The Verdict
By Adama Hawa
I agree with the editor that we now need to stop this negative debate about ethnicity and concentrate on the bigger picture, which is how to get rid of this evil regime leading our dear country to the dogs. The trend that debate seems to take certainly does not do anyone any good, and neither does it help advance our cause. Instead, it only helps to trivialize the issue at hand.
However, the facts are quite glaring that Mathew Jallow is the culprit by attempting to defend the indefensible. There is absolutely no way that he can defend Sana Sabally against all the evil things he was accused of committing, apparently because he is a Fula like him. Indeed, by so doing, he seems to be giving credence to the naked tribalism that Yahya Jammeh is playing by Jolanising the entire public services. There is enough evidence against Sana for committing so many atrocities against innocent Gambians while he was in power and anyone who attempts to defend him risks being seen as an accomplice in those atrocities. Indeed, while many people enjoy and appreciate Mathew's contributions to the struggle for the emancipation of our people, but by defending Sana, he is beginning to alienate many of those same people.
In fact, Mathew seems to be going against the grain because the general conscientious is that Sana's arrest and detention in January 2005 was the best thing that ever happened to this country at that material time. Otherwise, it is hard to imagine how many more innocent people would have become victims of his arrogance and intoxication with power.
Therefore, Sana's imprisonment was seen by many people as good riddance, and there is no way that a majority of Gambians would ever accept him back in the country in a leadership position. This is because there is no guarantee that when he again assumes the mantle of power, at whatever level, he is not going to return to his old habits and begin treating the people like expendable trash.
Whatever the case however, Sana's name is already associated with evil deeds and therefore, he needs to come out clean on the numerous bad things he has been associated with before the people can even consider forgiving him. So many families are still mourning their loved ones, thanks to Sana, and there is no way that those people will forever forgive him.
There is no doubt that the most important event in which Sana's name featured quite prominently was the November 11 coup attempt when he was said to have played the leading role in brutally suppressing it. He not only led the socalled loyalist troops to stop the insurrection, but he was also credited with rounding up those accused of complicity in the "coup attempt" and supervising their extra-judicial execution in cold blood.
We can all vividly recall how everyone used to run away from the road whenever Sana's motorcade was heard approaching. This is because he did not hesitate to brutally deal with anyone who obstructed his convoy.
We can also recall the numerous other occasions in which Sana, often in collaboration with his most loyal buddy; the late Sadibou Haidara, committed many other atrocities against innocent people.
Therefore, rather than forgive Sana and forget the numerous atrocities he committed against innocent Gambians, as Mathew seems to suggest, he deserves to be handed over to the International Criminal Court to be tried for crimes against humanity. Indeed, no matter how long it may take, both he and Yahya Jammeh will eventually face such a prospect; otherwise, the souls of their numerous innocent victims would never rest.