By Bubacarr Sankanu, Berlin
Happy Birthday President Dr. Jammeh,
Now that you are 42 years younger, I feel like dropping our First Birthday Kid some thought-provoking lines. I would have loved to deliver these glad tidings personally but my schedule won’t allow me. Nonetheless, the ultima ratio of this letter is to exchange ideas on how to make life in The Gambia beautiful and sexy for our people. I am personally tired of all these bad news from Banjul and I hope the following romantic arguments would help us find some sweet solutions to some of the bitterest shortcomings at home:
Gambians In The Diaspora
Mr. President, contrary to whatever story some of your advisers might have cooked for you, we Gambians in the Diaspora are a blessing in disguise for you and for our Great Nation. Those who told you to disenfranchise us opted for the short-cut political solution and the result as you can feel, is bad name for you.
At least on behalf of those I exchange emails with, I can say, we are neither a bunch of opposition sympathisers, nor tools of foreign powers or unpatriotic idiots. We are apostles of peace and, liberation from mental slavery. We want to master our own destiny!
We are only making best use of the respect and hospitality our host countries are according us. This is natural as you can you see in the example of our Holy Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) when he transformed the hospitality of his hosts in Medina, formerly called Yathrib, into the bedrock of the Islamic Umma. As a pragmatist, he later signed the Treaty of Hudaibiya with his adversaries back home in Mecca for what is today known in diplomatic vocabulary as rapprochement.
We are taking no sides as you can judge by the contents of respectful cyber platforms like TheGambiaecho.com. Everybody feels the heat of the debates, from the authoritative publisher, the conscientious gatekeepers to even avant-garde analysts like me. We are entertaining everybody for the sake of mature dialogue and most significantly, without malice.
I personally believe 21st Century politics should not be aggressive, bloody or rough. We should be using our brains and personalities not our muscles and impulses while debating over what is good or bad for us as a Nation.
That said we, the upcoming elites and the intelligentsia, are striving to consolidate peaceful politics of maturity with fair loosers and fair winners so by the time we are elected/appointed to navigate our national ship, we would not loose strategic nautical miles fighting over the ladies on board.
We, the Citizens at home and abroad, have the constitutional right to tell you: Mr. President you and your Government are slam dunk wrong on this and that matter…However, in the spirit of participatory democracy, we are ready to work with you in advancing our beloved Nation of The Gambia. There is nothing opportunistic or contradictory in it as it serves our Supreme National Interests. If we cannot cope, we can always part in peace. It is a free world, after all! There is a Sarahule saying that when God claps for you, dance. We in the Diaspora are gathering enough knowledge and expertise and I am confident we can adapt our collective global exposures to the Gambian realities on the ground, at the right times.
Besides, Mr. President, we are helping you in maintaining domestic peace. Gambians have been complaining within their private family networks of the high costs of living, of encroached freedom of expression and of many other things. They are yet to take to the streets en masse for, at the end of the day, some breadwinners “in a sister African country, the Americas, Europe, Middle East or Asia would send the money”. It is not the fear of the National Intelligence Agency, the Army, the Police or the Paramilitary that is making people exercise maximum discipline. It is the consolation from their extended families at home and abroad!
In case your advisers did not tell you, no leader in this world can muzzle his/her subjects for long. The Roman Emperors could only succeed in delaying imperial collapse with their “bread and sarcouses” policy for their hungry people. The regicidal French Revolution of 1789-1799 was not the exclusive plan of the Free Masons. Mass hunger and decay helped in fanning the flames of revolt against the decadent ruling French elites. It was the lack of daily bread that helped in bringing the Soviet Union down. The workers of Gdansk Warf in Poland initially stood up in Solidarnõsc (Solidarity) for “food on the family table” but ended up calling for internal political reforms that were technically and financially blessed by The Vatican and the U.S.
In addition, your Government is collecting taxes from the remittances of Gambians abroad. This means, millions of Dalasi are raining on our Gambian National Treasury every fiscal year. It further shows that we are your unsung partners in the development of our Nation. Your Government is apparently taking us for substitute lovers: at the convenient time we are seduced and once the other glamorous “development partners” and “friendly investors” show up, we are bullied as unpatriotic troublemakers!
I humbly request you to turn this love-hate affair into a productive relationship in the interest of Mother Gambia. You can create an Office of Diaspora Relations under the Vice-Presidency or any other appropriate department of state. Alternately, you may give it more weight by appointing a Special Representative/ Assistant on Diaspora Relations under highest Office of The President.
However you decide, resenting Gambians in the Diaspora should not be an option for your Administration. They are, in their various personal capacities, complementing your official Ambassadors in promoting the image of The Gambia.
Your colleagues in Ghana and Mali are reaping bonanza from their Non-Resident Citizens. During a recent documentary project, I discovered that among the African migrants in Europe, the Ghanaians top the list when it comes to talking positive about their home governments and embassies. The Malians follow them. The French President Nicholas Sarkozy, in his former capacity as Interior minister, tried all his best in bribing the Malian Government into talking back the so-called sans papiers (illegal immigrants) to no avail. The pragmatic Malian President, Amadou Toumani Touré (ATT), retired soldier of your standing, refused to cooperate. He said though the brain drain is regrettable, the support African migrants, illegal or legal residents, are extending to their domestic economies is greater than the Official Development Assistance (ODA) from the International Community and the former colonial powers. The World Bank has since corroborated this argument!
You have the chance to clear the misunderstandings between you and Diaspora Gambians. The list of grievances is too long for me to detail here. One clear example is that some of the boys here in Germany (Bundesrepulik/Deutschland) are not happy with you. They complained to me that you have been sending Gambian immigration officers to help arrange their deportations!
Mr. President, what your concerned advisers fail to understand is that even if all these boys and girls in Babylon (Diaspora) keep sending only US$50 a month each to their families, it is better for our political economy than when they idle at home only to swallow bullets like late Sheriff Minteh of London Corner. Bullets are not bananas, Mr. President!
Not a Fool of State!
Your public announcement during your recent victory celebration at Tallinding that you are not the “fool” of our Nation is historic and important. For any nation that has a “Fool of State” disguised as Head of State is doomed. Since the day you said you can cure HIV/AIDS, Asthma and Diabetics, a lot of wild criticisms from across the globe were poured on our National Identity. Some critics said your “success in the last Presidential elections got into your head and you need a Sigmund Freud Coach”. Others argued that you are “trying to distract attention from the socio-economic hardships that are forcing the youths out of the country in marathon speed.”
Whatever the case, I am not in the position to tell you who is right or wrong, as I am not on the ground. Nine years have passed since you and I last exchanged honest smiles for a new accurate psychogramme.
Legal Relevance
With your confirmation that you are not foolish, you have not only dispelled the wild rumours over your state of mind but also made a historic legal point.
The historic importance of your statement could be seen when you are no longer our First Citizen. You have confirmed, by not being a fool, that you are conscious of all the happenings around you. You know what you and your Government do in public and in private. You have a big ear since all our state security agencies report to you. This means aliens cannot come from Mars and build us say, a road, or kill people within our borders without you knowing about it. By and large, you have technically confirmed that you “bear the highest moral responsibility” for the actions of your Administration, be they positive or negative! Mark you, it is this same legal argument that was used to indict ex- Liberian leader Charles Taylor for allowing the mafias to loot Liberian resources, destabilise West Africa, Sierra Leone to be precise, and to stain his own hands with blood diamonds.
God Forbid, when you are no longer in power, some one or some people may intend to drag you to court for the actions of your Government making reference to the case of Charles Taylor, which is now a strong precedence!
You can now see the legal value of a statement like “I am no fool” especially when you are a top dog. Mr. President, from the bottom of my stubborn heart, I advise you to be pragmatic and cautious. You enjoy freedom of expression but words, as you know, are like bullets. Once fired, they can only be retrieved surgically. And please, think of Day X!
Changing World
As you know Dr. Jammeh, we live in a dynamic world with changing realities. Immunity from prosecution is no longer glorious as it used to be, say, a decade ago. Even if current domestic laws immune sitting and former holders of public office from prosecution, laws can be changed to suit the national interest of the day and I challenge any doubting legal luminary to prove me wrong! The Indemnity Clause in our 1996 Constitution is not a fruitful life insurance. Your successor(s) needs only the political will to force a constitutional amendment through parliament and you would be declared wanted! Eve if you choose to settle in a foreign country, the interests of your hosts have priority as you can see in the case of Idris Deby of Chad, Valentine Strasser of Sierra Leone or Charles Taylor, to list a few.
Today leaders who misbehave are doing everything possible to prevent the evil they do, while in office, from taking the butter in their pension bread.
Outgoing President Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria, who was equally sitting on the moneybags as Petroleum Resources Minister, knew this and pulled strings to avoid his estranged Vice-President Atiku Abubakar from succeeding him. Obasanjo knows how inquisitive an angry successor can be. The French prosecutors were waiting for Jacque Chirac to step out of the Elysée Palace before nabbing him for corruption, paternalism and all those nasty things that go on in politics of power and money. Chirac, being a survival artist, negotiated a deal with his successor Nicholas Sarkozy. He publicly endorsed and secretly campaigned for Sarkozy who in turn vowed to upgrade the French immunity laws in Chirac’s favour.
Late Boris Yeltsin of Russia too was clever. He handed over power to Vladimir Putin in exchange for “immunity-for-life” for him and his family from possible prosecution for alleged money launderings and illegal sale of public assets. Putin could keep his promise as he has four advantages. One, he has no immediate or distant family ties with Yeltsin and could make realistic decisions without emotions. Two, he is an outsider and could free himself from the bondage of the Dacha Mafias (an equivalent of the so called Banjul Mafia, Teri Kafo or Kanilai Connection) who hitherto monopolised the centre of power. Three, Putin was not a rich tycoon and had no commercial interests, at the time of his grooming, to protect or promote. Four, he is smart and charismatic. These qualities, together with the full blessings of Yeltsin made it possible for him to make a fresh start with a fresh team working on a new programme of “managed democracy.”
Even if some people call Putin dictator, (politics is not a game of sainthood anyway), he has proven his patriotism by re-nationalising, through the state-own Gazporm conglomerate, most of the strategic public assets that were unfairly sold to the ugly oligarchs with questionable characters. Yeltsin and the old guards who behaved enjoyed their privileges in peace while those who feel they can buy the state end up in jail or exile!
Your Retirement Plan
Mr. President, I would not like our country to face another economic shock, like in the aftermath of your 1994 takeover, due to either the absence of a smooth power transfer mechanism or political will to hand over when common sense calls for it (as in the example of Tony Blair of UK)!
Mr. president, I appeal to you not to allow the insincere praise-singers, hypocrites and executive or political soul-traders mix up your retirement plans. Please try to avoid a Shakespearean tragedy. Some people may be insulting me for “helping” you “with smart tips”. The fact is I cannot live in a world where the symbols of my Nation could be humiliated before global television screens as in the cases of Charles Taylor and Saddam Hussein!
You can save us this embarrassment by starting to concretize your retirement or safe exit plans in peace. You are lucky to be in a position of learning from the mistakes of others and make timely choices. If you like you can choose to be like your predecessor Sir Dawda Jawara by waiting to be overthrown. You can also follow the example of Boris Yeltsin by signing a pact with someone who is free form the yokes of the secret societies and bandits. You may, I won’t recommend, act like Abacha of Nigeria by dropping dead. You can as well imitate Rawlings of Ghana or Alpha Omar Konare of Mali.
Alhagie AJJ, you are elected by our compatriots to run our country, not ruin it. You have all the time in this world to reflect, reform, repent and collect sincere advice for a productive stewardship. If you think I can be of any help on this and allied matters, my email address it at your disposal: I am prepared to advise you, on and off, for a symbolic fee of ONE (1) DALASI PER ANNUM! Preventing a national disaster is always cheaper than curing it and the Supreme Interests of Mother Gambia MUST prevail over our various personal interests!
Pro-Government Militants
Mr. President in your inaugural speech, you called on Gambians to “respect the persons of authority”. I agree with you but I believe charity begins at home and those enjoying your favours should first stop behaving like demi-gods if ordinary Gambians are to follow suit.
A pro government militant or ruling party activist who goes around terrorising people and aggrandizing him/herself under the banners of patriotism is a pathological gangster. You will agree with me that the recent conviction of a supposed ring leader of the Green Boys for impersonation and the sentencing of Azziz Tamba and Baba Jobe for economic crimes solidify this argument!
Sir, I do not support any of the opposition teams in our county since some of them do not understand the meaning of “unity” or “national interest”. Sir, I must at the same time, confess that some of your own ruling propagandists are not cultured! I cannot understand why they keep perambulating and giving people headache.
Again Sir, many public servants are only interested in doing their work and going back to their families in peace. From my own experience as a public servant in your administration, I can testify firsthand that it is not easy to be technocratic and neutral in the midst of praise-singers and hypocrites. There are many capable Gambians out there who would be willing to serve their country without open party politics but they are often hindered by some pimps who loiter around as experts in hypocrisy, praise singing, character assassinations and intrigues.
I can vividly recall an undesirable incident I witnessed. Some local members of the former July 22nd Movement (J22M) by-passed a Divisional Commissioner (Governor) and acted otherwise. They were very arrogant to the Commissioner who was trying to remind them of the need to respect the chain of command. The unrepentant J22M members promised to report the matter to Banjul. I was somehow disappointed when you later sacked this Commissioner who was a retired captain. I feel it was the half-truth and the versions of the J22M members that might have contributed to his dismissal.
Mr. President, people are good at complaining about others while covering their own wrongdoings. Please continue to give accused persons fair chance of clearing their names. Every correct person has what the Wollofs call “jom”. By only listening to their adversaries, you compromise this jom and unnecessarily create more enemies for yourself.
You did the right thing by dissolving the July 22nd Movement since some of its influential members felt they were above the law and went about ruining the lives of neutral public servants. Please do not let the Green Boys and Girls be lethal and rude. If you do, they will drive your Government into a dead-end! They may enjoy their privileges as long as they do not fabricate lies about their neighbours and adversaries!
Praise Singers vs.Constructive Critics
You made good points when you recently sent the praise-singers to the cleaners. However, I will not like our peoples to engage in any witch-hunt for anyone carrying a musical instrument. We should, and must, separate the genuine artistes and avant-gardes of authentic culture from the money-hungry vagabonds. In addition, I would like us to be cautious of the parasitic bureaucrats, the party-bourgeoisie and all those who think by loading your ears with what you want to hear, you will tickle them with lucrative contracts and prestigious jobs. These corny praise-singers and hypocrites are more destructive to you and our country than any Trojan horse you may come by!
The praise-singers are no better patriots than the constructive critics. While the opposition and the critical journalists may choose to challenge you directly, the praise singers and sleek advisers would shade crocodile tears for you. I am sure if you are to resynchronize the time to Friday, July 22nd 1994, you will reverse a number of programmes/advice that were packaged to you by gangsters who would not think twice before selling their own grandmothers to the highest bidder!
Mr. President, I would not like you to make bloody mistakes which could stain your records as Head of State of our Great Country. Open your heart to constructive criticism and fair dialogue. There were, and are, leaders who refused to listen to pragmatic voices and paid heavy prices.
Joseph Stalin of the former Soviet Union could not even differentiate between Holland and The Netherlands and his advisers were afraid to correct him. He was more interested in personality cult. The Soviet economy was in shambles but his advisers were equally afraid to show him the correct data as he would either kill them or send them to the Siberian Gulags (forced labour camps). By the time Mikhail Gorbachev started to reform the system, he found himself liquidating a bankrupt economy.
The praise-singers of China’s Chairman Mao Tse-tung were afraid of explaining to him the devastating effects of his Cultural Revolution. The only comrade-in-arm who dared speak the truth, Den Xiaoping, was severely humiliated, incarcerated, isolated and almost sent to the grave by Mao. However, every dog has its own bone and when Den got his bone he emerged as a pragmatic Chinese leader. It was his realistic reformist agenda of the 1980s, which is now transforming China into a new Superpower. His passionate saying drove his realistic policies, “it does not matter whether the cat is black or white as long as it can catch rats!”
George Bush of the U.S. refused to take pragmatic advice before going to bed with the oil, gas and defence industry mafias. Now he is his stuck pant down in Iraq and Bin Laden has just celebrated his 50th birthday in freedom.
Since Fidel Castro of Cuba took a medical leave from power, his brother and interim successor, Raul Castro, asked the Cuban elites to report the country’s housing and other domestic problems “as is”. No one dare talk since people see this invitation a ploy to identify potentials critics in a post Castro Cuba who could later be silenced.
However, a former adviser in Margaret Thatcher’s government of the U.K. commented that people within the inner circles of power are often afraid of speaking the truth for fear of reprisals. The British man who openly regrets working on the aggressive privatization policy of the Thatcher years (Thatcherism) said, once you bravely show the real facts, you will black-listed and to survive in a game of politics, one needs to “keep quite” or just say “yes, Okay” most of the time! This is why many governments end up failing!
Fatou Jaw Manneh and the Girls
My Dear President: I would like to kindly request you to drop the charges against my sister-in-pen Fatou Jaw Manneh and all the other journalists in legal or moral battle with your Government.
You see, the late Amadou Hampate Ba of Mali said any person who leads or influences 1000 (one thousand) people do not belong to him/herself but to the 1000 followers. If you are a celebrity or person of authority, you cannot avoid public scrutiny just like the devil and the holy water. You need to have thick skin like a rhinoceros for people will pinch you until start daydreaming!
In fact, I cannot understand the fuss in Fatou Jaw Manneh calling you a “frosty imam” or Mariam Denton hating anything about you. These things sound to me like common schoolgirl compliments. Do you really feel like a frosty snowman in your kaftans? Are you still the First Bachelor of our Country?
Mr. President, as an experienced sunny boy, I can tell you that women may sometimes act like children. They are by nature, very good at complaining and crying. A smart old boy consoles, pampers or ignores them. This is a bad boy secret!
If I were you I would not waste valuable presidential calories on these girlie stuffs. I would instead be dancing Salsa, Merengue, Tango and Affijang on rotation. For, out of all the political beauties in The Gambia only three namely, Fatou Jaw Manneh as Miss Diaspora; Mariam Denton as Miss UDP and Amie Sillah as Miss PDOIS, refused to join the Yayi Compin harem. This is a record…It shows how sexy you are! What are your image advisers doing? In your shoes, I would borrow the lover boy charms of Italy’s former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and take these three bad political girls out for a “thank-you dinner” even if I won’t pay the special bride prices they are asking… FJC and the other brides are still fresh!
Sir, 21st Century politics, in my opinion, should be soft, sexy, serious, scandalous and glamorous as in show business. When former U.S. President Ronald Reagan, a former actor, brought show business into his foreign policy, people laughed but by the time he retired, the Soviet Union was no more and Ghaddafi of Libya became a toothless bulldog! Arnold Schwarzenegger’s successful show business styles in governing the important state of California are making the U.S. federal government rethink its “I don’t care” environmental policies!
Mr. President, by letting Fatou Jaw Manneh and your other critics go you will score a very good image point as a charismatic gentleman. I am appealing to you as an insider of the Image Industry. Please leave these big girls and their political beauty contest alone and let us continue playing our own boys’ game of turning bad news into good news for our peoples.
In fact, I think you should now be using your annual birthday that coincides with the African Liberation Day to pardon prisoners and persons in legal distress. This will do you good in case you want to build a legacy as a quintessential President of the Hearts!
Your Fellow Citizen
Bubacarr Sankanu
Email: Bubacarr@gmx.net
Site: www.afromediafilmtv.net