For nearly as long as civilization has existed, being a child, women or elderly men means you enjoy protection enforced through communities, societies and governments. However, in Gambia, these are people whom the regime villains go after killing, jailing, devastating their families and communities in countless ways as a means of retaliation against Gambian populations to live in fear. Gambians can only shake their heads at the pointlessness watching in dismay because 2016 has been a banner year with the overambitious regime deliver so many tragic unbelievable events in contrast to the much-ballyhooed empty promises. Gambians are sadly aware of our country is ruined. The result was predictable. However, many Gambian don’t seem to understand that Yahya Jammeh is trying design his legacy for our neighbors in Cassamance and sub African continent that is generally understood by foreigners.
We know now their contempt has no bounds. Gambians now see Yaya Jammeh as unacceptable largely because of who he is: his tendency toward cruelty and viciousness, his tribal attitudes, and his lack of seriousness to respect the office he occupies. The regime governs by using fear combined with misinformation by duping Gambians into accepting dangerous and destructive policies, using traditions where it benefits them to the extent of confusing Gambians by their reliance on an outdated understanding of the cultural concepts on a societal issue and hide behind religion by using its leaders to temper down protest, frustrations and criticism of the Dictator. The overambitious dictator continues to expand his brutality unilaterally by encouraging violence, undermined the opposition especially UDP, impersonating a pious image, determined to ruined Gambia’s relationship with Senegal, victimizing Gambians, vicious campaign of hatred against the west and behaving as if he has a scepter with a throne. Gambian families are feeling much more vulnerable in day.
To our neighbors who typically profess a desire to create two independent state, they see him as a hero such as it is, for him allowing them to use Gambia as fortress, allocating ghost budgets, sharing our gifts benevolently and building their communities. Those folks, musicians and Nigerian actress see him as a hero pan Africanist who solves all their problems, make their dreams come true, fulfil their wishes as he pursues their unrequited love. There’s no thrills for Gambia in such romance because it demands for our blood, tears, and lives sometimes to fulfil those wishes. As for Gambians, the endless promised economic reforms have reformed nothing but leaves us with blackouts, continuing regime interference in all decisions and dishing out mockery of visions “eat what you grow- grow what you eat” nonsense. Our country folks are battling endless furloughs or paying them half salaries, inadequate funding of our hospitals to buy medicine, bleeding our citizens through massive taxes, limiting working days whiles rolling back programs, increasing holidays with his birthdays, regime agents abusing citizens and short-changing our youths their future. Yahya Jammeh has squandered an opportunity to harness the talents of Gambian intellectuals to develop our country but instead calculated how it might impact his lifestyle because check and balances will hinder his ambitions of dictatorship and fixing the nation electric woes with affect his checkbook diplomacy.
The unfolding saga of the regime snubbing Gambians, demonizing citizens, strangling businesses with new tax regulations every month, and annexing every farm land of real-estate value to Yaya Jammeh has become more than a frustration never seen before. The Gambians have been lied to and misled for so long that now we have grown skeptical and cynical of this bad regime. The regime continues to underappreciate Gambians, frustrating other nations and he assails those who disagree with him as enemies to be killed. Yahya Jammeh cannot deliver for Gambia anymore because he is controversial figure whom his peers hide from. He is more isolated and seeks for relevancy through violence. One way or another, the brutality on our citizens puts to rest any lingering fantasy of their legitimacy to continue to rule Gambia. Gambia need change in leadership to bring back opportunities for our citizens, reset our relationships with world, bring a significant development, and get the whole nation lasting pride back as the smiling coast of Africa.
By Habib ( A Concerned Gambian)
