, ignorance, prejudice and greed. We want to free the Gambia of a criminal inhuman dictatorship, chronic stripe and the vicious cycle of poverty, diseases, stagnation and decay. Economically doubts surround dictator Jammeh’s junta government ability to deliver structural and fiscal adjustments needed to combat poverty and embark on a meaningful economic development.
27. THE SYNDROM OF ABSOLUTE POWER DRUNKENESS It is no secret to anyone and far beyond reasonable doubts that president Jammeh’s oppressive and dictatorial record is well known in its repeated violations of the tenets of the Gambian Constitution, International law and conventions.Jammeh’s rule is cruel beyond imagining and far beyond what might have been required to keep the restive Gambian population down. Hiding behind his Islamic fanaticism and false hypocrite multi-party democracy, President Jammeh is evidently a sadist as is his notorious National Intelligent Agency (NIA) the trigger-happy murderers.
28. When you meet President Yaya Jammeh and speaking to him its so very clear that one notices he comes from a different time, reality and a different place, and one can feel the criminal motives behind the founding of state terrorism in the country to safeguard his regime.
29. Jammeh’s coming to power represents wrongly the evil nature of his regime with fast vanishing respect for human rights, democracy and the rule of law. The Gambia is not comfortable with President Jammeh.On the whole, he is viewed by all Gambians as not concerned with their freedom,justice,poverty alleviation and as someone who is trying very hard through terror to cultivate the culture of self-grandeur, and institutionalized state terrorism.
30. Jammeh’s overriding characteristics is that he is inconsistent and is lost within himself. He is full of the proud of purse or power.
31. Frankly speaking, president Jammeh cannot navigate a new promising future for the Gambia, as he cannot take into account the various demands of his fellow Gambian citizens. It is his fake ego-self that gives rise to the sense of discord and separation with the Gambian people and even neighbors.
32. Very sad and unfortunate for the Gambia and beloved Gambians Jammeh has put the eggs for Gambia’s survival in the adventurer’s baskets.
33. Arrogant Jammeh does not know that for anyone in government earning the good will of all the people is the key to success. Every political leader must address the concerns of his core citizens. A president accumulates precious political capital for reinvestment every time he is seen as doing the right thing, then can spend some of his earnings on something that is less popular.
34. Jammeh prefers the work of his evil imagination (guest, trial, speculation, wishful thinking, witchcraft and dreaming to fashion his evil world and his tyrannical way of life only to respond to his egoist needs.
35. Jammeh aims to wickedly impose his ultra-reactionary neo-colonial junta behavior which the foundation is the tactics of divide and rule instilling permanent fear within the hearts and minds of the popular masses.
36. Jammeh’s neo-colonial junta regime has weakened the fabric of Gambian social life. It is not the free choice of the Gambian people but the making of the junta regime through state terrorism. This evil choice emanates from an evil behavior and an egoist desire. This evil desire is aimed at wickedly dominating Gambians to brutally exploit and oppress them against their will.
37. There can never be better healthy human relations in the Gambia without social progress, without intellectual honesty, probity and accountability of the leaders.
38. No one can faithfully serve his nation if one is very preoccupied on ones own enrichment and accumulation of power to oppress the people like dictator Jammeh.
39. The criminal and undemocratic method Jammeh is using to cling to power is no secret to anyone but the usual and same practice used by all unpatriotic and unjust criminal African neocolonial leaders walking over the corpses of their fellow comrades and fellow citizens who dare raise a finger to demand that which is theirs, freedom, justice, democracy and the rule of law. Jammeh’s junta regime has presented a steady diet of lies and criminality to Gambians.
40. Very sad for all Gambians as their president is permanently locked up into a rather high number of no-win difficult situations.
No one can finish enumerating Jammeh’s crimes and inefficiencies
TGJ:
Tell us about your capture in Bissau. What happened, who was behind it and how did you escape it all?
Mr. Sanyang:
Our capture in Guinea-Bissau was a Jammeh planned kidnapping and a case where I can say that it was a deal in human selling and buying. The aim was to find ways and means of how to get rid of me as a potential active opponent as I am not ready to compromise with my own principles and let President Jammeh continue with his unwarranted crimes with impunity.
Since our failed meeting in Kanilai where we did not reach an agreement or to put it rightly where President Jammeh did not succeed getting me subdue to his dicta and dance to his criminal tune he saw me as a potential danger to the survival of his regime.
To him the only way out and the solution to his problems on how to brutally rule the Gambia with insanity was to simply liquidate me.
At the end of our failed meeting in Kanilai President Jammeh with anger bluntly told me face to face that if I betray him and goes against his will he will drink from my skull.
In collaboration with a close friend of mine by the name of Adama Souvane of Pakau Dianaba in Casamance living in H.L.M.Nimzat Dakar, Commandant Malick Cisse of the service des renseignment secret du Senegal, the late President Joao Bernado Nino Vieira,the late Defense Minister of Guine-Bissau Helden Proenca Tavarez Mendez and General Jose Americo Bubu Nachuta Guine-Bissau’s Marines chief of staff a fugitive now living in The Gambia under President Jammeh’s protection agreed with President Jammeh to organize and kidnappe me and my comrades once we are in Bissau in return for cash ,4X4 Pickups and rice.
To further clarify the situation I wish to state that we were not in Guine-Bissau as said by Jammeh that we went there for arms deal.
All documentation and evidence are available with me proving that my trip to Guine-Bissau was to concretize a deal for financial investment I arranged for Nino’s government to revive the Guinean economy.
Since President Nino Vieira the defense minister and the marines chief of staff was not interested in developing Guine-Bissau but for personal gains they decided to sell me out to President Jammeh.
We were brutally arrested and taken to a Portuguese old military camp 60 miles from Bissau called Cumere military base. Here many attempts were made to kill me by poisoning me and in two occasions Jammeh’s counter-intelligence agent Yankuba Badji who infiltrated our ranks and was among us during our detention tried to assassinate me but failed. He was later helped to escape by the military officers who were assigned to guard us and now he is living somewhere in Europe. To cover himself and the role he played as a counter-intelligence agent in our kidnapping Yankuba Badji release a message in the Internet accusing me that I sold him and the two other Gambian brothers to Jammeh.
In two occasions a plan was chartered by Jammeh and send to Bissau airport to secretly smuggle us into Banjul but failed because one I resisted and strongly challenged their criminal action and two because the Army General Chief of staff the late General Batista Tagme Nawaye was opposed to our illegal extradition.
It was a well planned operation to get us to Banjul because the Guinean authorities succeeded to mislead the ECOWAS representative in Bissau to accompany us with the pretext that it was an agreement reached between us and Jammeh’s regime to return home free.
From these repeated attempts to illegally extradite us to Banjul the late General Tagme Nawaye informed the UN which send Brazilian and Mozambican colonels to meet us and reassured us that now we are in safe hands.
Frankly speaking all corrupt officials and security agents in Nino’s government were all busy working around the clock to get us extradited to Banjul in order to receive a reward.
TGJ:
The Gambian Status quo be reversed by:
(A) A Coalition (NADD)
(B) The bullet
(C) Multiparty Democracy
Take a pick and tell us why
To be continued
Source: www.thegambiajournal.com
Editors note: We received the expressed permission of Mbye Sarr, one of the Editors of The Gambia Journal to reproduce the said piece. Our sincere thanks to Sarr, and his colleagues at the Journal.
