Chongan Threatens To Lock Any Soldier, Who Wants To Join The Army Instead Of The Police-EX- Military Police Boss Reveals

As Chogan Stairs Tribal Debate

By Kejau Touray, Scotland

Chongan et al,
With your kind permission, please accept my wee observation in this volatile and deeply depressing topic of discussion. I think tribalism in The Gambia is an open secret and should not been written by Chongan of all people, as much as I respect his stance against Jammeh since 1994. Reading from Hamjata's long interesting persuasion as well as my own wee knowledge of Gambian politics, it seems we are still in pre -independence period of politics between UP and PPP. Wollof and others against the Mandinkas and the Fullas. Looking closer still, the eras and situations are different, as we do not have a UP anymore, unless you want to equate PDOIS to UP, the two are arguably different in constituent and constitution, and we have the benefit of experiencing the aftermath of the PPP's rule, which was rule by 'Mandinkas' even though the majority of executives were Banjulian Wollofs: Permanent secretaries, Managing Directors were and interesting still are, AFPRC government, mostly 'Banjul Wollofs' and so was the armed forces, which was seriously underrepresented of all Gambians, full of Banjul Wollof, as all senior officers were either Wollofs or from Banjul, who may all be engaged in tribalism and nepotisms, instead of encouraging all to achieve aristocracy, as it is supposed to be, regardless of ethnic or family connections.  Chongan cannot deny this, and the fact that he was one of the most senior officers then, he could have even inadvertently commissioned a fellow Banjulian or uncle over a more competent and qualified Mandinka, or should we asked on how many occasion and hence may be complicit in propagating nepotism and tribalism in our armed forces, even if advertently.
For in that armed forces, it was like Banjulian Wollofs against the rest.

This resulted in incompetency, complacency and a rising level of discontent, which resulted the army supporting the coup. Why else were the mutineers Yaya Jammeh, Edward Singhateh, Sana Sabally not arrested when they were disarmed at the airport on 21 July 1994!? I say serious dereliction of duty on the part of all present on this fateful evening, including Assistant IGP Ebrima Ismaila Chongan ,as he then was! If Gambians have forgiven their security blunders, they should never forget what led to Yaya Jammeh's arrival into the scene, in the first place.

The prudent thing the good old commander should have done was to encourage his fellow Banjulians that the Mandinkas are not the enemy, they were not the enemy and will never be, as evidenced in the first and the real republic and they should rally behind the biggest party UDP to uproot evil from Gambia. It is evidenced that Ousainou Darboe's wife is Wollof and Chongan's wife a Mandinka but whatever Chongan's motivation for writing such as a piece was it seems misplaced, at the very least, as he sought to highlight the scourge but seemed to offer no solutions.

 I thought join others in condemning the Freedom editorial as Chongan's stance against Jammeh dictatorship is admirably, as I admire his defiance even in custody. I used to approach him in Mile 2 prisons every time and asks his permission (as customary) to proceed, he always refused, retorting in Turkish, how I could call him commander and put him in jail! The truth was I did not and would never have. Chongan got back most people's respect, when he stood up to the mutineers at Denton Bridge, but as I always say, a commander without his command and troops, is just another soldier. Where were his troops, disarmed and mostly in police uniforms! For he was a police commander and they do not have troops. Should he have resigned his command as Major Maba Jobe the then commander of the army did, when the Nigerians came to command the foreign Gambia and part, over half, to be precise of the armed forces, the Gendarmerie was amalgamated into the police, whilst I was in Turkey in 1992/1993, Chongan allegedly threatened to lock any soldier, who wants to join the army instead of the police, the whole two commando badge and a lot of us wanting to be soldiers, for that is what we signed, a…. and not the police! That arm of the forces, provided the security of tenure of a disciplined force: The Gendarmerie was responsible for state security and the army for external aggression, thus divided heavy arms into two separate locations and command, a requisite for coup d'état free Gambia.

But of course Jawara and not Chongan was responsible for this I do not think it is fair to heap the failures of PPP policy on one commander!  This response, like Chongan's posting, will play in the hand of the biggest tribalist, Gambia has ever known, Yaya Jammeh! A man who it seems is determined to see Gambia to its knees before he thinks of good governance, equity, rule of law, etc. I do, however have a duty to the Gambia, men I command and to myself for speaking out the truth, when it matters, even if it seems to hamper our collective mission, or result in harm to my person, personal friendships, etc. for the truth lasts and shall always win!

  Kejau Touray,
  Glasgow,
  Scotland