Exiled Jammeh Dying Slowly?

 

The Gambia’s exiled former President does not look healthy at all, latest leaked pictures from Equatorial Guinea show. Yahya Jammeh, who looks weak and frail, has shredded significant amount of weight. He is seen pictured along with Equatorial Guinea President Theodore Obiang and 2nd Lt. Wandifa Barrow, Jammeh’s aide de camp.

Mr. Jammeh was forced into exile in January 2017 after losing the election to the coalition candidate Adama Barrow. He has since been living in Equatorial Guinea purposely to evade indictment for committing crimes against humanity.

Mr. Jammeh had earlier been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. His aides were concerned about his failure to comply with doctor’s advice that he should limit eating high carbohydrate foods.

It is not clear whether his weakness has anything to do with his diabetes.

Some unconfirmed sources attributed Jammeh’s weakness to excessive stress and diarrhoea, which have both taken toll on the former President. One source said Mr. Jammeh’s wishes were to die a president and is not therefore not prepared for a normal life. “He is at great pains for being forced into exile. Jammeh’s crimes are also haunting him. In essence, the man is not living in peace,” a close source said. “He is dying slowly.”

Ends

107 Comments

  1. Yaya Jammeh with all his Mandinka hatred and bigotry, he still has Mandinkas for his protection. He was installed in presidency by Mandinkas and he was defeated by Mandinkas. A Mandinka president Alpha Conde saved his ass and put him in exile . His personal security protection officer, Lt Barrow is a Mandinka. Yaya Jammeh cannot escape from Mandinkas. Yaya Jammeh must be grateful to Mandinkas for many reasons. When he was poor and destitute, a mandinka from Baddibu gave his mother a compound to sleep. Jammeh and his haters, needs to be grateful to Mandinkas.

    • You are right Max. He must be ashame of himself running away and hiding in someone else’s backyard after all the power he said he had. Why didn’t he man up and challenge democracy? This is just the beginning. Yaya Jammeh and his gang of murderers will all pay the price. Allah was watching them and the time has come. The evil men do live after them.

    • Max , you always write very important topic how I wish many Gambian can read it . Why not write directly. Honestly I like the topic you always post . I follow you always . Allah bless you and protect all good people down Yaya killer Jammeh and his young evil . Inshallah we will get them all . Brother Max thank you .

      • Thank you very much brother Lamim for your compliment. Politics is something I enjoy during my leisure time and I like to contribute my small part in moving our country in positive direction. I am still learning how to write and enjoy having substantive discussion/ debate in this forum.

    • Phatabot

      IF MANDINKAS ARE THE ONLY PEOPLE IN THE GAMBIA,DECIDING ON WHO SITS AND WHO LEAVES ,THEN I SUGGEST YOU TO TALK TO PRESIDENT BARROW TO CHANGE ALL VOTERS AND ID CARDS AND RESTRICT THEM FOR MANDIKAS ONLY..

  2. The pictures could seem too; the MURDEROUS kanilai KILLER DEVIL surveying to build an estate, with idol worshipping shrine (can take animal(Tony-Gorilla) from the bush BUT can’t take bush out of the animal), “AIDs (& all diseases) herbal-cure centre”😈 & a zoo; only for the Cassa(mace)-kanilai affiliated EVILNESS & the DEVILISH servants in company to be (themselves) amongst the animals this time around quarantined within their confinement in self-imposed exiles…???

    Otherwise let them come “home”, on equal footing this time, & face the Truth & REALITY, IF they all are “man enough”, instead of taking to their hills…??

    “Any WILFUL (calculated/premeditated) deliberations of a human being, is accounted for; here on earth; &/ hereafter”…?

    Facing fellow humans in earthly justice first; OR the Almighty Creator in the Hereafter; the choice is compulsory & unavoidable; can’t be missed either way; Insha Allah…

  3. Yaya came to power illegally and maintained that power illegally until he was ousted by Gambians, not Mandinkas. These yaya-brand of tribalism should stop.

  4. @Max : “He was installed in presidency by Mandinkas and he was defeated by Mandinkas. ”

    What a load of rubbish !!!! Shame on you Max..You have finally completed exposing yourself for what you truly are…

    • I agree with you Bax. That kind of a remark is absolute rubbish. It’s a shock to hear something like that from Max. Who wouldn’t think now you have some kind of a hegemony agenda well put to your shoulder. I’ve always perceived you are much more mentally matured to make such a statement. Please come again with matter and not such primitivity. Please!!

      • Bourne , I am sorry you have now perceived me in a negative light but my analysis is based on true evidence and political behavioral pattern of electorates who decided the election in The Gambia. This is based on historical evidence in both first regime and jammeh’s military dictatorship . In any democracy, there is voting block which define the election and direction of the country . Example in USA , white American define the direction of USA election which was why president Obama won {approximately more than 40 % } significant number of white voters despite the fact he won 97% of black vote , 72 % of Hispanic and Asian, total demographic population of these minorities represent less than 40 % of USA votes . Therefore, former president Obama won presidency because of white voters . President trump won presidency because of electoral college votes despite he lost popular vote and at the same time , majority of white voted for him. In the same way , mandinkas which form 45 % of the Gambian votes will always define and decide the direction of our country. This is the perspective I want to emphasize that they are the people who installed jammeh in presidency and they defeated him . By and large , even sir Dawda was installed by mandinkas for presidency because it was the mandinkas elders from the protectorate areas who asked him to lead their party which led to his presidency. Sir Dawda was installed by mandinkas in presidency. If Halifa want to be president of The Gambia , he must leave his futile political strategy and take a different course of action which will ultimately enable him to succeed. This is the top political secret or deep political ingenuity he needs to adopt . Halifa will only succeed if he change strategy.
        Bax , I don’t mind you because you have shallow political understanding of our people and politics . As an analyst, I do want to bring facts and evidence to prove my position or view . If anyone disputes these facts or evidence, please bring evidence contrary to what I stated . Giving me labels will never change a thing. Of course I understand, no body want to point out this facts . If president Barrow makes any mistake of being antagonist to majority of mandinkas voters , he will face the same music like the one jammeh faced . This is the lesson we must all learn. In U.K. White nationalistic citizens took back the direction of their country in the same manner .

        • Dormu Rewwum Gambia (aka Luntango Suun Gann Gi)

          Bax is right, “what a LOAD of Rubbish!”

          Max: “Obama won {approximately more than 40 % } significant number of white voters despite the fact he won 97% of black vote , 72 % of Hispanic and Asian, total demographic population of these minorities represent less than 40 % of USA votes . Therefore, former president Obama won presidency because of white voters.”

          Because of 40% White votes?? What if 90% of Blacks and 72% of Hispanic/Asians did NOT vote for Obama – would he still have won? NO! So why doesn’t Max say “Obama won because of 97% Black and 72% Hispanic/Asian votes”???!!! Because Max wants to apportion FAKE credit to Whites as he is trying to apportion FAKE credit to tribe in the Gambian elections.

          Jammeh WON because in ALL his elections THREE things worked together for him: 1. He had the GUN 2. Gambians were FEARFUL 3.The Opposition failed to UNITE.
          During the 2016 Election, Gambians STOPPED fearing him (thanks to Solo Sandeng) and he faced a UNITED OPPOSITION. Simple as. Max’s TRIBALIST analysis is indeed, as my in-law says “a LOAD of Rubbish”.

          As for the pictures in this story, Jammeh was always a BUSH-MAN and he seems to be ENJOYING the Bush. Infact, he seems to have LOST weight and seems fitter than he used to look when he was fat, blotted and sweaty. For an ex-Mass Murder he appears very content.

          • Dida , I think you will agree that people vote based on different reasons such tribe , race , socioeconomic, immigration, healthcare and many others . Even the most advanced democracy, these are issues people voted for. You once supported jammeh because you do not care about human rights violations I was concerned about during that time you supported jammeh . I could say you supported jammeh because he has given you a job as MD at daily observer and that job could have been given to qualified citizens. Some people even dislike jammeh because he has given you a job as an immigrant in The Gambia at the expense indigenous citizens. That perspective is based on immigration. So if I analyzed the evidence of election results based on majority mandinkas who did not support jammeh and that led to his defeat , that I can conclude that mandinkas led to his defeat. In the Gambian politics, any politician who did not get the majority support of mandinkas will never win any presidential election. During the early days of Gambian politics, ppp were successful because majority mandinkas supported them . Jammeh succeed because majority mandinkas supported him , barrow succeed because majority mandinkas support him . These are historical facts and evidence. Now how can such analysis makes me a tribalist as suggested by some dishonest people who are afraid to speak their mind because they do not want to be seen as tribalist when actually tribal politics is part of our system . Stop the hypocrisy. Tribal issues are part of our politics but we must acknowledge it and discuss it maturely without inciting violence. If you follow politics at any democracy or anywhere, you will see political analysis based on race , tribe , religion, SES ( socioeconomic status ) , gender , sex etc .
            Not only in politics , even in healthcare, if you want to truly ensure that there is health equity in the country, you have to ensure that you find out factors which led to health inequalities. This includes lack of access to healthcare services. Example in rural areas such as a village which is predominantly fula community, lack of access to health services may be due to poverty , discrimination policy against them im local politics because of their tribal identity and lack of their voices in decision making process , lack of education of these community, oppression of women and many other factors. In order to solve This problems, we need to advocate for Fula participation in politics and decision making process at the grassroots level. Another example is the structural and institutionalized racism which affected black people in USA , therefore in USA politics and decision making process, black participation is crucial to change their status of access to health care services and better living conditions. It is crucial to advocate for policy that discourages institutionalized racism and promotes inclusiveness and progressive agenda for all . These two examples indicates that race and tribe all matters in our politics to ensure fair and equitable society based on equal opportunities for all . Jammeh’s threatened mandinkas with extermination was single most important contributions to his downfall because people felt fearful about their lives. When you supported jammeh until recently, you were completely blinded to see human rights violations but your focus was on so called development. So should I call you human rights violator?

            As far as white Americans are concerned, they are the king makers in USA and this was why majority white Americans supported Obama . In The Gambia, mandinkas are the king makers because majority of their support will indicate the direction of our country. If you deny this simple fact , please bring evidence of facts . Yes I know coalition composed of diverse tribes but the majority of its supporters are the mandinkas. This is the fact . I would like to see evidence that mandinkas are not majority supporters of coalition.

        • This is all a bunch of rubbish. After the election, no one will come out and say it is only the whites who brought Obama or Trump whoever it is to power. It is the electorate who brings elected officials to power. Jammeh was voted out by the Gambian electorate and Barrow was voted in by the same electorate. Your racism will consume no one but yourself.

        • Macs, I will advise that you go back to school and attend your maths lessons regularly this time. If 40% of white voters voted for Obama, it means 60%, the majority didn’t vote for him. How can you then claim that only the whites voted him in office. You are so dumb.

    • Bax , if you look at how jammeh became the president of The Gambia, historical evidence have shown that it was mandinkas elders who formally asked him to contest presidency. In fact even in the military, it was mandinkas military officers who gave him the opportunity to led but they never considered his tribe. Those elders from Brikama did the same. These elders are not tribalists in anyway because they have never seen jammeh as a Jola but he was seen by them as a young Gambian at the time . Secondly, all the election results from 1996 to 2011 indicated that majority of mandinkas voted for him whether those elections are truly free and fair or not . In the recently concluded election, Jammeh did well in all minority tribes dominated constituencies in The Gambia and he did very poorly in mandinkas dominated constituencies . That clearly showed that he was defeated because of lack of mandinkas support. Mandinkas have turned their back on him and he was repudiated and rejected by mandinkas. Mama Kandeh’s did well in minority tribes areas especially in fula areas . In this coming National Assembly elections , you will most likely see the same pattern . This is the fact you need to understand. Jammeh’s presidency was spearheaded by mandinkas, in fact all his best political strategists from 1996 to 2011 were all mandinkas. In 1996, it was influential mandinkas within the country who campaigned for him , his national campaign mobilizer was a mandinka in the person of Yankuba Touray . Later Baba Jobe became his chief political strategist and that led to weaken of opposition parties especially UDP . In essence, Baba became the single most important political strategist who helped laid the foundations of dictatorship and its political thuggery. After the demise of Mr Jobe , Jammeh then turned to minority Wolof and Jola as APRC National mobilizers such as Yankuba Colley and Mr Balla jahumpa , however these people did not have much political capital and influence like Baba Jobe and Yankuba Touray , as a result we have seen so many political suicide jammeh attempted. Jammeh’s political suicide became concerned for majority citizens when he singled out his biggest supporters ( mandinkas) for extermination and deportation to Mali . This was the turning point for the end of his presidency. Again this was also compounded by imprisonment of mandinkas politicians in UDP . The indigenous tribes particularly the mandinkas in the country took note of this systematic political discrimination and policy of extermination of mandinkas. Gambians within and outside the country took a decisive and bold step to ensure that jammeh was defeated. This has led what I will call Gambia’s – Briexist . In other words, indigenous people took back their country and the rest is history . Today we have indigenous tribes of the country steering the affairs of our beautiful country in the positive direction .
      Therefore, in every political marriage and success in The Gambia, mandinkas are the king and queen makers in The Gambia whether we like it or not because their number speaks for itself . Any stupid politician who commit a sin against mandinkas must pay the price for it . In essence Jammeh was installed by mandinkas and defeated by mandinkas.

      • “Bax , if you look at how jammeh became the president of The Gambia, historical evidence have shown that it was mandinkas elders who formally asked him to contest presidency. In fact even in the military, it was mandinkas military officers who gave him the opportunity to led but they never considered his tribe.”

        Max, you are the type of educated people who used tribe to construct an argument that serve your political interest.

        Indeed, it has always been an educated class of people who are engaged in a political struggle who used tribe as the basis of their political support base and coerce, inspire, incite and motivate others who share the same tribal affinity to join and help them in their political struggles.

        And that is exactly what you are doing. You are not relying on ideas to move our country forward. You are not relying on principles to move our country forward. Neither are you relying on the dictates of your conscience to move our country forward.

        Instead you are relying on a perceived tribal majority and influence to construct a political argument that has no basis in fact. What you are arguing above is the creation of your own tribal biases.

        When the Mandinka elders were asking President Jammeh to contest the Presidency, they were not doing so on the basis that they were Mandinka. You are the one who is making that inference.

        When the Mandinka elders were asking President Jammeh to contest the presidency, I can without any fear of exaggeration assert that their being Mandinka has nothing to with that effort. They would have done the same thing if it was another person other that President Jammeh.

        They were influential community people who command great respect and President Jammeh happened to be the person at the time who was calling the shots.

        We also learned that the military officers who conceded the chairmanship of the Military Junta to Jammeh did so on the basis of seniority.

        These military officers never acted consciously on the fact that they were Mandinka military officers who were conceding the chairmanship to another military officer who was a Jola. Unless you are telling us that you knew what was in their minds.

        You are the one who is making this inference. And you are doing so to support a tribal argument that you have constructed which has no basis in fact as I have outlined above.

        NB: Not to make it long I will respond to your post paragraph by paragraph.

      • “Secondly, all the election results from 1996 to 2011 indicated that majority of mandinkas voted for him whether those elections are truly free and fair or not . In the recently concluded election, Jammeh did well in all minority tribes dominated constituencies in The Gambia and he did very poorly in mandinkas dominated constituencies . That clearly showed that he was defeated because of lack of mandinkas support. Mandinkas have turned their back on him and he was repudiated and rejected by mandinkas. Mama Kandeh’s did well in minority tribes areas especially in fula areas .”

        The question you should asked yourself is why from 1996 to 2011 the election results all indicated that the majority of Mandinkas voted for President Jammeh.

        Why did the majority of Mandinkas not voted for the UDP or their various party-led alliances during these period from 1996 to 2011?

        More so when the UDP has a strong Mandinka constituency and rightly or wrongly was perceived as a Mandinka leaning party.

        Your interrogation of the political dynamics that influenced the political results of the elections from 1996 to 2011 in favor of President Jammeh and the APRC and the unfavorable outcome of the election results for the UDP and its many party-led alliances during the same time period, would reveal that tribe or tribal affinity did not in any way factored in the way people had voted.

        If this was the case the majority of Mandinkas would have been more inclined to vote for the UDP or its party-led alliances rather than vote for President Jammeh and the APRC.

        I would contend that the power of incumbency, inducement and political patronage were factors that influenced the outcome of the elections during these periods than any tribal considerations or bias.

        In the recently concluded elections the dynamics have changed and so did the election results.

        The majority of Mandinka voters wherever they were located followed the mood of the country. There was a clarion call for political change that reverberated all over the country.

        To make matters worse for the APRC and President Jammeh his declaration of the Gambia as an Islamic State and his diatribe against the Mandinaka ethnic group did not go well with a lot of people. These were the straws that broke the Camel’s back.

        How would we justify the majority of Mandinkas voting for President Jammeh in the recently concluded elections when there was a coalition of all these opposition political parties including the UDP?

        There would have been no justification. He therefore was expected to do poorly in the Mandinka dominated constituencies. There was no surprise. There shouldn’t be any as a matter of fact.

        Did the Mandinka vote contributed to defeat him? The answer is yes. But it was not the only vote that defeated him.

        It was the combined votes of all the voters that voted against President Jammeh that defeated him.

        Any other postulation to the contrary is mere tribal appeasement and that is what you seemed to be doing.

        You are trying to appease one tribal group against another tribal group or groups.

        The popularization of the slogan One Gambia, One Nation and One People is designed to take care of the kind of tribal arguments you are making.

        Hopefully it would be ingrained in the hearts and minds of the Gambian people and we would see the dawn of a New Gambia.

        • Kamalo, you have admitted that Jammeh won elections in the past due to majority mandinkas voters ? So did why he not win this time if majority mandinkas have not voted for him ? Of course , the statistical evidence of majority mandinkas voters will always indicate the direction of the election results. Why would not you agree to the fact if majority mandinkas vote for any political leader that leader win presidency. I am sure most of the people in the forum knew the fact if majority mandinkas support any candidates, the candidates must win the election. You have distorted view to suit your narrow agenda . Tell me without majority mandinkas support,would jammeh , barrow or Jawara be president ? How can such comments makes someone a tribalist unless if you are not tribalist yourself . When Halifa refused to condemn jammeh’s tribal vitriol, many have expressed concern that he was tribalist. Why he refused to condemn jammeh if he never believed in what jammeh said . Stop the hypocrisy. You are a bigot because you refused to admit that mandinkas majority will always lead the direction of our country in any election. Historically, this has happened in every major election in The Gambia.

      • “In this coming National Assembly elections , you will most likely see the same pattern . This is the fact you need to understand. Jammeh’s presidency was spearheaded by mandinkas, in fact all his best political strategists from 1996 to 2011 were all mandinkas.”

        So this is the expectation why you opposed coalition independent candidates but supported a tactical alliance that comprised of the UDP, GMC and NRP.

        The expectation is that voters would vote along tribal lines and vote massively for the tactical alliance. The combination of these three political parties makeup the majority of tribes in the country.

        You will have a rude awakening on April 9th if this is the kind of political gamble you are making for the national assembly elections.

        You will realize that the Gambian voters are more politically conscious and savvy than you deem them to be.

        This is the reason why President Adama Barrow should stay away from the National Assembly elections.

        The Gambian voters would prove to all that have a political tribal agenda that indeed the Gambia have changed.

        The argument you are making about Mandinkas being conscious of their Mandinka-ness to influence anything is just not true.

        The Mandinkas who spearheaded Jammeh’s presidency and those who were his best political strategist did so not on the basis of their Mandinka-ness but on the basis that they supported President Jammeh. And that they have the right to do so as Gambians.

        “In 1996, it was influential mandinkas within the country who campaigned for him , his national campaign mobilizer was a mandinka in the person of Yankuba Touray . Later Baba Jobe became his chief political strategist and that led to weaken of opposition parties especially UDP . In essence, Baba became the single most important political strategist who helped laid the foundations of dictatorship and its political thuggery.”

        Were these people campaigning for President Jammeh as influential Mandinkas or as Gambians or political operatives?

        It is disingenuous to put a tribal label on these people for what they were doing.

        I am sure they did not see themselves in the way you are painting them. As influential Mandinkas helping a Jola president against the UDP.

      • “Therefore, in every political marriage and success in The Gambia, mandinkas are the king and queen makers in The Gambia whether we like it or not because their number speaks for itself . Any stupid politician who commit a sin against mandinkas must pay the price for it . In essence Jammeh was installed by mandinkas and defeated by mandinkas”

        In Wollof there is a saying for your statement above: PURRUH. In fact they will say that: Purruh do gayrem nyami dow.

        You can say all these things after the fact. But for twenty two years when you were in the political wilderness the tiger did not see the need to express its “tigeritude.”

        It is disheartening to see a supposedly educated Gambian publicly expressing these kinds of retrogressive ideas.

        God help the Gambia if you are among the future leaders of tomorrow.

        • Stop being hypocritical. Tell me if the majority of coalition supporters are not mandinkas, would Barrow win the presidency? Tell me if majority mandinkas did not support jammeh or Jawara, would they win presidency? You have seen these facts but you dishonestly distorted my view and attached a false label. You are very tribalist indeed because you refused to accept the fact that tribe play a role in our politics. How can a statement which I stated that majority mandinkas are the king makers in the country makes me a tribalist, did I expressed tribal superiority of mandinkas over others . This is clear hypocrisy. All of you PDOIS disciples are the one who started this hypocrisy because of your agenda to distort facts.

          • “Stop being hypocritical. Tell me if the majority of coalition supporters are not mandinkas, would Barrow win the presidency?”

            Barrow won the presidency not because the majority of coalition supporters are Mandinkas, but because he was supported by a coalition of political parties namely the UDP, PDOIS, NRP, PPP, GMC, GPDP, NCP and an independent presidential aspirant.

            Remove all that support and the majority of Mandinka voters would not have voted for him.

            Without a coalition 2016 Barrow would not have been elected president..

            “Tell me if majority mandinkas did not support jammeh or Jawara, would they win presidency?”

            The majority of Mandinkas did not support Jammeh because they were Mandinkas.

            And the majority of Mandinkas did not support Jawara because he was a Mandinka.

            Remember that Jawara had opposition from a Mandinka the late Sheriff Ceesay. And from another Mandinka the late Sheriff Mustapha Dibba.

            So tribal affinity and identity was not the basis of the majority Mandinaka vote and support for both Jawara and Jammeh.

            This is the reason why we are telling you that the power of incumbency, inducement and patronage to a greater extend are determinants of political support and the vote rather than solely on the basis of tribe.

            “You have seen these facts but you dishonestly distorted my view and attached a false label.”

            What you have presented are not facts. They are assumptions.

            You are assuming that the majority of Mandinka voters always vote on the basis of tribe. A voting block.

            And they also always vote for people who belong to their tribe. .

            This is what you are telling us. And I am saying that is not true.

            This is not true simply because when people cast their votes we do not know where the majority of those votes are coming from among the people.

            Unless you are telling us that when people register to vote we register them as Mandinkas, Jolas, Fulas, Serer etc.

            In the US when you register as a Democrat or Republican they know the identity of your vote. They know that you are a democrat, a republican or an independent..

            And they also know your race whether you are black, white or other. They also know your gender and your age. This is information that is part of the registration process.

            So they can always tell who is voting for who in terms of gender, race and party affiliation.

            In our situation we cannot do that because you cannot identify the person who cast a marble in a voting precinct. Whether that person is a Muslim or Christian. A Mandinka or Fula. A male or female. Or the age of the voter.

            This is the reason why the premise of your whole argument is wrong. You are trying to construct an argument of a voting pattern based on tribe. And it just does not exist.

            You do not know the identity of the person who is casting a marble at a voting precinct. This is what makes your whole argument about tribe and the tribal vote untenable.

            ” You are very tribalist indeed because you refused to accept the fact that tribe play a role in our politics.”

            You want to make tribe play a role in our politics. That is why we call it tribal politics. It is a politics of deception.

            When voters vote they do not vote on the basis of tribe. Even if they do we do not know that. There is no marker on the marble that this is a Fula or Mandinka vote.

            So what role does tribe play in our politics?

            Do we hire workers based on tribe? Do we provide services based on tribe? Do we levy taxes based on tribe?

            So what role does tribe play in our politics?

            “How can a statement which I stated that majority mandinkas are the king makers in the country makes me a tribalist, did I expressed tribal superiority of mandinkas over others.”

            If you are a king maker obviously you are a king. That is the insinuation.

            “This is clear hypocrisy. All of you PDOIS disciples are the one who started this hypocrisy because of your agenda to distort facts.”

            We are not the ones who is talking about tribes and tribal votes. You are.
            Reply

        • Kamalo said “In the US when you register as a Democrat or Republican they know the identity of your vote. They know that you are a democrat, a republican or an independent..

          And they also know your race whether you are black, white or other. They also know your gender and your age. This is information that is part of the registration process.

          So they can always tell who is voting for who in terms of gender, race and party affiliation.

          In our situation we cannot do that because you cannot identify the person who cast a marble in a voting precinct. Whether that person is a Muslim or Christian. A Mandinka or Fula. A male or female. Or the age of the voter”
          Kamalo , based on your statements above on US registration system , pundits , commentators and strategists can make political analysis based on any of the demographic criteria you indicated . Yes , it is true we do not have such system in our registration process in the Gambia but the way our communities are set up , one can make assumption on voting pattern based on tribal set up of the villages or village tribal composition . You must remember that in the Gambia , sometimes we have only one tribe in a particular village , we can use the voting pattern of village to see if majority of the tribe in a village vote for a particular candidate , then we can make conclusion about how particular tribe votes and for who . example if take predominantly mandinka village , we can use that tribal label to describe the voters just like in usa registration tells us how various races votes in a particular election . this is basis of my analysis but unfortunately most people did not get it . This is why i keep saying that any advanced democracy , commentators used demographics or other factors to make analysis . Mandinkas being the majority will always determine the outcomes of election results and mandinkas do not vote on tribal line . But their numbers will help any candidate to becomes president whether that candidate is a wolof , fula , jola or manadinka. i hope i am clear in my explanation . Maybe i am too ahead of most people in this forum . please i refer you to CNN , FOX and any TV station in USA , you will see this type of analysis . Indeed we have a long way to go . we cannot have intelligent discussion without calling each other names. If you watch CNN , YOU will see political commentators passionately talking about racial dimension in politics , yes it can be tense topic but we still have to discuss it . It cannot be off topic because there are some who vote for candidate based on race or tribal identity. i hope my oppositions get this facts.

      • Another Rubbish. Jammeh, Sabally, Hydara and Singhateh were the executors of that illegal coup. None but one of them could identify themselves as a mandinka. Jammeh is a Jola, Sabally is a Fula, Hydara is a Narr, and the last one in the ladder could be a mandinka (his mother certainly is not). Grow-up and stop the racism.

      • This is another big fat lie. Jammeh, Sabally, Hydara and Singateh were the executors of that illegal coup. None but one of those four is a mandinka. Your racism will not go unchallenged in this country again. Nevertheless, I am not seeing all those who aided and abated Jammeh as mandinka or Fulla, or Jola. I classify them as selfish, cruel and ungodly individuals. I hate to see anyone sticking these titles (selfish, cruel and ungodly) to any tribe. So please, DO NOT give the tag to mandinkas. Be a bit more sensible.

  5. Free Boy

    Max u people are the one bring miss understanding between Gambians. Please stop your this Tribalist comments for god shake. All the Gambians came together and remove Jammeh.is the coalition which removed Jammeh not mandinkas.I think u educated people should try and bring the people together not this types of comments.look the coalition has broken nothing beacese of this types of comments.

    • Free boy , by the way I like your pen name and I hope you have the freedom to be truly independent thinker . Coalition has achieved its goal which is to defeat jammeh . Now it is time to have democracy which means political parties can freely speak and do politics . Halifa Sallah want to continue to speak for the coalition so that his political leadership and influence will grow in the next three years . Free boy , my commentary are my opinion which shouldn’t make anyone to be tribalist or cause tribalism. In fact , majority of Gambians are not tribalists and majority of mandinkas are not tribalist , that was why they asked jammeh be to president and they installed him in presidency, ultimately defeated his ass and a mandinka president conteh , helped save his life and expelled him from our country into exile where he will die in hell .

  6. Lamin Darboe

    Max
    I regard you as a very intelligent political savvy guy but your passing comments really troubled me. Nations today are forging inclusiveness and internal partnerships to pave war for socio-economic advancements. Gambia will never succeed with tribal disunity. We have a unique culture of tribal inter-marriages which for many decades support peace and harmony. Tribe is an label no one acquire but chosen for you by our maker so it’s no badge of pride. The last elections show tribal lines of voting perhaps the other tribes we misled and their fear exploited by Jammeh and hi ignorant bigots yet I feel we should move away from this obnoxious idea of tribal supremacy.

    L Darboe
    Leicester

    • Maxs is noting but a jammeh spy installed to stir tribalism and hatred in our mids. I advise that we stop praising him and see him as what he is. A tribalist paid to distroy our new found democracy.

      • Samba, you are the biggest liar I have ever seen in this forum. In fact your contribution is always in defense of the issue affecting your fula tribe. Your suggestion that I am a spy for Jammeh clearly indicates your ignorance about my contributions to the downfall of jammeh. When did tribalist like you even started making contributions here or elsewhere? Stop your hypocrisy.
        All what I am saying is that without majority Mandinka support, no leader will win presidency. This is because Mandinka has the biggest electorate due to its numerical strength. They are the king makers in The Gambia. Which president do you think will win the presidency without majority Mandinka voters? Tell me. Jammeh , Barrow and Jawara all won presidency because majority Mandinkas supported them at all times. I have emphasized that Mandinkas do not vote based on tribal line which they have supported Jammeh. In fact Mandinkas were Jammeh’s biggest supporters until Jammeh threatened them .
        I have supported and advocated for coalition since at the beginning, I have written articles to showcase the need for unity. Why are we so hypocritical to talk about the elephant in the room? We all know tribe always play a role in our politics just like race or religion play a role in any politics. Can anyone state here that you never consider the moral values of your political leadership when you vote for someone? You must consider moral values in your decision making process just like others will consider financial statements or conduct of any leader. In The Gambia, people sometimes vote on tribal lines. The evidence of such claim can be found in both past elections. Tell me why Mama Kandeh never win in Mandinkas dominated areas?

        • Maxs, the only contribution you made is dividing Gambians along tribal lines. In your little mind you have this idea that there is a fula problem or a Jola problem or a wolof problem. You are wrong. A problem is a problem. It affects people of all tribes. It is like you, yahya and all other tribalists.

  7. Motafeh Mankajang

    Max, u should be ashamed of yourself. Bro, you need to grow up. You ar no different from Yahya Jammeh. You are tribalist to the core. This change was a collective effort, so u shouldn’t attribute it to only one tribe. If it was Mandinkas alone, we would still be in a dictatorship.
    Bro, wake up from ur slumber.

  8. Kinteh (kemo)

    Max, I think the comment is not inclusive. It tantamounts to not honouring the effort of the cross section of the Gambian society. All areas played their roles well and I think this is the narrative we want to see highlighted. It would be great disservice to the people whose votes tilted the election in coalition’s favour. We may not exactly know who they are. One could also argue that had Jammeh succeeded in dividing the opposition, the vote of the fragmented opposition may have spread among them hence giving Jammeh an edge. This is a hypothesis because we don’t know for sure. I just want to highlight the fact that simply coming together to defeat Jammeh irrespective of where the vote came from, was and remain a gigantic achievement on the part of the coalition leaders and their followers. We should not be tempted to copy other sensational provocateurs online. What the country needs are comments and thoughts that will bind the country and a narrative that will enable us to strengthen our capacity to forge a future together. And together I mean everyone within our border.

    • Kinteh, I understand what you mean but I am talking about historical evidence and voting pattern in the last election. Of course I know the coalition was the effort of every tribe. I am talking about majority mandinkas.

      • Maxs the fact that people are trying to knock into your head is that even where Mandinkas are the majority tribe, whenever a candidate is voted in or out of office s/he is voted by the electrorate and not Mandinkas. But because you are consumed into your this tribalist idea, you cannot reason. By the way, how do you know that I am a fula? Is it through my first name or my last name? For your information i am more mandinka than you. I can bet that you are not a real Mandinka. Go back investigate your background

        • Samba , here is your comment on march 6 , 2017 on my article ” why UDP prefers Different Route”

          “Max, your this article is not only racist, but it is lso moralĺy and interllectually bankrupt. Yoour conclusipn that GDC won in Fula dominated constituencies and that his compititor in those arears will be NRP is premised on the fact the heads of these two parties are fulas. That is not only insulting to the electorate, but also dehumanizing. Your racist attitude should stop forthwith. I am a fula and I will never vote for anyone unless I believe that the candidate is competent enough. If I feel that none of the contesting candidates are competent, I will rather stay at home and abstain, even is my own father is a contestant. STOP the RACISM and be sensible.”

          Your above comment clearly indicated that you have a tribal agenda . You have indicated your tribe and came to defend it in my analysis. Keeping you honest , you have lied to every one , how can someone who claimed to be fula and same time claimed to be mandinka? Do you see your dishonesty.
          Another lie , you stated here was that i was paid by Jammeh to cause tribalism ? what a bigot you are .
          clearly you have no credibility . Remember , i have very good memory and i ensure that lies and deception does not go unchallenged . Look at your own statement and tell everyone whether you are lying or not . If you are not a fula , why you lied to be a fula in above comment?

          • Samba , I don’t think you can have intelligent debate with me because you tend to have memory impairment. You either have memory impairment or you are definitely lying to save face about your tribe . I am glad I caught you lying about your identity and another even worst lie that I was paid by jammeh to stir tribalism. Jammeh must have been mad at you if he read this post. Yaya jammeh knows that I used to reveal a lot of his private life online . I have penetrated his inner circle. jammeh used to be online arguing with people about his government using pseudonyms.
            On the lighter note , For your information I am a black man , so please don’t accuse me of racism in The Gambia. We have only one race in The Gambia, that is black race unless you want to tell me you are no longer a fula man but a white man From Kerr Samba .

          • Maxs, you are lying again. That GDC:NRP comment is not mine but i will agree to the message. Do you want to say that there is only one samba in the Gambia or that anyone called Samba is a fula. this exposes your stupidity and lack of touch with Gambian culture, society and identity. For your information , Samba is a very common name in the Gambia. it does not belong to a tribe, it is GAMBIAN. And back to you!!! is Max a Mandika name, jola name, fula name or what?
            Whichever village i came from, as long as it is a Gambian village, i will remain the same and if you ask me, i will tell you i am a Gambian, period. In his profile, HE President Barrow proudly presents himself as a Gambian. I am sure he will be sick of your tribal comments if he comes across them and every honest Gambian will felt the same about you.
            Your claim that the Gambia has only one race exposes your ignorance further. Today’s Gambia have people of all colors and races. I was calling you a tribalist, but i will agree that you are also a racist.
            I agree that you cannot have an intelligent conversation with me and thats because you are so stupid you cannot actually have any intelligent conversation with any inclusive and open minded Gambian.

          • Max, i know yaya will be mad if he sees the comments exposing you as his agent. You might have been against yaya yesterday, but today anyone reading you tribalist comments will know that you are working for him. Afterall, everyone knows that peoples who have no morals, no principles and no shame can change colours within a second when the right price is offered.

          • Maxs, I will happily be a citizen of Kerr Samba but i am pretty sure that you, well Maxs, you most have come from a ZOO.

          • Samba , can you please admit that you lied about your tribal identity as indicated in your comments. I have given you a proof from your statements that you are a fula man. If you are truly an honest human being, you should take full responsibility for lying that you can be fula and mandinkas in two different postings. I demand full apology from you for lying. From now onwards, you do not have any credibility since you can say any false statements without taking personal responsibility for it. Keeping you honest is my goal here.

          • Hey samba , you called me a tribalist. If I get a beautiful fula wife , would you still call me a tribalist. Come on don’t be angry with me . Stop calling me names or saying all kind of ridiculous allegations. Hey by the way if you are going to Kerr samba , I would love to go with you so that I can have a beautiful fula wife . Let me know what you think . Thank you.

          • Maxs, if you are looking for a wife, i will advise that you go back to the zoo you came from. Fulas and indeed Gambians of all tribes, including the people of Kerr Samba, are so decent that they do not use tribe as a distinguishing element in their interactions with others. The fact that you are coming up this stinking joke shows how low tribalists like you can go.
            For you information, i am not mad at you, no far from it. In fact, i am happy for you, happy that Gambians of all tribes and races are coming out to wash your stinking mouth for you in public.
            Once again, if you are looking for a wife, go back to the Zoo, that will be you best chance.

          • Maxs, is it that Yaya is looking for a new habitat for you in EG that’s why you are refusing to tell me which Zoo you came from. If that’s the case you can grab the opportunity with both hands. You can live with Yaya but the people of Kerr Samba cannot tolarate your tribalism. Birds of the same feathers….

    • This is propound Mr. Kinteh. No points at all to disagree to. It is very dangerous for anyone to making two wrongs a right. Jammeh’s divisive hypocrisy to disunite and rule the Gambia shouldn’t be seconded or revenged. Thanks very much for this enlightenment.

      • Hey Borne, can you please tell me what is wrong with the statement that ” mandinkas installed jammeh in presidency and they defeated him ” . Yes I understand mandinkas are not the only tribe in the coalition but majority of coalition supporters are the mandinkas. Do you want to deny this fact ?
        Here are the facts I would like you to consider
        1. Jammeh won majority mandinkas support in all his election except the last one .
        2. Jammeh did not win in any major mandinkas areas in the last election.
        3. Mama Kandeh won only minority tribe areas as evidenced by the election results.
        4. 45 % of the population are mandinkas,
        So why would any of you think if I claimed that if majority mandinkas did not support any candidate that person will never win presidency is wrong or some even label me as tribalist? In all honesty , can you please tell me without majority mandinkas support, Barrow would still win the presidency?
        My friend , many of you have seen analysts talked about race , gender and socioeconomic status in political analysis in CNN , fox and other Chanel’s . Voters have different agenda when they go to voting booth . Some may vote simply because of their tribe , race or economic status . Example those who supported jammeh never care about human rights violations in the country because they benefited economically from jammeh through jobs or other means . Let us be mature enough to discuss issues intellectually without throwing labels at each other . The hypocrisy is that , tribal politics is part and Parcel of Gambians politics and we must admit . What we need is the maturity to talk about it without offending each other , but to pretend that we do not have tribal politics is outright dishonesty and hypocrisy. West have race issue in their politics but Africans has tribal issues in their politics. This is the fact we need to understand. Race and tribe are who we are as citizens of diverse population, we must acknowledge them and use them positively . In my analysis, I simply stated why mandinkas are king makers in The Gambia due to their numbers.

        • Look Max, if you give your self a break and take a good look at your arguments and claims, you will find out that they are all distorted and confused with regards to which section of the Gambian society are ‘king maker’ and who are not. It is my profound believe too that, all section of the society is what is literally referred to as; ‘the electorate’ and therefore a lack of respect and dishonesty to arrogate the title, ‘ki ng maker’ to any specific cross section of our society. The real hypocrisy will be demonstrated if anyone at this point in time proves to be influenced or motivated by ethnocentrism in his/her comments and remarks. The biggest mistake indeed would be taking for granted you have and idea of folks ethnic belongings based on their opinions. We better learn to put our efforts towards the realisation of an enlightened Gambia rather than starting another journey back into primitivity and backwardness. Here, you might only be able to assume I am defending a section of the multi-ethnic society of the Gambia which will further indicate your short-sightedness. Such a debate feels to me a great shame and that doesn’t mean I don’t belong to and ethnic group in the Gambia but what I won’t just do is; ensignate it with a red-hot iron on my forehead.
          For the Gambia OUR homeland….That ALL may live in unity.

          • Borne, I am so disappointed that you have also exposed your lack of understanding of political analysis. I would encourage you to watch CNN or any major Tv station , you will see political analysis based on racial , gender , sex and other factors that voters consider when voting . There is an exit poll which tell what matters to voters in decision making , exit poll also indicate the demographics voting pattern , in the case of USA , how majority of white Americans people versus black peoples vote . In our Gambian case , we will use to make similar analysis since we do not have white peoples in the country as a part of voting block . Tell me how are we going to analyze our election results if we shouldn’t talk about tribe and which tribe has the majority to decide the way the election results should go . I am amaze how some of you think . Gambia has long way to go . The problem with Africans is that instead of discussing these issues we fight over them as if they do not exist . Tribe or ethnicity matters , it is who you are . Each of us as implicit bias that we express as result of our experience , background. Your tribal background contribute to your implicit bias . Your racial identity contributes to your implicit bias towards people who are different from you . This is natural phenomena we all express subconsciously in some instances but that doesn’t mean some of us are racist or tribalist . Why can’t you people get this simple analysis before you throw label at me . This is ridiculous and ignorance of highest order . Please educate yourself politically then you see what I mean. If you watch CNN , you will see pundits passionately discussing ethnic or racial component of election results.

        • BaAmBSASSamba

          Maxs, trying to prove anything to someone from the zoo will just be a futile venture. I have never told you that I am not a fula. I asked how do you know that I am a fula and instead of answering the question directly, you copy a post written by a person with the same name. As a matter of fact, you can associate me with any Gambian tribe. I will happily take it as long as it is Gambian. Now back, to my question! Which zoo do you come from? If it is the Kanilai zoo, please let me know so that I can rest my case.

          • Samba , why you changed your pen name after exposing your deception ? Do you see your dishonesty? Instead of admitting your lies , you have changed your name to another ridiculous name. Look , take personal responsibility and apologize for lying .

          • Maxs, this is a typing error. Common sense should tell you that. But no, I forget. You havn’t got any sense much more a common one. You are just like your paymaster, yaya. You can hide behind typing errors to refuse the facts of reality.You are trying to blame everyone and everybody for your own stupidity. But that is of no use. The lies your are peddling around are uncountable. 1 You claim that The Gambia has only one race, 2 Only Mandinkas voted out Yahya Jammeh, 3 you claim that Gambians votes along tribal lines etc. These are informed by you tribalist and racist attitude.

    • Ha! Max are you exhausted with constructive opinion? It is true we are free with respect to expressing our opinions, views and ideals but the contents of the latter is what really makes a difference in developing the human resources and building a happy and progressive society that makes up the country.

  9. Max…I am not the least interested in assessing political success in The Gambia from a tribal, ethnic, religious or gender perspective. It is absolutely shocking to see you still immersed in this bigotry, at a time when all should be bridging the (tribal) bridges that Jammeh recklessly “burnt.”

    I think you have lost your memory (may be due to dementia) because not long ago, you were always adamant that it was the Cassamance Jolas that vote Jammeh to every victory. Suddenly, you have forgotten about them altogether (and thank God for that).

    Halifa does not need to appeal to tribal sentiments to enjoy political success. He already enjoys immense success, and many are appreciative of his selfless services to the nation.

    • Bax, you might not be interested in political assessment or analysis of the coalition victory but as a keen follower in Gambian politics , I have every rights to analyze our political victory based on any dimension that I see as major factor . I think it is unfair and ungodly to accuse me of bigotry when you refused to state your evidence that I am wrong to state that majority Mandinkas installed president jammeh in power , they are very people who defeated him because majority did not vote for him this time .
      Here are the facts you and anyone who refused to acknowledge this claim that mandinkas are the king makers in The Gambia: this fact is that without majority mandinkas support for any leader that person cannot be president in The Gambia. If you refuse to admit this simple fact then you are being dishonest .
      I understand that others may not like this claim but the truth is that politics even in the most advanced democracy has ethnic , racial , tribal , religious and socioeconomic dimensions which voters consider when voting . This is why in all major television channels in USA , you will see political analysts,pundits,commentators, strategists and other talk show heads make comments on election results based on these dimensions. Some of you are making allegations that I am a bigot but you refused to engage me intellectually with evidence to indicate that mandinkas are not the king makers in The Gambia. In politics , coalition is not new thing . Example , in 2008 , president Obama Formed a diverse coalition which led to his victory and that coalition was supported by majority white Americans . This has given Mr Obama to win in red states which are predominantly republican dominated areas. White peoples are the king makers in USA . In any given country, a dominant demographic indicator such as race , ethnicity,gender or age all play a role in politics or any thing that affects individual. Example, The during military dictatorship, low socioeconomic status of young people resulted to massive exodus of youths and majority of these youths are in fact mandinkas from the rural areas. Jammeh’s military dictatorship has seriously impacted the lives of rural citizens compared to urban areas which has more job opportunities and better socioeconomic status. In African politics, whenever we talk about tribe , we pretend that it doesn’t matter But tribe does matter . Tribe matters because you should be able to understand someone perspective and relate to them . Why do we cried when jammeh appointed Jolas in leadership positions compare to others ? Why some people are saying President Barrow should have a Jola minister in his government? This is because many Jola will relate to Jola minister in the new government.
      I personally would like to see more diversity in our political leadership but we must acknowledge that who among the tribes has the most important political capital based on numbers or statistics . It is the same reason, in USA race relations is hot topic and it can be divisive sometimes. I once told a friend at the university that we Africans pretend that we do not have our tribal differences in politics and in our everyday lives but we can criticize the west for racism. Today in Gambian politics, we have tribal politics because those who are in the same tribe support each other . Why is Imam Leigh supported and even praised OJ and Halifa , it is not because these two are best politicians who sacrificed more than others , it is because OJ is his tribesmen and personal friend likewise Halifa Sallah . No body will talk about it , Gambian politics has some tribal politics but not mostly based on any progressive agenda. Classic example is mama Kandeh who is the least qualified citizen to form a political party but he has the support of majority fulas and did well in fula dominated areas in the last election. When the need arises, we will form coalition just like president Obama formed coalition to win presidency in the most desperate time in American history. This was the time of massive economic deterioration, citizens has no choice but to come together. During desperate time , we needs desperate measures. This was what Gambians did .
      Facts are the following
      1. According to recent census, mandinkas constitue 45 % of the population
      2. In the past presidential election, Yaya jammeh lost in all major mandinkas dominated areas
      3. Mama Kandeh won in minority dominated areas .
      4. One of the most important reasons which many mandinkas voted against jammeh was based on his threat towards mandinkas ethnicity and his systematic discrimination against the mandinkas.

      In The Gambia, if majority mandinkas refuse to vote or support any political party or leadership that person will never be president in The Gambia. During the first republic, this was played out between the politicians from the urban areas such as Banjul and protectorate areas which led to sir Dawda victory . Mandinkas as a group do not vote or support based on tribal line and this was evidence by the support many has given to jammeh until his recent political suicide when he targeted mandinkas. Jammeh could have been in power if he didn’t targeted mandinkas both at policy level and at personal level . This has contributed to his downfall more than anything else.
      Politics in The Gambia has always been characterized by tribal-politics and there is history of tribal politics and tribal coalition even at the grassroots level which is why despite our tribal differences, we still have peace.
      Can anyone tell me why mama Kandeh won only in fula or minority tribes dominated areas instead of mandinkas dominated areas? Can anyone tell me why 97 % of blacks in USA supported President Obama during his election campaign? Can anyone tell us why majority white Americans supported Trump despite his vitriol against the immigrants, blacks ? How would any of you think the same white people who supported obsma as black man also supported Mr trump whose is so anti-immigrants or minority? The answer to these questions includes race , ethnicity, immigration, nationalistic politics and socioeconomic politics. Majority blacks supported Mr Obama because they related to him as a first black man who ran for presidency despite the fact he ran against Hillary Clinton whose husband was the most admired and loved among black people before Obama came into politics.
      Tribe is part of our human nature because each of us has implicit bias and we can easily relate to what we perceive as one of us . This is why many Gambian who live in the west usually married our fellow citizens despite the fact that we have so many beautiful women in the west .
      We have to use our diversity well to advance our country. Let us not dismiss that tribe doesn’t matter because each of us is different from the other . I 100 % standby my claim that mandinkas installed Jammeh in presidency and they defeated him based on numerical strength . If Anyone think differently, please produce the evidence that majority mandinkas supported him in the last election despite his lost . This claim doesn’t means mandinkas always vote on tribal line . I understand PDOIS disciples are looking for slightest opportunity to label me as tribalist or bigot instead of engage in substantive debate.
      When I stated mandinkas installed in Presidency and they defeated him , I simple means the majority voted against him. I know the coalition government is composed of diverse tribes which all played huge support in its victory. I am simply making inferences to majority mandinkas as voting block .

    • Bax, the Jola people From Cassamance did not vote in the last election thanks to Senegalese government efforts . You must remember Yaya jammeh had already registered 300,000 voters from casa who would have voted if the border is not closed . The election was sealed from casa voters . Why you do think jammeh had majority mandinkas votes despite his lost ? Show me your evidence. Politicians like OJ was popular because he had more mandinkas voters in bundung at the time. In U.K. Where you are , if the majority white peoples did not support any political leader that leader wil not win . This is exactly what I meant when I said mandinkas installed Jammeh in presidency . Tell me single words which makes me a bigot . Stop character distortion

      • Maxs, you must be out of you focal point to believe that 300,000 voters were stopped from illegally voting and at the same time believe it is only the Mandikas who voted out yaya. When someone is financially bankrupted, he can be helped by others, but when he is morally bankrupt, he can be his only savior. Wakeup!!!!

      • Well, well, well, is the senegalese government a Mandinka? Maxs, lying is so unsustainable that if you want to make it a hobby you are bound to humiliate yourself on a daily basis.

  10. Hi All,

    I have been a follower of this forum discussions for a number of years & seeing my brothers & sisters engaging in a mature, meaningful & civilised discussions or arguing their case is quite pleasing. It shows maturity & the understanding of The Gambian dynamics. I thank you all for your contributions & may we all see a better Gambia in the coming years.
    With regards to tribe, it’s true mandinkas form the majority & therefore helped to oust jammeh with the help of other tribes. Form me, tribe is an identity but the superseding factor here is that we are all Gambians & we should all come together to build a better Gambia as one Gambia. Yahya Jammeh was unsuccessful in his quest to exterminate the mandinkas because other tribes refused to follow him on the principle that they are not with him on that line. We are one as we marry one another, attend each other’s burials & celebrate our various religious feasts together – so long may that continue. Let’s debate but calm down & keep reminding ourselves that we are all Gambians.

  11. Lamin Draboe-Leicester

    Dear All,
    I think the need to conduct ourselves honourable in pursuit of meaningful debate without spite and disdain is not only gentlemanly but a religious tenet. Insults, contemptuous comments and name calling are shallow jabs which exhibit paucity of ideas.
    Your arguments must be tailored to the subject and argue the points made by the other side not disparaging remarks.
    Also folks, why don’t you guy reveal your names, I would love to know the real names of people in the forum not pseudo-names. Is this because of fear, cowardice lack of self believe.

    Thanks

    Lamin Darboe

    • You may as well publish your birth certificate….But who cares…if not for the contents of your comments; like the very good one you posted above.

  12. One independently can digest Maxs’ views versus others’; blending the arguments together could deduce connotations in effect that all have points in their merits of expressions; which have been shrewdly summarised by Simon above…

    I understand the sensitivity at this material time when others are engaged in sowing seeds of tribal discord germinated by past 22 years of kanilai DEVIL aprc Evilness; Maxs could’ve chose to edit his opinion expressed “inclusively” as stated by Kinteh; hey, but his arguments contains facts on the ground PURELY on statistical matters analytically; but at this material time of Coalition disagreements on parliamentary elections procedures, phrasing one’s words can go long way in quenching the “simmering tempers from flares”; Maxs is young, can only experiment & experience from the “Learning Curve” but no doubt he have good intentions for country;…

    Moving to current political issues; it’s indeed expected for the Coalition to disagree as before on parliamentary elections due to their different ideologies as opponent contestants against one another…

    The presidential election for example was forged with agreement to unify & rally behind an independent candidate which materialised & gained us liberation & freedom; one could’ve said the mode of selecting the presidential flag bearer was opined & insisted upon by PDOIS & Halifa which was accept by all for country, ditching their own party inclinations above anything else, whilst they too had own suggestions differently…

    There’s no evidence of prior agreement appended to, for the same procedure for the parliamentary elections which brings us to the current parliamentary phase of elections; since there are several Coalition parties it’ll be totally foolhardy if one thinks other parties too can’t put up their own comfortable suggestions for parliamentary approach this time around & insist, just like PDOIS insisted in the past…

    That’s why we see the same “Tactical Alliance” groups opposing each other which is healthy for inclusivity in democratic dispensations; the good is the parties’ MOU for non-aggression whatsoever against one another; the Gambia is what matters in whatever we endeavour in, singularly & collectively as compatriots…

    Long live the Gambia…

  13. And indeed, better Gambia we all aspire for collectively in our endeavours, inclusively as compatriots, friends & well-wishers throughout the global village…

  14. Let’s all may live in unity, freedom, and peace each day.

  15. Max…

    I am not distorting your character. I have no wish to do so. I think you are a very passionate Gambian and I have no doubt that you love The Gambia dearly. You have your political preferences like anyone, which is your God given right, but at times, you don’t do yourself any favours in the way you express your views or demonstrate your political preference.

    Your comment above, which has elicited the objection of many who follow you, is one such occasion and I hope you will recognise the folly of analysing political success in The Gambia from a tribal perspective, because that has no significance to anyone except tribal bigots.

    Moreover, the view that any one tribe can elect or defeat a candidate is not factual, as you claim, but mere assumptions. Ballot tokens are not tribally or ethnically colour coded for such a claim to be factual. It is impossible to know which tribe casted which ballot tokens, for which candidates, in any elections.

    Indeed, Mandinkas at 42%, constitute the single largest ethnic group, but 42 cannot constitute the majority, where the whole is 100. The majority would be 58, thus, the rest of the population at 58%, collectively constitute the majority of The Gambia’s population.

    Gambia’s tribes do not form a single voting block, nor even a homogeneous group across the country. You will find, for example, significant/minor variances between, say, Fulas in Foni Sintet and Fulas in Nemakunku in Kombo North, just as between Mandinkas in Wulli and those in Badibu.

    What this means is that our political struggles and victories against Jammeh (today) and colonialism is a victory of ALL Gambians, irrespective of tribe, regions, gender and religion. No one tribe is deserving more of the credit and fruits of our victories than another. This is the message that we should all spread to buttress and strengthen our clarion call for ONE GAMBIA, ONE NATION, ONE PEOPLE.

    • Bax , in all honesty , you know very well in every democracy, election results are analyzed based on economic, gender , religious, ethnicity, race , social status or socioeconomic status. This is exactly what I did here and made inferenced to mandinkas as the king makers of The Gambia . You should look up the word bigotry before you subscribe that to someone . You have dishonestly attributed a label based on simple statement that mandinkas installed jammeh in power and they defeated him . It is very clear to you that without majority mandinkas support, jammeh , barrow or sir Dawda won’t be president in The Gambia. Each of these President were elected by majority mandinkas.
      Tribe is a social construct which most people identify themselves with , just like race is a social construct. In U.K. , you are considered are as a black immigrant from Africa despite your dismissal that tribe doesn’t matter in our politics. Does race matter in western politics, off course it does , that is why you have so many anti-immigration policies and politics in west . Many who voted for Trump , knew he has anti-immigration policy .
      Why are many calling for Barrow to include Jola in his cabinet if tribe doesn’t matter. Do you see your intellectual dishonesty to dismiss the significance of tribe , social class , or demographic in our politics. Why are we advocating for more women in leadership , if social construct like tribe , race , gender doesn’t matter and that we shouldn’t analyze our politics in those perspectives. Gambian politics is inherently tribal in every aspect. We need to discuss this tribal voting phenomenon in order to educate our people about it . In essence what you have done here is to dismiss it when actually the election results has tribal tendencies. Tell me why Mama Kandeh never win in any mandinkas dominated areas ? Would you please answer this simple question. Have you not seen political analysis based on race , ethnicity, religion , social class or socioeconomic status in many advanced democracies? My Friend, if you are trying to find fault in my statements, take your time and get what I imply ? Yes , you are not interested to discuss the analysis of election results because you have your agenda . What we do in this forum , is to analyze, express our views and make constructive contributions for the betterment of our country. When Halifa refused to condemn jammeh’s tribal vitriol, you never called him a bigot because you believe that he shouldn’t condemn jammeh . Did I call you a bigot for supporting a man who refused to condemn jammeh’s tribal vitriol.
      I would like to see your evidence why mandinkas are not the king makers in The Gambia. I totally understand that some might see my comment as an indication that mandinkas voters are the only people who put jammeh in presidency, that is very narrow understanding of my points. Maybe I should have stated that majority mandinkas support installed jammeh in presidency and majority mandinkas lack of support defeated jammeh if that would make you happy . The bottom line is that mandinkas majority will always be deciders of Gambian politics whether we like it or not because their numerical strength speak for itself. This is my point .

    • Dormu Rewwum Gambia (aka Luntango Suun Gann Gi)

      My in-law, 43 comments and Max still does not get it! He has exposed himself for the Tribalist Xenophobe that he is. Let him be.

      • Dida, I understand that Bax , you and his fellow disciples are completely being dishonest because you know very well that in any democracy people analyze election results based on demographics criteria/factors. This is includes race , gender , tribe ( in the case of African politics) , sexuality or sexual orientation, and also other factors such as religion, socioeconomic status , immigration, trade policy and foreign policy . These are issues that voters put into consideration before they make any decision to cast their vote . Can you please tell me whether you have not consider any of these factors when you voted in the past elections ? My statement was based on the tribal dimension which I used to make my conclusion that mandinkas installed jammeh in presidency and mandinkas defeated him . Of course I could have said in better way that majority mandinkas support installed jammeh in presidency and lack of majority mandinkas support defeated him . This conclusion was based on the fact that mandinkas majority support will always decide the election and direction of our country. If you deny this simple fact, please give evidence why majority mandinkas support will not install any president. Giving me label as a tribalist is a dishonest statement and it tell more about you than I . If I am a tribalist then you are a murderer because you were a mouthpiece of evil dictator for a long time here in this forum and elsewhere. It amaze me you can be so dishonest about simple facts . Most Gambians are not used to political analysis because we do not even have such forum at our national level . Example , Grts do not have panel of political strategists, commentators, analysts to talk about politics and elections outcomes or results. Intellectually, many of the responses indicate lack of understanding of issues such as tribes which as social construct determine our identity and who we are as people. I understand that tribal discussion can flare up tempers , so does religion. You know I am not getting your nonsensical comments because it lack basic intelligent facts about the voting pattern in The Gambia. I appreciate those who have said that tribal perspective analysis can be misunderstood as not inclusive by many but that doesn’t make any of my statements as not factually correct. In The Gambia, some people vote based on tribal line . Politics in every country has demographic dimensions. Example in USA , you have evangelical voters who always consider certain religious values in their decision , likewise those who believe in gay Marriage or rights , or perhaps immigration as major factor in their decision to support or against the candidates. There are others who consider how race is seen by a candidate in order to make a decision to support any candidate. In the case of The Gambia, you have some who makes their decision to support a candidate based on tribal identity . You and your confused demented disciples haven’t given any better explanation. I appreciate Bajaw , Kinteh , Lâmin and others who understood my perspective. I will take full responsibility of my comments if it was offensive but in this case ,it wasn’t because it is factual statement that majority mandinkas are the king makers in The Gambia whether we like or not . If tribe doesn’t then why we are calling on president barrow to have Jola minister in his cabinet. Do you see the hypocrisy here . Go watch CNN or BBC or any major tv , you will see these things I am talking about . In Africa , the reason why we are still backward is because we are afraid to talk about things which affect us or bring problems . African politics has tribal issues.,
        I have given you enough lecture on this topic . I am done .

        • BaAmBSASSamba

          Max, It is funny that a confused tribalist like you will call himself a commentator, strategist or other dignified names or titles. No body is diluting that voting blocks exist. This is one of the assumption postulated in the Median Voter Theory in Economics. But even where majority voter blocks, no body apportioned the election of an official through the ballot box to a single block unless you can prove that only the members of that block voted for that official. In the case in hand, it is not Mandinkas ONLY who voted for President Barrow.

      • He won’t get it…I agree…Let him be..

        • Bax , you have an agenda to beat me up here and your PDOIS friends agree with you. You have been targeting me here but still you did not succeed because your allegation and comments are pointless. Would you call Halifa Sallah a bigot when he refused to condemn jammeh’s tribal vitriol? Why you refused to answer this question.

          • Maxs, it is unfortunate for a low life like you be attacking people like Halifa. Even his worst political opponents, i mean the honest ones, will not question his moral integrity and courage. You can disagree with him on means, but not on ends. He says and does what he believes is the best for society. He might be right or wrong on issues. But even where he gets it wrong, one can easily know that he was acting in the best interest of society an not trying to make money or name for himself. He is not your type.

      • The debate is not pleasant, but i think it is educative. We can learn how to handle racists and tribalists from it.

    • Lafia Touray la Manju

      Bax, you are still here writing rubbish lol! Majority simply means greater number compared to all others.

  16. Rect in my response to Max: “what I won’t do is; put an INSIGNIA of it with a red-hot iron on my forehead”.

  17. Max, the white majority of America then must have considered something else beyond racial denominations to have voted Barack Obama in office, for two terms, a Barack Obama who is considered a black by himself, Americans and people the world over.
    You awareness in politics and political analyses has however fallen short of base to believe that the CNN, BBC and major TV channels are platforms of resolve for Africa’s political crises and her sensitive underdeveloping social issues. Ethnic groupings in the whole of Africa, including the Gambia is not based on any important values except for the language, a reason why we can have more than three hundred languages in just one country. Both of us perhaps need to be a little bit wider than we are now.

    • Rect: Both of us perhaps need to be a little bit wiser than we are now.

      • Bourne Said ” Max, the white majority of America then must have considered something else beyond racial denominations to have voted Barack Obama in office, for two terms, a Barack Obama who is considered a black by himself, Americans and people the world over”
        Clearly from the above statement , it indicate that white do not vote on racial line just like mandinkas do not vote based on tribal line . what you missed in all my explanations is that i use tribe as a demographic identification or as a social construct to identify the group . i used tribe as a identification rather than as a reason for voting though we have some people who use tribe as a reason to vote for a particular candidate . Therefore , the use of mandinka majority was used to describe a particular group of people within the country with distinct language or culture who formed the majority in the Gambia. Mandinka Majority vote will determine the outcomes of the election just like majority white people will determine election of usa whether majority white vote for a black candidate , hispanic candidate or white candidate . example majority white people voted for mr obama twice just like majority mandinkas voted for jammeh. I assume the reason someone like Bax and samba didnt get this simple explanation because in their bigotry mind , they hate to see or hear that mandinkas majority are the decider for our election because mandinkas have highest percentage of population , whooping 45 % ,almost half of the population are mandinkas . we have 7 tribes , you will see that majority of mandinkas were mad at jammeh for many reasons and they do not vote for him , therefore they send him into exile into EG with the help of other tribes. This is my analysis. This doesnt mean majority voted because they are mandinkas.
        the reason Obama won is because he had the support of majority white people. In Iowa where he started his campaign , he spoke like white American during his campaign then when he went to predominantly black states , he acted and spoke like black , which was why he did some gestures which are only common to black people in USA when he was i black community . the reason i made example of gesture is that there are cultural difference between black and white in terms of language expression and many other things. Those who understand Black culture and music , will testify to this fact . Obama was able to connect with white , black , hispanic and Asian. President Barrow is also able to connect with most Gambian in the same manner.

        Bourne “You awareness in politics and political analyses has however fallen short of base to believe that the CNN, BBC and major TV channels are platforms of resolve for Africa’s political crises and her sensitive underdeveloping social issues. Ethnic groupings in the whole of Africa, including the Gambia is not based on any important values except for the language, a reason why we can have more than three hundred languages in just one country. Both of us perhaps need to be a little bit wider than we are now.”

        Borne , this is total misinterpretation of awareness and belief .

        Bourne , i gave CNN, BBC as an example . my political awareness is beyond those channels. I read extensively. These examples were used to remind you that in any advanced democracies , political commentators , analysts , pundits used demographic to analyze election results , some used socioeconomic factors such as wealth , poverty level , education level or income level . Example , during the last campaign , we heard Mr trump said even the “poorly educated voters supported him ” . This means he used socioeconomic status as education level as a factor to describe this particular group he talked about as his supporters . Another example that most liberal Americans said about Mr Trump is that all his cabinet secretary are millionaires and that makes him less concern about the pain of poor people . In this example wealth was used as a factor to describe his appointment of cabinet secretary as indicated by liberals. In the case of the Gambia , when we have a wolof community as an example , in this community and they do not have a voice at the local politics because they was no leadership which truly related to them then their interest will not be truly advocated, in such situation we need diverse leadership who can relate to all tribes and advocate for all.. This is why in USA people advocate for diversity in leadership positions . I am giving you long lecture here because i understand you are discipline student who need to be educated about this issues.
        when it comes to Africa underdevelopment , there are alot of factors responsible for that but we will leave that for another debate . please dont blame western media for it . we fail to use our brain to think positively about what would makes us move forward. Do you see how less than 10 words i used has caused a lot of insults , name calling and uncivilized attack because we failed to use our brains to intelligently analyze statements . I am glad we have sensible people like our great adviser Mr Bajaw , kinteh and lamin . I understand the perspective they are coming from , that is some ignorance bigot might use this analysis to cause tribal hatred , This is exactly what tribal bigot like Bax and samba are doing . AS i said the issues of race , tribe are hot topic in any society .

        • Maxs, even one single word, not ten words, can stir hatred and can lead to a serious strife. Stop your excuses and admit your stupid racist attitude and try and change. All Gambians will be willing to help you.

  18. Max….

    Pity that you think I’m trying to beat you. It’s no pleasure to me when you reduce yourself to absurdities that amount to promoting and defending bigotry. By making the claim you made, you are expressing a prejudice against the rest of the population, in favour of one tribe, and that’s bigotry.

    It is also absurd because the claim is made on the basis of a misuse of data on population statistics, purporting to see a correlation between population data and voting pattern, where no electoral data exists to support your claim. It is all assumptions presented as facts. I have shown you that the population of Mandinkas, even @45%, doesn’t make them king makers because 45% is not the majority, when the whole is 100%. That’s just simple arithmetic, so what evidence are you requesting.

    And I am not surprised that you are stumbling so badly in your argument that it’s difficult to actually know what you are trying to prove. In countries where ballot papers carry information relating to ethnicity, gender, profession, belief, etc, political analysts can rely on such data to make observations that accurately reflect voting trends.

    It is not only ignorant, but also foolish, to try to transpose what you see on CNN, FOX, BBC, etc, onto the Gambian political scene, if you don’t have the available data to support your analysis. We do not have the data to support your claims, period. And until we do, promoting such a view as a fact, rather than mere assumptions, would be dishonest and disingenuous.

    If you had restricted yourself to the observation that tribe does influence political choice in The Gambia, I don’t think there will be many disagreeing with you, but the claim you made, and still foolishly and stubbornly defending is unfactual, misguided and very dangerous.

    In fact, not only are you being foolish and absurd, you are now being outright disrespectful and insulting. Look at this:

    @Max: “Why is Imam Leigh supported and even praised OJ and Halifa , it is not because these two are best politicians who sacrificed more than others , it is because OJ is his tribesmen and personal friend likewise Halifa Sallah.”

    The outright disrespect to Imam Baba Leigh aside, what data have you got to support your slanderous claim against a respected, highly educated and very pious man, except mere biased assumptions. I am assuming that it is his agreement with the views of the two politicians, in relation to NA elections, that elicited your attack against him.

    I hope you have the decency to apologise to Imam Baba Leigh and his many fans, because it is an insult against the imam’s intelligence to explain his political leaning, as tribally motivated. You are a disgrace Max. Shame on you, once more.

    • Bax , in all the lies you are trying hard to use to foolishly dismiss the claim that majority mandinkas support will determine the outcome of Gambian election , is an indication of your bigotry mindset which for years you have been exposing here . It is only bigot like you who took an offense of political analysis based on true independent statistics and called people names . Everybody knows that mandinkas majority vote for any political candidate will always decide the election in The Gambia. You will deny this statistical fact because you are a bigot. Here you are foolishly and dishonestly trying to dismiss the simple fact but you defended Mr Sallah’s for not condemning jammeh’s tribal vitriol against mandinkas. That showed your tribal mindset and dishonestly . Every leader has condemned jammeh except Halifa Sallah at the time. You are also on the record here for stupidly blaming the peaceful protesters, calling them distractors or considered their efforts as threat to peace in The Gambia. Here you are on the record , defending the stupid notion that Cassamance Jola do not have any influence or vote to support jammeh , hence they are not the problem as Far as you are concerned. In each of these examples, you have clearly demonstrated your ignorance, bigotry and stupidity about Gambian politics. Here you are again passionately dismissing the political analysis based on statistics of population. The Mandinkas majority statistics is the data from department of central statistics.In your demented mindset , you believe that since we do not have official registration of voters party affiliation, and so on , we can’t make any analysis of voting pattern based on tribe or any demographic. Do you see your absurd and demented argument without any intelligent reasoning. Have your demented mind forgotten about the census statistics? Stop lying and accept the truth. Any political science professor in any university will tell you that tribe , race , religion, economic status, gender and
      So on all plays a role in decision of voters . The simple question I have asked all along you never answered, why did mama Kandeh did well in minority tribe dominated areas as compared to his performance at mandinkas dominated areas ? You have a mandinkas problem because every time , any issue come up which deals with the topic of mandinkas, you will use your bigotry and stupidity to dismiss its significant. I have never says Mandinkas is better than any tribe but I pointed their numerical strength as main decider along with other tribes in the country.
      It is only bigot like you who used such an analysis to push forward your bigotry agenda . Today you can foolishly dismiss western media as irrelevant as far as political analysis is concerned but it is the same western media you consume to get information. When you sit in your little apartment in U.K. You spend most of your time consuming western political analysis. What an intellectual hypocrite you are .
      As far as imam Leigh is concerned, I have high respect for him and admiration , however his political positions in this political season is not the same as mine, since he supported and praised OJ publicly for the coalition efforts while he never said a word about others who played most important roles like OJ . In fact he seem to blame disunity on UDP political prisoners because he claimed that OJ and Sallah efforts resulted to coalition while he never acknowledged other players . If he truly is unifier , he should have praised all the parties and leadership but he praised his personal friends who he had long term relationship. Let me tell you , if you want to see OJ , go to Serekunda at Baba Leigh mother’s compound , that is where they used to have their voous but an ignorant political indoctrinated disciple will not know this . A coalition is not a political party and if any political party want to depend on the coalition to strengthen their party , they need to look at the situation.
      You and samba have a tribal bigotry mindset which is why you are so much determined to dismiss the simple fact that mandinkas majority will decide election for any president whether that president is a Jola , Wolof , or fula . Mandinkas majority supported jammeh despite his hatred for them . why you so dishonestly desperate to dismiss this simple fact. I have indicated that mandinkas do not vote based on tribe but if majority of them vote or support anyone leader that leader must be the president of The Gambia. Are you denying this statistical fact because it doesn’t suit your bigotry agenda . You are a bigot against mandinkas because you supported the insults jammeh rained on them and you also supported Halifa Sallah who refused to condemn it . This is why you cannot control yourself but to engage in your tribal slandering and to dismiss the facts . Left to your foolish ideas , jammeh will still be in power , shame on you for idiotic reasons to attach your bigotry mindset to my analysis. You shut down your nonsensical comments if tribe doesn’t matter .
      If you don’t like the fact that mandinkas majority will determine the election results for any leader whether the person is jola , fula or from any tribe then you need to shot your self in the foot or change your citizenship. As our politics advances, you will see this type of analysis in The Gambia.

      • Max…

        I can’t help but laugh at your childish behaviour. Why should I have a problem with the population of Mandinkas in the country ? Didn’t I state that they form the single largest ethnic group ? Belief me, I have no problem with that. I am as Mandinka as any Mandinka. Trust me on that, mate.

        The problem I have is your unsubstantiated, unfactual, biased and dangerous claim, that they (Mandinkas) alone can effect political change in The Gambia. This is just mere assumptions by you based on the misuse of statistical data on population. And it is false and dangerous.

        Why is your claim false ?

        I doubt your claim that the Mandinkas constitute 45% of our population. I have checked a few sites on this and none put their number beyond 42% of the population, but assuming that you are correct, let’s consider the following scenario in a constituency, where the adult voter population mirrows the population distribution of the country, as follows :

        Mandinka 42%
        Fula 18%
        Wollof 16%
        Jola 10%
        Sahule 9%
        Other 4%
        Non-African 1%

        Can you tell this audience how the Mandinka voter population of 42% can elect a candidate, when every other voter has voted against their candidate ? As you can see, Mandinkas at 42%, are the largest group, but they cannot decide who wins in this scenario, because the non Mandinka voters can affect the result, depending on how they vote, and if by coincidence, they all voted against the candidate that ALL the Mandinkas voted for, they (and not the Mandinkas) will be the king makers here (to borrow your term). Your claim is false because it is based on a flawed analysis/assumption.

        Why is your claim dangerous ?

        You see, people are entitled to enjoy the fruits or rewards of their efforts, and if we have pseudo analysts like you, constantly postulating the views that ONLY Mandinkas (and no other group or combination of groups) can effect political change in The Gambia, sooner or later, you will have tribal bigots advancing the argument or even making the claims, that Mandinkas deserve more in The Gambia than any other tribe, because they alone can bring political change. That is divisive and very dangerous and for this reason, people who put these types of arguments forth are bigots.

        And Max, you are a BIGOT, hiding behind analysis to subtly propagate your bigotry. Gambians, collectively, regardless of our tribes, with the tireless help of our friends and partners, at home and abroad, successfully sent Jammeh packing. We deserve to enjoy the rewards of our efforts collectively and equally. No single group deserves more credit than another and there are certainly, NO KING MAKERS.

        I don’t think you deserve a response to your allegations against Hon. Halifa Sallah. Every honest human being, who had the opportunity to hear or read Halifa, knows his position on politics of personalities, tribes, inducement, violence, etc. Only bold face liars can accuse Hon. Sallah of bigotry. Grow up and quit this foolishness.

        • Bax , the statistics you presented here about your stupid idea that my analysis is all about mandinkas versus all tribes is indication of your Ignorance tribalist mindset which you have shown . Where do you see your stupid concept of all members of a particular tribes voting for one candidate? Do you see your idiotic bigotry you are now peddling here . This is why some people here said that my analysis can be perceived by bigot like you and samba to instill your tribal bigotry . Where Did I ever stated all mandinkas will vote for one candidate in order to make that candidate the president. What a stupid statement you alleged. Do you see how you dishonestly distorted my analysis to suit your narrow stupid argument which doesn’t make any sense to anyone . I have stated that mandinkas majority along side with other tribes will always determine the outcome of election results because no particular group or tribe all vote for one person. In your idiotic mind , where did you see any tribe whose members all vote for one candidate as implied in your stupid and dumb scenario you had given above . In essence, you are saying mandinkas population 45 % versus 55 % of the rest of population. What a dumb analogy here you stated . Who told you all mandinkas are homogeneous voting block that vote on tribal line . You must be suffering from dementia or Alzheimers . How many examples did I give before you can get this in your thick skull . My analysis was based on mandinkas majority support when other tribes vote in any election. No single tribe members all vote for one person. A tribalist stupid moron like you assumed that I said all mandinkas versus all tribes . Where in the world have you seen any demographic criteria such as tribe , race or gender all vote for one candidate. You have dangerously divided Gambia into mandinkas versus all tribes in your stupid example. What idiotic examples you have given . Mr Bajaw was right when he stated that my statistical analysis was correct but it can be perceived by bigot like you to spread your stupid tribal agenda by making assumptions that I mean only mandinkas can elect a president or mandinkas versus all tribes . I told you several times, I recognized the diversity of coalition who voted for president barrow but my analysis is based on the fact that when mandinkas majority voted for him but mandinkas majority did not vote for jammeh as they used to do in the past. Therefore jammeh was defeated. This doesn’t mean all mandinkas will vote for one person as you stupidly implied . Again you never answered my question, why did mama Kandeh won only in minority tribe dominated areas and lost in all mandinkas tribe dominated areas? You won’t answer this question because it expose your stupid assumptions and lies that there is no tribal politics or influence in The Gambia or tribe identification shouldn’t be used to determine election results analysis. How do we analyze election results if we don’t used tribe identification tag ? What a moron of highest order you expose your ignorance.
          Indeed you have a mandinkas problem because your history of against any topic which deals with mandinkas has indicated that . You used the same tribal bigotry argument to debate Lafia Touray and defended Halifa Sallah .You will not say anything about defending Mr Sallah because you are a bigot who supported someone who refuse to condemn jammeh , who rained insult on mandinkas . That shows your stupid tribalist agenda . So in all the lies you are spreading here , you actually think that I said all mandinkas will vote for one candidate to make that candidate the president. What a dumb idiot you are . Wow you must be out of mind . How many times did I said mandinkas do not vote on tribal line because majority mandinkas supported jammeh who is a Jola . You are indeed a bigot and dishonest hypocrite. Your lies will catch up with you . This is the stupid thinking you had which is why you so foolishly trying hard to defend your deception. You are not sensible person . What a pathological liar you have become.
          As for samba , he is pathological liar and bigot because since he joined this forum , he only commented on tribe and lied about everything. With his childish and uninformed view , he exposed his lies and refused to accept that he lied ., I can’t have an intelligent discussion with a liar . I caught him lying about his tribe and he lied that I was paid by jammeh . I can’t have an intelligent discussion with a shameless liar who would say anything . But I won’t allow any lies to go unchallenged either .

          Bax , When all the oppositions leaders condemn jammeh for tribal vitriol except Halifa it shows his poor and dishonest Leadership style .you shamelessly defended him here . you went further to blame solo Sanderg for his death because you stated he was a distraction and a threat to peace in The Gambia. You are a heartless person who blamed victims or raped women who peacefully protested for electoral reform . You are here on the record vigorously defending the action of jammeh’s thugs who tortured and killed peacefully protesters. In essence you are a supporter of human rights violations because you have indicated that peaceful protesters were a threat to peace and distractors and therefore jammeh’s regime need to maintain law and order to deal with the protesters . Did you remember your demented statements.
          In summary
          1. You supported jammeh’s tribal vitriol because you supported Halifa Sallah who refused to condemn jammeh when every leader in the country did . Therefore you are a tribalist bigot
          2. You are a supporter of violence against women, killing of solo Sanderg because you said his efforts was a threat against peace in The Gambia, you called the efforts of peaceful protesters as a distraction. Therefore you are a disgrace to our new democracy because without the effort of these heroes, Gambia will never changed so quickly. These heroes and their families deserve apology from you . How would you feel if solo Sanderg was your relative and someone called him and his fellow heroes efforts as a threat to peace and a distraction. You have no credibility but a shameless soul . You have insulted all UDP executives who put their lives on the line for our country because you are dishonest bigot who called their efforts to ensure justice and freedom as a distraction. You are a joker and internet tribalist troll .
          3. You are sympathetic to jammeh and his killers because you offered your sympathy to them here in this forum while you called the victims of torture or rape as distractors to peace .
          4 . You claimed that Cassamance Jola has no influence in our politics or election therefore jammeh did not allowed them into our country. What a lie .

          These are all stupid claims you made here in this forum and they are on the record , in each of this instances, I exposed your stupid and bigotry ideas . Read your comments and tell this audience that you are a bigot with a dirty mouth .
          As for samba , he is new here but as time goes on I will expose his lies . Already I exposed two lies he said .

          • Lafia Touray la Manju

            It shouldn’t surprise you that Bax is constructing a nasty and dangerous notion of mandinkas versus all the other tribes. It’s the same BS some desperate politicians in The Gambia are using as a tool of recruitment but still keep losing elections. Hate will never win.

    • Maxs is just confused even if a fly was to fly and pass him he will start shouting ‘bomb’, ‘bomb’. He cannot distinguish between a necessary and sufficient conditions.

      • Samba , I told you I cannot have an intelligent , mature discussion with a childish pathological liar who would say anything. The mere fact I caught you lying twice is an indication that you are a shameless soul with no credibility. If you want you can continue to lie because it makes no difference to me since that is your preoccupation. I know you joined this forum with one objective , to sow your tribal discord . There is no substance in having a discussion with you . All the people I engaged in this forum , you are biggest liar who would say any lie with a pride. You recently joined this forum . Why you focus on tribal issues only since you joined ? Your first comment in this forum was about your tribal mindset when you foolishly revealed your tribe and later came to deny it .

        • Maxs, you are deaf, dumb, blind ànd bove all, stupid and ignorant. No one can have an intelligent conversation with such a character.

  19. Dormu Rewwum Gambia (aka Luntango Suun Gann Gi)

    My in-law, Max “beat” himself – thoroughly!

  20. Max, I sometimes admire humbleness not necessarily meaning I can be compelled to be disciplined. DISCIPLINE, a vocabulary that has usually slippedfrom Yayah Jammeh’s twitchy cancerous lips going for very well mannered people.Considering yourself a lecturer in these forums embrassingly reveals your mediocrity amongst many very enlightened and highly educated citizens of whom,you and I are far from being part of. Frankly speaking, I would say I have learned and I’m still learning here at Kairo, Jollof, Gainakonews etc etc from pen names and identified persons whose names are needless to mention.
    Totally on the contrast, as you think, I see you as a lecturer of confusion and division no different from those broadcasters of the Rwandan national radio who justified and propagated the 1994 ethnic cleansing of that country, that archived the worst genocide in the continent’s history. I am better off than you because I know not and aware of that fact. You have taken joy in sparking and drawing people into a fruitless argument and ignorantly feeling great with such half-mindedness. My advice to you is; carefully and humbly go over your comments and reason with yourself. By doing so you’ll find that all that all the noice in your comments is an empty barrel on a bumpy road. Perhaps we can’t easily do away with all the empty barrels but we can do something about the bumpy roads. Let’s put some focus on electricity too, running water, healthcare, education, agriculture, justice for victims of Yayah and so forth. These are also areas that resourceful contributors are concerting their efforts to.

    • Rect: “By doing so you’ll find out that all the noise in your comments is an empty barrel on a bumpy road”.

    • Max, once I picked it up from a dude when he said to you, “bro, you need a life”….but I’ll say you need two or three in your present condition. You can’t convince anyone you are NOT suffering from HEGEMONITIS, an accusation you vehemently refuted in the past. Must amazingly, you are trying to twist the facts about this reality.
      Can we really run away from ourselves? I guess NO.
      It seems you are non-Mandinka…Are you? I don’t think you’ll be talking like this in their name if you really are one. Excuse me for the intrusion into a privacy of yours as such.
      Maybe X’ed Jammeh is unpredictable after all. I have always perceived he is a lunatic but he may indeed be a meticulous one. Who knows……

      • Ggapm , I am very busy person . My schedule is full . I wish I could tell you who I am then you will respect me and ask me “how do I keep up with this debate ?”. My secret is the technology I have with me 24/7 – smart phone with full access to internet. Do you see those young guys always sending text messages . Kaironews can’t keep up with my postings lol . I have a great life and thank God for his guidance he instilled in me . Anyway I can’t convince demented mind or dishonest people who have an agenda despite my best efforts. By the way try to write with clarity because sometimes you confuses me . I am sorry about that if you feel offended . It is just a suggestion. Thank you.

        • Maxs, it is a shame that a big fat lier hiding behind a pen name can claim that if he reveals his identity people will respect him. If that is the case, why hide behind a pen name to propagate your negative tribal ideology. SHAME ON YOU!!!

      • I also had the feeling that he is not a mandinka. That was why i said that i am more mandinka than him. But being the man he is, he interpreted as claiming that i am not a fula, thanks to his shallow mind. He reminds me of the then Ebou Colley in Gambia-L.

        • Samba , you know the Ebou kolley you are talking about , he lied just like you lied about your ethnicity or identity. You lied in broad daylight about your ethnicity. I have given you a proof of your lies and I caught you red handed . You quickly changed your pen name and lied again then claimed that it was a mistake. What a pathological liar . How can you be mandinka and fula at the same time ? Do you see your lies and deception you have peddling since you joined here.
          Ggapm, i would encourage you think rationally about what you need to say rather than follow confused people who you do not know what they are talking about. What has stupid statement like ” you need a life ” has to do with what I do in my personal life before you make your silly suggestions about what I need . I think it is very stupid question to ask if I am a mandinka, what has to do with my analysis? Do you see silly assumptions you made about me without knowing me personally. Is that not bigotry and hatefulness we are trying to dismiss here . Did I care to know what happened in your private life ? Do you see how soome of your comments are very stupid which has no bearing on the topic under discussion. You need to get education so that we can understand your silly expressions.

          • Maxs, the only lier and confused idiot here is you, but no one else. It is in so stupid of you to believe that someone will say something without thinking about it. Is it because that is what you always do, just opening your filthy mouth and say anything without thinking about it?
            Again, after comparing you with the notorious Ebou Kolly, instead of coming up with something new or different or either confirming you are that Ebou Kolley or refuting it, you are shamelessly pointing the finger back at me. When will you growup?

    • Borune, when I told you that I considered you as a ” disciplined student ” , i was teasing you but in the actually sense you are indeed very ignorant and dishonest, tribal bigot . Your allegation that my statements that mandinkas majority support are the king makers, or ” mandinkas majority support along side with other tribes in any election will make any candidate the president of The Gambia ” is designed to cause tribalism or tribal tension is not only stupid allegation but it is a bigotry claim from your narrow mind . Statistically we know that 45 % of the population are mandinkas. Example, Even 35 % of mandinkas voters, 8 % of Wolof , 12% of fula , 5 % of Jola and 2 % of others in the last election could made Mr barrow winner , do you think Barrow would be president without these supporters? Some of you are so hateful in your ignorance and bigotry mind that you refused to accept the simple fact . I have stated many times mandinkas majority did not vote on tribal line which is why they have voted and supported Jammeh for 22 years . Why don’t you guys have problem with that statement but you have the problem with the statement that they are the king makers. You are totally dishonest and do not want to admit simple fact .
      Today you can sit behind your keyboard and make those stupid allegations that I am here to cause tribalism . That is a ridiculous and cheap statement because you are not a sensible contributor. Those who are sensible have indicated that my analysis can be misunderstood by tribal bigot like you , Bax and idiotic samba . I am sure if i say mandinkas are not the king makers or majority mandinkas support cannot make anyone the president, you will be happy with that because in your hateful mindset you refused to accept the fact that mandinkas majority support including other tribes of the country will always determine the outcome of the election. This is just like majority white Americans including other races will always determine the election of USA whether the majority white vote for a black person , a white or Asian . When i say majority mandinkas I did not say exclusively all mandinkas will support any candidate. I mean mandinkas majority plus support of other tribes. Get this in your thick brain. Do you want to tell me that if majority white did not vote for Obama , he would have still won the presidency. Do you see your stupidity that i am trying to educate you about .
      The fact that you dishonestly dismissed political analysis because of your bigotry against mandinkas is shameless attitudes. Whether you or anyone like it , mandinkas majority support for any political leader will make that leader the president of our country. To further enhance your limited understanding of this statistical analysis and statements, other tribes must also have some support or vote for the candidate . The problem we have is that we do not want to admit the truth. The mandinkas problem you guys have is the same problem you have about the fact that UDP is the biggest party in The Gambia. In your nonsensical comments about mandinkas majority support cannot decide the election results is the same as those who dishonestly believe that UDP is not the biggest party , therefore UDP has equal support base like PDOIS or NRP . This is why many of you are in support coalition independent candidates.
      Whether you like or not, mandinkas majority support for any leader will always determine the leadership of our country. Majority mandinkas support for Yaya jammeh made him president, they did the same for Jawara and they did the same for Barrow. If you don’t like this ,you can relocate to South Africa or somewhere in east Africa. But in west Africa in many countries such as Mali or Gambia. Mandinkas are the majority and are the king makers. You have a lot of Mandinkas in sierra Leaon , Liberia, Ivory Coast and many countries . You can say the same about the fulas in Guinea , Nigeria and many countries. These are two tribes which are so spread in west Africa and they do have political influence in many countries due to their numerical strength. I used Statistical analysis about the identity of voters to identify how mandinkas majority support can make anyone a winner. Tell me why majority mandinkas who did not vote for jammeh this time , he was defeated? Please answer this question. I want to know your perspective on this question.
      I am very patience to educate your thick brain despite your ignorance and dishonesty.

      • Tribal bigotry can be discerned from my comments in general by none but and ignorant idiot of a hateful inciter and tribal bigots of your likes.You and all indifferent to your ignorant, arrogant and hateful incitements are nothing but dangerous tribal bigots. Sensible people who may be following my comments can prove your lies. The toilet is cleaner than your brains, mouth and heart. I have not been a tease nowhere responding to your hypocrisy and contempt toward unity of a people in their trying times but counterpoise to them. I bet every observant participant can have a right to suspect espionage within the transition process. Look at your idiocy and ranting pompousness perceiving that others are not Mandinka because they won’t just play ignorance to your half-mindedness. You have just jumped in to comment in Pap Emmanuel Joof’s article in order to vindicate yourself from tribal bigotry but having the energy to put words together can’t just save your day. The way forward to confront tribalism in the Gambia needs intelligence that you very much lack. You might think pasting and attracting a lot of comments in response to your so-called teasing that indeed are contemptuous cannot however be missed by intelligent and diverse people of the country’s political discourse. Please take heed to my advice; give it a break and come back to your first sense because it is incumbent upon you to prove you have a second one. Only rare Ma Dinkas like yourself will entertain the galloping nature of noise you make. The Mandinkas in general cannot be assimilated to Yayah Jammeh’s mediocrity and hypocritical divisiveness. Long live all walks of live in the Gambia. They are all equal carry the country forward.

      • Maxs, you are the lunatic lier accusing everyone else. The labels you are taging on others are in actual fact stickng right on your forehead. Unfortunately for you, you are blind, deaf and dumb. Whenever your insincerity catch up with yiu, you turn around and say you are teasing. By the way, have you got the wife from the Zoo? Is your paymaster ready with uou new habitat?

      • Maxs, If 35 percent of Mandinkas voted and the othe tribes in you scenario votre. How can you be so stupid to claim that it is ONLY the mandinkas who voted out the loser. All votes in the election were counted and every single one of them counts. Stop your tribalist stupidity and grow up.

  21. Oh My God ! What an analyst ! Listen Max, even a Year 6 kid can see that I did not say anywhere that you said, “all Mandinkas vote for one candidate.” How can you even reach a conclusion like that from my hypothetical scenario ? It’s a hypothetical scenario to show that, notwithstanding the population of Mandinkas, there is a mathematical possibility, however remote the chances are, that election results can go against a candidate supported by all Mandinkas, if everyone else voted against their candidate, in a constituency where the voter population mirrows the population distribution. That is why I began by saying, “consider the scenario…..”

    I noticed that we have succeeded in putting some sense in your thick skull because you are now watering down your claim to include other tribes, which wasn’t what you said when you stated, “he (Jammeh) was installed by Mandinkas and defeated by Mandinkas.” No other tribe was mentioned here.

    “Why did Mama Kandeh won only in minority tribe dominated areas and lost in all Mandinkas tribe dominated areas?”, you keep asking. You tell me why, because I don’t know. All I know is that those people did not vote for him. But he also lost in every single constituency in the Basse Administrative Area, as well as in both Upper & Lower Fulladu constituencies in the Kerewan Administrative Area. So what do you make of that ? These are minority tribe areas (if I understand the usage of the term) inhabited by mostly Fulas, Sarahules and others.

    I will not respond to your endless fabricated lies and innuendos. Please yourself for as much as you like.

    • Bax , thank God I am now putting some sense into your demented mind . My original statement was conclusive statement based on the fact that majority mandinkas support along side with other tribes will always decide the election results for any political candidate . So in all these debate you thought that I meant only the mandinkas voters will decide the election and therefore they installed jammeh in power . Why don’t you ask for clarification before you engage in your foolish argument? . I am glad that you have taken 5mg of aricept or namenda to clear up your memory and put your memory back in the right perspective. You see my determination to instill the facts in you is gradually paying off . Once again when I said mandinkas majority installed jammeh in presidency, I meant to say majority mandinkas support along side with other tribes because mandinkas did not vote on tribal line but their support is the biggest factor for anyone to win presidency . My statement is mistreated by tribalist like you because you want to spread your bigotry. You need to answer my question why mama Kandeh won only in minority tribes areas ?
      I think samba must have taken seroquel 25mg po ( by mouth ) and felt asleep because his unfounded allegations and lies is typical of someone with Bipolar. Such a patient needs reality orientation and continue observation .
      If you read my statements all along with open mind , you will truly understand me but your comments are all agenda driven .

      • Maxs, being the lier you are, instead of coming up with something new or relevant, you always turn around and paint your color on others. Is that because you want people to look like you? Growup!! The only lunatic, tribalist, racist and stupid everyone is contradicting is you Maxs. The ealier you get that in your tick skull the better for you and your doctors.

    • Macs, is in fact lying. The constituencies won by Mama Kandeh are not all dominated by Fula. Maxs is doing all he could to paint Gambian as tribalist society. But he will woefully fail. We have some few tribalists like Maxs and yaya in our society, and they can be found across tribes. But they are an insignificant number compared to the total population of the country.

  22. Phatabot

    Hey Max pls give us a break from your this bullshit analysis. Tell us something more constructive..Gambians want to leave behind anything that separates us mentally, physically and socially.NEW GAMBIA we say..Goddamn it this tribal shit is enough..

  23. May peace rain in Gambia for ever

  24. If Jammeh was so evil, what are the benefits of going back to the British Commonwealth?
    We Africans always miss what holds us back.
    Let’s wait on the Lamentations that would come after Jammeh’s demise. We did same for Gaddafi, we will do same for Mugabe too….. hypocrisy runs in our blood.
    We will dance over a bowl full of rice than secure a future free minded families of love.

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