Commentary

The things that bother the imagination.

By Mathew K. Jallow, Associate Editor

Two weeks ago, Jammeh invited some people from Guinea-Bissau to The Gambia in an effort to help resolve their political problems. This effort was a ridiculing of the political stalemate in our country in which the opposition is both invisible and constricted in what they can do, where they can go, and more importantly what they can say. The opposition parties and the National Assembly have never questioned the regime about the murders and executions that we know they have carried out, nor have we heard them lift a voice to challenge Jammeh and his thugs about the frequent torture, arrests and detentions and the never ending cycle of hiring and firings that pervades the Civil Service. Clearly, Yahya Jammeh should put his house in order before venturing out to help others

The other day, I was flabbergasted to read about Jammeh’s meaningless awards from a questionable body whose award recipients include the worst of the worst in human society. Other recipients of this same award include Equatorial Guinea’s butcher President Obiang, Guinea’s Lansana Conte, and Hugo Chavez to name just a few. Jammeh can now join a long list of dubious political characters that share a common platform as cruel and vicious murderers. But, in addition, The International Parliament for Safety and Peace also awards college certificates that include doctoral degrees to people who have never set a foot in a university lecture room. Our readers are encouraged to Google this fake institution to see for yourself with your own eyes what is written about this body. They are based in Palermo, Sicily’s capital in Italy, the birthplace of the dreaded mafia. Victor Busa, who is the current president of this body, has a Ph.D behind his name, but in fact, he has no such degree. The officers of this fake organization include, Equatorial Guinea’s mass murderer President Obiang as their 1^st. International President, Hugo Chavez as the 2^nd. International Vice-President and Yahya Jammeh whose name was added this week is the 3^rd. International Vice-President. President for Life Omar Bongo of Gabon is the Grand Chancellor, while Lansana Conte of Guinea is the Secretary General. Jammeh has been added to their list on the Wikipedia website which means that anyone can log on and completely edit and rewrite their Jammeh narrative. Anyone is free to delete everything written about Jammeh and write whatever else that pleases him or her. Go for it, people. This is a free Wikipedia page to bastard Yahya Jammeh until the cows come home? Who can refuse that temptation? If what is written about Jammeh hurts his criminal supporters badly, they may want to delete Jammeh’s webpage from Wikipedia site completely. And wouldn’t that be great?

Professor Yahya Jammeh? Bet that took everyone by surprise, but to issue a government directive to be called professor from now on, ought to have been humorous if it was not such a serious matter. There are two things at play here: either Jammeh is out of his mind, or he has gotten so much bolder and seemingly invincible, that he perceives all of us as idiots. In either case, he has clearly stepped beyond the boundaries of acceptable behavior into the realm of absurdity. Professor Jammeh? What insanity?

It appears like everyone in the country is now working for Yahya Jammeh, the only difference is that they are all pressed into free slave labor or else they will loose their jobs and their businesses or be ostracized by their friends and neighbors. Because fear reigns in The Gambia, uttering Yahya Jammeh’s name in public is taboo unless one has godly praises to shower his name with. Doctors, civil servants, soldiers, school children, students, senior government bureaucrats, and everyone in between are laboring on one of Yahya Jammeh’s hundred and more farms. What a national tragedy of epic proportions? What a disgrace? What a macabre situation Gambians find themselves in?

The Jammeh Foundation for Peace, a purely political organ belonging exclusively to the Yahya Jammeh family, has with all intents and purposes replaced the Ministries of Health, Education, Social Services and other state institutions. On the health side, the foundation now donates ambulances, drugs, hospital equipment and a whole range of other things the Ministry ought to be purchasing from their budget. I am not even sure anymore, whether the Ministry is allowed to purchase anything, or whether they even have any materials and equipment budget. But, in addition, The Jammeh Foundation has also been sending students away for overseas studies, effectively replacing the Education Department. On a whole range of issues, The Jammeh Foundation is doing what our government institutions are created to do. But, the Public Service Commission is perhaps the biggest causality of all, as Jammeh continues to hire and fire at a rapid fire pace, and no one has the guts to challenge these illegal hiring and firings. What is going on?

First Jammeh’s daughter Mariam donated to S.O.S, which was so laughable, but designed only to promote and stroke the ego of the criminal family occupying our State House. Then as if that insult was not enough, Nyima Sata Sanneh-Bojang, the griot-in-chief and her sister Fatou Jahumpa-Ceesay, the griot-in-residence, donated a quarter million dalasis to their so-called “brother” Mohamed Yahya Jammeh. This was just over the top upsetting. What hypocrisy? To begin with, Nyima Sanneh-Bojang could easily be Jammeh’s mother; secondly, Fatou Jahumpa-Ceesay is old enough to be Jammeh’s older sister. But far more important than that, there are hungry children all over the Kombo Brikama and Lamin areas whose families are in real need of help. It is these hungry children who deserve that quarter million dalasis that these selfish morons gave to that little Mohamed boy, these idiots call your “brother” with a straight face. In addition, please visit the Bakoteh dumpsite and witness children foraging for tourist leftover food and that may convince them that they are divorced from reality. Their generosity was ill placed, but beyond that, it was not done out of the goodness of their hearts, rather it was a purely political move designed to buy the two as much time as possible with their god and master, Professor, Dr. Alhagie Yahya A.J.J. Jammeh, Senator-for-Life. In other matters, why am just now thinking of Idi Amin and Emperor Bokassa? Uhh. I know. The two mentally imbalanced dictators also had a history of fascination with meaningless titles as Jammeh is right now. But moving on again, it seems Nyima and FJC coerced a long list of women from across the country, including civil servants, military wives and many others who own struggling businesses or who earn pitiful incomes into donating their hard earned money to that little Jammeh toad. What a pathetic situation our country finds itself in? And we have not even seen the worst yet. Believe me.