To APRC Agitators in Foni: Gambia Does Not Belong to Yaya Jammeh!
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.
