UK writer rebukes Gambian Bar over shameful silence on worsening human rights

By Sarjo Bayang, UK

London, UK--Of all professional organizations within The Gambia, the legal fraternity remains most disappointing to our population. What is probably most amazing about this entity is that, after knowing all the legal realities of armed seizure of power, The Gambia Bar association chooses to close its eyes to the truth and blatantly refuses to challenge the illegal conduct of The Gambia National Army in seizing power by force and then holding the whole nation hostage for almost 20 years now.

Do we need legal expertise to figure out the reason over our legal fraternity’s muteness about this most serious legal misconduct by an army sworn to defend the Constitution and good people of Gambia? My guess is that our learned fellows thought their higher levels of competence was enough to survive and beat the hostile storms of brutality that Lieutenant Yahya Jammeh and his junta set about bringing over the nation of peace-loving people.

Almost 20 years, the solid truth has proven our legal experts wrong. They have been proven wrong by thinking that it was their turn to milk the nation by sitting on lucrative legal cases to enjoy lifestyles beyond the reach of ordinary Gambians. For some time, this could have worked. But no, it has not worked well. The whole political environment is dangerous and unsuitable and the legal environment is central to the equation.

Biggest beef of it all was the high seat of Justice Minister that lawyers took on the queue to settle on. Not for some time, that some of them have been catapulted from hero to zero as the junta leader, Yahya Jammeh, learnt to change them like his under pants. For the past 16-years since 22 July 1994, The Gambia’s military junta continues to play the biggest musical chair show with the nation’s legal minds than any other facet of society.

As a body of supposedly very qualified persons and with enormous knowledge, The Gambia’s problems have been more legal than anything from start; it is one big disappointment that a population of almost 2 million people continues to suffer without legal redress by those who could.

Now that one of their own has fallen victim of state persecution, the seeming toothless Gambia Bar Association is barking all over the place wanting to be listened to. That is just unfair and least professional. There is also too much selfishness manifest. It is selfish because, so many people have suffered worst fate under the watchful eyes of our legal experts and not once have they taken to the streets or raise collective voice against blatant injustice.

State Finance Minister, Ousman Koro Ceesay, was brutally killed and his body set ablaze. Journalist Deyda Hydara was gunned down and his killers still at large. Chief Ebrima Manneh disappeared without trace. More than a dozen school children were openly fired at and killed by armed forces of The Gambia in broad day light. It is amazing that our legal experts failed to follow these cases up. The usual legal reason of no evidence is what you always hear.

Apart from the killings and torture cases that many people suffered in almost 20 years, lot of people had their jobs illegally terminated. Hardly do mistreated civil servants and aggrieved employees who suffered arbitrary termination, get help from our legal experts.

Many communities have had their traditional land holdings confiscated with utter impunity thus rendering those farmers landless. Some of the landed properties have been grabbed by Yahya Jammeh. Others have been literally seized in the name of government decision. These and many other serious legal issues still keep piling up and not once have the legal fraternity stepped in.

Worst still, by negotiating and receiving legal jobs from an illegal regime, The Gambia’s legal professionals have simply compromised every principle of ‘right thinking’ judgement. It is a matter of saying loud and clear that they are one way blind to the truth or have decided to close one eye and settle with illegality till doomsday.

As President of Gambia, Yahya Jammeh is openly engaged in private business with exploitative profit motives. How far have the legal experts tried interpreting the constitutional implications of these gross financial and economic misconducts by the President?

People’s representatives at Parliament have in the past abused authority by over-stepping their mandate. They have recklessly passed numerous Bills without due process and outside their political and legal mandate. Now they even want to crown Yahya Jammeh, King. What The Gambia Bar Association’s position on all these illegal partisan-posturing by Jammeh’s men and women?

Now the time of truth has arrived. Will the nation’s legal luminaries free the country from the wicked grips of Yahya Jammeh’s illegal government or remain mute as they also fall one by one? Time will tell!