Another Five Years Of An Iron Fist

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Another Five Years Of An Iron Fist

Wednesday, 30 November 2011 14:37

Pa Modou

(Opinion) - The current post-election situation in The Gambia needs to be addressed by all Gambians, as I have always believed that Gambian problems need Gambian solutions. However, do Gambians really have a mouth to talk about it, ears to listen or eyes to see the current situation they are in? Or, even hearts to feel the hardship promoted by the tyrannical and dictatorial regime of President Yahya Jammeh? I think not.

So many things have been said for the past five years and so many lessons have been taught for the opposition to be able to form a joint force against the

Pa Modou Bojang

dictator. Yet, it seems Gambians have not understood the specific lessons given to them from various sources as nothing has changed from the post-election. I now believe that the only thing which might scare the dictator is a joint opposition and a vibrant media.

For the last five years, the Gambian media have done a lot to inform Gambians about the flamboyant lifestyle of the tyrannical leader, while ordinary Gambians have continued to suffer, for example, from frequent price hikes. We all witness that Gambians are no longer cherishing their usual three daily meals as they use to, because ordinary poor Gambians cannot afford even a bag of rice, which is the basic and stable food. Not to mention other condiments, whereas in contrast we see the dictator dishing out our money to Hollywood millionaires even for personal fame. This is the man who wants to associate with all the good titles of the world and yet continues to intimidate maime, kill and unlawfully imprison Gambians in order to protect his lifestyle. So what lessons have we learned? I guess nothing much.

We can easily state that the recent presidential election in our country was neither free nor fair, and that the results were bogus. But still, a large percentage of Gambians could be seen celebrating the so-called victory of the dictator, who without doubt will, with through an iron fist, rule the country for the next five years.

THE WAY FORWARD
The way forward should have been for the opposition to boycott the election, as ECOWAS did. I am talking about a popular uprising against the dictator, as boycotting the election could have been one of the most decent actions by the opposition. Now, questions will always be asked as to why this happened and the answer given will be 'Because…'.

The opposition, no matter what their differences are, at the end of the day, all in the same boat. Their common goal was to remove Jammeh from power and rescue The Gambia from sinking. I believe they should have formed a joint committee to address their problems, especially in the pre-election circumstances. Thus now, the opposition must call for a new voter registration process under the supervision of the Ecowas, AU and the so-called Commonwealth, to be more transparent. Without a new voter registration, the dictator may never be defeated.

This has been intensified due to the IEC having registered foreign nationals from the Southern Senegalese region of Casamance to vote for Jammeh in the election. The opposition should have argued the fact that the IEC Chairman should not be appointed by the president, but rather selected by all the 'players'. Therefore, they should have simply boycotted the elections in the first place, as there was no equality in the national media, (Gambia Radio and Television services), in addition, the private media has been strangled under Jammeh.

For the past five years the opposition has not been able to conduct their meetings in a free environment. They have had to struggle to get permission from the police, which in most cases was denied.

I quite agree with the fact that The Gambia is a peaceful and stable country, but then how do many of our dear people face execution under the dictator? How many decent Gambians went missing under the monster regime? How many decent Gambians are languishing at Mile 2 prison without trial? How many Gambians have lost their dignity and their belongings for the so-called accountability and probity and yet Jammeh has appeared to be one of the most corrupt dictators the world has ever witnessed.

In conclusion, I think that Gambians should demonstrate their maturity and rise up against their daily killers. Gambians should take to the streets to end the tyranny in the nation, as we don't need to rely on any just nation to solve our problem,
Gambian problem needs a Gambian solution.
Written by Pa Modou Bojang, UK