Boycotting Jammeh’s Regime

By MATHEW K. JALLOW, Associate Editor

The Mugabe Lesson

Before the last general and presidential elections in 2006, there were several pieces written encouraging, as a matter of fact, pleading with the opposition UDP/NRP coalition to boycott the elections. Unfortunately, this fell on deaf ears, and the coalition went ahead and contested the elections, even though they knew there was no way they could pull out a victory. And early this year too, I again wrote calling for another boycott; this time, of the Municipal or Area Council elections, but again the party bigwigs did not pay any attention to my suggestion. During the election process, the opposition’s rights were subjected to gross violations, and supporters were intimidated and the parties were denied access to our country’s government-controlled media. Additionally, the opposition was collectively paralyzed by fear from informing the electorate about the murders, tortures and incarcerations that are being committed by the regime as a way to establish control over our people. And, with all of the government’s resources at the disposal of the APRC party for electioneering purposes, the opposition was totally disadvantaged as far as getting their message to the people was concerned. This by itself rendered the elections neither free nor fair.

The allocation of unlimited government resources to the APRC party created an imbalance between the regime and the opposition, and made a complete mockery of the electoral process. These circumstances have reoccurred repeatedly over all the past election cycles, thus making election boycott the proper thing to do. It is unimaginable that politicians at home will reject sensible proposals, because they do not want us in “America and Europe” to tell them what to do. As far as we are concerned, no one is trying to impose their ideas on the opposition, but we too are citizens with our own ideas of what direction to take the country and how to get there. We will an integral part of finding a solution to our country’s problems; not just some crazy and ill-informed followers of a “leader,” whatever this word means. Many of us are accomplished politicians who only happen to be living overseas, but who are determined to return home in order to participate in steering our country towards a brighter future. The fact that we are not in the country says nothing about our levels of interest and willingness to do anything to salvage our country from the grips of peril.

As we know, the elections in Zimbabwe have been condemned and declared a sham by the international community. This may not have happened had the opposition contested the elections. On the contrary, it would have legitimized the elections and given Mugabe another mandate to steer his country towards further failure. Now, the international condemnations are being followed by even more stringent sanctions, as Zimbabweans fed up with one-man rule, are determine to confront and oust Mugabe. This is what is needed in The Gambia to ensure the struggle to get rid of Yahya Jammeh, will get more traction and perhaps even trigger the isolation of the regime by the international community. We should determine never to do anything that can be construed as legitimizing this callous, murderous and illegal regime, instead, the opposition must be willing to stand up to challenge the regime’s legitimacy. We must follow Zimbabwe’s opposition footsteps by boycotting any and all political activities in which the APRC regime has legitimate interests. This is one of the ways to bring this regime down from its celestial pedestal. Yahya Jammeh must be made to understand that real power rests not with him, but with the people he continually insults, humiliates, and harasses, jails, tortures and murders on a regular basis. To do this, we must overcome the fear that Jammeh has successfully planted in our hearts. We can do this once we understand that the real power rests in our hands.

The Jola Factor

The whirlwind week began with chief of the cops Benedict Jammeh’s removal as Inspector General of Police. Soon a replacement in the person of Ensa Badjie was named to take over the restless Police Department. But, this, it appeared, was just the beginning. From the inner sanctums of State House’s NIA, the Director General there, something Jarju was plucked to head military intelligence. Prior to that, Benedict Jammeh former IGP had already been appointed a Magistrate at Justice. However, within the same week, he was elevated to Director General of the notorious NIA. This is the musical chair that Jammeh is playing and the only participants in the game are the Jolas. While it does not mean that I, in any way, shape or form recognize this regime, it is nevertheless incumbent on me to ask whether there are no Wollofs, Mandinkas, Fulas, Sereres, Serahules, Manjagos and Akus that can be trusted to head any of the Security branches? If Jammeh felt confident he was governing the right way, he will not need a military intelligence outfit. As it is, he does not trust our men in arms who are not from the Jola tribe, and as rightly postulated in several fora, he is trying to create wedges within the military to make it more difficult for junior and senior officers to plan and plot his removal. If there is anyone who is disrespecting the junior officers, that person is Yahya Jammeh himself not the senior officers. Imagine that even as Jammeh gives away hundreds of thousands of Dalasis of our country’s money to griots and others who do not deserve it, our own military boys are struggling each day to even afford a loaf of bread. Moreover, it is quite evident that Jammeh promotes on the basis of tribe. A cursory look at the Civil Service shows why the Jolas are heading all the branches of the security and they are well placed throughout the military and security services. It is also a known fact, that almost every Jola in the security services is also an agent empowered to report anyone and everyone to the authorities. These agents who roam the streets and alleys of cities, towns and villages throughout the country, are from the NIA, military, police, state guards and civilian population, many also Casamance nationals, and their only job is to instill fear in the hearts of the people to ensure that Jammeh stays in power at all costs.

The Fear factor

In a speech at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government Forum 2007, a former political prisoner captured the essence of how autocratic governments use fear to subdue a population. The use of violence, intimidation of the use of violence and the ever-present prospects of persecution, humiliation and harassment have all been used to plant fear among populations with regimes of dictatorship. When this becomes prevalent and an instrument of governance, fear will permeate all levels of society. This is how everyone in our country is now filled with fear of the regime. The fear of persecution, of imprisonment and death for voicing out dissent, fear of losing jobs or means of livelihood and fear of bringing trouble to loved ones all become habits, which then become second nature. “Fear is internalized to the degree that people sometimes do not even feel fear but always know how to behave and not cross the lines.” Because of this, there develops an outwardly appearance of support for dictatorship regimes, but the reality is that the people are trapped in what psychologists call “a collective action dilemma.” Collective action dilemma occurs when everybody “fearing that the cost of resistance is more damaging to his or her situation than capitulation, wants others, and not themselves, to take action to bring an end to the unpopular regime.” In other words, everyone wants to see the regime fall, but no one will take a stand against it, because everybody is waiting for someone else to do it. Pervasive fear with selective repression and selective indulgence induces cooperation, and then voluntary cooperation and finally, willingness to accomplice. But deep-rooted fear is an underlying spell that hinders collective action to oust dictatorships and to overcome this dilemma we must overcome fear. To do this, we must forge cooperation between our embattled security forces and civil society organizations especially, the press and the bureaucracy. The more that a regime’s activities can be exposed, the more hated it will become, and by extension, the more vulnerable it will become. Jammeh’s regime has hurt everyone directly or indirectly, and the anger in the hearts of most Gambians towards the regime is such that there is an overwhelming collective desire to overthrow it. For now, the best way to achieve this is for members of the Fula, Mandinka, Wollof, Serere, Serahule, Manjago and Aku tribes to come together and mount a military takeout as soon as possible. For now, forget who will lead a government, because we the civilians are ready to step and take over the government at a moment’s notice. All we ask is members of these tribes and Jola dissidents to come together and overthrow Yahya Jammeh and free our beloved Gambia from such a horrible and disgraceful regime.

            Jammeh on Mugabe

By supporting the criminal of Robert Mugabe, Yahya Jammeh is, as usual, on the opposite side of the world community of nations. Mr. Mugabe, who has brought untold misery and suffering to his country, is under fire from the normally docile donkeys that lead Africa. But, the main problem with Jammeh is that when he is at these regional and international meetings, he is usually very quiet, nervous and feeling insignificant among the other African leaders, but once he leaves, he turns himself into the tiger that he is not. By supporting the actions of Robert Mugabe, Yahya Jammeh is also trying to justify his policies and actions, which are similar to Mr. Mugabe’s. Of course no one in their right mind agrees with him, but he will say anything in order to make enemies. Yahya Jammeh thrives on making enemies for himself so that he will always have somebody to scold and humiliate. At every opportunity he has, he becomes disrespectful to the U.S and Britain, but he is speaking for himself, and not what Gambians feel about these countries. We have long friendships and shared values with people from these countries and we must maintain. Whatever Jammeh says does not matter to us. 

I must respond to a commentary in Allgambia.net by Lamin Jatta attacking Pa Nderry and myself on the issue of tribalism. I respect Mr. Jatta’s opinion, but ironically the places where he appears to be lecturing us about the dangers of tribalism should have been directed to the donkey at State House so he can be educated to have some sense in his empty skull. But, most of all, I found it out of place for Mr. Jatta to direct his vent towards us while giving the real tribalist, Yahya Jammeh himself a free pass. Pa and I have done nothing wrong. We are only reacting to Yahya Jammeh’s stupid and ill-conceived policies of tribalism, which judging from this exchange we are having here, is only creating bad blood between the tribes. But, if you expect us to shut up when Yahya Jammeh is creating a Rwanda type situation in our country, you might as well forget it. It is never going to happen, ever. I have a duty to point out the wrong policies pursued by this illegitimate regime, and I don’t care if I am old and senile or young and vibrant. It is my moral duty to the Gambian people to do all I can to ensure that they have a government that serves them well and fairly, and I will never stop doing that. Besides, it is hypocritical for Lamin Jatta to even write complaining about us when all we are doing is exposing Yahya Jammeh’s hypocrisy. I guess readers might want to know when and what did Mr. Jatta ever write about all the murders and tortures of innocent Gambians over the past fourteen years? How about the frequent disappearances and arrests and detentions without cause?  Has he ever complained about them? Is it not information worthy that in a thirteen member Cabinet, six Secretaries of State are Jola from the Western Division, and there is no Fula, only one Mandinka, and only one provincial born? Did these things happen by accident? Hell no! If Jammeh had enough educated Jolas to run every position in the government, he would have hired them, unfortunately because of their very small number in the country, he cannot find them. In order to make up for the small population of Jolas, he is recruiting Jolas from the Casamance in the military, security forces and even government. Where is Abdou Colly from? Certainly Colley attended Gambian schools thanks to our hospitality but truth be told, he is not Gambia, yet he got a Cabinet position as opposed to a Gambian Fula, Mandinka, Serere etc. So I ask, what is wrong with Mr. Jatta that he is closing his eyes to all the evil Jammeh is doing to ruin our country? And I wish all the younger men like him and Pa Nderry are not affected by tribalism as he indicated in his article, so why are Jola young men their age given license to terrorize, arrest, and murder innocent Gambians? All the people who commit murders for Jammeh are not my age; they are Mr. Jatta’s age. So how I feel about what Jammeh is doing has nothing, whatsoever, to do with my age, and because I have a voice I will write and speak directly to the people. I may be old and senile, but I am not dead yet. So expect more of me in the weeks, months and years to come. It is delusional for Mr. Jatta to think that by writing, he can somehow succeed in dissuading anyone from writing about Jammeh’s established tribalism. It will be easier for Mr. Jatta to fly than to make me stop writing what I want, when I want, and how I want. The person to stop my writing is not born yet, and I doubt he/she ever will. Get that Mr. Jatta? Hope you do.