Letter From B’ham: Well Done Bro, But.....

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Letter From B’ham: Well Done Bro, But.....

Wednesday, 19 September 2012 15:03

(Column) – I never thought I would ever say this. But for the first time in my life, I’m saying well done to my brother from another mother, President Yahya Jammeh for granting an amnesty to Dr Amadou Scattred Janneh and Tamsir Jasseh.

The two Gambia-born American nationals, who were serving life sentences at the State Central Prisons in Banjul, were released from custody yesterday and have since arrived in the US.

Their release was facilitated by Reverend Jesse Jackson who arrived in Banjul on Sunday to help save the lives of death row inmates,who were threatened with execution by Mr Jammeh.

However, while I commend Mr Jammeh for granting an amnesty to the duo, I would urge him to go further and release other low risk political prisoners in the country. Jammeh’s amnesty to Janneh and Jasseh would have no meaning at all should he fail to release other political prisoners currently languishing at the Mile Two Prisons. In fact, any failure to release the other political prisoners would be seen as hypocritical and selective. Jasseh and Janneh

Dr Janneh and Jasseh

This is because Dr Janneh was arrested and jailed together with Modou Keita, Ebrima Jallow and Michael Uche Thomas for printing and distributing T-shirts bearing the slogan 'Coalition for Change the Gambia, End Dictatorship Now'.

Dr Janneh was the one who contracted the men to print the T-shirts. And if Jammeh can release him despite the gravity of his crime, then his colleagues on lesser charges should also be given back their freedom.

Secondly, Tamsir Jasseh was also arrested and jailed together with some civilians for treason. And the same amnesty should also be granted to his colleagues. Until that is done, Jammeh's amnesty to Janneh and Jasseh would be seen as act of double standard.

What is good for the goose should also be good for the gander.

President Jammeh should use this window of opportunity to try and rebuild his battered image. He should end the human rights abuses, end the clamp down on the local media, set up a commission of inquiry into the torture and disappearances of Gambians, set up a presidential term limit and apologise to the Gambian people for his excesses.

Gambians are very forgiving, and I believe that despite his poor human rights record, they will forgive him. Jammeh needs to know that he cannot continue to hold the Gambian people in contempt. The only way to bring peace and stability in our country is not by intimidating the people, but by respecting theirs rights, freedoms and governing them according to the laws of the country.

Political Opportunism
Sheikh-Sidia-Bayo

Sheikh Sidia BayoRecently announced plans by Sheikh Sidia Bayo to create a Gambian government in exile in neighbouring Senegal within days are completely ridiculous and can best be seen as pure political opportunism.

Bayo is trying to use the public anger over the execution of the death row inmates to build his own political career. He is trying to ride on the corpses of the executed inmates, and the climate of uncertainty facing political prisoners in the country which is very dangerous.

Sidia Bayo
Until the story was published on the BBC website, Bayo was an unknown figure in Gambian politics. And in my 13 years of journalism practice, I have never heard him condemning the numerous cases of human rights abuses of the Jammeh regime or doing anything to help restore democracy and the rule of law in the Gambia. His motives are really questionable.

Mr Bayo’s plans are very laughable and I cannot see any serious country abandoning the Jammeh regime to set up diplomatic ties with a self-appointed Bayo government anytime soon. I also cannot see the National Transitional Council of the Gambia (CNTG) working in Senegal. I don’t think President Sall would be so daft to allow his country to be used as base for a rival Gambian government. Such a move would be very dangerous and would cause an irreparable damage in the relationships between the two countries.

In as much as I don’t see Jammeh as the right man to lead the Gambia in this 21st Century, I don’t believe that Bayo’s CNTG holds any solutions to the Gambia’s problem. And no wonder all opposition leaders in the country have kept their distance away from the CNTG.

Is Bayo really serious? I think not.
Written by PK Jarju

Comments

+2 #5 2012-10-19 20:10

Quoting Bamba:

But I also belief dialogue brings understanding and knowing the other side's views.

You are right and this is the only way we can build a credible movement against the dictatorship. The problem with Sidia Bayo and his people is that they don`t believe in dialogue but in consultation which is worrying and scaring. Gambians have the rigths to know the driver(S.Bayo), his vehicle(CNTG) and the road(his strategies) before boarding in because we must be very careful since we already had two bad drivers, jawara and dictator jammeh. Here is his own word.qsn; Many think it is not balanced or not representative of the many different tribes in the Gambia?S.Bayo;"The Gambian republic, militarized by Jammeh obliges us to find men and women capable of facing a socio political crisis situation, and I can assure you that after consultations with all the Ministers, the CNTG will not delay restoring. Just have to do what we have to do"

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-3 #4 2012-10-19 11:25

I belief our wonderful brother and writer PK had made some many wonderful point and his doubts are real. But I also belief dialogue brings understanding and knowing the other side's views. NTCG had approached many of brother PK's caliber and they've turned down their request yet they would come questioning every move they make. What would Gambians do when no one wants to act yet no one want actions without their approval. Interesting!
This is real democracy at play which we all do no longer have a right to inside the Gambia.
Brother PK knew as well as all of us that he would have been begging for his dear life at the NIA BANBADINKAS if this letter was from Banjul rather than Birmingham.

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+2 #3 2012-09-21 11:20

PK, you have raised some important points here. By releasing Janneh and Jasseh and living their co-accused in prison, Jammeh is saying in other words, that he values the lives of people who hold American citizens more than ordinary Gambians. If indeed he lives and would die for The Gambia, then he needs to prove that by releasing political prisoners who pose a low risk of reoffending. Prison should not be a punishment centre. It should be correction centre to help rehabilitate people who commit crimes, sometimes through no fault of their own.

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+6 #2 2012-09-19 17:56

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In as much as I don’t see Jammeh as the right man to lead the Gambia in this 21st Century, I don’t believe that Bayo’s CNTG holds any solutions to the Gambia’s problem.

As a Gambian, this is how i see it too. I think Bayo is more dangerous than Jammeh since he is not only against dictator Jammeh but also against the unity of the critics of dictator jammeh and his bandits. We should becareful of those educated fools, oppornunists and hypocritics in our struggle to end the dictatorship in the country otherwise we will replace crocodile jammeh by a rat, just like many other African countries mistatkely did.

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