By Sana Sarr
Dear Baa Tambedou,
Why You?
There are many screw-ups in this government. There is Hamat Bah, there’s the National Assembly members who sold their souls for cars, or D10,000, and there’s even President Barrow. Why do I single you out to write this open letter to? Why do I bother to write to you when it’s much easier to just write you off into the hopelessness bin like the rest of them? Full disclosure, I really don’t know enough about you to care about you personally. I care about what you represent to many Gambians, including myself, in this administration.
See, when the new government was being formed, many Gambians cried that they wanted certain qualities in the ministers that would be entrusted with the responsibility of rebuilding the nation. You, Baa, checked most of the boxes.
i. Technocrat – Being a trained attorney, you have the required knowledge and experience to make informed decisions based on what would work best in the national interest.
- Not a Politician – As a non-politician, you would be free from the usual selfish/sentimental motivations that plagues the decision making of politicians. You would be more concerned about the welfare of all Gambians rather than what will win you the favor of certain voting groups or political parties.
iii. Youth – As a relatively young person, you would be more open-minded and not set in the old ways of doing things. You would also be more concerned, knowing that every decision you make affects the next generation of Gambians, which may be, not just your children, but you will probably be around in the next 25 years.
- International experience – Having been educated and worked abroad, you are experienced in the modern ways of the world – worth ethics, attitudes, processes and procedures – best practices that can be the differences between success and failure.
- Justice Matters – after emerging from a chaotic system where there was no justice, and the only laws were the whims and caprices of an unstable president, I do not need to remind you of how crucial this period of our history is. We’re not repairing, we’re basically rebuilding a whole system and trying make citizens believe in the effectiveness of institutions rather than individuals. We can make the best economic development plans and be blessed with all the natural resources in the world, but all of that is meaningless if there is no confidence in the systems to maintain law and order. “No Justice, No Peace” they say.
- Not needy – Coming from your previous job, I doubt you really needed this job for money or prestige. You were doing quite well in a high profile job that paid very well. One could therefore be reassured that you’re not desperate for this job to be willing to risk your integrity to keep it. It’s reasonable to believe that your reason for accepting this appointment was purely out of a desire to contribute to national development.
For the above reasons, your presence in the government was the one cause of hope and confidence in not just this administration, but in the future it could lead us to.
On a personal note, I can’t say I know you. I know some people who have known you since your schoolboy days at Kanifing South and Real De Banjul. They all tell me that Baa is an honest individual who can be trusted. I know those people won’t lie to me so I trusted them, and my faith was reaffirmed when you publicly spoke out when the government screwed up by failing to follow proper procedure when they tried to change the age limit for the presidency.
The Turnaround
You can therefore imagine my shock and disappointment with your recent utterances and attitude – the pardoned pedophile, the interview with Esau Williams, the threats to prosecute those who write false information, and now this latest press conference where you attempted to defend the indefensible, all bordering on the type of ego/arrogance that many who know you say is uncharacteristic of you.
When it was announced that President Barrow had pardoned a convicted Norwegian pedophile who was defended at trial by your brother, and the Justice Ministry’s official Twitter account came out to lie about it, some of our faith was again restored when you came out to strongly deny that you had any knowledge of it. We believed you when you promised to fully investigate the matter once you returned to the country. Imagine our disappointment when you would return only to simply dismiss the issue as “water under the bridge”. It’s obvious now that your impassioned defense was more about protecting your personal image than it was about seeking justice for Gambian children who were raped by this monster. Little did you care about setting standards of integrity and upholding the law, including holding those who use an official government account at the Ministry of JUSTICE to lie to Gambians.
When questioned about why the government, against conventional wisdom and general public outcry, pushed ahead to sign a shady deal entrusting our bio-data to a dubious Belgian company currently facing charges of corruption in their country, you again attempted to defend the decision, sounding like a political hack playing pundit on television, with those half-baked and unconvincing arguments that are well below your morals and intellect.
As we were trying to digest this new “Baa”, you released a new single with this interviewissuing some not-so-veiled threats reminding us that you have the powers to use the dictator’s laws to prosecute people for “false news” and “hate speech.” Yes, Mr. Tambedou, we all know those laws still exist. How can we ever forget that your government has so far failed to deliver on the expectations Gambians had when they voted you into office? We expected the bad laws to be changed, and you all are taking your merry time with them not because you’re unable to, but because you wish to use them when convenient. Since we’re doing reminders, may we also remind you that there are laws for you to investigate and prosecute appearances of corruption in government. You know, like national assembly members alleging publicly that the president is bribing them with cash, or the First Lady’s foundation having millions mysteriously deposited into their bank accounts. Those, Sir, would be of greater interest to Gambians than stifling free speech under the guise of prosecuting the publication of “false news.”
The Takeaway
Baa, despite all the disappointments, I still don’t think you have been corrupted for either financial reasons or for the prestige of the position. Heck, I don’t even think you’re drunk on power. I think you’re a punk! Yes, a coward! Your “new” attitude suggests very much like there’s someone, or some people, who you can’t say no to because you respect them too much. It seems like you don’t want to be seen as the disagreeable one who won’t go along with the popular decision on the team. You want to be liked by your colleagues/bosses.
“Olof Njie neh, su sa gamenj heseweh, sa dormi ndey morla kore warh.”I hope you have enough dormi ndeysto tell you that like someone who ate mbahal bufanaan, “Bro, here’s some chewing gum, soaked in listerine.”You are not the minister of Maslaha. You are the Minister of JUSTICE. This is a crucial time in Gambia’s history, a country that has been through hell and back, and now on at the crossroads of either realizing its potential or regressing another 2 decades. Your appointment represents hope for an entire generation of young Gambians and you owe it to all of us to maintain confidence in the potential of our country. Failure is not an option. You can shove this piece under the rug like you’ve apparently done with Barrow’s many “missteps”, but I sincerely hope that in the quiet of night, when you’re with no one but your conscience, you pause for a minute of introspection…and consult the Baa Tambedou that your childhood friends and family say you are.
Sincerely,
A Concerned Gambian who BelieveD in You
