Message from The Gambia Party of Truth
Part II
By Sewa Laye Sisoukhou (CASMDBMBS)
Readers of The Gambia Echo may recall that on November 18 this year, we published a lengthy correspondence from one Sewa Laye Sisoukhou purportedly representing The Gambia Party of Truth. In Part One, we published the first nine-pages of the memorandum and promised to run the entire text. We were however, hamstrung by numerous constraints but today we will pick it from where we left up to page 21of this 35-page scintillating discourse.
For the last two thousand years or so, we as a people seem to lack the innate conviction to take pride and joy in our collective advancement and likewise individually, we seem to be short of passion and energy to take up close and serious personal responsibility for our collective progress. Undoubtedly, I say, our stupidity is what is exploiting us. We need to, with extreme urgency, take up personal ownership of our collective failure and have the ultimate desire to do something about it. Has it been always like this? No. Because the most advanced ancient civilizations are still found in the Motherland. We were the first civilisers, the first scientists and inventors, the first architects and engineers, the first to organise and govern and the first artists. If you didn’t know this until this day you have been living in darkness. You will never find this in your ordinary books. As long as a man is convinced his ancestors never did anything he will never accomplish anything. This is the all important reason we should ask ourselves ‘how did we get in to the ‘mess’ we are in today?’ My dear African president, in the interest of peace and economic progress do not think you are the only one who is capable because truthfully you are not the only one. Hand over the relay baton freely and fairly and let the race continue to your own benefit and the benefit of our people. The things of this world are not a one man’s business. We need joint effort. We need to learn to work with other people - our own people. ‘Wise men know when the time to quit is but fools lead on to their own destruction’ is a very relevant saying. Power is alcohol and a man can get drunk with it to the point of wetting his own trousers without even realising it and by the time reality hits him he is already destroyed beyond salvation. What a tragedy to befall a man who on the outset had ‘good intentions’ but got carried away by his lethal ego and fleeting distractions. The need for tyrannical control stems from fear and an over-inflated ego. What are the historical consequences of rule by force? My dear African leaders do not allow the irresistible addiction to power to corrupt you. Nations need to renew themselves, renew their governments and governments need to renew themselves from within from time to time. In order to inject some renewed energy and passion so as to make a real difference. Nations and their governments must do this to avoid full-blown, sudden earthquake changes as a result of procrastination and complacency. Some may argue why change it if it is working. Well, I say we need to change it before it stops working or otherwise, as sometimes it is, the cost of change is dear and painful. The awareness of the need for progressive change is well established in the minds of many. Now the vision must be planted that it may sprout and come to fruition. My dear African president, build a legacy that you will be proud of. Spread your love and wisdom. Power must be checked, balanced and limited so as to remain just and virtuous. The best of us are running away from public office leaving it to the worst of us who will not only ruin themselves but also ruin us too. I do not admire would-be-do-gooders as long as they sit and watch under their noses bad things happening in our society. Even our best and well-intentioned leaders, so far, have failed to maximise their potential to do a better job. They failed not because they did not want to, but along the way they have allowed themselves, knowingly or unknowingly, to be distracted. MISPLACED PRIORITIES, DISTRACTION, COMPLACENCY, LACK OF ‘KNOWLEDGE’ and VISION seem to be the rogues. Many men join the system with genuine and good intentions to change it from within, from decay to a progressive system that looks after the whole. Unfortunately because of their weak convictions they are lured and eventually fall prey to the vices of a decaying system and so they fail miserably. Or shall we say their souls have been bought because apparently there is a price for any man. We often find it quite easy to blame our leaders however; either we make them, choose them or keep them actively or passively. We must act to hold them responsible and accountable, we must act to make them listen and listen really well. Or rather should we just continue being their yes-men and sing empty praises for them? We must get over blaming others for our woes, we should rather blame ourselves for being the fools that we have been and sometimes still are in broad day light. We are not using the brains that Allah has given us well enough. We rely on others to do the thinking for us. To what benefit will that serve our needs? We can think but we don’t think well. We can think but we are not thinking strategically and unless and until we start thinking and really think fast, we are doomed. The biggest block to creativity is fear of making a mistake and satisfaction with simplicity where there is plenty of room for improvement. Let us think of different solutions to problems that are unique to us. Let us also think to make better what is already good and working. We seem to have lost the value of good and useful knowledge of others, of things and of our own. With the greatest of sadness, we look as if we have given up on our own by the systematic will of others. Now, like children we are fed on a need to know basis the knowledge of others, of things and of our very own. This is the worst crime we have done to ourselves followed only by the abject failure of leadership at the highest level. This is why we lost our glorious past. This is why our great ancient empires failed. This is why some of us got shipped around the world as slaves. This is why we were colonised. This is why we are beggars too weak, too poor, to defend our legitimate interests militarily, economically, politically or otherwise. Out of this tragedy we are strongly suspicious of each other, we strongly dislike each other and this is why we slaughter each other so easily so readily and so senselessly. Sometimes I do wonder how can it be possible for a ‘civilised human being’ to be able to commit depraved, barbaric and sadistic acts of extreme cruelty on his fellow man. Killing is one thing. However, taking pleasure in savage and sadistic acts such as raping women, torturing, mutilating, sticking guns in peoples’ privates is another boundary which every decent and civilised man must never cross. Men who cross this line are worse than brute animals living in the wild because they don’t do such. Low-lives? I can’t find a word good enough to describe these thick and uncivilized men. We cannot progress with undisciplined human greed, guns and machetes in our hands. What we really need is education and hard work to lift us out of the quagmire we find ourselves in today. We must stop feeling too weak or small to effect change from within ourselves and without. As bleak as it may seem we need not despair. Once we recognise, accept and act on things that are holding us back; the sky, rather than the limit, will be our new beginning. This is evident in a handful of African nations that are making some little progress in better governance. We must stop ‘passing the bucket’- denying our own personal responsibilities and laying the burden and responsibility on others. We blame the opposition when they are weak due to lack of vision and organisation, we blame the government when we are in opposition and we blame the West when we are in government. Who has the courage to accept responsibility? Can a free thinking and well structured society be rule by tyrants? Of course not, except a corrupted society. Why? Well..., because one who stands for nothing will fall for anything. We must stretch ourselves to the edge. It is easier said than done, that is very true indeed. And that is why we must stop saying and do what we must do- now. We can, but most of the time we think we cannot. It is a lie, WE CAN. Or is it the case that on many occasions the cry for change of leadership is a symptom of a much deeper problem we have failed to address in our societies? When we closely look at almost all African countries we find that, by large, change of leadership have actually brought little or no progress at all. In fact in many countries change of leadership have driven them backward. A society can make a leader just as a leader can also transform a whole society. However, if our societies have failed to give us intelligent, honest, upright, loving and kind leaders at all levels and in all capacities; and if our so-called good leaders have failed to transform our societies in to better ones in this kind of vicious cycle. We must ask ourselves. Is there something fundamentally wrong with our societies and is there something acutely wrong with our leaders too? And if there is something wrong. Why? What is the root of the problem? What can we do about it collectively and individually? What do we really need? Is it change of leadership? Or is it change of society? TO EARN THE RESPECT OF THE REST OF THE WORLD WE MUST BE SEEN TO BE DESERVING OF IT BY DOING FOR OURSELVES WHAT OTHERS HAVE DONE FOR THEMSELVES. Just as good we believe we are, we must to prove it do just as good or even better. If we are who we really claim to be then naturally the burden of proof is on us to live up to our claim if we really are true. The way to earn true respect is by doing things fundamentally different and fundamentally better.
We need to, and I really mean this with passion- to fight the scourge of HIV/AIDs in our communities. It is a biological weapon of mass destruction which was specifically created to wipe us off the face of planet earth or control our multiplication. This killer disease has claimed millions of lives of our people and the worst is yet to come if we do not take urgent action to protect ourselves. Do you prefer illicit and unsafe sex to staying alive and healthy? Is it better to die than not to have illicit and unsafe sex? Do you agree with people who think this world would be a better place without ‘black faces’? The best of protection is to abstain from sex until marriage and if you are married stick to your married partner or partners in the case of some men. And if for any reason you suspect infidelity from your partner you should demand a test to certify their status after which you must decide what to do. This is especially necessary if your partner or partners travel around the country or abroad. Say no to adultery. Say no to fornication. Another form of protection is to avoid sharing of personal equipment or cutting materials. We use drugs and vaccines and a host of other medical utilities whose constituents we are not aware of. We are very pathetic in military, biological and chemical defence systems. We are indeed at the mercy of our enemies and that is really poignant.
Let us not live as dead men, without reason. We are alive and we must do what the living does. For how long are we going to live under darkness? Total change of attitude and mind-set, by all citizens from our leaders to ordinary men in the streets are absolutely necessary to achieve this. We must craft new creative situations- turn the chaos we are in today into opportunity for something better and sustainable.
There can be an evil majority and there can also be an evil minority. Propitiously I believe the majority of Gambians, although declining, are God-fearing, kind, peaceful and hospitable. I believe so because this is my own personal experience. However, we are increasingly seeing a tiny minority of heartless and Godless Gambians who lack an atom of love and care for their own fellow Gambians. They are: merciless, selfish, liars, thieves, unjust, extremists, tribalists, corrupt, cunning, ruthless, greedy, unkind, and wicked, murderers and above all evil to the core in their pursuit of pleasure and position, power and wealth. They have eliminated, they are eliminating and they will try to eliminate whatever is in between them and their goal. They lack the fear of Allah. They lack wisdom and good moral judgement. They have allowed themselves to be carried away by the moment without any hindsight or foresight consideration. They simply do not care about the general good of all the children of The Gambia. They can be ordinary and extraordinary as well. They appear to be angels and saviours of the people in front of our eyes and ears. And thereby many unsuspecting Gambians are lead by their deceit and clever speeches. However, if we the majority of good Gambians keep silent and do nothing we are just as evil as they are. We must be courageous and willing to sacrifice to defend the good nature of Gambians in their words and actions. We ‘the good’ must engage ourselves in public service to rid these people of any power or influence through persuasion. We must never underestimate their destructive capabilities. You may be wondering now are these people real Gambians? They are real Gambians if not, at least by paper they are -but they have allowed the evil tendencies that are in all of us, to overcome their good nature. This tiny but deadly minority must be kept at a buffer level which should never be allowed to shift to their gain because of their evil. They are spiritually and morally corrupt and it is with great care that we must deal with these evil Gambians that are ever present and ever ready to unleash their sinful actions. We must remember that we are continually locked in a battle between good and evil, justice and oppression in this worldly dimension. You will have to decide which side you are on by the way you live your life. You will have to choose either temporal worldly victory or permanent eternal success. I firmly recognise the fact that ‘evil and oppression’ is having temporary victory whilst ‘good and justice’ always seem to go unrewarded and defeated. The true nature of ‘evil and oppression’ is self-destruction contrary to the nature of ‘good and justice’ which is self-preservation. We must strive to be good and just irrespective of success or failure in this world. And for those who are killed in the course of trying to establish what is good and just have not died in vain. If we do not join them we will surely be the ones living in vain.
Oppressed is nation whose population is held to ransom by fear and intimidation by the powers that be who are afraid to allow the people to express their free will because they know, for surety, that they are not the people’s choice. It can be made to appear all-is-well-and-good on the surface when actually it is not. People are not being sufficiently informed of their rights and what they should expect from people or institutions who owe them a duty of service which makes it easy to corrupt, under serve and exploit them. And access to information by ordinary people is often met with reluctance and subsequent total resistance which is usually backed up with inexcusable excuses. This is made worse by the absence of or the presence of ineffective and inefficient independent regulatory bodies.
In the interest of peace, transparency and progress public service should never be turned in to a family business just as well public institutions should never be over-politicised especially where the expression of plurality is stifled. My fellow countrymen we should never allow the affairs of nation to be run by a family dynasty. The Gambia is not kingdom but a multi-party republican country and so it will remain. There is no royalty in The Gambia and therefore there is no royal blood in The Gambia. If there is any man who wishes to be a king and thus claim royal blood he should go to the Sahara desert with his loyal and willing subjects and establish his kingdom there and not on Gambian soil. The Gambian people will only be lead on by merit and never by blood or tribe.
We need to fight the cancer of rampant corruption, in cash or kind, physical or mental, both at personal and institutional levels with conviction and sincerity. The belief that corruption is normal- ok- and part and parcel of our daily lives is wrong. Corruption at any level, by any person, even where it is the exception and not the rule, is unacceptable. I say this without joy and pride- corruption, bribery and nepotism are the rule and not the exception in The Gambia as in many other places. We are so accustomed to it we don’t even realise when we are doing it. People will tell you that there is nothing you can about it and ‘it is the way we do things here’. It’s a lie. We can do something about it. Yes, all men are corrupt but the difference is some men are more corrupt than others. Say no to corruption. Don’t corrupt. Don’t be corrupted.
We must remember and celebrate the lives and beliefs of our fallen, unsung heroes. These were true Gambians who lived and died serving the interest of our people. These were honourable men and women who suffered painful injustice, cruelty and oppression at the hands of their own fellow Gambians. These were men and women who were not driven by vengeance, vain glory, greed or hatred. We will never forget the Gambian men and women who were unjustly killed in the name of The Gambia out of paranoia with the help of manufactured evidence by their own fellow coward and evil Gambians. However, these evil Gambians who have committed these heinous and unGodly crimes ought to know that they will face justice in this life or the next, willingly or unwillingly, whether they are dead or alive. We pray that may Allah give justice to those who have been wronged and denied justice. Amen.
Man commits a crime and seeks to be absolved of the guilt of what he has done on the basis that he was only following orders even if he knew what he was going to do is evil when he did it. We can all agree that if he was truly forced to do evil and failing to have done so would have resulted in evil, worse or similar, being meted out to him in that case he is truly free of condemnation. However, even if he was forced but had the opportunity to escape or neutralize or eliminate the evil he was afraid of and could have avoided doing the evil he was asked to commit yet still he went ahead and committed it then in that case he is as guilty as charged.
Gambian lawmakers should always meticulously examine our laws in order to fit them to our needs and aspirations. Generally speaking we have many good laws which I think we should keep and continually update and make better whichever is not good enough to protect the rights of the Gambian people. We have laws to fight crime, civil, criminal or otherwise in order to protect the general interest of the Gambian people. The basic definition of crime is ‘any serious offence punishable by law’. Just because something is legal that does not necessarily mean it is good. Gambian lawmakers should vigilantly look into the following when they make laws:
Ø What is the source of the inspiration of the law? Is it God or man or both?
Ø In whose name is the law enacted and how will it be applied?
Ø Who guarantees or ensures the application of the law?
Ø What is the intent, apparent or implied, of the law?
Ø Does the law have physical boundaries such as geography or otherwise, in enacting and or application?
Ø How enabling or limiting are the human resources and the facilities or structures that are available in enacting the law or in application of the law?
Ø The timing of the application of the law. Is it applied before, during or after an offence?
Before: on detection by physical expression of intent or suspicion. During: on actively halting an offence that have begun but not yet complete. After: apprehension and application of the law after the offence is complete in parts or in totality. The determination of which we must cross-examine how far he or she has achieved or made easy the possibility of the fulfilment of his or her expressed intent.
Ø How susceptible is the law to manipulation and bending by those in the know? What is the degree of sensitivity of the law to power and influence? Does it fear or favour (powerful and influential) men in its enacting and or in its application? Are the men and women who make the law and are the men and women who apply the law of noble character and of firm integrity? On whose authority or consent is it amendable?
Ø What is the consequence of the application of the law? What happens when the law is applied justly or unjustly? Does the crime increase, reduce or remain the same? The nature of a good law is that it is strong enough to act as a deterrent and whenever it is applied justly the crime falls.
Ø Whose interest is the law promoting? Is it the interest of one person or a small group of people or is it promoting the real interest of the Gambian nation as a whole?
Ø Who is a subject to the law? If the subject to the law is known expressively or by implication the enforcer of the law must make an effort sufficient enough to inform the subject about it. Although it is well known that this is not possible in all cases especially where the majority of the people are illiterates. Yet still this does not excuse the enforcer of the duty to make a reasonable effort to inform the subject about the law and his or her rights in the language that they understand. It is also a matter of necessity for every person to acquaint themselves with the law of the land in which they reside.
Ø How accessible is the law to its subjects? Is it just there for formality and never practised? And if practised is it done according to due process of the law or is it just a charade in a kangaroo court to give the impression that the law is practised as it should really be?
Ø The people in whose name the law is enacted amended and or applied (i.e. the Gambian people) - do they really have a voice? Is the law enacted, amended and or applied on their behalf without their real participation and involvement?
In The Gambia we have long acclimatized ourselves to the culture of silence and inaction where rarely a person is held accountable for his deeds. Excessive blind, irrational and meek obedience to unlawful duty is at the heart of this problem. Most of us seem to be dutiful errand boys blindly believing whatever we are told. We kowtow on our superiors and kick our subordinates instead of appealing to their feelings, preaching to them and telling them their conduct is contrary to morality. In some cases we are so used to doing it we don’t even realise we are doing it. And in some cases we do it, with full knowledge, for power, position or wealth. We must understand the actions of today and their repercussions tomorrow. Unrivalled enthusiastic loyalty and devotion to superiors when they are wrong is evil. More often than not this is as a result of manipulation and brainwashing the rank and file. Do not allow to be brainwashed or manipulated always seek the facts and dig a little deeper than what is on the surface.
We have another big obstacle standing on our way to progress and that is the abundance of young, lazy and unambitious boys and girls, especially boys. Many of whom spend most of their precious time brewing ‘Ataya’ in street corners, under big trees, in verandas the whole day instead of going out early in the morning in search of something worthy of doing fruitfully. The usual excuse for this kind of idleness is the loud cry that there are no ‘official’ jobs or otherwise. For the sake of the argument, even if the government is not fulfilling all of their obligations to the youth of our nation. It is not enough of an excuse to lay about. Even if there are none or very little ‘official’ jobs or otherwise available in both public and private sectors, it is not enough of an excuse to lack ambition. It is never wise to waste one’s talent and precious time whatever the prevailing circumstances. As a young man I do know that not all of us are like that, some of us are very ambitious and hard working. We don’t go to ‘Sunday Beach’ rather we do ‘Sunday Study’. I do appreciate the fact that there are real difficulties facing the youth of our country but we must work hard to overcome these challenges. That is the only way to go. We cannot afford to be lazy. It will only compound the problems we are already facing in our daily lives as young men and women. I find it extremely difficult to accept and believe that a young man or woman with an intelligent mind living in peace and in good health saying there is nothing worthy of their effort. There is no such thing as ‘there is no work’ in all places at all times. If there isn’t a job where you are, move to another place or learn a trade in business or craftsmanship or get an education. Still I know there are those who would claim that they have genuinely tried their best but I say, you are either trying in the wrong place or at the wrong time or both or better still your best isn’t good enough. We need to try harder and smarter, the possibilities are never-ending. It is not simple as I say, it is not easy as I say but that is what I should do and that is what you should do. There is no other option but to get up and do something intelligent and productive. It is very unwise and unacceptable that we should just sit and moan. Of course things are hard. Who told you life was meant to be an easy ride? That is why Allah has given us brains. So we ought to make use of our brains in a way that doesn’t make things harder for ourselves more than they already are. No sensible government would neglect the needs of their youth for it is just as a government that has betrayed one of its fundamental duties. Our society has many unmet needs and there are many ways one can exploit these. We should make the most out of the little we have. There comes a time when we must put back something into the communities that have given us life, give back something to family and friends who have supported us through our formative years. We must try and cut the culture of dependence well beyond its expiry period and support ourselves from our own labour. Help is most certainly useful and productive only when and where the helped is ready and willing to help oneself. Irresponsibility, indiscipline, seeking too much pleasure and leisure in crime, drugs and premarital or extramarital sex could cause you irreparable physical or emotional damage for the rest of life. Be smart and don’t allow peer pressure to distract you from who you want to be. Keep good company and surround yourself with people who want to get somewhere in life. As the inevitable future leaders of our beloved country we must be the generation of sacrifice to bring development and prosperity for our people.
We must say a big thank you to our men and women who are providing the citizens of our nation with essential services in the midst of all the inadequacy they face- such as teachers, doctors, nurses, entrepreneurs and personnel of the security services. The great majority of Gambian soldiers are decent, law-abiding and loyal to the interest of peace, unity and development with a great sense of esprit de corps and camaraderie for one another. However, there are a very few undisciplined, dim-witted and opportunistic individual bad elements who think getting involved in national politics through a coup d’état is justifiable and acceptable. It is not justifiable and it is not acceptable in a civilised society. Neither was it yesterday nor will it be tomorrow. They are nothing but traitors to the Gambian people. We don’t need a coup d’état today. We don’t need a coup d’état tomorrow. And by the way we never needed one yesterday. It is very easy to make-up excuses to justify a military take-over. Oops sorry! We only did it because he overstayed in power; abused his position; oppressed his own people; practiced widespread nepotism, tribalism and corruption; …the list goes on. All these may very well be true, but the reality is that any military interventionist who intervenes, bloodlessly or otherwise, and stays in power can’t be truly genuine. Period. I am firmly against an entirely uncalled for and opportunistic military intervention and use of violence to bring about change. My fellow Gambian soldiers of today and tomorrow, stay in your barracks and serve the Gambian people. There are better ways we can bring about change. Despite the tiny presence of these bad elements I can proudly say, as a whole, we have the bravest, the most disciplined and the most patriotic men in arms in The Gambia. We owe these brothers and sisters a huge gratitude and appreciation from the depths of our hearts for their courage and self-less service to our country. Their final reward is with Allah because they are the engine of the nation. I hereby stand to attention, hands by my sides and salute you!
Power (as in the general ability to do something):
Power you dare you win
Power you dare you lose
Power so sweet
Power so bitter
Power so alive
Power so mortal
Best of friends
Worst of enemies
Power so powerful
Power so weak
Power so facilitating
Power so limiting
Power so good
Power so evil
Power so beautiful
Power so ugly
Power so stable
Power so insecure
Power so public
Power so private
Power so honouring
Power so degrading
Power so short
Power so long
Here today
Gone tomorrow
Power so power
Power so not power
Power so humble
Power so arrogant
Power so frugal
Power so pompous
Power so open
Power so hidden
Power so welcoming
Power so intimidating
Power so involving
Power so dictating
Power so wise
Power so stupid
Power ruleth an evil man
A noble man ruleth power
Power so Gambian
Power so unGambian
Allah so powerful
Man so not powerful
A small country such as ours with less than two million people having more than three political parties is quite unnecessary particularly when the differences are not on fundamental ideologies but on personalities. It weakens and lessens the chances of success for any one party especially the ones in opposition. It is divisive with undesirable effects for our nation as a whole. Let there be real politics with sound policies on how to move The Gambia forward. Opposition just for the sake of opposition is dull for our country. I don’t like the number of political parties we currently have in The Gambia, I think the number is far too big and far too unnecessary for such a small country like ours. We really don’t need more than three political parties.
There are many complex issues as to the question why The Gambia is still underdeveloped giving the fact that The Gambia is not an island on its own. The history and the birth of our country and the interdependence of nations across the world do have direct and indirect effects on our country politically, socio-economically or otherwise. ‘Gambia no problem’. Really? If it is not true what is the real problem? We have made slow and relatively poor progress since we gained our so-called political independence. I don’t accept as true that we are all happy about what we could, should and would have done that we didn’t for such a sizeable and manageable country like The Gambia. The reason is not because The Gambia is ‘poor’. The real reason is because our brains have been or still are ‘poor’. And it is both our collective and individual failure as a people. We are the problem of our problems. And I mean each and every one of us to a lesser or greater degree is part of the problem why we are where we are. The sooner we accept this fact the better. We need to educate and civilize ourselves more as I believe education/civilization like many other aspects of life is not a destination but a journey. As they are now, things are no way near where we want to be. However, if we as patriotic citizens see the urgent desire to improve ourselves we will surely change for the better. I believe like many of us do, with the right policies we can do far better and far quicker on our road to progress. The task ahead is great but not as great as our resolve to overcome it. The path ahead is rough but I believe we are tough enough. We must have a passionate drive to work hard and fear Allah as it is said ‘let’s strive, work and pray’ in our national anthem. Some of the reasons why we are underdeveloped politically, economically and technologically is because we haven’t seen it important enough:
- To read and write and promote our native languages in our formal education system and in our daily lives.
- To invent and use creativity, innovation and technique in all that we do for making the good better- to posses the belief that there is always room for improvement.
- To cooperate and do away with selfishness and greed in public service in order to serve our collective interest.
- To be flexible in culture, practice and ideology.
- To love and respect our own more.
- To believe in ourselves that we can and that we were the firsts.
- To disown the ‘I want it and I want it now’ syndrome.
- To know and study and understand and research our own past, present and prepare and plan for possible future challenges.
- To use more of our brain than our body; to switch our brains on and work them fast.
- To learn and to lead and not to learn and to follow only.
- To be wise, visionary and missionary especially for our leaders.
- To take criticism and mistakes as a learning tool in order to self-criticise and to self-correct.
- To seek and develop our own systems of governance and organisation.
- To feed, clothe and shelter our needs by ourselves by as far as Nature allows.
- To make and sell rather than to buy and use.
- To clean, to beautify and to perfect.
- To realise that Mother Nature has given us all that we need to make our lives comfortable; to notice and observe nature for advanced study and research.
- The need to dedicate time and patience to the study and observation of ourselves and of things.
- To persuade and convince with logic and reason without brute force as far as it is absolutely unnecessary.
- To have an arithmetical and a critical mind in order to come up with alternatives to established ways or systems.
- To avoid clouding judgement with undisciplined emotions.
- To decline satisfaction with the simple and basic.
- To systemize, to methodize, to organise and to coordinate.
- To strengthen and widen the reach of adult education initiatives in literacy and numeracy skills and business and wealth creation training.
- To put quality and value for money in public and private service.
- To bound ourselves by time.
- To do the first thing first and the last thing last accordingly, in place and on time.
- Not to burden ourselves with unnecessary and harmful traditional obligations.
- To stop practising all forms of witchcraft, to stop seeking help and support from ‘marabouts’ and to stop living in Godlessness, immorality, indignity and shamelessness. Because sacrificing to and the worshipping of evil jinns in order to get power and influence, wealth and position is the highest and worst of all worldly temptations.
The idea of nationhood is based on four principles on which a nation should be governed if it is to remain just, peaceful, united and progressive:
- Service to the people and common interest
- Maintenance of civility and law and order within the nation
- Maintenance of security and safety of its people from external aggression
- Promotion of unity and justice, equality and fairness, rights and responsibilities, promotion of virtue and prohibition of vice.
When the ‘state’ is unable to serve the needs of its people, pursue what is in their common interest, maintain civility and law and order, provide security and safety for its people from external hostility and abandons its duty to establish unity and justice, equality and fairness, rights and responsibilities for its citizens it is bound to collapse under the influence of chaos and anarchy from within and without.
Hear me speak, my fellow countrymen. Herein this speech I am concerned with the powers that were, the powers that are and the powers that will be and each and every Gambian. My fellow Gambians, I hereby solemnly call on you all in the hour of our greatest need, irrespective of your tribe, religion, party affiliation or whatever opinion you may hold to join the Party of Truth. The Party of Truth is clearly and categorically not a political party or otherwise seeking to govern. It is a revolutionary ideological mindset to which all Gambians must commit themselves by seeking and establishing the truth in all affairs of our beloved nation. It is a call for unrelenting service and sacrifice to the nation through hard work and ingenuity in order to fulfil the dreams of our forbears. It is both a profound public and personal call to each and every Gambian, in all capacities, to seek within his or her heart, conscience and mind the courage to live by the truth and actively participate in entrenching it in the affairs of our country. The Party of Truth is a national movement with the sole ambition: to seek and to establish the truth in all matters of Gambian life, public or private. The movement is calling on all Gambians to deal with each other in truth. This movement is about what it really means to be Gambian. We need fundamental social and political earthquake of a change in beliefs and practices. This ideological belief seeks to establish the truth not falsehood, unity not division, peace not war, change not chaos, rule of good law not anarchy, progress not persecution, freedom not fear, love not hate, justice not oppression, development not destruction, morality not excessive indulgence, hard work not laziness, appreciation not discrimination, tolerance and moderation not extremism, accountability not impunity, responsibility not indifference, transparency not corruption, merit not favouritism and nepotism, oneness not tribalism, due process of good law not mob justice and above all we want Godly men not Godless men. Following in the footsteps of our great grand fathers who had a noble vision to give all they had and all they could to make The Gambia the best of places to live in on the face of this earth we must heed this sacred call. This message is for all Gambians those at home and those abroad. Come my Gambian brothers- come in the name of peace, unity and truth. This is not a nine days’ wonder speech. Neither am I building castles in the air nor am I day-dreaming. Meanwhile you are drinking, eating and having fun or otherwise. Meanwhile you are in denial or in silence. Meanwhile you are thinking this is none of your business and this has nothing to do with you. Meanwhile you are thinking you are nobody. Meanwhile you are thinking this is not going to buy you a bag of rice. Meanwhile you are thinking this is not going to pay your ‘Gamtel’ or ‘NAWEC’s’ bills. Meanwhile you are wondering why I am concerned. Come, rise up and answer to the sacred call of our Great Nation. Lend your willing and able hands to free our nation from wretched poverty, backwardness, the ever-present threat of oppression, injustice, endemic corruption, tribalism, laziness, immorality and Godlessness. Purity of intent is a must. The vision is clear, the mission is not impossible, with unshakable conviction and genuine self-belief there is nothing for us but glorious victory in the service of our own people. Out of challenge, born of longing and necessity comes the conception of that which is radically different. The ‘why’ has been clarified every Gambian now needs to participate in the exploration of the ‘how’. Words are just words as I keep saying until they are put into action. My fellow Gambian brother, what is needed is real action- loud and clear. This is not the time to hide behind our usual excuse ‘what can one man do?’ A collection of many ‘one man’ can accomplish our mission. One man cannot change a whole nation but one man can communicate the message that can change a whole nation. A committed and a virtuous minority have always been the engine of change, hardly the majority because most of the people don’t know and they can’t be concerned enough to find out. I have observed something in The Gambia which makes my heart heavy. The average Gambian is ignorant and he is only concerned with the needs of his day. He is not worried about what future The Gambia holds for our children. He is not worried about the future of The Gambia. Change will surely come our way if the desire is fuelled by fire that far exceeds our obstacles. Courage it takes to stand up for what you believe in. Courage it takes to be truthful and righteous. Courage it takes to stand up and question. This is a battle between good and evil, truth and falsehood. The battle lines are clear. There is no sitting on the fence or neutrality in this cause. This is a war first and foremost. You are the soldier and you are the battlefield. There is a constant battle between good and evil within you and without. There is neither a break nor a holiday and one neither truly wins nor loses till the bitter end of all. But most importantly this is a war that is within you. Fight with your own ‘self’. There exist, within you, good and evil. Fight the evil in you. This is a clarion call on the consciousness of those who have the strength of character to stand up in their own capacity to be the wheels of productive change. The biggest obstacle we face is the lack of courage to do the right thing. Strangely enough, sometimes we are even afraid of non-existent fear. Courage is not the absence of fear but to do the right thing even if there is fear present. The fear of change is natural. The fear of the unknown is also natural. However, change is constant as we all know and no matter how much we hate to think about it, it will happen. Change is therefore best implemented and managed through education. The belief that our current level of achievement is not the best we could do but only the beginning, will surely bring us many positive changes that we should all welcome. Greatness of purpose, and not the smallness of means, determines success. We always ought to be part of the solution to our challenges and not be an obstacle. Intelligent solutions with bare minimum of side effects or best still none at all. As patriotic Gambians, we must take the lead in the fight for own freedom and correct the wrongs of our society from within the four corners of The Gambia and not without. For if we are not brave enough to do so and seek the help of non-Gambians to lead us in THE STRUGGLE. Certainly, we will never achieve our true goals. For the same reasons we were not brave enough to stand up and take leadership, our so-called ‘liberators’ will become our new masters dictating to us how to run our country because we have sold to them our right to self-determination. We must fight our own battles in order to remain the masters of our own destiny. We must endure the fight for greater justice and good governance with patience and self-belief. When change comes from within it is bound to last. Persuasion through education, logic, reason and by example is our weapon. Ideally and in principle I firmly believe in non violence to oneself, to others and to nature except in defence of what is moral and just appropriately and proportionately. Let us always seek to follow The Middle Path- taking the best possible option with the highest of benefit and least of harm given the circumstances and the nature of the prevailing situation. To seek ‘The Middle Path’ means balancing appropriately between being too extreme and being too liberal. In this cause of ours we seek nothing less than the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. I know there is no one solution to all our challenges and I also know there is no one man who can fix all our problems. However, if we as a people pool our brains and resources together and share the task of nation building, we will, most certainly, overcome if not manage all our national challenges. We need to become a LEARNING NATION; a nation that learns important lessons from its mistakes and improves itself consequently. My fellow Gambian men and women the destiny of our nation rests on our shoulders. It rests on our willingness and readiness to pursue knowledge and to sacrifice