By Associate Editor Mathew K Jallow

Whenever I hear the name of Kanilai village, my memory will race back through the years to a time, not too long ago, when Banjul was still innocent. At one of the most famous addresses in Banjul, on Hagan Street where I was boy growing up, the name Kanilai was heard as often as Sare Gainako, Mansajang, Fulabantang and Njongon; towns and villages where the bulk of the "mission boys" came from. The Catholic Mission on Hagan Street brought all of us together, and created life-long bonds of friendship that endure to this day. Back then, all of us at the mission house were awed by this boy from Kanilai.

It was not the very good grades he got at St. Augustines High where we all attended school that wawed us; it was his humility and devotion to church and prayer. Henry Jammeh was what we then called a holy boy, and we all swore that he had already made a place for himself in Heaven on God's right hand. Henry's total emersion into religion was matched by his total inability to hurt or do harm to anything or anybody. Until recently, Kanilai village only evoked sweet memories of that time and that boy now a man, Henry Jammeh; a person of character and compassion. Today, Kanilai has changed, invaded by an evil force that the village neither wants nor deserves. How I wish that Kanilai would remain known for its holy son, rather than the devil reincarnate himself who calls Kanilai home; Yahya Jammeh. As the elders and wise men of Kanilai ponder and wonder what evil befell their village, they are not alone in their rejection of the repulsive behaviour of their cursed and notorious son, Yahya Jammeh. Rather than learn from the lessons of history, Jammeh is repeating the mistakes of the past, on a long road, well travelled. And if history is a judge, the signs do not look good for Jammeh. There is a saying which goes like this; "what goes around, comes around," and I would be surprised if Jammeh's days do not end violently. An old Chinese proverb says that, "those who live by the sword will die by the sword." Who better qualifies for such a tragic end than Kanilai's own unwanted son; Yahya Jammeh.

I wish to join my colleague Pa Nderry Mbye in extending our gratitude to the United States government for disqualifying The Gambia from the Millenium Challenge Account. As we fight to regain the heart and soul of our country, we are comforted by the knowlegde that our efforts are not in vain, but more importantly, that the U.S. authorities also recognize the "house of horrors" that The Gambia has become. The extra-judicial killings, unreasonable arrest and detention of citizens, the tortures, and the total lack of human and civil rights are turning the country into another Papa Doc Haiti on the coast of Guinea. The Millenium Account rejection will deprive Jammeh and his thugs of funds they in the past used to oppress and supress our people. Besides, a small cadre of Jammeh's inner circle which includes the favored friends of the moment, relatives, and some of his tribesmen, are wasting resources meant for The Gambian people. At this moment, at this time, The Gambia is the worst governed country on the entire African continent. The entire system of management is a circus. There is no accountability, whatsoever, and suitcases full of dollar bills are finding their way to Yahya Jammeh's bedroom from the Central Bank. He is leading by example, because his associates in the past and present have taken out huge loans from the Central bank which they never intended to pay back in the first place. Virtually, every revenue generating agency in The Gambia is owed substantial millions, and the Customs and Excise tops the list with Jammeh and his thugs clearing goods without paying millions of dollars in Custom duties. This is not a way to run an economy.  We also hope that The Gambia will be taken of the AGOA list as well, and the IMF and The World Bank should cease providing Jammeh cash with which he has oppressed our fellow citizens.

The termination of Bora Mboge like many others, typifies the bullying and intimidation Jammeh has come to exercise so excessively. I know Bora Mboge to be a non-political and non-partisan individual who deserves to stay in his job. He has every right to his work as a citizen, and any denial of job to him is illegal. We have seen this story repeat itself more times that we can care to remember, and Jammeh's coercive methods are harming our country. Jammeh has assumed powers that he does not have under the constitution, and with no one to stop him, he is stretching his luck as far as he can take it. No government has infinite powers, and every government has limits beyond which it cannot cross. Jammeh's regime is the exception, crossing boundries it is not supposed to cross, assuming powers that it does not have constitutionally, usurping authority from the Judiciary and Assembly illegally, walking all over our people in a dehumanizing and shameful manner, spending the nations treasure on himslef like a drunken sailor and in the process turning governance into a circus. Jammeh is the very worst thing to have happened to The Gambia. Bora Mboge deserves to work and make a living for himself, as does all the others fit and qualified Gambians who have lost their jobs to Jammeh's insanity. We have seen the consequences of this endless hiring and firing; today almost everyone who could be fired, has been fired. Nowadays, many people with low grade education and little or no talent or qualification like Jammeh himself are running the country. Those that have no shame or character are crawling on their knees after they had been fired and are recycled and given a second chance. Just recently we heard of Tamsir Jallow being rehired as Ambassador to UK. But, consider Dodou Bammy Jagne, as Ambassador to the U.S.A and Tamsir Jallow, as Ambassador to the U.K; this is a national embrassment because neither of them is fit to hold the positions they are in.

Finally, the shame of hosting the A.U. at a time when everything is heading downhill both in terms of the economy and human rights, is something we cannot forgive ourselves. I shuddered when I read about the 400 motor-bicyles from Jammeh's biggest cash cow; Taiwan. By being Jammeh's piggy bank, Taiwan is helping prolong this brutal mans hold on power, and I am not sure it is in their best and long term strategic interest. My initial reaction to the Mobike story was how many villages could benefit from boreholes fitted with pipes for running water by the cost of these bikes. What a waste of resources, what a shame. This a government that has its priorities all wrong, and they don't seem to do anything right. I do not any longer consider what we have there as a government. Everything they do is unscripted theatre, and the bad thing is that it is bad theatre. We must stop talikng now and start acting to remove Jammeh. Students and young men at home start organizing into two or three man groups. Be very discreet in what you do and do not trust anyone with information unless you know them well. Identify anyone known to be in Jammeh Chiacas and email their names to us. Also, we want the names of any soldier or citizen that the government cannot account for; if you know a family that is missing their military or civilian family member since 1994, send their names to us. Those in the military and security services, it is time to free yourself from Jammeh's bondage. If you see bad things happening to other soldiers, let us know about it. Those in the offices too have a role to play whether you are a cleaner or the Permanent Secretary. Information is power, so share your information with The Gambian people. Gambia's hero, Bulfalleh is doing an excellent job for us all, and when this is all over with the end by whatever means necessary of Jammeh's rule, we will give our collective gratutude to Bulfalleh our national hero. The first stage of this resistance is to organize. Organize yourself into small cells of two or three; certainly not more than that. This is going to be civil disobedience, and we have to start somewhere. Jammeh circus government is a joke, and he has to go. We have waited too long. The time to act is now. Just do it.