The lock step unity, honest dealings and the rigid loyalty we wished for at every moment of opportunity which present itself to quickly free our country out of its misery looks like a mountain climb at times. The cleansing rain of love for each other we need to wash off mistrust, happy thoughts to wash away suspicion of each other, the rain of goodwill to wash off ethnic jealousies caused by APRC regime, clouds are still dark but yet to fall. some of the especially conscientious are beginning to question everything because the country is ruled by someone who is always in conflict with most people’s lived experience. Many paradoxes are of his doing, best exemplified by the daily human rights atrocities which dominates the ethos of our country, the enforced disappearance of citizens, and the inhumane act of knowingly mistreating suspected political prisoners or journalist. The measured cautious approach taken by many haven’t paid off quickly but, this is a hard long fight which needs one to exercise patience and stay the course. We are close to victory.
Many people ran out patience because It’s hard to imagine how a dangerous man who have demonstrated countless of times that— his political needs are more important than relations with citizens of the country. They have no tolerance anymore for a leader with shriveling legacy whom is secretly rendered effectively unwelcome in many nations and toxic to Gambians. So why is such a person who is a lone decider incapable of horizontal relationships with world leaders and humiliates everybody who has tried to be his friend but still able to operate the country on his fancies. And to make matters worse, his deeply unpopular policy agenda doesn’t cross any sound threshold. Yahya Jammeh may think that he the “man” and does whatever he likes but I remind him to open the book he carries on his hand to chapter 14 vs 42 “And never think that Allah is unaware of what the wrongdoers do. He only delays them for a Day when eyes will stare [in horror]”.
Rightly so, we are all upset and worried about the injustice to citizens daily along with the blessings the country loses every tick of a second. But now more than ever we need people in service of the nation to have the courage, stop the procrastination of reconstructing past events which imprison their minds so much that they often get confused by trivia questions and get locked into the status quo. They end up being a searcher of answers to known questions than a settler. Twenty years of discord sowed by regime finds its ways to every conversation or anything productive to move things forward. The us versus them; this or that – a natural ego of wholeness of any situation between the diasporian and those on the ground is played out now. It’s a thing of the past. Only few are still playing that seed of discord but we all in this together. Truthfully, some of us are just contributing what we can for the love of our country and are not looking forward for anything in return.
Lawyer Darboe and his executives have showed us an authentic inner experience of what it meant to be Gambian when you are needed at most to stand against injustice. He took that walk with courage for our fallen brother Solo Sandeng and those wronged jailed knowing full well what Yahya Jammeh will do. For those who are helping to torment and convict political prisoners, remember Yahya Jammeh will not intercede for you one day. So fear that day when you shall defend yourself from your record. it’s never too late to see errors and correct them but the regime continuous to use unlimited power at the expense of the liberty of the people hitting where it hosts most is just unfair. Again, it’s a long hard fight but we shall prevail and our people will be free.
By Habib ( A Concerned Gambian)
