Corruption

Barely a week after the publication of my article about Africa’s misuse of foreign aid, and how today, most African countries are dependent on foreign aid, an article appeared in which Gambian Finance Secretary Musa Bala-Gaye inadvertently confirmed what many of us knew all along. That eighty percent of Gambia’s annual development budget is sourced from foreign aid is not surprising, but it is certainly alarming to say the least. How does this compare to the Jawara years?

We do not have that information, but Bala-Gaye

Gambian Finance Secretary M. B. Gaye

should certainly know, because he served in both governments. What this means in simple terms is that we are now more dependent on the West than we were in the decade after political independence. This is a tragedy. What outcome is there to expect when we have a head of government who has not the slightest clue about the basics and the fundamentals of economics and management. In Yahya Jammeh’s mind we ought to live by borrowing and depending on aid transfers. While eighty percent of our budget is comprised of aid, our debt the last time I counted nearly $1.5 billion. This is an amount that The Gambia, a country so dependent on foreign aid, cannot afford to pay. Even at 7% interest rate, we would probably be servicing the interest alone for years to come, not to mention the principle. Yahya Jammeh has taken national debt to another dimension, and as he signs one debt and grant after another, he is mortgaging the lives of our future generations. Jammeh has for long baffled many of our citizens who do not seem to understand that what he defiantly calls ALLAH’S BANK, is actually money granted or borrowed in the name of The Gambian people. Now the mystery is over. Whether Jammeh got money from Saddam Hussein, or is bribed by Hugo Chavez for a U.N. vote, it is in the name of our citizens and therefore, belongs to all of us. However, in a strange and twisted way, Jammeh seems to think that because he signed on the dotted line, this somehow gives him the right and the privilege to use our funds the way and manner, he chooses. Every Dalasi (Gambia’s currency) that Jammeh has spent on himself, gives away to “kafos”, bribes people with coveted Hajj pilgrimages, and develops his properties in Kanilai and elsewhere, is money stolen from The Gambian people. If we don’t think that Yahya Jammeh has taken our people for a ride, for far too long now, then we are all collectively, as stupid as the donkeys that walk our narrow country roads. At this point in time, Jammeh owes it to The Gambian people to do an accounting of how and where he spent $1.2 billion the amount of our national debt incurred under his government. This amount does not include the million of Dollars in grants given to the Gambian people, but looted and pillaged by Jammeh and his fellow barbarians. While we are at it, The Gambian people need to know how Jammeh and his raging bandits used the millions of Dollars that were donated by Gambian individuals and businesses and outsiders for the African Union meeting in Banjul last year. Truly the APRC is no better than a Mafia outfit, a government of thugs with an intelligence agency (NIA) that operates as his hooligans. The NIA have not disappointed Jammeh yet, as they behave the part of the feared and deadly former East Germany government’s Stazi, killing and maiming anyone who stands in Jammeh’s way.

President Jammeh’s Tribalism

I will probably take some flak for this, but I will write about it anyway. I don’t care how much some people have tried to steer me away from the issue of tribalism, I believe it is something we need to talk about and be frank about it. Yahya Jammeh

President Doe and his executioners- a lesson for all to learn

is not living up to the sermons he preaches from the height of his pulpit. Even as Jammeh warns against the practice of tribalism, he is systematically cleansing other tribes from every level of government and replacing them with individuals that have discernable Karoninka and Jola names. Every Jola in our country deserves to work in every level of government, but not at the expense or the exclusion of members of other tribes. I was an angry young man growing up and seeing the way Jawara’s government was being tragically and systematically Mandinkanized. By the same token, Jammeh’s

efforts to Jolanize our machinery of government will only lead to a dead end. There can be no permanency to his mechanizations, because the Jolas are less than eight percent of out population. This is not about the Jolas, nor is it their fault; rather it is about Jammeh and his grand designs to form a Jola hegemony that extends from Kanilai through Cassamance to Guinea-Bissau. It is not going to happen, and Jammeh better wise up and snap out of his state of delusion. It seems from reading the papers that only Jolas are now being appointed to positions of authority at all levels of our government. This is not by accident; rather it is planned and executed to build a wall around Jammeh to protect him. His scheme may well unravel from inside out, because most Gambian Jolas do not condone Yahya’s dictatorship and the continuous torture and murder of people who were their classmates, co-workers, friends and neighbors. Besides, the Jolas in the military and elsewhere must understand that if Jammeh’s murderous rage has not spared his own family members, no Jola is safe from his rapacious lust for blood as a way to manipulate and control our fellow citizens. Yahya Jammeh does not represent the vast majority of Jolas who are decent and extremely social and sociable people.

Government Mediocrity

The time is running out on Jammeh and his government. There are hardly any qualified people to hire to fill our bureaucracy, because Jammeh has hired and fired almost anyone with any level of competence. People with questionable qualification fill the bureaucracy and our political appointments.
President Jammeh addressing Cabinet members during the swearing-in ceremony of the Vice

President, Secretaries of State, the Secretary General Many who were once only dreaming of getting to some position, suddenly wake up and find their dreams had become reality. This is the reality of Jammeh’s Gambia. The impossible and the unexpected just happen at the trigger of Jammeh benevolence and simple-minded emotions. But, make no mistake; despite the number of political and bureaucratic appointments, real decision-making power resides in the hands of Jammeh and him alone. Today, there is really no functioning government in the true sense of the word. Certainly, there is no other person who has the authority to make the hard decisions that only technically competent people can make. Everyone serves not only at Jammeh’s will, but as his puppet too. From his office, Jammeh is micro-managing every institution just so it suits his purposes. As far as Jammeh’s control over the bureaucracy is concerned, it is not very surprising, but for the Judiciary and The National Assembly to just roll over for Jammeh and allow him to usurp so much power is truly beyond the pale. Like a dog rolls over for its master, The Judiciary and National Assembly have become in the words of Mao Tse-Tung mere paper tigers. They bark under the shadows, and in the isolation and the solitude of the darkest night, while they lick their master’s ass when he shows up. It seems like Gambians have lost touch with reality. Otherwise, how can anyone explain the pervasive complacency when our fellow citizens are being arrested for no reason, tortured and killed like it is business as usual without the people rising up against this tyranny. My theory is that many of the people who should stand up and speak out, are holding positions of authority they do not want to loose. The economic necessity to survive and provide for their families is preventing many decent people from speaking out. While the clerics are turning a blind eye, the imams are intimidated or simply bribed to shut up, often at the risk of losing their lives. This is a horrendous time period in our history. We can expect nothing because ours is a government of mediocrity, there is no accountability, no transparency and the government business is shrouded in mystery and evil darkness. How much longer are we going to put up with this cancer called Yahya Jammeh? Haven’t we had enough, yet?

Bureaucratic Failure

Yahya Jammeh is a typical example of the failure of democracy, but he is not alone. All over Africa, people are elected to office only to turn around and become monsters. Despite our vast natural wealth, Africa is truly a cursed continent when it comes to the way we manage our political affairs and our resources. Nearly everyone who has been elected to leadership has sought and perpetuated themselves in positions of power for indefinite periods of time. During the thirty years that Jawara ruled The Gambia, America has had eight Presidents: Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, Bush and Clinton. Jammeh has said he plans to be in office for that long. He is serious about his intentions, but it is left to us to deny him that luxury. Clearly, there are many aspects of democracy that no country should do without, but it is evident that a process that enables elected presidents to threaten and intimidate their countrymen to vote for them, is a failing process. The idea of one-man one vote as a concept in democracy is seemingly innocuous, but in a country like ours with eighty five percent illiteracy, this means that government officials to return the incumbent government to power easily intimidate the vast majority of our people. Moreover, apart from using the government apparatus to its advantage, incumbent governments like Jammeh’s have before our very eyes, openly bribed and bought votes from our poor citizens. In one of his meetings in Badibou, Jammeh shamelessly told the people that if they fail to vote for him, he would not bring any development projects there. No responsible Head of State should behave like this, but again it is Yahya Jammeh, and we can expect noting better. The thuggish life is what he knows and understands. But, one-man one vote works well in educated societies, but as far as Africa is concerned, perhaps it is time to think of an alternative to the one-man one vote. The idea is to have the population to vote representatives to the Legislature, but who alone will vote for a President from among themselves. Anyone interested in contesting in the Legislative elections must have a minimum of a high school education.

Our Traumatized Military

Our military continues to baffle me. First, I cannot understand why they choose or perhaps unwittingly turn their backs on their fellow citizens. More importantly, how can they sit there and see their fellow soldiers being murdered at will. Everyone in the services is a marked man as far as Jammeh is concerned. I fully understand their fear of standing against Jammeh for fear for their lives, but we would appreciate it if you give information about this brutal government. Sometimes information is more powerful and better route to take in the effort to bring down dictatorships like Jammeh’s. As writers, we are often able to influence donor countries and institutions to not recognize, cooperate or provide the funding that helps to prolong dictatorships like Jammeh’s. We also know that Jammeh is creating a hostile environment in the military and other services by promoting his fellow Jolas and other related to the Jola tribe such as Karoninkas. What everyone in service ought to understand is that some day, all this will come to an end with or without the help of the military. There is noting on this earth that is designed to last forever. Even the nightmare of Jammeh’s government will come to a conclusion, perhaps sooner than he thinks.

The Silenced Judiciary

Finally, I cannot end without taking a swipe at our judiciary. I read somewhere that A.K. Savage is undertaking a lot of changes or is it reforms in the judiciary.

Chief Justice Abdou Karim Savage double passport photos

That is music to our ears. As the judiciary makes some changes, I have some ideas they might want to include in their agenda.

i. Clean the corruption in the Judiciary. The stories of graft and illegal conduct are pervasive.

ii. Establish a unit with good and capable lawyers to represent those citizens that have little financial means

iii. Release all political prisoners immediately. Jammeh’s is an illegal government if we take a long view to 1994, and until we go back to that time period and legitimize his government, it will remain illegal. An illegal government has no business trying anyone in court for anything.

iv. Force the NIA and the police to release anyone under their custody if the order to arrest them came from Jammeh’s illegal government.

v. Stop the NIA from going around at night arresting our fellow citizens. All arrests and search and seizures must be back by a warrant from a judge on duty.

Remember, this is not making laws, which is the duty of our sick National Assembly, but to implement what already exists in our laws. Force Jammeh to get his dirty hands off the workings of the Judiciary. More importantly, stand up for the people. They have suffered enough. Now is your opportunity to stand up and be some bodies for God’s sake.

How President Samuel Kanyon Doe of Liberia ended

posted @ Monday, November 20, 2006 1:36 AM by egsankara