16th July 22nd Anniversary! Reconciliation or Reconfirmation of Evil?

THE GAMBIA IS BETWEEN DEATH OR BREATH!

 Bi Weekly Radio Program on Freedom Radio (for print and audio)

By Ambassador Essa Bokarr Sey

Eight (8)citizens of The Gambia have been sentenced to death by a regime that came to power through the use of force sixteen years ago! One of them was brought back to the same court room to face fresh and  harsher charges again! More sad days in our little country. Here is a place where cosmic power has constantly been coinciding with logical feelings. The whole thing looks like  a natural confirmation of evil. Sometimes this can add logic into any open mind or help those who do not use the logic in thought go astray. On the other hand it can as well be another confirmation of brutality versus morality. Is it always wise for any person who is sane, not to cede a little bit of pity for his or her own good while preparing for the future? Well failing to prepare for one’s future especially where power is involved is definitely not part of wisdom. It is of course logical for one to cede something and reserve it, to at least win the hearts and minds of people just in case. Remember! life’s windmill can at any given time turn to face another direction. No one can predict the future with exactitude therefore the very reason why the old wolof proverb has a lot of sense in it. Kocc Barma the wolof philosopher said: “Tomorrow is not a visitor but it is always good to reserve a dish for it” The future is a concept and it is also a realistic spot in time which affects human beings more than anything else on earth. Inanimate things roll on wear and tear whereas animate things either expire naturally or extinct at the farthest. In Fula it is said this way: "Modhjereh hattaa maideh kono inna jibinna yurmendeh" Meaning goodness does not stop death or extinction from striking when it is time but it can generate kindness before the end of one's existence comes. Well here the Fulani proverb coincides with the Englsh one which is :

"One good turn deserves another". Yahya Jammeh the President of The Gambia today  I will speak with you in Jola your own dialect! Here we go! "Ujantenom!!!"  this means "Listen to me!" In the Jola dialect. Here is another crack from your own dialect Yahya. It is said this way:

"ULUKUMOWAH PANUBACH WAHA JAKKEH"! This Yahya you know what it means in your own dialect. I am sure you do! For those who cannot speak Jola it means:"If you sow good you will reap good" Well what happens if you do not do sow good then? Ask yourself.

Now let us revisit logic and reasons that led to today. We have already seen 8 citizens of our land being sentenced to death simply because reason has not been stretched beyond all doubts. It is of course a confirmation of more dark days inside our small and beautiful country The Gambia! More darkness has been added to The Gambia’s historical slate of events. It is dark because the vindictive are rejoicing over the heads of the helpless. Whereas some day in the past the helpless where in charge of maintaining the very base that is holding the center for those who are so vindictive at this hour. Being vindictive towards those who held the base for the incumbent regime means cracks are definitely on the wall. It will be denied by the hearts and minds of the vindictive but it will never be denied by logic. There is where matters of fact have been sidelined by fabrications only to help hard hearts reach a conclusion. This conclusion means squeezing blood and fuss out of the veins of people who were one time ready to die for those very hard hearts. What lesson has life taught the helpless? That is, loyalty’s vehicle has been crashed by paranoia and infighting.

Is there anything like hope in this messy situation? Unless if  death is allowed to defy the old adage that is….“where there is life there is hope”, one can easily say there is still hope for sudden twists. We can still use x to the power three then  see what the equation gives us. Remember we are part of it but we aren’t the formula itself. Where one uses the premises of negativity and positivity our minds can be ushered towards the unknown with a bright light. This light can either shine on cool pools or wool on new wounds.

The negative may as well shine on hot spots in the future. In that case the incumbent regime will simply want to add more dead souls to their list of past or present atrocities. Meaning they will not care therefore will test death with breath or test breath with death. Thee and then it becomes survival of the most wicked!  Along the way those test results will be the haunting ghosts gnashing their teeth against the same regime. That is why negative always breeds negative.

Whereas positive always breeds possibilities. Positive is definitely not the same as compromising the rule of law, however law is to protect, it should never be used to project destruction. In this same vein here are possible ways to circumvent evil with positive twists.

Listen to me once again Jammeh’s “Gambia”!

Use humility and reflections thus draw good lessons from  the past therefore reflect on the present. Afterwards, analyze the present then prepare for the future. Definitely the future is about to knock on your main gates!

 July 22nd reconciliation or reconfirmation of evil?

Yahya Jammeh….Why didn’t you use the occasion and release the latest convicts together  with those who were caged in 2006? You could have done so by using a presidential pardon and then score marks out of this messy situation! Instead you rose up again saying words like ”there is no mercy for subversive elements!” You came to power thanks to subversive tactics Yahya! Have you forgotten that! You could have easily scored marks Yahya depending on one thing. That is, if you had used logic and commonsense. Simply put! diplomacy was disappointed once again near you. Yahya! If you had released these people and then merged your action with common sense, you would have helped our national image receive respect and understanding from the world community of nations! But NO!  Your delegation was bragging from Geneva in respect of what Marie Saine Firdau’s team was trying to sell on the daily observer but deep inside The Gambia people are still groaning in pain within the four walls of dark cells. How could you miss the meaning of captioning things with a positive gesture within an international perspective? Diplomacy has been tirelessly trying to send you a fresh drink from Its finest traditions but to no avail! Yahya Jammeh! Playing the zero sum game to the last dot may end up giving you nil with freezing results. Is that what you want? This is no appeal or appeasement. This piece is based on references and judgments. The best way to teach people lessons  is by living them to witness things as an ongoing process. Releasing any of the political prisoners will send a signal of strength that is coming from your mind but not from your actions. Even whereas people say “actions speak louder than words” on the other hand you should also remember that “minds can speak louder hearts”. The very reason why in Mandinka there is a proverb which says: “…It is always better for one to be listening to others by using his or her mind-‘Hakiloh’ than using one’s heart-‘jusoh’ (emotion) (hard feelings)” Hearts in most cases feel but they do not always reason. That is the very reason why people say “love or hate are blind”. What is the thin line that exists between the two? Reason is the hidden factor here. Is reason always impartial? I do not think so! Reason is subjective! The very reason why laws prefer going beyond all reasonable doubts? The reasonable doubt that logic has given my mind today is that the loyalty of many people who stood to die for the nation around you has been crashed without being tested again and again. You could have released all political prisoners even if it means putting them under surveillance then compare what has been said about them before and after their  current actions. Yahya “hearsay” talk has destroyed a lot between you and the populace from 1994 to now. One thing I have in store for you is this question? Is there a perfect person anywhere in the world especially in this effervescence called politics? If perfection was everything about it, theologies would not have taught us the meaning of repentance.  

 Yahya I will remind you one thing today! During the time of the former regime you were one time considered a security threat by the defunct NSS. Your name was tagged and then you were put under surveillance for being part of the people who wanted to stage a coup.

Therefore reflect on that past and then use this same vein I have revived herein to refresh your mind before adding worse on your heap of miscalculate moves. Judge yourself before any other person institutions judges you. When judging yourself try and be a impartial in certain cases. It is hard for one to be impartial where he or she is subjective but it is not hard where he or she is objective. Remember Justice Amadi and Chenge were not there for you at the time. Also remember that the same judges will be more than happy to use the same gavel then pass a sentence on your if things were to turn against you this day! Do you want to tell me that you will never leave power? If you do I will rest my case then wait for time and tide to face you.

Mr President deep thought is always better than shallow thought.

Mr President second thought can always help rectify the errors that are found in first thought.

The choice is yours!

History's parade of events is constantly marching on brother.

You cannot stop the time.