Alagi Yorro Jallow
The great wit Oscar Wilde once said: “A cynic is a man who knows the price of everything, and the value of nothing.” Stephen Colbert addressed the notion with a fuller definition in a commencement address at Knox College: ” Cynicism masquerades as wisdom, but it is the farthest thing from it. Because cynics don’t learn anything. Because cynicism is a self-imposed blindness, a rejection of the world because we are afraid it will hurt us or disappoint us. Cynics always say no. But saying “yes” begins things. Saying “yes” is how things grow. Saying “yes” leads to knowledge.” I know which Gambia I would rather live in and I hope a less cynical Gambia can await us!
Mamudu: In our private moments what does President Adama Barrow think of Gambians? Are Gambians his lovers because we agree with Geoffrey Chaucer, known as the Father of English literature, who said love is blind? Or are we Adama Barrow’s fools because fools don’t see what their eyes see? Or are we both because, with enthusiasm, lovers do foolish things? President Barrow sleeps and snores, we hail him; he sits up, we applaud him. We salute him even as he croaks and wheezes. He chose his government’s key men from his ancestral homestead and his political roots, we made excuses for him. Those are the ones he could trust, we bellowed at wailers. We said the appointees were the very best at that point in the geography of our politics. Every democracy has its aristocrats; it is their time to eat, we said. Do we give up our dignity or uphold our dignity for a bowl of soup? If corruption and payola is encouraged between the executive and legislative accepting largesse like cash and vehicles for security of votes bring misery and threaten the very pillar of our nationhood and sustenance of our people not well-connected to government officials and politicians.
President Adama Barrow, Gambians supports the presidency as the symbol of national unity. However, we will not sit back and cheer when the very pillar of nationhood threatens its very sustenance.
Mamudu: According to the Facebook page of Hon. Sanna Jawara, UDP Member of the National Assembly for Upper Fulladu West received a call from Lamin Cham, one of President Barrow’s political operative and close confidante asked him to collect the first of a series of monthly stipends to NAMs of D10,000 from the president. In the words of Hon. Sanna Jawara, “I politely turn the offer down,” during our telephone conversation. He felt “dishonored and humiliated” realizing that “President Barrow has started paying some parliamentarians D10,000 each month…for what I don’t really want to know.”
Kudos to Hon. Sanna Jawara, for saying rejecting to bribery and corruption and by coming out in public to report to his constituents and the Gambian people, he has earned the respect of Gambians. Money cannot buy you everything and one thing it cannot buy you is HONOR which you must earn through hard work at tremendous sacrifice.
Mamudu: The president’s gift of vehicles to National Assembly members is the saddest thing on everyone’s lips and perplexed how the executive gives gift to legislative members without due process. This is not a mere banter; where is the morality and ethics Gambians expect from our political leaders. The independence of the Executive, Legislative and Judiciary is well enshrined in our Charter to promote checks and balances. It’s just that we only see checks being encased and we are left with the balance as always.
Mamudu: I have known and admired a well-respected brother who have integrity, man of dignity not double-tongued, or addicted to much wine, over the years, now a National Assembly member, a beneficiary of the President Adama Barrow’s largesse of cash and vehicles. This young man came from humble means, worked hard and won a seat. But even before Gambians get a chance to witness his character in the National Assembly, even before fellow National Assembly corrupt him, his great achievement has been all but wiped out by the president’s munificence.
The president has taken this man’s achievements and given him a bread and butter in exchange. Now this man who was known for his uncompromising stance against corruption, bribery and injustice will no longer stand on his own legacy. He is no longer his own man. All that, for cash and a car.
And the Gambian community has lost an opportunity to teach boys on becoming a man by standing on one’s own.
Mamudu: Working with one’s own intelligence and respect for the community. And I bet the boy child advocates haven’t noticed. My father warned me repeatedly about gifts. He told me they have soul power and they are given in exchange for something you have. At the time, I used to think he was talking about lust for money and sex. But now I understand it was about much more. It was about dignity, integrity and soul. And those are priceless.
This presidential cash and car gift story reminds me of what I told my students few year ago: “The people willing to give you smartphones, to give up your vote, know that however much they give you, your dignity, integrity and human birthright are much, much more valuable. That’s why they’re willing to part with so much. So, you too, should know how valuable your dignity is. Do not give up your dignity for (Tom Yum Kum) a bowl of soup.” Both girls and boys, in very specific ways. We cannot teach kids values if we do not evaluate and judge our politics by the same values. There’re no point teaching values as an individual parent if politics is going to contradict them.
