‘We’re all alone
We feel so insecure inside
Cos no one cares
We need some help
We need it more than ever before
And we’ve found no one’”
On Friday, May 5, some of my friends and I went to visit the victims of the April 10 and 11 student demonstrations still admitted at the Royal Victoria Hospital. What I saw and felt are what forced me to really analyze my situation as a young Gambian living in The Gambia. On that visit, I was able to imagine the feelings of the South African people who witnessed the Sharpeville Massacres.
The status of the young Gambian, according to my own level of thinking, is what I want to share with you. I beg you to forgive me if you feel in any way offended by this article for it was written with no intention of hurting anyone’s feelings.
Looking at our economy and amount of natural resources at our disposal, we clearly see why we are classified as one of the poorest nations on earth. The huge debts we owe the developed countries is such that for the rest of time we will never succeed in repaying them. Every Gambian already owes millions even before you are born. Although we are a signatory to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, we continue to be plagued by disease, hunger and malnutrition. The cost of education is so expensive that despite the philanthropic assistance we receive, there are still many young people who cannot get the basic education to which they have a right. Our main cash crop, groundnuts, which so many farmers rely on for their livelihood, is fast losing its value. Paying school fees is becoming increasingly difficult. I dare not talk of electricity for few people even know what that is.
With all these hardships facing us, what then, does the Gambian child have? Don’t we have the right to be loved, the right to be cared for, the right to live in an environment with at least the minimum hope of survival even in poverty? Until recently, I thought that we were doing OK. With a young head of state and a leadership who tried to convince us that the welfare of young people is their top priority, who could ask for more? This was manifested in the 1996 elections when youths who never before cared to get a voter’s card were seen out there campaigning and making long queues to cast their vote. Thus, we all went into the Second Republic with very high hopes. “In the abundance of sunlight, none can tell who is bright, but on a very dark night, none can hide even the faintest light.” The dark nights of April 10 and 11 and those which led to them exposed to many Gambians, WHO REALLY CARES FOR US.
Who cares for us?
The president?
Any fair individual must commend his statement on the demonstrations when he returned from Cuba. He did not support either the students or the government. He promised investigations leaving no stone unturned. The one-week of mourning is also commended. Exactly what is expected of a leader. I hope however, that the promise will be carried out and all those responsible brought to justice.
On the other hand, how can the death of Abacha in Nigeria be so important to warrant a break from the OAU Summit when the death of 12 young Gambians is not significant enough to deserve a break from a G77 Summit?
Why was there not even a statement from his office on the alleged murder of a student by security forces? Was he letting the law take its course or was it sheer negligence?
Since all Gambians saw where the shooting came from, why has no one been arrested? Does he not know who ordered the shooting or is he letting the investigations provide more evidence? Hopefully, we will know when the investigations are over.
I must say that we are interested not only in who killed those who died but also in who injured those in hospital. Those who tortured the students are also our concern.
The Vice president and Secretary of State for Women’s Affairs?
She did a lot of talking about caring for women and children before she became secretary of state and this earned her a lot of respect. Her speech on April 10, which accused the students of being responsible for the trouble by trying to demonstrate peacefully, mourned the damage of property and tried to defend those who, at point blank range, brutally tortured, shot, injured and murdered the students showed to all Gambians what kind of a woman she really is. She also tried to deceive Gambians into believing that the demonstrators killed each other. Definitely not our idea of a vice president.
The secretary of State for Interior, The Army Chief of Staff and Security Forces?
The SoS for Interior and the Army Chief of Staff are the ones who went to talk to the students at GTTI. They “tried” to solve the problem through dialogue. They both deserve some commendation for their efforts.
How come after they left with the student leaders to meet with the vice president the security forces came in to violently disperse the students? Did they order the Paramilitary to do so or were the Para just being disobedient? Are the Para so unruly to disobey orders or was that just a part of the plot? Was there any meeting even scheduled with the vice president?
Why do they both still maintain that the demonstrators shot each other when we all saw what happened? Are the people holding such key positions in our country so weak that they are afraid to speak the truth? If so, what hope do we, young Gambians, have of being responsible and honest adults? What kind of administration are we going to inherit?
Our men in uniform are the ones we should trust to protect and defend us in our greatest times of need. They are our own brothers and sisters. When they are not in uniform we talk, eat and sleep in the same houses with them, sometimes even when they are in uniform. They swear to defend us when we are in danger. If these people that we so heavily rely on are bent on torturing and intimidating us, what will we be left with? If they go further to shoot and kill us when we pose no danger, I ask, “What has become of our society?” I would expect a soldier to disobey orders and risk being court marshalled if he was asked to shoot at a poor defenseless and unarmed criminal let alone a student whose only crime is crying out to be heard. The last thing we needed was a revisit of the Sharpeville Massacre in Soweto. And, coming from our own brothers only made it more gruesome and painful to even think about. Just why we deserve it I can never tell.
Anyone who is brave enough to shoot or order the shooting of defenseless and unarmed students should be man enough to say that you did so. Otherwise, you remain less than a coward. Let the real men come out and say what they did and why they did it.
The thought that our system of administration is so incompetent that they cannot handle a bunch of demonstrating students just adds to the horror of the young Gambian. The problem was one which could have easily been resolved without any confrontation if only we had trained, educated, caring and respectable people in the administration who know what is expected of them – The protection of human life and property. We are scared to imagine what would happen if a more serious situation should arise. God forbid.
The department of state for Education, teachers and school principals?
This is the department we thought would stand up and address the concerns of students no matter how petty they seemed. To stand and defend students at all costs. This position should be handled by a responsible and honest adult, but the most important virtue for the position holder should be one who cares about young people. One who is merciful and caring. Mrs Jatta clearly lacks these qualities. Her attitude to Barry’s and Binta’s cases and then her attempts to justify the use of live ammunition clearly shows how heartless and cold-blooded she is. We thank God she does not have a gun. Our teachers and principals are also trusted to stand by students and to give them their due attention and to be examples from whom we should learn to stand by the truth in all circumstances. How many schools have we seen the security forces go into and torture students and, in some cases, teachers? Yet no teacher or school principal has stood up to say what happened in their schools. Instead they have drafted a Code of Conduct for schools which is nothing but dictatorial, inconsiderate and more importantly contradicts, in some cases, the constitution of The Gambia.
The Attorney General, Department of State for Justice and other legal practitioners?
These are the people who took oath to see that justice will prevail without fear or favor, affection or ill will. They stood by and silently watched. Ebrima Barry and the raped girl (Binta) had no money so no one was ready to stand for them. When students who stood for them were murdered, tortured and illegally detained, still nothing. Mrs. (Awa Ceesay) Sabally and Mr. Tambedou really stood out and gave young Gambians hope of survival when they pledged to stand up for our brothers and sisters. Only that they could have done something about the torture and rape cases and maybe it wouldn’t get to this.
The Opposition parties and National Assembly members?
Most of the National Assembly members just want to receive the D8000 at the end of the month and gain cheap popularity. Some also want to abuse their status to engage in criminal activities. They stood silently by and watched the horror. Are these bright examples to follow?
The UDP and former President Jawara: Union of Disgruntled People who want to assume power at all costs. They were silent on April 10 and 11 and only made noise with the intention of making people more furious instead of reconciliation.
The NRP: A bunch of clowns who want to gain cheap popularity. Waited, like the UDP, till after the trouble and made a few idle remarks.
PDOIS; even though their intended policies sound crazy, they deserve a lot of credit. Their party leaders were seen at West Field junction talking to students, trying to calm them down on April 10 when things were at their toughest. They take the trouble investigating and reporting all issues of National Interest with no bias. The problem is, can this small group alone save us?
The Media?
The television we all know is monopolized so I will not even discuss them. The radio and print media must be commended for doing a good job in information dissemination. Radio 1 FM is exceptional. However, since the secretary of state for Interior denied knowledge of any torture of students by security forces I was expecting the press to come up with pictures and interviews of students who were tortured and injured. I learnt that a girl at Bakoteh High had to be hospitalized because of the torture. Investigate the matter and tell us what really happened. As we saw in Sierra Leone, the international media never takes interest in any African country until the country is in a total mess. We therefore pray to God that they never take interest in our beloved Gambia.
The international Community, Youth Groups and NGOs?
The UN Security Council, I feel, only pretends to care about African countries. Branches like UNICEF try a bit, but what are they going to say or do about the code of conduct for schools, which, clearly contradicts everything that is in The Convention on the Rights of the Child to which The Gambia is a signatory?
The members of the diplomatic corps and foreign government representatives who reside in the Gambia and saw what happened are standing silently by because they’d rather compromise the truth than jeopardize diplomatic relations. The only exception is the EU Representative who immediately called for investigations. Just the kind of diplomat we need. I would rather have no friends than friends who won’t speak the truth.
And where are those numerous youth organizations and NGOs who claim to be responsible for young people? Is it all just big talk only to hide when the going gets tough? The young people recognize and will remember who their true friends are.
Seeing what each and every one of the above mentioned parties stands for, I believe that IF A SPADE MUST BE CALLED A SPADE, then we the young Gambians must be called what we really are… AN ENDANGERED SPECIES.
End.
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Article first published in The Daily Observer Newspaper in May, 2000.
Jammeh promised investigations and justice. For obvious reasons, he lied.
Do we dare renew hope that the administration of Barrow PORG will finally revisit this tragic chapter of our history? The appointment of Dr. Baba Jallow to head the TRRC is encouraging.
Many of the officials referred to in this article are still alive and around.
The surviving victims and their families continue to wait for justice. The families of the dearly departed continue to wait for justice. It is long overdue.
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Officials holding positions mentioned in the Article at the time
President – Yahya Jammeh
Vice President – Isatou Njie Saidy
SoS for Interior – Ousman Badgie
Army Chief of Staff – Colonel Baboucarr Jatta
SoS for Education – Ann Therese Ndong Jatta
Attorney General – Pap Cheyassin Secka
UDP party leader – Lawyer Ousainou Darboe
NRP – Hamat NK Bah
PDOIS – Halifa Sallah / Sedia Jatta
EU Rep
Radio 1 FM proprietor maybe – George Christensen
By Sana Sarr
