Power to the Gambian People
A Revolution is eminent in The Gambia Now!!!
The present challenges and struggle that Gambian people are facing today started way back two decades ago, when the military Junta led by Lt. Yaya Jammeh overthrew a democratically elected government and ushered themselves into power.
These young power-hungry soldiers immediately announced their plans for the Gambian people. This were done through slogans. The most reasonable of them I can remember is that “accountability and transparency will be the order of the day.” The junta branded deposed government officials as people who lived in flamboyant life styles at the expense of the masses. These words echoed well into the ears of many Gambians.
However, this turns out to be a mere lip service aimed at garnering public support and loyalty.
Fellow Gambians, let us be fair and honest to ourselves; did we ever see any transparency and accountability in Yaya Jammeh’s government? When asked how he had financed his government’s lavish projects, Jammeh boast that the money came from Allah’s bank. What a Fat Lie! In fact, the junta was far from being transparent let alone, accountable. Who are they fooling? Clearly it’s the Gambian people.
I was going to school back then and old enough to understand what was going around me. My sense of reasoning at the time was not totally convinced by what I was hearing, taking into cognisance the examples of other African nations with similar events and trends in their political history. Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, etc. all had similar experiences.
I want every Gambian — young and old — to understand that we are being stripped off our rights to exist as normal human beings. All this is happening because few ignorant individuals who wanted to satisfy their selfish needs. We have an arrogant dictator who will jump on any progressive bandwagon that patriotic Gambians initiate — business or social development agenda — and make it his own.
The way our economy is run is like a sole trader business where one person is the sole owner and makes all decisions, which I found very pathetic. I think this is evident in other dictatorial regimes in the past and also in the 21st century. How can we (Gambians as a nation) allow a tyrant who did not achieve any college education to misguide us for more than two decades.
If we are a Democratic Nation as enshrined in our Construction, why are we not allowed to express our honest opinion on how we are being governed, how our resources are being allocated to suit the needs of Gambian people and how our social infrastructure is being managed to create a true, fairer and a prosperous society that the 21st century calls for?
If we are indeed a Democratic Country, why is it that Gambians cannot go out and demonstrate peacefully without being harassed, intimidated, arrested and killed by the very people we are paid to protect us and our sovereignty?
All of these are clearly evident in present day Gambia. The April 10/11 student demonstration is a true account of one of the events. It has come with no evidence or reason that Solo Sandeng and others should be arrested and beaten inhumanely as it has been reported by reliable sources. The same way Mr. Ousainou Darboe, the leader of main opposition party (UDP) also arrested and detained with some senior party members. These people are all Gambians fighting for equality, tolerance, peace and justice for the Gambian people.
I have seen no other way that this dictator will stop killing our fellow citizens until we all come together as Gambians and remove the brutal dictatorial regime of President Yaya Jammeh. Fellow Gambians, let us not succumb to dictator Jammeh’s barbaric and irresponsible behaviour towards us. Let us all stand up to him and his government and fight with the rights we have as a people to put right what has been wronged for decades. Together we can do it. The country is heading in a wrong direction and is in the hands of the wrong people really. Let’s come together, work as a people to stop this dictatorship and tyranny on us and work towards a better and brighter future for ourselves and the future generations to come.
Together we can do it as it is clearly manifested in the fundamental principles and values, which makes Gambia an Independent nation. The Gambian people had enough of the rubbish and bloody rule for more two decades. We want power back to the people of the Gambian where it rightfully belongs. Power to the people!
Baba Jaiteh
Ends