Yahya Jammeh’s Excesses
By Mathew K Jallow
Delusional Magistrate Mbakeh
They could not be more different and poles apart, one shunned the limelight; a quite and reserved person whose face lights up and his smiles come easily; the other puts on an air of an intellectual, and despite his quite demeanor, courts the limelight and attracts attention to himself. Yet, Ebrima K. Sarr of Lamin Village, Kombo North, and Magistrate Abdoulie Mbakeh from Mbakeh Kunda in the Sami District, will forever be joined to the hip, not for something they did, rather, something they both said. Ebrima K. Sarr’s blasphemous poem, printed in The Daily Observer in 1993, a year before the toppling of Sir Dawda Jawara, eloquently likened President Jawara to The Prophet Mohamed and Jesus Christ. The poem’s refrain; God created Mohammed for the Muslims, Jesus Christ for the Christians, and Dawda Jawara for The Gambians. But, the most dumbfounding aspects of Mr. Sarr’s poem was drawing parallels and similarities that he claimed could be made between Jawara on one side, and Prophet Mohammed and Jesus Christ on the other.
The Scales of Justice: Equality before the Law
Fast forward to 2006, and Magistrate Abdoulie Mbakeh’s dumb remarks in a courtroom, that “no one is above the law except Yahya Jammeh,” rivals E.K. Sarr’s words in thoughtlessness, and incomprehensible stupidity. But, unlike Mr. Sarr’s poem, Yahya Jammeh can easily see Mr. Mbake’s statements as a crack in a system that is succumbing to his heavy-handed tactics. Mr. Mbakeh has by his statement, shown that he is unfit to be a magistrate, and that he does deserve to be fired for making such irresponsible and dangerous statements. He is undermining whatever credibility is left of our judicial system, because he probably has a nagging feeling that he does not deserve being a magistrate, but by stroking Jammeh’s ego, he can undeservedly continue to occupy the position he is holding. For any sitting magistrate to make such a remarkable statement not only weakens our judiciary and renders our Constitution not worth the paper it is written on. It leaves our society even more vulnerable to the continuing over-reach of Yahya Jammeh and his gangs of official (NIA) and unofficial (CHIAKAS) thugs. Magistrate Mbakeh supposedly knows that the law also exists to restrain the Executive, specifically Yahya Jammeh or his representatives from brutalizing and taking advantage of our fellow citizens. Mr. Mbakeh, admit that you made a serious and unforgivable error in judgment, and the sooner you resign your position, the better it is for our already moribund judiciary system and The Gambian people. A magistrate of the court who harbors such views as those expressed by Mr. Mbakeh, to the effect that Jammeh is above the law, deserves to be working in a place far removed from a courtroom.
Jammeh’s Hallow Words
Some new electric generators are on the way, said the government’s mouthpiece; The Daily Observer the other day. This must welcome news for the people of the Greater Banjul area who have been plagued by the never ending shortages and rationing of electricity from one year to the other. 
The history of our national electricity company is nothing to be proud of, and every few years, the Gambia Utilities Corporation (GUC) has changed its name in an attempt to transform itself and assume a new image, but success has so far eluded the embattled corporation. The Daily Observer is touting the arrival of yet another new batch of generators, as if we have never heard it all before. The “blackout will be history,” said the Observer, a tempting statement to embrace, but a hard one to believe nonetheless. In recent memory, it can be recalled that generators have been purchased about three times, and each time, the promise from the government is that finally the corporation will get a handle around the confounding problem of shortages and blackouts. Blackout will be history they bragged every time new generators are purchased or donated to us. But, our experience tells a different story, because even as each delivery of new generators is matched by a change of GUC’s name and its management, the blackouts and shortages have remained constantly annoying. In any other democratic society, these frequent blackouts could lead to widespread rioting, violence, and perhaps the toppling of the government. However, Jammeh’s use of intimidation and threat of violence has to date prevented our good citizens from freely expressing their outrage on the streets of our cities and towns. “The blackouts will soon be history”, cried The Daily Observer, but has the paper forgotten how many times we have heard and seen this same statement in print on its pages over the past several years? If the past years are anything to go by, we will still be talking about the blackouts and shortages three years from now. If Yahya Jammeh wants fools to play with, he had better go back to your native Cassamance and find them there. We refuse to be his fools.
Jammeh’s Nuisances
First, one of the baffling things to occur at home was the sight of prominent people in our society going to Kanilai to work on Jammeh’s farms. Most, if not all of these people, have never once farmed in their lives. One cannot help but ask what is the matter with these people? Why should anyone drive this distance to work on Jammeh’s farm? Like the animals in the wild, Jammeh can smell fear, and he will exploit it, as he always does to exploit our people. He is acting as if he is the law and is desecrating our sacred Constitution in the process. Why should Jammeh have the power to browbeat anyone to do something against his or her will, especially, of all things, to work free of charge on his farm? Are some people turning themselves into slaves or what? If anyone is thinking of going to work on Jammeh’s farm in order to be on his good books, have some respect for yourself. Don’t do it.
Second, the use of the State Guards and other security and civilian personnel paid by our taxpayers to work on any of Jammeh’s properties is illegal and unethical. The state should not pay the salaries and benefits of any one deployed on any of Yahya Jammeh’s farms, businesses and properties, because there is not public interest in doing so. Public funds can only be utilized for public interest, and as certain as the sun will rise and fall tomorrow, Jammeh will be left as poor as he came to The Gambia in the event he leaves office by whatever means. Jammeh has broken every rule on the books since he came to power, and he has enriched himself along the way. Jammeh has boasted to The Gambian people that he will never be poor again, maybe, but he should at least acknowledge that he has become rich with the peoples’ money. That much is certain.
Third, all the land Jammeh has expropriated from poor farmers will be returned to them after he is voted out or falls by whatever means necessary. In addition, every structure he has built will be confiscated by the state and converted into public property. By 1994, under the Jawara government, the Kombos were a hotbed of corruption, intimidation, coercion, and outright seizure of land belonging to poor farmers. Senior civil servants and politicians found themselves obtaining and owning large tracks of land by fraudulent means, using their offices to deprive poor farmers of land they had farmed on for many generations. Today, the problem is much worst, as Jammeh and his fellow thugs continue to defraud poor families of land that belongs to them. The rule of law has broken down, the judiciary is corrupt and ineffective, and the poor farmers and Alkalolu throughout the Kombos have no available recourse to deal with the problem and the pain of losing their lands. Who is looking out for the poor and powerless?
Fourth, this week the APRC’s political tremor could be felt as far away as Australia and beyond. With a sweep of the hand, the ruling party swept aside more than half of its representatives in favor of some new political stalwarts. This is an unprecedented act of betrayal, but again the political gadfly has never been a paragon of civility, wisdom or virtue. The shake up and shake down is a display of the insidiousness of Yahya Jammeh operations, juxtaposed against his relentless efforts to control the National Assembly. In Yahya Jammeh’s world, rationalizing issues and circumstances is unworthy, so long as he is the person making the decision. Beyond that, everything that makes sense to us is an oxymoron in the mind of Jammeh. This is the extent of Yahya Jammeh’s delusion, and whichever way one looks at it, Jammeh can never be redeemed and saved from himself.
Fifth, so much negative energy has converged and coalesced around Jammeh that he no longer is able to discern right from wrong. In his mind, the arrests, detentions and murders that are perpetrated to save his government are legitimate, and everything else he does to save himself is not breaking the law. As we have all learnt over the years, Yahya Jammeh is not an objective thinker, better still he does not think; instead he acts on impulse, emotion and unreliable hearsay information. By us not standing up to him, Jammeh has become the creature we all helped to create. Before it is all said and done, more of our fellow citizens will know first hand what is like to be on the receiving end of Jammeh’s rampage of intimidation, terror and senseless torture and murder. My sense is that despite the recent releases of detainees, Jammeh is just now warming up. We have not seen his last act yet.
Sixth, just last week Jammeh put his foot in his mouth again when he said that the independence of the judiciary is a misnomer. This is as serious a gaffe as Magistrate Abdoulie Mbakeh’s now infamous line alluding that Jammeh is above the law. In addition to this idiotic statement, Jammeh has often taken unprovoked swipes at the West, in particular the U.S., during times the U.S is in a difficult situation and feeling isolated by the rest of the world. Yet, Jammeh is all over the map with regards to our international relations, and as far as foreign policy is concerned, we have no coherent policy to guide our relationship with the rest the world. Jammeh has an ad hoc approach which is guided more by how much money he can extract from our so-called friends. But, Jammeh’s irresponsible statement regarding the independence of the judiciary is an indicator where he wants to take our country to, and we will be foolish to allow that to happen. Yahya Jammeh, wake up and learn. The judiciary is funded by public funds, and not funds that belong to you. It is a public institution supported by the public, and to think that since government is providing the funding, the judiciary loses it independence, is a myopic way to think. But, again, I doubt there is anyone more intellectually myopic than you.
Seventh, Jammeh is holding beachfront parties and declaring Public Holidays every time he feels the urge to do so. He does not need a reason; all he needs is a need to declare a holiday. The self-celebration is never ending, and so is the waste of national treasure that goes into such exorbitantly expensive one-day bliss. As poor as our country is, many people cannot afford being away from their employment, as it will exacerbate the poverty many face on a daily basis. It is understandable that Yahya Jammeh’s Jola culture revolves around the idea festivities, and Jolas will find any excuse to host a party, but Jammeh, that is not an excuse to drag the whole country into your Jola culture. Stop these foolish, organized, or impromptu parties. They are a waste of our limited resources.
Eight, The Gambia is crying out for good leadership, but we all sit there and watch our country bleeding. Despite the calm on the surface, our country is descending into a state of lawless anarchy. Yahya Jammeh is ordering the rampant arrest and detention of people without probable cause. Our jails are overflowing with people who have committed no crime, people who have been detained for weeks, months and years without any charges or due process proceedings. What is the use of our laws and our Constitution if our security forces have the power extended from State House to break them? This is not the way a real government of laws functions. Without laws what we have is anarchy, and that is exactly where we are today, or very close to it. Jammeh has to understand that every action has a reaction, and there are more pairs of eyes watching him and waiting than we can care to count. His moment will come when the stars are properly aligned. That moment, that fatal mistake, and that ordained end that we all yearn to see. And the good thing is that you can’t stop it, Jammeh.
Ex- Vice Chairman Captain Sana B. Sabally’s Postings
By extension, allow me space to comment on Sana Bairo Sabally’s postings in your paper. I was flabbergasted by his comments, but that is not my reason for writing. I must admit that I am not unlike many people out there who often don’t think highly of our boys in the military. For me, however, Sana B. Sabally’s postings are making me a believer that some of our military boys are really a very bright bunch, blessed with intellects that will give our country that push and boost we so desperately need in the years ahead. Lt. Sabally’s pieces have intellectual depth, and he exhibits a broad based knowledge of many disciplines, but above all, he shows maturity in thought, and his penmanship is of the highest caliber. That so much knowledge and capability is reposed in Sana B. Sabally is something all of us should be proud of. Finally, to Sana B. Sabally I say, keep learning. You have a lot of future ahead of you, and I am convinced you will also do great things for our beloved country. Ah Jarama.