Facebook can be a place to provide many of differing political persuasions to be a safe place to express views and exchange thoughts with others. So please keep commenting away, and continue to debate with spirit…. and civility.

 
Facebook at the same time inspires crass and even abusive rhetoric, spurred on by tribal and political groupings. The notion of a village Bantaba as a place to hear differing opinions now exists more in the digital space than the physical. However, we see increased polarization and self-selection in our network of friends. The more I read the comments or statues on Facebook the more I am convinced that this country is hopeless.

 
Cyber-activism or blind activism is a disease which needs to be treated as soon as it is detected. Its symptoms are “forming and voicing one’s own opinions”, “refusal to giggle and blush at bigotry comments”, “rejecting crap from anyone”, “having own views and decisions and standing by it”, self-mobbing in moralities, gossips etc. etc.!

 
The most effective treatment prescribed against cyber-activism is personal whipping using keyboards, use creative counter punches soaked in “epistemological -techno-ethical” morals.

 
Granted, only a certain percentage of people are on social media. However, the number of percentage of Gambians that are active on Facebook and Twitter is pretty much a good indicator of the current state of our society. The semi-anonymity that the internet provides only served to reveal the true nature of Gambians.

And the image is not good.

 
Probably the most accurate image of a Gambian is that of a fanatic. This can be seen in religious Muslim ceremonies such as Gamos, Seyarre, processions of traditional Christian ceremonies. Never mind that you grabbed on people’s eye sockets, if you get to wipe your sweaty towel on the face of the poon or ineffectual person. Never mind the reasoning, the logic, your religion is better than their religion, and your interpretation of Scripture is better than theirs.

 
This same fanaticism now translates to politics. The cult of personality surrounding the President has transformed social media into an echo chamber. What was supposed to be an avenue to connect with family and friends became a battleground for political fanaticism. Labels were put on people, instead of analyzing each opinion as it is. You had to take sides.

 
In the Gambia “patriotism” has an ethnic, religious, and regional identity. When someone who shares the same primordial characteristics as the president or leader of a political grouping “patriotism” becomes important, and holding government accountable to the people becomes “treason.” If the president is from the “other” side of the primordial divide, everything is neatly reversed.

 
Mark Twain was right when he said, “Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel.” If your “patriotism” is situational, if it is inspired only by the primordial affinities you share with the person who is president, you are, to borrow from Twain, a “scoundrel.”

 
If you are not with us, then you are against us.

 
It weakens me to see that we have devolved discussion into name calling, with Jaliba’s ghostwriters turning each opportunity to propaganda. There is no more reason or logic. Only pseudo reasoning that to some people, is indistinguishable to the real thing. The more reasonable people on both sides are left on the bottom, with comments that pander to the hive mind earning the top.

 
And thus, the cycle of propaganda continues. Repeat a thousand times and it becomes the truth.
The Gambian society is now a big circle, one hand in between the legs of the person beside them, moving up and down. And in the middle, the country, waiting for their release.

By Alagi Yorro Jallow

Our nation cannot enjoy peace and stability and therefore development without our people, individually and collectively accepting truth and justice. The incidents in Foni since Yaya Jammeh left raise fundamental moral questions from a historical point of view for the consideration of the people of the region. It is important that the people of Foni as a whole reflect on the role and position of their region over the past 22 years in order to reposition and rebrand themselves for their own good and for the greater good of the Gambia. The narratives emanating from Kanilai in trying to blame Adama Barrow and ECOMIG is a diversion that does not help the region and the Gambia. Let Foni do self-examination in order to free themselves from the corrupt indoctrination of Yaya Jammeh from whom they benefited unfairly at the expense of the nation yet suffered miserably at the same time. This is the Uncomfortable Truth!

 
Yes, I have issues with Barrow and his government for not taking certain immediate actions to protect vital national interests. For example I strongly hold that the moment Barrow took over power, he should have ordered all Yaya Jammeh properties to come under state custody until proper legal determination is made on their fate. These include the presidential compound and Sindola Camp in Kanilai and all properties, shops and farms of Kanilai Farms and KGI among others. They should have all been under the guard of the State. This is because all those properties were intertwined with the State as Yaya Jammeh had utilized public resources to operate those entities. This is apart from the fact that the acquisition and ownership of those properties by Yaya Jammeh was simply possible because of his position as president. Hence no one should be in any illusion that those properties need to be thoroughly investigated to properly determinate their status.

 
That apart, the fundamental moral question facing Foni is to decide between the Gambia and Yaya Jammeh? Will Foni take the Gambia or will it forsake the Gambia and embrace a tyrant called Yaya Jammeh. I think Foni must reject Yaya and embrace the Gambia and here are the reasons.
For the first time in our history we had a president, Yaya Jammeh who diverted state resources to his home village, Kanilai where he built a palace, a range and zoo as a state house. He made the place a centre of state activity and diverted state services there. Secondly Yaya Jammeh had showered public resources and provided social services to Foni beyond and above what was made available to the rest of the Gambia. Foni was the only region of the country that enjoyed an almost uninterrupted electricity supply where all villages and towns were equipped with streetlights. Foni was the only region in the country that went unopposed in favour of Yaya Jammeh. Foni was the only region in which the opposition was not allowed to campaign. Foni was also the largest beneficiary of government scholarships as Yaya Jammeh sponsored scores of their sons and daughters for higher education at home and abroad with secured positions in the public and security service. Hence in the entire misrule of Yaya Jammeh, Foni was indeed a direct and an unfair beneficiary of pubic resources disproportionate to its land and population size and economic contribution to the Gambia.

 
While Foni was indeed a beneficiary of the dictatorship, the fact remains that Foni also became among the most oppressed regions of the country such that no son or daughter of Foni dare openly oppose Yaya Jammeh. He had insulted consistently the people of Foni. Yaya had also seized communal lands in the region and made his people work on those lands by force. One of the most humiliating and painful episodes in Foni was the allegation of witchcraft where hundreds of the elders of the region were poisoned, tortured and killed. Above all, he had directly killed several natives of Foni with impunity.
Hence when we analyze these facts, the message one must give Foni is to recognize that, on one hand they enjoyed undue advantage over all other Gambians. For that matter they owe Gambians a sense of remorse and even an apology for the way and manner they aided, abetted and benefitted from the dictatorship. While Foni enjoyed those goodies, many Gambian communities were being deliberately denied these public services such as their next door neighour Kiang. Many Gambian sons and daughters were being maimed and killed by Yaya Jammeh, hence the least Foni could do is to stand with Yaya Jammeh. More than any time in our history, today is the day when Foni needs to solidarise with the rest of the Gambia by rejecting Yaya Jammeh and not to celebrate him. To celebrate this tyrant would be gross insensitivity to the victims and the grief that APRC and Yaya Jammeh unleashed on Gambians. Conscience demands that Foni repent and surrender Yaya Jammeh to justice. That way Foni would have atoned for its complicity in the atrocities and looting by Yaya Jammeh, and become one with the people of the Gambia.

 
The other moral question Foni faces is about its own dignity and pain, i.e. the extent to which Yaya Jammeh tormented the people of the region. For example, Foni must remember the looting of their lands and the murder of their parents, sons and daughters in the hands of Yaya Jammeh. For that matter, Foni must reject Yaya Jammeh and stand with the Gambia to demand that Yaya Jammeh be brought to justice. But to continue to defend Yaya Jammeh means Foni is therefore perpetuating their own humiliation, pain and destruction. Conscience dictates that no one celebrates a killer. Hence if Foni celebrates Yaya Jammeh then it means they are celebrating their own killer and looter.

 
Thus we need to help the people of Foni to recollect themselves to realize that Yaya Jammeh represents only humiliation and pain for them. While he unfairly showered public resources on them by denying the rest of the Gambia on one hand, at the same time he also subjected them to disrespect and pain. Foni must realize that Yaya Jammeh merely used them as a buffer to protect his dictatorship. Thus Foni was used as a tool in Yaya Jammeh’s carnage. Yaya saturated the military with his kinsmen and brought many more from Casamance only to make them weapons for his misrule. Thus Yaya never loved Foni and whatever goodies the people of Foni may think Yaya gave them, they must realize that these were all part of a scheme to protect his evil regime.

 
Thus from a moral point of view, Foni must not continue to stand with Yaya Jammeh. They must reject him totally and stand with the Gambia. Failure to do so, then Foni is telling Gambians that they care less about the rest of us. That will not serve the greater good of Foni and the Gambia in the long run. While it is true that the government and all Gambians must adopt inclusive strategies towards APRC folks in Foni, but above all it is those folks who need to also come forward to get involved in building the new Gambia. They must not expect to be pampered as if they are the only victims. All Gambians are victims of Yaya Jammeh, but Foni also is the biggest beneficiary of Yaya Jammeh, unfairly and illegally. This is the truth that Foni must accept. Therefore let Foni set the truth free in order to free themselves from the trauma of Yaya Jammeh.

 
Finally, underneath all of this confusion lies the APRC. They are the very ones fuelling these tensions since they lost power. Therefore Musa Amul Nyassi, Fabakary Tombong Jatta, Rambo Jatta, Yankuba Kolley and Seedy Njie must be called to answer. They must be held to account for the riots in Foni and Kanilai in particular. They must be told to stop following Yaya Jammeh’s instructions to burn down the Gambia.
Foni, reject Yaya Jammeh and embrace the Gambia!

God Bless The Gambia.

Madi Jobarteh

Don’t Forget Gambia Police Force….

Even the errant Yahya Jammeh advised you about the indispensability of peace and security in a country during his insincere concession to you after the elections. I bring to your attention once again that peace and security is one ingredient of development that cannot be absent. If this is absent then there is no need to talk about progress of development.

But today, Mr President, I do not want to go into the nitty-gritty of how peace and security is a prerequisite of development; rather, I want to discuss one of the ways to attain, maintain and enjoy peace in our country. This is through a robust, well trained, well equipped and highly motivated police force. The police is one of the most important apparatus of security. In the Gambia though, they are not given the regard due to them.

Mr President, do you know that for the twenty-two years that Yahya Jammeh has ruled this country not once did he set foot at the Police Headquarters? Yes, that is right, not even once! Perhaps he had his reasons but what a citizen like me learns from the lukewarm attitude towards the police is that because he was a dictator, he was more concerned about his own security than that of the ordinary citizens like me. Thus he concentrated more on the Gambia Armed Forces instead of the Gambia Police Force. You on the other hand will not do that I’m sure. You are a democrat and that means the security and development of your people will be paramount in your agenda. Please, Mr President, pay particular attention to the development of our police force. It is our first line of defence, at least on the home front.

Now Mr President, let me tell you a little bit of what little I know about the Gambia Police Force and what you should do for them. The Gambia Police Force is divided into two categories. The General Duty (GD), concerned with the day to day policing of our streets, who we find in police stations, who conduct investigations, effect arrests, appear in court for prosecution etc.… These however Mr President, are very poorly equipped, poorly paid and poorly motivated. The police do not have enough vehicles or fuel for the few that they have. How come that an entire Police Force has not been provided the tools they need to do their work? It is even said that it is the money that they contribute when they return from peace keeping that they put together to do many of the things they do, like buy vehicles, fuel and other required needs. This is unacceptable. The government must ensure that this stops immediately.

The police intervention unit which as indicated above is the one responsible for the heavy duty services is equally poorly paid, poorly trained, lacking equipment and what not. It is this lack of training that is often manifested in the way they seem to tackle riots and protesters. Because they lack the basic training needed for that, they revert to the only thing they know – force. This has resulted in the tarnishing of the reputation of the police in general. It has also eroded the trust that used to exist between the police and the general public such that the important community policing is dying down. All these, Mr President, have taken their toll on the beleaguered police force. This needs to be halted as a matter of urgency and it has to be looked into properly. The corrosion of trust between the population and the police is such that people have less regard and respect for the police now. The confidence of the general public towards the police is at an all-time low. I happen to know some excellent police officers, intelligent, honest, tenacious, patriotic and very hard working. With the right support from government this force can be the best in the sub-region. It can restore the confidence of the public and thus enhance their ability to fight against crime in the country.

Mr President, the world is changing fast. So are the criminals of the day. In the past, the criminals used sticks and knives to attack people or commit their nefarious crimes. Thus the police armed only with batons could fight them off and control the streets. Now the criminals are using sophisticated weapons which have far-reaching range and consequences. Thus, in my opinion, the policemen and women should now be armed at least with pistols if not Ak47s.This will help them fight crime everywhere in the country.

Mr President, modernise the police force and give them more incentives, better pay, better service conditions, restore their pride and honour. I can assure you, Mr President, with all these in place, you will observe a steady transformation of the peace and stability of the country and thus, progress and development.

Have a Good Day Mr President….

Tha Scribbler Bah

A Concerned Citizen

Few years ago, a colleague of mine and I ruffled some feathers somewhere in provincial Gambia when we did a human interest story on rural-urban migration. The community in question was once upon a time very lively as it was habitable by countless Fondinkewos. In their past time,these lads could be seen sitting under the mango,gmelina or neem tree as it were the case playing daam or brewing warga and laughing about and talking everything that came to mind

When a GRTS crew did visit the same settlement few years later, the outlook was a different one altogether.The young men were seen only in pockets of groups. They were gone. Where to? Kombo. That was one effect of rural-urban migration laid bare before our very eyes and knowing how boisterous that village was, we could not help but mount our tripod and camera in the main intersection filming few moving elders and kids.

That was then. But that scenario there comes nowhere near the rather deserted nature of my own village now adays.The much talked about ‘back way’ has almost decimated the human fabric of Jokaland. As a matter of fact, it is not my village people alone wallowing in loneliness brought about the mass exodus to Tubabudu. Attend a village gamo or some social function back home and the reality of this reality will strike a chord with you.

I must say that migration in search of pastures new is nothing new to my people. Was it not some two decades ago that an uncle of mine who was in Houphouet Boigny’s Cote d’Ivoire sent us a C90 audio cassette narrating his travails in wula. Even for some of us who were not born before his departure for the land of the unknown, it was joy gathering around a four-battery radio by the dudaalo listening to tell tales of a highly ambitious man at cross roads away from suu; not gotten enough riches and finding it hard to come home.He did come later after my people raised some money from the sale of few small ruminants at the Kerr Pateh lumo.

In these times however, even someone on a weekend to a hamlet in Jarra or some village in Badibu does struggle to find a group of young men to chat with, let alone remisnce about the past. From menial jobs such as local fence making, thatch roofing to work on the farm, the urge for the back way has seen many youth leave their villages. Their burning desire for the other side of the Mediterranean is also fuelled by one or two pictures their friends in Italy or Germany post on social media every now and then. To you and I, they may be mere pictures taken in some supermarket or a leisure camp but boy for our brothers here, those are enough reason for them to give it a shot and join the malango brigade in Napoli or Florence.

Whisper it though but I do hear some folks joking around that the

mass departures for the yooni ganaw has only served to widen the disparity in figures between us and our sisters. I guess you know what they mean; that men like us left behind in Banjul by the back way goers could be compelled by circumstances to practice polygamy. Not a bad thing for anyone in a position to do so.How about local football teams? It is nothing new these days to also hear clubs bemoaning the absence of an important player in a crucial fixture against a rival team. That is also becoming an issue in town, meaning the back way phenomenon has a knock on effects on our sporting landscape too.

With the rainy season looming large on the horizon, my grand father back home in Jarra is looking for a a handful of “strange farmers” to help him out.

By Famara Fofana

Kanilai. What is it with these anti-establishment wannabes? Surfing around the Gambian social media to divine the reactions to the unprecedented Kanilai Riot against the presence of ECOMIG and wanting Goloh Ajuma back, it was succinctly agreeable that urgent security solution is required by your leadership to house these spirited, reckless and disoriented simpletons in their rightful home. Yes every Gambian has a constitutional right to have his/her own thoughts and feelings about how their government reigns. Similarly, Gambians are allowed to have an opinion on what their government does to and for them. But bullying the government into thinking and doing things your way is a truly obnoxious position that only most oawlish oxymoron would take. The government would sometimes make decisions and do things that some of us don’t like but it is in the general interest of the majority, development, peace and stability. Most importantly, no amount of protests and/or riots will ever bring back Goloh Ajuma except to answer to his chilling atrocities in a competent court of law. Additionally, the ECOMIG is not an illegal force occupying Kanilai. They are here to help strengthen and stabilise our security for the duration of their mandate. So get over it Kanilai.

 
How could our intelligence services miss this Kanilai Riot well-orchestrated by Goloh Ajuma and Binta Kujabi? In a video she posted on Gambian social media, she admitted that she was in close contact with the ringleaders of the Kanilai Riot for a whole week prior to its staging. It is hard to discern but two equations quickly spring to mind. Either, the heads and a bulk of our security services still owe allegiance to Goloh Ajuma or they are just headless chickens with no intelligence clue. Another reasonable explanation for the Intelligence Services failure to pick up the Kanilai Riot at its inception is the continued privatisation of our international gateway to a scrupulous Swiss company, MGI. MGI is controlling the international gateway and, as a result, it would be difficult to trace calls outside to the Gambia without their permission. Suffice it to say Goloh Ajuma still has a direct share and influence on our international gateway. He can be communicating directly to anybody on a daily basis in the Gambia from his comfort zone in Equatorial Guinea without our intelligence services picking up his calls. This, therfore, necessitated the reclaiming of our international gateway and to be manned by GAMCEL. Come to think of it, Goloh’s only advice to Barrow prior to his reluctant departure was not to compromise security of the country. Legit advice. But on a second thought, was it a code warning to Barrow that “I will go but make the country ungovernable for you?” Perhaps, it is my security instincts that are restless here but we all know that he was prepared to fight and this is exactly what he is doing from afar. I am beginning to connect the dots. When Sulayman Single Nyassi announced he was retiring from active social media and closing his Facebook account, he equally warned “Be prepared for a day of national outrage”. Was he also alluding to the Kanilai Riot? Our Intelligence Services were better during Goloh’s era or was it due to the fear of the historic brutality. What has changed? Is it personnel incapacity or material?

 
When Hon Minister of Interior, Mai Ahmed Fatty, chants about overhauling our security services to measure up to acceptable standards, one is left impressed and looks forward to a formidable professional security services. Lamentably, one is now forced to deduce is he another high sounding oaf who hasn’t got a clue of what security actually entails or doe he lack what it takes to overhaul the security services? Oh I got. Name change. Is that how he intends to overhaul our security services? Nonetheless, whenever I watch or hear him speak, I wonder could he be Gambia’s next President? He has the aura of one both in charisma and quick response to issues of national concerns. He is accused of being fierce and overstepping his limits but leadership requires audacity and fixing what everyone wants someone else to resolve. In all honesty, Hon Fatty is more Presidential than Barrow and all his cabinet colleagues. Therefore, why is he wasting time in overhauling the security services?

 
The murder of Haruna Jatta, a 54 year old, during the Kanilai Riot must not be excused by any means. It must be fully investigated and his killers be prosecuted accordingly. His life is not less important than any of Goloh Ajuma’s victims. A post mortem must be conducted to determine the actual cause of his death. His family must equally be fully informed of the circumstances surrounding his murder. Hon Fatty, as Minister of Interior, rose to the occasion by cutting short his official visit in Liberia to address the security concerns. What many found astonishing is why the President is yet to address the nation on the issue? May be he needs to swap role with Hon Fatty because he is more Presidential than Barrow.

Sulayman Jeng
Birmingham, UK

In Wolof there is a saying that ‘reeroo amut ñakkaa wahtaan moo am’. Roughly, this means that there is no such thing as a misunderstanding; rather, there is a lack of communication. In the previous weeks, I’ve repeatedly called on government to engage the Gambian public in dialogue, particularly the section of society seen as opposing the New Regime. You see, Mr President, when a president is voted into office, he becomes the president of the whole nation regardless of who voted for him and who did not.

It becomes his responsibility to serve one and all. Serving one and all means not only providing goods and services equally to all citizens, but providing them (everyone) a sense of security. How to achieve that may be varied and complex but there are a few things that cannot be compromised. Every individual living in the country has a fundamental right to peacefully demonstrate. That is guaranteed by our laws and no one should be deprived of it. To gauge and measure how democratic a government is, look at how it treats its opponents. As I said in an earlier post, the duty of a lion is to protect its pride. Similarly, the first duty of a government is to protect its citizens, even if they are found to be wrong, politically.

So, if the people of the Fonis, and Kanilai in particular, are not happy with the arrangement of posting ECOMIG forces in their area they have every right to show their disagreement to that. It is their home and if they observe something that is somehow inimical to their day to day activities, or progress, then they have a right to point it out. How they do it though is the question we must address to them and the rest of the country. There are laws which have to be adhered to. There are measures of resort in case one is not satisfied with anything the government does. But it has to be understood that no government in the world should – or can afford to – condone subversive actions.

Having said all that, the government should also understand that they have a responsibility to provide security for its people. No matter what, the government or its agents cannot – should not – use lethal force. That would be betraying the trust vested in them. It is unfortunate that a life was lost in the altercation between the people of Kanilai and the ECOMIG forces. The soldiers are trained and brought there to ensure peace, if they resort to using lethal force on the people, then their purpose is defeated. Who are they protecting in that case?

They should have never used life bullets to quell a peaceful demonstration, if it were a peaceful demonstration. But even if there were unruly elements among the demonstrators, the fact that these are trained soldiers should have enabled them use their training to avoid the loss of life. We have lost enough lives to Yahya Jammeh and his thugs already. Why waste more?

It is said that the people of Kanilai – or some of them – are making threats that whoever wants to enforce the freeze of Yahya Jammeh assets will be dealt with. That is rather unfortunate. They cannot use illegal means to stop a legal injunction. There are courts in the country. Let them use legal means and see if anyone will say anything against that. If they think that an injustice has been committed when the assets were frozen, let Yahya Jammeh or those who think so, use the courts to overturn the ruling. Otherwise, let them hold their horses.

What is the way forward? In my humble opinion, dialogue is the key. Let the government engage them and bring to their notice that the State has nothing against them, that it is here for all and sundry, that they are Gambians just like Adama Barrow, Lawyer Darboe or Mai Ahmad Fatty. And that their rights will not be trampled upon. If they are reassured of these rights, they will have no cause to raise the ugly head of subversion.

Also, I think there should be a reshuffle of the distribution of the ECOMIG forces. Let them transfer the Senegalese soldiers to other parts of the country and take the Ghanaians to Foni and Kanilai. This will not be seen as giving in to pressure from the people if Foni; but a master stroke at problem solving. With this, the people if Kanilai will be pacified and yet, the government would achieve its aim. It will then be seen whether the cry of the people of Kanilai is genuine and not subversive. It will also alley fears that the Senegalese want to use the Gambia as a base to attack Casamance. In this way, the government would have killed two birds with one stone.

All said and done, let the government communicate and understand that the people of Foni and Kanilai are themselves victims of Yahya Jammeh. What they need is our support and reassurance.

Peace is sacrosanct. We cannot go anywhere if we don’t have peace.

May God bless the Gambia.

Tha Scribbler Bah

A Concerned Citizen

In a rebuttal to the essay of BB Sanneh, I told him that his essay was intellectually dishonest and lacked credibility because he attributed some statements to the Founder of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama’at without providing the references. I also asked him to produce the al Kitaab al Mubeen, a book which he claimed is the scripture of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama’at. According to him Ahmadi Muslims have a Book which is different from the Holy Qu’an. On 30 May 2017 he wrote a rejoinder to my essay with his references. He however did not show any indication that he is going to exhibit the book of Ahmadis which is different from the Qur’an. He tried to downplay the issue by referring to it as “the brother (referring to the present writer) is trying to put a spanner on the spoke of the wheel in order to deceive the gullible and uninformed readers.”

Before addressing the subject proper, I would like to address his self-righteous statement that I engaged in profanity and that Ahmadi Muslims always engage in profanity. If telling a liar that he is lying is indeed profanity by his definition, then I am very happy that he considered my essay a profanity. He quoted a verse of the Holy Qur’an, Chapter 16 verse 125 that instructs believers to do Da’wah with Hikmah (wisdom) and Mau’izah Hasanah (goodly exhortation) and that arguments should be done in the best manner. I am very happy that he quoted that verse. I love the Holy Qur’an. He probably thinks that Hikmah and Mau’izah hasanah means concocting falsehood because that is what he has been doing all along. Now, let us go to the subject proper.

THE DISHONESTY OF BB SANNEH

BB Sanneh, in my last essay, I humbly admonished you to show a little sense of honesty, integrity and truthfulness because these are basic universal moral principles. In fact, you should show these qualities at a very high standard because you are a Muslim. Why did you not tell your readers that you actually literally lifted your so-called references from an anti-Ahmadiyya website? In fact you copied it word for word. If you were as honest and truthful as you claimed to be, then have the courage to tell the readers that you lifted your points literally from a website devoted to opposing us. Why would you declare that you have gotten your points from the writings of Hadrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad? Tell me sincerely from your heart whether I am profaning when I called you a fabricator of falsehood? Tell me a better word that I can use. This is the source of BB Sanneh’s fabrications for anyone interested in knowing that his source was not an Ahmadiyya source but he rather copied from an anti-Ahmadiyya website: http://www.janathimessage.co.uk/Literature/Beliefs_of_Ahle_Sunnah/BeliefsofQadianies.html

I expected you to take it from the Hadrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad’s (as) own writings. Sincerity requires you to do that. Is this your perception of Hikmah and Mau’izah Hasanah? BB Sanneh, this is very shameful and then you have the audacity to write that you “deliberately left out sources because it honestly never occurred to me [meaning BB Sanneh] that someone would take me to a challenge for it.” So, this is your source? What a shame!

The second instance that shows his dishonesty is that he made statements that do not exist in the source he referenced; he quoted out of context; he deliberately twisted words to give them different meanings and quoted an anti-Ahmadiyya source in such a way that people would think it is actually an Ahmadiyya source. These acts are highest standards of dishonesty. I said he did these things because he has plagiarized and pretended that he actually read from the Ahmadiyya literature. He is not different from the one who first committed these crimes because he is helping in propagating the falsehood.

1. An example of a non-existent statement that he has made:

BB Sanneh alleges that the Founder of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama’at writes,

“He was the second advent of Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and better and superior than the first coming” (Roohani Khazain vol 16 pp.272).

This statement is not found anywhere in the above reference, that is, Roohani Khazain vol 16 pp.272 and no where in the entire Roohani Khazain. Hadrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as) never in any statement declared superiority over the Holy Prophet Muhammad Rasoolullaah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).

1. An example of a statement that was deliberately twisted to give it a different meaning:

BB Sanneh alleges that the Founder of the Ahmadiyyaa Muslim Jama’at writes: “The basis for our claim is not Hadith but Quran and that WAHI which comes to us. Yes in support we also quote those Hadith which are according to Quran and DO NOT CONTRADICT MY WAHI. As for the REST OF THE HADITHs, I THROW THEM AWAY LIKE A WASTE PAPER.” (Roohani Khazain vol 19 p.140)

This is what is found in Roohani Khazain vol. 19, p. 140: The Founder of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama’at writes:

“I swear by Allah and state that this claim of mine (of being the Promised Messiah) is founded not upon the Hadeeth, but rather upon the Qur’an and the Divine revelation that I have received. Indeed, as supporting evidence, we also present such Ahaadeeth that tally with the Qur’an and do not contravene the words of God that I have received. As for Traditions besides these, we cast them aside as valueless…”

BB Sanneh, are you saying that any Hadeeth that contravenes the Holy Qur’an should be accepted and the Qur’anic verse be rejected? You should know very well if you have basic knowledge of Ahaadeeth that even the compilers of Ahaadeeth have categorized many Ahaadeeth as unauthentic. Will you prefer such Ahaadeeth over the Qur’an? In fact, agreement with the Qur’an is the primary criterion for judging the authenticity of a Hadeeth and whether it should be rejected or not.

What is the context of the above statement by the Founder of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama’at? The Founder of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama’at is refuting the claim of one Maulvi Sanaullah of Amratsari that the claim of the Founder of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama’at of being the Promised Messiah was not based on Divine Revelation but entirely on traditions (Ahaadeeth) attributed to the Holy Prophet (saw). The Founder of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama’at states that contrary to Sanaullah’s allegation, his claim is founded primarily on the Word of Allah, which is the Holy Qur’an and secondarily on the Divine Revelation he himself received, again the word of Allah. And that the Ahaadeeth is also used as supporting evidence provided it does not contravene the Holy Qur’an primarily and the revelation he received secondarily.

• Another example of twisting the statements:

BB Sanneh alleges that the Founder of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama’at writes: “Quran is God’s Book and the words of my mouth.” (Advertisement dated 15th March 1897, Roohani Khazain vol 22 p. 87)

The Founder of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama’at was quoting the words of Divine Revelation which he received from Allah. The words therefore are not his (that is the Founder of Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama’at), they are words God has revealed to him. Hadrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad was only stating the words he received from Allah. The word My is referring to Allah as the Speaker. Therefore what is found in Rohaani Khazain vol. 22, p. 87 is

“…Walk with grace, for your time draws near and the step of the followers of Muhammad (saw) would land firmly on the tallest minaret. God will put all your duties right and will grant you all your wishes. The Lord of all the hosts will turn this way. This sign will affirm that the Glorious Qur’an is indeed the Book of God and the utterances of My mouth…”

I most sincerely ask BB Sanneh, by virtue of his claim of defending Islam and exposing the heresy of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama’at, to further defend Islam and its honour by invoking the curse of Allah on the liar. In the words of the Holy Qur’an, invoke the following prayer: La’natullaahi ‘alal kaazibeen (The curse of Allah be on the liars) if indeed you believe that the quotations you made are right and meant exactly what you said. Please do it out of your respect and honour for Islam. I say La’natullaahi ‘alal kaazibeen.

1. An example of a statement quoted out of context:

BB Sanneh states that the Founder of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama’at writes: In one of my revelation (kashf) I saw myself as God and I believe in it. (Kitab Al-Brae P: 85. Roohani Khazain V: 3 P: 103).”

The statement that you quoted above has not been fully quoted therefore giving it a wrong meaning. As your source itself has admitted, it is a state of vision that Hadrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as) was mentioning. By deliberately mutilating a part of the whole, your source has put the whole issue out of context and you being the type of person who does not go to the actual source fell for it. Now let us look at the whole quote, the verdict of the Holy Prophet (saw) on the issue and then the examples from Muslim literature.

This is what Hadrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as) writes in Kitaabul Bariyya and it is in consonance with the Hadith in Bukhari (quoted below). It is a long quotation but I have to bring it here in full in order not to mutilate the meaning.

“In a vision I saw that I myself was God and believed myself to be such. I believed that I had no will or thought or action of my own left, and that I had become like something which was being completely overpowered by something else that had absorbed me wholly so that my whole being had completely disappeared. I saw the divine spirit envelop my soul and covering my body hide me completely in itself so that not a particle of me remained. I beheld myself as if all my limbs had become His, my eyes had become His eyes, my ears had become His ears, and my tongue had become His tongue. My Lord seized me with such great force that I disappeared in Him and I felt that His power was surging in me and that His Divinity was coursing through me. The Lord of honour then set His camp around my heart and the Lord of power ground down my soul so that there was no more of me nor any desire of mine left. My whole structure was demolished and only the structure of the Lord of the universe remained visible.

The Divine [Allaah] overcame me with such force that I was drawn to Him from the hair of my head to the nails of my toes. Then I became all spirit which had no body and became an oil which had no dregs. I was separated completely from my ego and I became like something which was not visible or like a drop which had become merged in the ocean so that the ocean comprehended it in its vastness. I no longer knew what I had been before nor what my being was. Divinity coursed through my veins and muscles. I was completely lost to myself and God Almighty employed my limbs for His purpose and took possession of me with such force that nothing exceeded it. By this seizure I became non-existent. I believed that my limbs had become God’s limbs and I imagined that I had discarded my own being and departed from my existence, and that no associate or claimant had remained as an obstruction. God Almighty entered wholly into my being and my anger and my gentleness and my bitterness and my sweetness and my movement and my inertness all became His. In this condition I said: I desire a new universe, a new heaven and a new earth.”

In this full text, which has been mutilated by the source of plagiarist Sanneh, the Founder of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama’at repeatedly mentioned God and did not even once claim Godhood/Divinity. He said that it was in a vision that he saw himself as God. Visions are subject to interpretations. They are spiritual experiences through which Allah Almighty gives glad tidings to His dear servants. Visions are not interpreted literally. In the quotation above, in the portion highlighted in block letters, the Founder of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama’at has in fact used the same words used by Muhammad Rasoolullaah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)

It is recorded in Sahih Bukhari, Kitaabur Riqaaqi, Baabut Tawaadu’i:

“Abu Hurairah narrates that the Holy Prophet (saw) said, ‘Allah the Almighty says that whoever is an enemy of my friend, I declare war on him. My servant can be close to me through things that I love and that I have made obligatory upon him. By offering Nawafil My servant gets so close to me that I start loving him. When I make him a friend of Mine, I become the ears with which he hears, the eyes with which he sees, the hands with which he holds, and the feet with which he walks. That is I fulfill all that he desires. If he begs of Me, I provide for him; if he seeks my protection, I grant him protection.”

Does this imply that Muhammad Rasoolullaah (saw) meant to say that the person literally becomes Allah? Or will you also accuse Rasoolullaah (saw) of blasphemy? Why would it be a claim of Divinity for Hadrat Mirza Ghulam (as) to use the same words used by his master Muhammad Rasoolullaah (saw)?

This kind of experience is a state called Fanaa fillaah, where a person loses his own existence and identity in favour of the existence and identity of God. His personal desires do not exist anymore; only the desires and wishes of God become his desires and wishes. Ask people even in the Gambia here who are Sufi-minded about Fanau. They will tell you what it means. Examples of these type of statements can be found in many Muslim literature.

The blind cannot talk about the brightness of the sun. The deaf cannot talk about the sound of thunder. The spiritually bereft and unacquainted cannot talk about spiritual matters; they must ask the people acquainted with such matters.

I once again most sincerely ask BB Sanneh, by virtue of his claim of defending Islam and exposing the heresy of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama’at, to further defend Islam and its honour by invoking the curse of Allah on the liar. In the words of the Holy Qur’an, invoke the following prayer: La’natullaahi ‘alal kaazibeen (The curse of Allah be on the liars) if indeed you believe that Hadrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as) literally claimed being God. Please do it out of your respect and honour for Islam. I say La’natullaahi ‘alal kaazibeen.

BB Sanneh alleges that the Founder of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama’at writes, “I have said several times that according to the verse (of Holy Quran) ‘wa akhareena minhum lamma yalhaqoo behim’ as Burooz I am the same Prophet, the Khatamul Anbiyyah, and 20 years ago God named me Muhammad and Ahmad in Braheen-e-Qadianism and declared me His Being.” (Aik ghalti ka azala, Roohani Khazain vol. 18 p.212)

The first fabrication to note here is that the founder of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama’at has never written a book called Braheen-e-Qadianism. That is an absolute fabrication by BB Sanneh. I now tell BB Sanneh that the exact words in Eik Ghalati Kaa Izala are:

“… I have stated repeatedly that, in accordance with the verse wa aakhareena minhum lammaa yalhqoo bihim, as Buruz (reflection), I am the same Prophet Khatamun Nabiyyeen. It was twenty years ago, in Braheen-e-Ahmadiyya, that God named me ‘Muhammad’ and ‘Ahmad’ and declared me to be the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). Thus the status of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) as Khatamun Nabiyyeen is by no means in peril due to my Prophethood, since the zill [shadow, reflection] is never independent of the original. Since I am Muhammad by way of zill, therefore, the Seal of Khatamun Nabiyyeen remains intact and Prophethood of Muhammad remains confined to Muhammad. This means that in all events it is Muhammad who remains the Prophet and no one else.”

BB Sanneh, where in these statements has the Founder of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama’at rejected the Prophethood of Muhammad Rasoolullaah (saw) and declared himself an independent and superior Prophet to Muhammad Rasoolullaah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)? He only stated that he was Muhammad Rasoolullaah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) by way of reflection which he further explained throughout the book that you have made referenced to. Without Muhammad Rasoolullah, there would not have been any Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as).

Statements like this are made by great saints of Islam. One example is Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani who said, “This [pointing to body] is not Abdul Qadir Jilani but of Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him),” (Guldastah Karamat). This is called fanaa firrasool (losing onself in the love of Rasoolullaah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)

Writing about the Imam Mahdi, Hadrat Imam Baqr writes;

“The Imam Mahdi will say, “O people, if any of you wishes to behold Ibrahim and Ismael, let him note that I am Ibrahim and Ismael; if any of you wishes to behold Musa and Joshua, then let him note that I am Musa and Joshua; if any of you desires to behold Isa and Simon, then let him note that I am Isa and Simon; if any of you wishes to behold Hadrat Muhammad Mustafa, pace and blessings of Allah be upon him, or the Ameerul Mu’mineen, may Allah be pleased with him, let him note that I am Muhammad and Ali, may Allah be pleased with them all,” (Bahaarul Anwar)

BB Sanneh, you definitely have to go back and study the basics of Islam. I am surprised that you do not even understand the connotations of basic spiritual statements that are found all over in Islamic literature. May Allah Almighty guide you in understanding spiritual matters.

Before concluding, I would like to explain another statement that you have misinterpreted deliberately. You allege that Hadrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad writes, “Whoever is not sure of our success is in fact, a bastard. He wouldn’t be a legitimate man. (Roohani Khazain; V: 18 p: 31)” and then “But only the sons of the prostitues didn’t confirm and accept me. (Roohani Khazain: V:5, P: 547-548).

Hadrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as) never called anyone son of prostitute. This is what he writes in A’inae Kamalat-e-Islam, “Every Muslim will accept me and will confirm my claim except the Zurriyyatul Baghaaya whose hearts will have been sealed by God Almighty.”

A term must be understood in the context in which it is said. First, what does zurriyyatul baghaaya mean? According to Tajul Uroos, a famous Arabic lexicon, baghy which is the singular for baghaaya means “a female slave, irrespective of her conduct.” In that case that term would mean “the sons of slaves” and a slave is “A person under another’s influence and lacks the power to use his own faculty of free choice and determination.” Tajul Uroos further states that when someone is called the zurriyyatul baghaaya, it would mean “he is deprived of guidance.” Therefore the statement of the Founder of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama’at is this “Every Muslim will accept me and will confirm my claim except the THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN DEPRIVED OF GUIDANCE and whose hearts will have been sealed by God Almighty.” This exactly is the meaning of the term in the context in which it is used. In that sense and context, this term perfectly fits you. You are a son of a slave because you cannot utitlise your faculty of thinking, that is why instead of reading the books of the Founder of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama’at, you went to the website of his opponent. Your mind is being controlled by another to an extent that you cannot think. You are indeed mental slave.

I, as an Ahmadi Muslim, declare that we believe in Allah as presented by the Holy Qur’an and Muhammad Rasoolullaah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). We believe that Muhammad Rasoolullaah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) is the best of creation and Seal of the Prophets and we believe in whatever the Holy Qur’an says about him. We absolutely believe in the Holy Qur’an and believe that even a single dot of the Holy Qur’an cannot be falsified. If BB Sanneh thinks and believes that these are not the beliefs of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama’at, then:

I once again most sincerely ask BB Sanneh, by virtue of his claim of defending Islam and exposing the heresy of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama’at, to further defend Islam and its honour by invoking the curse of Allah on the liar. In the words of the Holy Qur’an, invoke the following prayer: La’natullaahi ‘alal kaazibeen (The curse of Allah be on the liars) if indeed you believe that Hadrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as) and his followers do not believe in the God presented by the Holy Qur’an, do not believe in the Holy Qur’an and have their own book, do not believe in Muhammad Rasoolullaah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). Please do it out of your respect and honour for Islam. I say La’natullaahi ‘alal kaazibeen.

WHY I MADE AN OFFER OF D25, 000 FOR YOU TO PRODUCE YOUR SO-CALLED AL KITAAB AL MUBEEN?

I have realized that you want to run away from the challenge by saying that why did I choose to offer D25, 000 just for this point out of all the so-called allegations and also referring to it as “…trying to put a spanner on the spoke of the wheels…” This is the simple reason: The Holy Qur’an is the essence of Islam; there would have been no Islam without the Holy Qur’an. The fundamental beliefs and practices of Islam are embedded in the Holy Qur’an. By attacking the Holy Qur’an, you have attacked the very foundations of the religion which is the acceptable religion in the sight of Allah, the religion called Islam. How did you attack it? You attacked it by saying that Mirza Ghulam Ahmad was able to produce a book like the Qur’an called al Kitaab al Mubeen, contrary to the Qur’anic declaration that no one can produce even a chapter like any chapter of the Holy Qur’an. I am therefore obliged to defend the very foundation of Islam which you have vehemently attacked.

The 27^th Day of June 2017 is the deadline I have given you and the challenge still stands. Instead of making unnecessary statements in order to evade the challenge, please let the world see this book al Kitaab al Mubeen. By doing that you will save the entire Ummah from the deception of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama’at as you called it.

THE MUBAHALA OF 1997

You have been trying to hail your scholars as heroes and custodians of the Islam to an extent that you believe they have the mandate and authority to declare who is or is not a Muslim, among them you specifically mentioned Abdoulie Fatty, formerly of the State House mosque. Let me put it to you that those so-called scholars in the Gambia were challenged to a Mubahala (a duel of prayers wherein the curse of Allah is invoked on the wilful liars). Ask Abdoulie Fatty especially and his team of anti-Ahmadiyya scholars why they did not accept the challenge for a duel of prayers and invoke the curse of Allah on the wilful liars whoever those wilful liars may have been. For twenty years now, the challenge has not been accepted. I am now telling you, Bakary B Sanneh and whatever scholar you are referring to, that if you are so sure of your truthfulness and allegations that you have raised against the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama’at; if you are so sure of the falsehood of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama’at and Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as), then publicly announce what you think and believe about the Founder of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama’at and then publicly declare that you pray for the curse of Allah to descend upon the wilful liar whoever it is. Our local newspapers will be, I believe, very willing to publish such announcement.

Please do not hesitate to do this if indeed you are defending Islam. It will definitely be a great service to Islam.

Written By: Tahir Ahmad Touray

The Constitution of the Gambia provides for presidential elections every five years. On 1 December 2016 we went to the fifth presidential elections of the Second Republic. Yaya Jammeh lost to Adama Barrow yet he refused to step down until the whole world had to get involved in our internal affairs. After much pressure and national trauma, he left yet his party leaders and their members in various parts of Kanifing and Foni especially refuse to accept the verdict of the people. They erroneously hold that the only legitimate child in the Gambia is Yaya Jammeh who must rule the Gambia forever, by force. For that matter they now want to disunite and dismantle our country by any means. This cannot be accepted.

Therefore the time has come to put it to APRC and some folks in Foni to stop insulting the dignity and sovereignty of Gambians. The continued agitation by these folks in Kanilai and APRC in general in support of Yaya Jammeh is unacceptable because it is utterly shameful and painful. Yaya Jammeh is not a person in the league of Edward Francis Small or any patriot. This man had the unique opportunity to rule the Gambia during which time our people gave him full support from Banjul to Basse. Yet he decided to flout our Constitution, dishonour our dignity, trample upon our sovereignty and disregard our religious and cultural norms and values to unleash a reign of terror on Gambians. He directly raped, tortured and murdered citizens as well as directly plundered national resources with impunity for 22 years. Therefore the least we expect from APRC is grief and remorse and not a rowdy bunch celebrating a killer.

To those poor youths and communities in Kanilai, let them realize that when Yaya Jammeh overthrew PPP in 1994 he was as poor as a church mouse. But within 22 years, he looted the Gambia to become one of the richest men in Africa. Therefore there is no property in Yaya’s name that is legitimate and legal including that palace he built in Kanilai. They are all stolen property. In those 22 years, he indiscriminately tortured and killed the people of Foni and took their lands with impunity. Hence Yaya Jammeh does not worth to die for, and no self-respecting citizen will defend a tyrant.

Let this clueless bunch realize that it is because of Yaya Jammeh and APRC’s irresponsible and unconstitutional action that brought foreign countries to get involved on our internal issues leading to the presence of foreign forces inside the Gambia. Hence when we reach this stage, the APRC and those folks in Foni must be told to reflect and remain calm. They must be told to submit themselves to the laws and institutions of the Gambian nation and protect the unity and peace of the Gambia. They must not act as if they have been unfairly treated or cheated by anyone. APRC folks must be told that there is no case for resistance or liberation war for any Gambian community or region.

The new government has shown that they are a law-abiding government and this is why APRC was not banned and no APRC person has been arbitrarily arrested. In 1994 Yaya Jammeh disgraced and maltreated other people’s parents and elders by dumping them in the back of a truck to parade them throughout Banjul. He then went further to ban the PPP and other parties, as he liked. He subjected national leaders to kangaroo commissions of enquiry, while he engaged in series of insults against Jawara and his ministers who could be his father. Yet no Gambian village or region demonstrated against him, but all gave him support that he came to betray. Today we did not see a similar thing happen since January when Barrow became president even though APRC committed far more atrocities and corruption than PPP.

Rather what we are witnessing is how the Barrow Government went to court to obtain legal authority and follow due process against the atrocities and looting of Yaya Jammeh in a calm and civilized manner. Hence APRC and their folks in Foni must advise themselves to humble down and realize that they do not have the monopoly of power and must not threaten the unity and security of the Gambia. Yaya Jammeh is not the president of the Gambia. When he had the chance to lead this country, he led it in the most terrible way never seen before in the Gambia. If any Gambian is not ashamed by Yaya Jammeh then your sense of morality must be completed damaged. Yaya Jammeh did not only kill Gambians and loot our resources, but he also ridiculed the Gambia in front of the whole world.

The agitation we see taking place in Foni are a minority of the people. The chiefs, alkalolu and the people of Foni must tell these agitators not to turn Foni into a scene of violence and disgrace. The Governor of West Coast Region must engage the authorities in Foni to impress on the people that their actions are unlawful and unnecessary. They must stop.

Above all, Pres. Barrow needs to engage the relevant stakeholders to take necessary action. We must not allow any citizens to take the law into their own hands. Hence the police must arrest and prosecute any person who breaches the law. Secondly the National Assembly must address the issue by sending a message to the APRC and their folks in Foni to let them know that they are acting outside of the law. I want to suggest that the National Assembly constitute a fact-finding mission to Foni to find out what really are the issues on the ground there. This must be followed by a set of recommendations and implemented.

The APRC leaders: Isatou Njie Saidy, Fatou Lamin Faye, Bala Garba Jahumpa, Fabakary Tombong Jatta, Abdoulie Bojang, Yankuba Kolley and Musa Amul Nyassi must be reminded that they bear responsibility for the actions of their supporters. But it appears that these APRC leaders are instigating their supporters to make the Gambia ungovernable. They are certainly receiving instructions from Yaya Jammeh in Equatorial Guinea. We know he is communicating with these folks but APRC must be told that they must abide by the law. APRC presided over the most gruesome and despicable episode of our history and if they cannot repent, they must not be seen acting as if they have been cheated of anything. If anything, it was APRC, which wanted to cheat the elections after misruling the country with blood and tears. Truth must be told.

To the masses of Foni and the rest of the Gambia, let us realize that those making these agitations are a tiny minority of people who have lost power, access to resources and privilege that they were used to under Yaya Jammeh, illegally. They cannot contain themselves now in their new reality hence they want to see the whole of the Gambia burn down. Let us refuse them by keeping the peace and stability of this country. Let us shower truth on their heads that they are misbehaving and acting in a manner unbecoming of a true citizen of this country. Yaya Jammeh can never become a leader of this country again and it is foolhardy to dream about that. Let the people of Foni isolate this rowdy APRC people and reject their false narratives aimed at generating fear and disunity.

No region, religion, tribe, family or party is under any threat from the Government or from the rest of Gambians. Hence let us not allow anyone who perpetuates the false narrative that there are sections of the population who are discriminated, threatened, maltreated, at risk or witch hunted. If that was the case, many folks are happily roaming the streets and enjoying the comfort of their homes today would have been in jail for the treason they caused. But even Abdoulie Bojang has been made an ambassador! Yankuba Kolley is still the Mayor of KMC even when he is not elected. Fabakary Tombong Jatta or Seedy Njie has never been attacked. Musa Amul Nyassi and four of his APRC parliamentarians enjoy their full rights and benefits in the National Assembly like any other. Hence where is the threat APRC has faced in this country?

Yet while this APRC folks enjoy their peace and freedom, they refuse to remember that the family of Koro Ceesay is in grief because Yaya Jammeh and his henchmen burned their loved one to ashes 20 years ago? Do they not realize that the family of Enor Kolley, Jasarja Kujabi, Ndongo Mboob and Marcie Jammeh are in grief over the murder of their loved ones by Yaya Jammeh? There are many families in deep grief right now because Yaya Jammeh and the APRC murdered their loved ones: Deyda Hydara. Chief Ebrima Manneh. Kanyiba Kanyi. Elo Jallow. Njagga Jagne. Landing Sanneh. Daba Marenah, April 10 and 11 Children. November 11 Soldiers. Private Modou Njie. Lt. Colonel Sarjo Jarju. Lt. Amadou Sowe. Lt. Buba Sanneh. Abdoulie Jobe. Solo Sandeng. Solo Koroma. Lang Marong. Ebrima Ceesay and many more! Are these APRC folks telling us they are not aware of the carnage of Yaya Jammeh? How could they be so callous to now trumpet such a killer in our midst?

Time has come to address these things through the law, Mr. President.

God Bless The Gambia.

Madi Jobarteh

The Gambia needs a new caliber of leadership at all levels. What the nation needs is competent and honest politicians, those who operate with integrity and who are not simply driven by vengeance, personal gain, or the desire to remain in office for life. These political leaders must be judged based on their capability, moral character, and genuine commitment to public service, as well as their ability to uplift the aspirations and demands of the Gambian citizens. It is a tremendous shame that just as it has been through the ages, greed and self-interest has destroyed the country.

Since independence, major corruptions and scandals have plagued the Gambia, with the perpetrators persistently evading punishment. This is despite the Special Criminal Bill that was passed in Parliament in 1979 by the former Attorney General, Momodou Lamin Saho, as well as the Evaluation of Assets and Prevention of Corrupt Practices Bill, shepherded in 1982 by the former Attorney General Fafa M’bai. To regain the public’s confidence in the government’s integrity, the laws on asset declaration in Gambia must be formulated without fear or favor. It is vital that conflicts of interest or illicit enrichment are detected.

The National Assembly has been urged to formulate new legislations, including the Anti-Corruption Commission Bill and the Declaration of Assets Bill, and to pass them into law to enforce transparent asset declaration among politicians holding public office and civil servants in high decision-making positions. The goal is to ensure that the public has confidence in those who hold political office.

The recent revelations that former president Yahya Jammeh amassed over $50 million, held 88 bank accounts in his name (or in those of his associates), was associated with 14 companies, and was accused of taking over successful businesses for his own gain in his 22-year rule have led to fresh calls for the passing of the Declaration of Assets bill and the Anti-Corruption bill before the National Assembly.

The Gambian people have been repeatedly failed, as over the fifty years since independence the country has been unable to combat corruption, making it a generational issue. Gambian political leaders born after independence should enact laws that best work for the next fifty years, building and improving upon the democratic process by combating the cankerworms of corruption in the Gambia by entrenching the law on Public Officers’ Declaration of Assets, Liabilities and Business Interests, and the Anti-Corruption Commission law. These laws are vital to accelerating the Gambia’s growth and competitiveness.

The legacy that most of our political leaders have left is one of greed, selfishness, and impunity, along with a lack of any desire to develop the country or help the people they profess to serve. This is despicable enough, as it hinders the economic growth and development of the Gambia, yet it is more dreadful in that, instead of fighting corruption, these leaders are often deeply engaged in dishonesty and exploitation, unscrupulously using their power to entrench and extend their own greed and continue to plunder the country.

It appears that institutions that are meant to safeguard the Gambia and be watchdogs against corruption (e.g., the judiciary, police, security services, and rule of law) are failing the country, and instead are selectively serving the interests of the elite classes. This is the legacy that the Gambia has inherited from its colonial past, when such institutions were more often subservient to the all-powerful colonial administrator or governor.

Instead of changing colonial era institutions, laws, and values for the better, Gambian ruling parties and leaders continue to entrench the deeply compromised governance systems that have held the country back and against which they fought so much, claiming and promising redemption from such chains. As such, over fifty years after its independence, the Gambia is at a standstill, with greed and self-enriching politics rampant. A centralized political culture highly reminiscent of the colonial administration remains, and it is this refusal to serve the people that is destroying the country from within.

The Gambian people’s social contract should not only be limited to the electoral process, but existing politicians should also be accountable and must transparently declare their assets and liabilities whenever they assume public office. The Gambian people are dying because money meant for healthcare, education, and agriculture is stolen, and hard-earned tax-payer money is misappropriated directly or indirectly by the custodians of our treasury. Rich or poor, male or female, all of us are affected by corruption, but it does not have to be this way. The Gambian people deserve to live in dignity and in progress. We walk forward, not backwards, and as such we are growing as a nation.

Despite the lack of legislation to combat corruption, the public’s perception is that corruption in the government has increased with impunity. Indeed, over the past few years, there has been no significant progress, and the latest report by Transparency International confirms that the Gambia has fallen in the ranking to 145 out of 176.

In many respects, after its Independence the Gambia moved quickly to confront the problem of corruption. However, the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) era was inseparable from widespread corruption that took such firm root in the country that ill-gotten gain was flaunted as the norm. When the Special Criminal Court Bill was tabled in Parliament in 1979, then Attorney General Saho stated: “It is not alarming to say that this country will be destroyed if this cancer [of corruption] is not arrested now.” He continued to state that he made “no apologies for this Bill,” adding that “No stone would be left unturned in the fight to protect the interest of the public from the rapacious mafia within our society.” In 1980, the view was expressed by one Member of Parliament that “more stringent measures such as hand amputation ought to be introduced” to stem the tide of runaway corruption. In an address to accounting personnel of the government in July 1980, a Parliamentary Secretary suggested, according to the Gambia News Bulletin, that embezzlers should be punished by firing squad (Justice Jallow,2012).

It was in this climate of mass disaffection with the PPP government that Kukoi emerged in 1981, and in which Fafa M’bai, Attorney General in 1982, shepherded the Evaluation of Assets and Prevention of Corrupt Practices Bill, which on 31st December 1982 became Act No. 17 of that year. We know what happened to Fafa and his Act when the “rapacious mafia” went to work on him.  It is not even persuasive to contend that the “society” perceived “the exercise as being manipulated and used as a political weapon targeted principally against the urban elite of a particular ethnic group.” (Justice Jallow,2012).

Corruption has scarred nearly all aspects of life in the Gambia, and all too frequently it is the middle-level officials who are caught and scapegoated, whilst the so-called “big fish” continue to go unpunished. Until the system forces these upper echelons to be accountable for their actions, the public will continue to perceive that things have not improved.

While the main aim of the Declaration of Assets is to prevent corruption, it is also designed to increase transparency and the trust of the public administration, to prevent conflicts of interest and illicit enrichment, to avoid false accusations of wealth, and to monitor the wealth of politicians and public servants. These are valid demands because such individuals hold great power over the allocation of national resources, and their salaries are paid through the public tax contribution.

The Declaration of Assets shall be regulated by the Constitution and, in accordance with international standards, it shall require the President and members of his/her cabinet to disclose fully all their assets, liabilities, and business interests and those of their spouses held by them or on their behalf. Such a disclosure should occur no later than three months from the date of the election or appointment. However, by changing the law to require the declaration to also be made at the end of the term of office will facilitate greater accountability.

The bill can be added by amending the Constitution to provide, in very general terms, for the verification of declarations and enacting new legislation to establish a detailed framework of rules and sanctions relating to non-declaration, verification of declarations, and the legal consequences of any breaches of constitutional and statutory obligations on the Declaration of Assets.

Strengthening the law, in and of itself, cannot guarantee that public funds will not be looted and spirited away by holders of political office and public servants. Gambians also need to take political action, in part by strengthening the powers of the National Assembly and its committees to summon and question the President and other public officials and servants about any suspicious acquisition or accumulation of wealth. We also need to strengthen the protection of investigative journalists, media houses, and whistleblowers because of their vital role in exposing and publicizing the theft of public resources.

Gambian citizens should have the right to view the financial disclosures of all public officials and employees, as well as their spouses and children who are minors or unmarried and living in their households. As such, the Anti-Corruption Commission will publish the financial disclosures of many of the highest ranking public officials in the government gazette.

The periodic public disclosure of personal assets would help to ensure that unexplained wealth, especially ill-gotten gains, do not go unnoticed. The government of President Adama Barrow has conducted a spate of probes into the corruption of Yahya Jammeh, and the string of corruption cases indicates a serious and alarmingly routine abuse of power and misconduct by public officials. This points to serious structural flaws in the system that have allowed these loopholes to be manipulated for massive fraud and the swindling of public funds. This issue has been plaguing the Gambia’s growth and competitiveness.

Declaring assets behind doors, which is what occurred in the Gambia under previous governments, no longer suffices, as it reeked of secrecy and opacity instead of promoting transparency and honesty. Asset declarations should be accessible to the public as part of their right to know and be informed, instead of being made only internally within the government.

Studies show that an asset declaration open to public scrutiny is a way for the public to ensure leaders do not abuse their power for personal gain. Published information on a person’s assets allows a civil society to hold its leaders to account. Making a public declaration of assets is an effective anti-corruption tool.

While the Declaration of Assets should be done periodically and kept on record by an effective independent body, it is also appropriate to have forensic accounting experts and investigators monitor the assets periodically. An asset profiling system should be introduced to determine what assets personnel are expected to have, based on their positions, years of service, and their present and past emoluments.

The Gambian society needs to bolster the campaign on enactment of the Declaration of Assets and the Anti-Corruption bills to build a public understanding of the debilitating effects of corruption in society. To ensure the well-being of the nation, such enactments must be undertaken in a courageous and impartial fashion. All too often, anti-corruption voices are themselves deemed to be tainted and lacking in impartiality.