The Gambia: Dictatorship and Submissiveness.

   By Mathew K. Jallow, Associate Editor

The other day, on the pages of The Gambia Echo, an anonymous writer from Latri Kunda Mosque, Serekunda, conceptualized and rationalized the behaviors and attitudes of African politicians using Sir Dawda Jawara as a reference point. He could not be more right. In hindsight, one can now picture the metamorphosis and the transition our countrymen went through, which turned their collective consciences into a state of stupor and lamentable indifference to the nefarious activities of the Jammeh regime. Over the thirty-year reign of President Sir Dawda Jawara, the old man became a ready and a willing accomplice to the efforts by those who benefited most from political association with his regime, to create a deity around his name. Sir Dawda Jawara failed to make any efforts to discourage his followers and blind admirers from creating a cult-like figure around his persona, and instead he seemed to revel in it. His own Ministers of state were the primary culprits in the campaign to create a demi-god out of him, singing his indispensable saintly name at every available opportunity, rather than delve into the social and economic needs of our population.  By permitting his maniacs to elevate his name to celestial levels, Sir Dawda not only took the low road, he also became the genesis of our present political inertia. Because he put his own interest and political expediency above national interest, Sir Dawda contributed immensely to the political ignorance that has lent itself to the cowardice of our people and the absence of strong and independent civil society organizations that could be strong and independent enough to challenge their government’s failures and ineptitude. The culture of political submissiveness that we are now enduring under Yahya Jammeh, did not, therefore, develop out of a vacuum. But, Yahya Jammeh is now clearly exploiting and benefiting from this apparent national weakness, knowing full well that Sir Dawda had already laid the groundwork for the political apostasy in our country. And now, there is no denying that Jammeh has taken the exploitation of Gambians to a new height, but worst, he has not shied away from frequently using brutality and repressive methods to achieve compliance and a semblance of stability. While both Jawara and Yahya Jammeh have exploited our gullible and vulnerable citizens to their political advantages, the two are hardly comparable in much else. Yet, the result is that today, the political paralysis in our country, with its origins from the Jawara years, has definitely reached an unacceptable level, where citizens have remained mute, out of an incapacitating fear for their lives, even in the face of government sanctioned murders and abductions that we have experienced over the past thirteen years. An educated population is the best antidote to Yahya Jammeh’s dictatorship, because every enlightened and educated citizen understands they have the right to rebel and to use deadly force to protect and jealously guard their God given rights and liberties.

More than a decade after being handed the mantle of power on a silver platter, Yahya Jammeh has, with the use of the armed and security agencies, succeeded in reducing our people into a pathetic and depraved bunch, with a proclivity to surrender their rights and freedoms at the slightest hint of the regime’s intimidation. Today, the freedoms of assembly and speech that our people enjoyed have become relics of the past, making The Gambia the most politically repressive country in all of Africa. What is more astounding is the fact that with all the murders, arbitrary arrests and the detentions, which have now become a way of life in the country, there seems to be no will or willingness among the people to challenge the regime in any way, shape or form. Given the fear that has pervaded Gambian society, it has become difficult to reconcile the abyss that exists between the human values we cherish as a nation and the fear of speaking up for our people in the face of brutality metered by their own government. To make matters worst, Yahya Jammeh has become so comfortable in his application of deadly force that it is now increasingly clear that the subtle signals Jammeh is sending to our people is that only force will dislodge him from the celestial pedestal he is occupying. The proof of this is visible everywhere one looks around the country, as the NIA has turned into the most dangerous agency, an instrument of terror whose victims are the innocent citizens of our country. Besides, Yahya Jammeh has chosen to constitute the government power structures with the use of personal loyalties and tribal affiliations at the expense of a formal and impersonal bureaucratic system. Yahya Jammeh’s bold, naked and exclusive preference of his Jola tribesmen, which cries out loud for our attention, is perhaps one of Africa’s worst cases of regime-sanctioned tribalism. Even Sekou Touray with his entire cruel disposition, did not have the guts to be so blatant in his display of tribalism. But, in spite of their insignificant number in terms of population, the amount of power and authority held by the Jolas, in proportion to their numbers, is mind bugling, but Jammeh does not seem bothered by the fact that he is creating a precedence in our country that portend danger in the future. If Jammeh’s tribalism is not bad enough, what is worst than the Fulas, Mandinkas, the provincial Wollofs, Sereres, Serahules and the Jolas with good consciences being intimidated into servitude and submissiveness by the cowardly Jammeh? History has taught us over and over again that regimes like Jammeh’s are built on sandy foundations, and it does not necessarily take a lot of effort to bring them crashing down. The time to do so is now and is now long overdue.

When we speak of regime change, Sergeant Alhagi Cham Joof (Sir Jackal) who was involved in two separate attempts to liberate our country from Jammeh’s murderous regime, comes to mind. By his selflessness, Sir Jackal has demonstrated what people who cherish their freedoms and liberties can do. He is not only my personal hero; he is a hero to Gambians everywhere, but particularly to all of us yearning to return to the country of our births. By his example of bravery, Sergeant Alhagi Cham Joof is showing his former comrades in the military that they should not, and must not allow themselves to be used as a prop to defend and extend the life of a regime that even now is killing its own citizens. It is what the true measure of a soldier’s patriotism means, when he can stand up in the defense of fellow citizens from the brutal repression of their own government. Any young Gambian in and out of the military, who has been killed or is languishing in our horrible prisons, and who attempted to overthrow Jammeh’s killing machine, deserves our respect and adulation as a nation. But, Sir Jackal’s informative narrative reveals the existence of mass graves in Yundum, and casts more light on the extent of the killings for which this regime is culpable. Beyond that, because families are fearful of coming forward to ask question and demand answers about their loved ones who disappeared, we cannot begin to understand the gravity of the blood thirst exhibited by this regime over the past thirteen years. Today, any estimates of fellow citizens and non-citizens who have been killed execution style by Yahya Jammeh’s military thugs, or butchered in the most cruel fashion by his NIA murderers, is only a wild guess. Given all what we don’t know yet about the sinister activities of the Jammeh regime, it is within reason to think that the number of people murdered by Jammeh by far exceeds the numbers and names we all know about. Sir Jackal is revealing for the first time the existence of mass graves in Yundum, but we are familiar with the existence of the mass graves in Siffoe and Kanilai. As a former military officer himself, Sergeant Alhagi Cham Joof (Sir Jackal) is very credible, because he ought to know. Finally, now that Yahya Jammeh has and continues to unleash the cruelty of his compliant soldiers and the brutality of his lackey NIA agents on The Gambian people, it is the noble duty and responsibility of every Gambian, to not only resist, but to overthrow this sick, cruel, bloodthirsty and genocidal regime before Yahya Jammeh will completely destroy our beloved country. We can no longer ignore nor tolerate Yahya Jammeh’s dictatorship and how he is gradually tearing our country from the inside out. We have shown him fear and cowardice for far too long. It is now time for everyone to shed off their fear of Yahya Jammeh and his regime and try to reclaim their God given rights and liberties. As far as we know, no one made Jammeh god over us, and we should not stand for his political shenanigans. In short, it is time for us to forcibly remove this monster called Yahya Jammeh. We know we have the backing of the bulk of our soldiers; even the Jolas who are apparently so disgusted with what Jammeh is doing in their names.