As the dense fog of grueling movements and regime scandals engulfs towns across Gambia, many helpless Gambians just shake their heads in disappointments and Step back from the endless cycle of depressing events. At the same token, the regime does not encourage the warrior spirit of Gambians diasporians but ridicule us for taking extra cleaning jobs and home healthcare jobs to provide for our families back home whiles hijacking our money exchange rates. Back home, the regime is seen as a club rewarding their supporters instead of a government for all, punishing the oppositions on fabricated crimes, the laws of the nation apply only to other people such as the defendless and those whom are victimized. Yaya Jammeh is a taker who continues to be a great burden in the nation, our societies traditions, our religion freedoms and business instead of being a president who brings lasting benefits to all Gambians. The Gambia government is used so extensively by foreigners, political cronies, and Yaya Jammeh’s family as a vehicle for benefiting themselves, at the expense of the rest of us.
The vast majority who commit crimes are shield from laws, rewarded and given waivers to behave badly. Most of them continue to act infallible by keeping quiet, some still engaged in undermining the will of the people to see a change in our lives, others still warm up to dictator after spend time in mile-2, few still hauling ugly insults on us and the rest are clearing paths to hide Yaya Jammeh’s crimes. People will routinely manipulate events, suppress the truth, deliberately doctor a good image of the regime to present a false and rosy picture of Yaya Jammeh who does have Gambian interest at heart. It’s an astounding assertion but things continue to go off the rails because our institutions are all failing. it is ridiculous that army Generals, regimes darling religious leaders, some APRC top leaders and cabinet ministers will not stand up and tell the truth when it matters most. Most people except these folks who go home every day to their communities convey nations views on things such as — do not kill needlessly, release them or even admit we made an error. Instead, they will engage in fog of double talk, lame excuses and political cronyism to please the dictator whiles the rest of Gambians continue to wallow in misery.
The modern leaders of the Gambia —be it the army, leaders of institutions and others selected by Yaya Jammeh have the least qualifications, questionable origins, least moral values, ethical issues and other notions. Few Gambians among many will air in the side of the truth, — and one of them flared bright last week, as the first blind Magistrate Muhammed Krubally who got fired after rejecting the state prosecutors reference of the law. There are many more stories like that but only few dare to talk. Yaya Jammeh and his military have been doings insane excesses on defend less Gambians —kind of a in-your-face provocations testing the pulse of the nation on how far they can push their Dictatorship ambitions. The sad tale is all too emblematic of the regimes failures and using fear to validate themselves. It’s a terrible disgrace to go after women, elders and innocent children. But even with all we’ve been through under this regime, they are still arguing so explicitly of bring developmental success and don’t even feel ashamed saying such things while we are still waiting for answers on so many issues. The regime blames their woes on the oppositions whom are not even allowed to have government jobs, only few among regime darlings do their fair share and they are mostly found of rewarding their friends whiles punishing their perceived enemies.
It’s hard for Gambians to wrap their head around things because everything has to be narrated all in one direction to Yaya Jammeh’s liking whiles the citizens suffers. GRTS does not serve the country too but serves as a protectionist mouthpiece of the regime. Everything which the nation has to learn from ranging from sensitization, significant historical events such as April14th/16th, sensationalized revelations, to the president dislikes, it all ends up getting pushed aside, or buried. As a results, people citizens are not abreast with issues. We may hate to admit it but many Gambians pick whom to vote for based on their perception of a candidate’s persona, linage, self-interest and do no base their decisions on a very instinctual level understanding candidate’s policies, let alone a regime which brutalize them and fail to deliver on their promise. Gambians should all brace up and save our country if possible this November. It’s hard to fathom why Gambians now like to settle for less whiles other governments are held accountable by their citizens to meet their needs.
Gambians are tired of the regime always trying to burden us around election time with collective tribal guilt by lecturing us about the sin of Jawara regime as if they don’t look around themselves in the same room and wonder about themselves. The same regime proudly attaches all privilege to linage first whiles pressing on others of their dreams to hold them down and look at some capable people with skeptical eye. No one is guilty of anything, we are all Gambians and love each other equally because the regime wants to destroy our tradition of our tolerance of differences and custom. Also, the diasporians whom the regime demonized as bad citizens by relentlessly playing with our heads are the ones looking out for our people back home. The Gambian diasporians are those shedding blood to make sure their fellow countrymen are comfortable. Running around sweating to make sure families back home get decent meals. Lately collecting funds across the globe to help the sick, shedding tears on stranger’s death, trying to pay off their debt and collecting funds to repatriate their body for burial. What does the regime do? Despite all the name calling, the diasporians are taking the perilous task of keeping our sisters sold as domestic slaves and helping our brothers captured by rebels on back way journey to make sure they are safe. We must no longer settle for a country where a shrinking number of people do really well while a growing number of Gambians can barely get by. We can turn the table around again and that rest on our hands.
By habib ( A Concerned Gambian)
