A very close friend of mine sent me a text message on my mobile phone alerting me to watch GRTS where Momodou Sabally, the one time disgraced Secretary of Presidential Affairs, was on live interview. Without hesitation, my spontaneous reaction was: what is that idiot doing at GRTS? When I tuned into GRTS, I saw Mr. Loudmouth Sabally comfortably sitting with a big smile on his face, pretending the interview is like all ordinary interviews. Sabally does not seem to understand the rationale behind him being granted an interview or perhaps he simply doesn’t care. In his myopic mind he thought that he appeared on TV to impress the Gambian public about himself or to give lectures on his curriculum vitae. Although the ex-Presidential Affairs Minister asked for forgiveness but he had shown no regret or remorse for what the pain he and his former boss Yahya Jammeh had inflicted on the Gambian people. Even Momodou Sabally was a victim of Jammeh’s inhumane brutality, yet he never distanced himself from the brutal regime. He kept on defending and wrapping himself with the classical excuse of “serving my nation” when in actual fact he clearly was interested in bolstering his own image and pursuing his selfish interest.
I personally can forgive Sabally, but I think he owes it to many Gambians to simply tell them “I am very sorry for what I have said against you.” Sabally had many options to decline insulting and castigating his fellow countrymen for Yahya Jammeh for the sake of a man who cares about none but himself. The only crime these fellow citizens committed was to fight for the freedom Sabally is today enjoying.
Sabally has proven to be an arrogant, manipulative and self-obsessed liar. He is no different from his Yahya Jammeh. Both men lack empathy and become insensitive to the plight of ordinary Gambians — an exact character Sabally’s body language revealed throughout the GRTS interview. Sabally missed a very good opportunity to once and for all distance himself from the previous regime and repent publicly. This is what is expected of a decent human being. The people can forgive and look into the future. By giving that mere interview, Sabally in his dream world thinks he can be recycled into the new Gambian government because in his wild mind he is the best.
My recommendation to Sabally is for him to be aware that it is not enough to ask for forgiveness but he needs to muster the courage to apologise to the many people he has hurt. Don’t fool us with the that “I was merely reading a statement” because when you aided and abetted with Jammeh to make life unbearable for Gambian people. Shame on you Momodou Sabally!
Alhagi Touray
Stockholm, Sweden
Ends
Alhagi,
It appears you are akin to vilifying anyone who has worked with the President Jammeh government. That in itself reflects your own shortsightedness of democratic dispensation. Working for a nation/country does not necessarily have to been within the government circles.
If Sabally worked under the President Jammeh government to serve his country, he did what was expected of a citizen in spite of some errors he might have made. These are excusable. But not all excusable behaviours warrant apologies.
How many of you in the Jammeh opposition indeed inflicted serious harm to the Jammeh family and tribe by vetting irrational abuses, insults and vituperative language only to show their uncouthed democratic dispensation/thought of the “right to say whatever one feels”?
Sabally is a Gambian citizen like most Gambian citizens who worked for our country under President Jammeh and continue to work with the present administration. He has every right to express himself, a right that was accorded to every Gambian under Jammeh with the exception of those who abused their rights by using very abusive/uneducative language at Jammeh, the Jola tribe and family and with all intent to usurp power from Jammeh. Those were the ones deprived of those rights under the laws of our country!
Will Adama Barrow admit such abusive language on him, tribe and family?
If you don’t mind, see my answer below!
He is free to ask for forgiveness and it’s up to individual gambians to grant one or deny one. There will be no collective consensus on this issue nor is one required.
Paramount for Gambia and Gambians is that such a person is not “Honoured ” again with a senior position in the govt. His integrity is compromised and the barrow gov’t must not rehabilitate him. That is the message all future OPPORTUNIST should understand.
Rewarding him with a govt position will tantamount to betraying the sacrifices made without which this man would still be a beneficiary of the tyranny we defeated.
Babu, because Jammeh was not fit to be president. And should Barrow react the same way as Jammeh, then he would also become unfit to be president. Very simple!
Leaders should be above petty insults and emotions expressed in language. Presidents should have visions for the country and should articulate these to the public in a rational and respectful manner. There will always be different reactions to president utterances and actions among diverse peoples. Opinions always differ.
A president should be humble and focused enough to take best advices from the populace and work towards his agenda with clear conscience and conviction.
Jammeh was badly unfit for the office of the president! He wanted to be saint. He wanted to be demigod. He wanted unreserved love from all his countrymen and women. Finally, he wanted to be even more than a KING. That was the problem. Logically he must interpret any contrary opinion as an insult to him, his tribe and family. We have defeated such troubled personality and we will guide against any reincarnation of Jammeh!
Modou Sabally is good for nothing, do don’t waste your time on him. Does insulting Mandinkas on a national television is the way to serve his country? If that is the case, even thieves are serving the country by stealing peoples property. How can Gambians forget so soon? For people like Sabally, the new government should not even allow or condone their hide and seek game. In addition, Sabally is a liar who should not be believed even if he speaks the truth. Sabally has no regard for his parents, integrity, tribe or people, shame on you!