By Habib

Yaya Jammeh marveled during his so called meet the farmers tour against the so called “Negative internet sites” sweeping the nations gateways to the homes of Gambians. He didn’t mention that the phenomenon — and its disorienting effect — has been largely his doing. The choice between development and backwardness offered by the president is a false choice. He rekindled his stale resentments and overstepped his authority with diktats meant to scare Gambians into his submission. Our elders and religion teaches us “if we don’t have anything good to say, you keep silent”. Words once spoken in one corner of the world— lives forever somewhere in the heart of people, servers or on a digital world and the scribers who record our deeds.

Some Gambians only yesterday, sat back and enjoy the spectacle of the regime tearing the fabrics of our society apart. Now slowly but surely, the effects of the regime policies are felt in every corner of the country and coming towards their coronation. Now they’re learning that the rain that falls on the regimes opponents gets them wet, too. Now they are waking up to the reality of living under a brutal regime. The abuse of political prisoners is no secret. Some used to argue about the white elephant buildings development but much harm happened to the citizens which since erase the sunny outlook of the regime. A cornerstone of the nation’s confidence which is the people are not better off today, yesterday, and tomorrow under the APRC regime.

In life, once you reach the top of the heap, some people with moral conscience retire with dignity while few others feel entitled to stay there until death does them apart. Fearing change, people sell their principles and go against the wishes of their citizens who question their political orthodoxy. As the pendulum of power approaches the completion of its APRC era swing, Yaya Jammeh insist to stay in power grudgingly and he is determine to inflict as much damage to the nation before he leaves. He showered himself with extraordinary unchallenged power and authority as a weapon to harass—some people, politicians and ideological opponents in ways that no one would have dared. There are hundreds of who should be alive but are not, along with thousands of surviving victims as a result of the president’s determination to stay in power no matter what.

Yaya Jammeh selective attitude toward opposition parties’ persecution is puzzling, even to those who are eager to give him the benefit of every doubt. Some die hard loyalist though he could have moderated his hectoring tone and wish he stop his actions against Gambians. Reality of his policies and his words are forces to be reckon with. The legacy Yaya Jammeh will leave is well established already. Staying in the good graces of Gambians is even more difficult after lives lost and torture details he approved came to light. He doesn’t seem to understand that a president doesn’t design his legacy. Yes there are moments in history when the fate of the nation’s lies at the mercy of the integrity of its leader but legacy is how you executed those actions.

The nation’s uncertainty cause by regime didn’t happen overnight and renewed confidence in the future won’t either because our society is now beset with structural problems and political paradox. With its propaganda and financial manipulation, the APRC regime feed some of his loyalist —with piecemeal and inadvertent assistance into the effort to cling on to power even doing the unthinkable. Some people who should know better don’t understand this. The disregard for human life that drives the regime to abuse its own supporters further illuminates its dream of eliminating its political opponents. The empty ritual of fear mongering by Yaya Jammeh is familiar now, and impresses no one.

A competent president would know that shared values like love of country, not tribal resentment, gives his citizens the fortitude and plain level field to succeed by leaving office gracefully when they are no longer welcomed to stay in office. Yaya Jammeh’s stubborn devotion to his agenda of staying in office by his use of terror —as an innumerable caravan to eternity for those whom he dislikes or disagrees with. This reveals his closed mind with lethal consequences against Gambians. He resorted to social engineering of the nation’s workforce and security forces which have been one of Yaya goals in his quest to transform Gambia. It has been very difficult for Gambians adjusting to the elaborate restraints of social etiquette and the closed nature of society which was once friendly.

This is why older elders always preach “Courage has its rewards, and fear has consequences”. A vibrant democracy depends on every citizen’s respect for the right of everyone to express an opinion, particularly if the opinion is unpopular. Everything Gambians worked hard for generations is now owned by Yaya Jammeh nowadays. You name it; Abuko life stocks —now kanilai farms, farm lands, hotels , buildings of high real estate values and the list goes on to the point that nothing is ever certain in Gambia except when it is owned by Yaya Jammeh. The rule of law is meant to guide the administration of justice but in The Gambia, the law is dictated by Yaya Jammeh’s mood swing. He is obsessed with four things; tribalism, color blind, riches and his favorite African trademarks.

Nevertheless, some Gambians have already pout, left the country in thousands through back way –others with university degree holders are more likely to stay in their host countries and raise their kids in different cultural environment. The regime has shuttered-eye approach on every concern of Gambians but this may soon be no longer tolerable because people want a free society and vibrant government to address their needs. The regime in every case has established a new standard of incompetence and proudly employs incompetent people or resorts to tribal affiliations employment. Most people see your regime as the scary darkening cloud they couldn’t way to eventually disappear.

By habib (A Concerned Gambian)

By Habib

All the pillars of our nationhood were tested in 1994 and continually tested by APRC regime. Some collapsed like the free press or unions, some were seriously weakened like the bar or legal system as a whole, while others were desecrated beyond repair-the economy. The list goes on with the presidency, our values, deep-seated personal convictions, religious leadership, foreign policy, security and most importantly, the people. We see how the regime responded to national crises as well. We need not recount the number of lives lost, the losses incurred by businesses and wasting of billions of dalasis by Yaya Jammeh and incompetence of the Executive.

Nearly majority of Gambians believe living the Gambian Dream of broad prosperity which once was very promising, is now not ensued or possible for them. They struggle in the dark, without help, without hope, and without proper electricity. Courageous dissidents fed up with the system are constantly harassed, beaten and imprisoned. They are very disappointed that the APRC economic message is just rhetorical and benefits the few Jammeh elites’ whiles ignoring a large segment of the population. Basically, fair share of the economy is not necessarily tricking down to them. Particularly so these days, ordinary Gambians are living even more of a hand-to-mouth existence and are not happy deep down in their hearts. Those close to Yaya Jammeh mastered his theifnomics ways, hence they are so rich that they amass vast wealth — then benefit from elaborate webs of shell companies to disguise their identities and their assets.

And with good reason: That’s probably why over the years so many Gambians are so dissatisfied, discontent — worried that Combined trends of high level corruption and incompetence has collapse the economy. Favoritism, nepotism, Social Security pension saving looting, soaring cost of higher basic commodities and high living conditions. Unemployment, corruption, bureaucratic incompetence and economic paralysis are the bane of the APRC regime. It is clear that Jammeh does not share our view about our beloved country Gambia. We are proud of our nation and heritage. His ballyhooed promise of being the Singapore of African has peeked out from under the covers. Every day, higher prices, economic stagnation, poverty and unemployment, political stasis, official corruption and a stifled, censored public became less and less tolerable.

The Gambians are marginalized by the nation’s changing economy, diversifying demographics and shifting of nation’s aggregate resources in the hands of few reflecting a broader societal divide. It’s an awareness of the growing gap between rich and poor, and the stagnation of wages. Many hard-working folks have had little or no raises since the 1994. Their standard of living is not going forward – or it’s noticeably retreating. They see Yaya Jammeh whose character is revealed through his own greed and he is setting a bad example by the way he conducts himself. They want a proper government and power returns to its proper place — the citizens of the country — and does not remain with regime. They want a president with empathy, high moral values —right judgment and temperament — not only to respond by movingly declaring “Yalla Bahna” policies, but also to preserve and lead a system based on laws. They’re right.

By the above measures, Yaya Jammeh contemptuous refusal to give substantive answers to substantive questions many Gambians have about their nation; his arrogance in branding opposition figures as bad citizens — and disappearing of people to destroy evidence of who knows what. Gambia and its citizens have been shortchanged by the APRC regime competencies and brutal tasteless tactics. The repetitive lies and scare tactics has resulted to many decent citizens ignorant of the basics of democracy functions, and lack the knowledge to participate fully in the society it sustains. Granted, too many young people who grew under Yaya Jammeh political culture today do not understand how our political system works because he had misled them into believing he is Gambia’s savior. People are very concern about his far-reaching explicit religious mission which has resulted to unintended consequences on both secular and religious freedoms. His insulting insouciance bred more dissatisfaction among the population.

Yaya Jammeh knows very well — Gambia is in financial life support because he is consumed by “African trademark” as he likes to put it. He does not care a bit because he feels like he has name identification no one else has, a raft of true believers eager to do anything for him and the state money to ride out many storm in his way. He is getting away with lying to the Gambian people about every aspect of his administration.

We Gambians are all in a tactical sense, soft targets of this regime. The attacks on peaceful protesters and nightly raids are meant to sow fear, intimidate members of our community, and cause confusion by the regime security forces. These assaults are another battle in a struggle of our freedom. Gambians do not revel in the death of defenseless civilians in the hands of this brutal regime. We are all one people who mourn together, we work together and, under strong leadership shown by our gallant heroes in jail. We can overcome this regime together no matter how much the regime send darts into our midst.

Furthermore, we should resolutely reject the demagogic cries, waves of fear and xenophobia by the regime. Few Gambians still have contradictory impulses on this regime while we are contending for our own liberty. They should be very cautious not to violate the conscience of others who lost love ones, suffered and continue to experience nightmares of this regime. Ignorance is not a virtue. Let’s give the dictator the “shellacking” he deserves and drive him away for good. He is angry, he is defensive, he is spending his final moments cowardly mishandling Gambians and hopelessly trying to spin his disastrous failed presidency. So we are watching along with your rented crowd whether your tour will be a “Mansakonko moment”. And so, inevitably the message is clear, Jammeh must go.

By Habib (A Concerned Gambian)

By Habib

Jammeh is out again with cold feet peddling an amorphous anti-Western, anti-opposition and anti-diasporian resentments. Predictably, truth is the first casualty. Mr. Jammeh’s address was predictable mix of criticism of the 17th century policies, the internet, opposition and self-praise. Yaya Jammeh is left free will by the security forces — rewriting history and dangerously brain washing school children to hate the west and branding the opposition as older bad citizens who long for a leadership.

The rented invitation-only audience were so panic driven that they greeted such self-serving insanity with applause. He vows to start disappearing his opportunist evil opponents as he puts it, burying the opposition 9 feet deep, arbitrary detentions and his regime is determined to move court cases at far end of the country in the provinces— to avoid protestors in the city. Injustice is on wheels tiptoeing around the country. Gambians are smart enough to believe Yaya Jammeh has no strategy beyond trying to politicize every issues near and dear to his heart to make the citizens suffer.

Parents are all tired about their children being used as his ideological crusades with repeated brainwashing “Bathroom” talks. Gambians are feeling helpless by his terrorism and constantly bombarding them with empty propaganda slogans. There will be no end in sight to the mounting death toll of Gambians and the shattered families as long as he stays in office. On every level, economically, fiscally, socially, Gambia is in a lot worse shape and under debt-ridden by Yaya Jammeh inept presidency. Poverty is up. Violent crime by Yaya’s thugs is up. Businesses are all in trouble due to his border closure. The economy is barely growing. People are hurting. All of this combines to create a dysfunctional obfuscated by webs of corruption that fails Gambian taxpayers and undermines public trust.

The haughty childish Gambian maniacal dictator with furious hatred and delusional arrogance has calculated with exaggerated hope that Europe and American will not fight him because they have unusual burdens of undergirded responsibilities. He is proud to get carrot stick “isolationism” —thus his deliberate decision to turn away from the increasingly active global condemnation and recommendation to respect human rights. Appeasement of a dictator by allowing him to buy expensive mansions around the world with webs of secret bank accounts telegraphs weakness and encourage further transgressions on Gambian citizens.

Yaya Jammeh is under political siege and thus invariably resorts to underhand methods to maintain control. These measures are unlikely to save him from determined Gambians if they continue to put aside their superficial differences and united in the interests of the country. Oddly enough, the hardheaded Yaya did not take his friends advise whom had tried awkwardly — and, arguably, unsuccessfully — for him to step down. His Regime has saddled the country with debt as far as the eyes can see, fueled wild expansion of his brutal power, increased interference in everyone’s daily lives and made the country’s economy one of the worst in the world. It’s no wonder his colleagues in the continent are growing increasingly tired of him shaming the continent.

Leadership is about more than making promises or saying the same thing over and over again. His unwillingness or inability to seize the moment to show that he can lead the nation in a moment of crisis underscored the suspicion of many that his 22-year experience and his vision are too narrow for the presidency. Despite the relentless stream of deaths, kidnapping, forced disappearance by his executive directions — he out there deliberate, contrived and dishonest about everything. Again, leadership is about more than hewing to talking points. It involves a sensitive understanding of the fears and anxieties of the Gambians and addressing them in a way that inspires trust. Yaya’s unwillingness to level and come clean about his actions against the Gambian people left him threatening every one and calling out names. Yaya Jammeh is no doubt looking for something of enough grandeur to reflect his opinion of himself. A long-standing question has been why the Gambia has been so plagued by such violence from you — mercilessly looting everything.

The sea change in the public mood has come about because his brutal nature on the citizens, wrong direction of the country, his incompetent policies, disinformation, secrecy, oppression, deceit and his deep unpopularity— crystallized public discontent. He also declared war too with the internet routers in Gambia which he categories as “Negative sites” and “Positive internet sites”. He is trying to halt Gambians from listening to his viral videos and tapes on the internet of his failed promises when he ceased power by force in 1994. His persistent concerned about his citizen’s awareness of his stolen wealth, businesses throughout the world, confession of killings and disappearing of citizens by his former military men.

What is especially reprehensible Yaya Jammeh continues to fudge the facts and subjects our citizens to dangerously radical ideas which has become wearingly familiar to the world by now. Gambians remain mired in living standards that lead to disease and death rates on rise due to his policies. This regime is not sustainable. It’s a heavy burden on Gambia. It is Gambians — not Yaya Jammeh — who will suffer as a consequence of a failed nation as a results of his policies.
By Habib ( A Concerned Gambian)