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Editorial: Is Yahya Jammeh really beyond the father of the Nation?
Sunday, 05 September 2010 21:23
It is not uncommon to overlook overzealous remarks by supporters of Yahya Jammeh, especially from government
officials close to the Gambian president. But Fatou Mass Job’s recently proclamation on the BBC’s documentary, Assignment, that Yahya Jammeh is “beyond the father of the nation” is just too much to ignore; so much so for the person she is than for the utter absurdity of that statement.Is Yahya Jammeh really the father of the nation?
Well, we do accept the fact that life has to go on in Gambia, and that as such some people have to shed their pride and work with the man in charge in spite of the contentious nature of the situation on the ground. We do also note that this requires some form of submission to Yahya Jammeh. However, it is utterly unacceptable to blatantly distort history by putting him where he himself knows he doesn’t belong.
Yahya Jammeh is certainly not the first leader to have been called ‘blessing to the people’; but the caliber of the people who have made such proclamations have always defined the level of attention we attach to such mere flattery.
When Fatou Mass Job was appointed Minister of Tourism and Culture she hardly had unfavorable reviews, unlike many of Jammeh’s appointees; not even from the government’s traditionally hash critics. One can only imagine that such was because she was viewed largely as a desirable appointee given her background in the business and financial world and her record as a supposedly trustworthy individual. And until now, Fatou Mass Job never stroke anyone as the puppet-like snubs who have done their best to exploit the naivety of a president excessively obsessed with unwarranted praises. But as has been proven time and again, you can never predict the Gambian situation.
The irony is that despite her “beyond the father of the nation” proclamation of Yahya Jammeh, Fatou Mass Job couldn’t bring herself to defend against allegations of human rights violations. Could this be an expression of inability to defend the obvious…?
In any case, while this could suggest refusal to acknowledge the truth, which may not be that appealing to many, it however sets her far apart from so many of her predecessors who have defied good judgment by openly denying the facts…
We can’t deny that there have been progress in terms of infrastructural development under Jammeh’s watch, but that doesn’t make him the only way to actualization of our desired development as a nation. Democracy demands that we have freedom of choice. That is why when someone like Fatou Mass Job sees a successful coup plotter as a “blessing to the people”, Lawyer Darboe, on the other hand, sees in the same man a person whose “words and his actions do not complement each other”; someone who would “extol democratic values and behave as the ultra dictator…”
Admittedly, you could justifiably easily dismiss either statement given the political bias of both Darboe as an opposition leader and Minister Fatou Mass Job as an appointee of Yahya Jammeh.
We can’t however say the same about the elderly victims whose voice we heard on the programme recounting their ordeals in the hands of security personal in the name of avenging the death of President Yahya Jammeh’s aunt.
“The men were first rounded up… we women were taken into a small room where we were made to bath in this stinking liquid, we were bathed by men, young men… if anyone resisted the Green boys forced us, people drank and died…” These were the words of an elderly victim in the village of Jambur.
At least two elderly people, in the words of this old and clearly traumatized woman, died as a result of that crazy onslaught against innocent Gambians by witch doctors imported from abroad by Yahya Jammeh, a president described by the brother of Michael Jackson, Jermaine Jackson, as a “very genuine” and wonderful person”. Is Jermaine himself really genuine?
You could have comfortably dismissed the above claims if they were attributed to younger Gambians outside the country as ploy to gain asylum in some Western country. But you couldn’t say that for an elderly woman like the one we heard on that BBC documentary.
Yahya Jammeh has never either acknowledged or condemned the acts of the witch doctors on these innocent Gambians, a people he claims to love. Is this the man Jermaine and Fatou Mass Job call the blessing for Gambia?
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Comments
I am not upset at all.
You can't give people (you do not agree with) such a power that would condemn the entire peoples. Bamba Mass right or wrong does not speak for the mandingos and Master P? Jawara did not personalize the presidency, there was rule of law, never threatened any one's life even those of the Oppposition and he certainly didn't throw biscute at people while passing by.
I don’t mean to upset any including you from New Town. When I read about one Bamba Mass from UDP UK article at Senegambianews online, and Mafugi if I have to precise, it makes you wonder if the devil you know, you stick to that. I dont need to go further but these writings made me question these people motives for opposing Yahya Jammeh.
I am just quarters away from the mosque (family home) but do reside in Kerr sering where I have a house.
You take care my brother and please don’t give in to such people and acknowledge their motives which differ from yours.
Where is morality in a president (Yahya Jammeh) telling the whole world to go to hell? And here you are, accusing people for scrutinising their tyrannic leader! ARe we the people trying to be good citizens the idiots or is it the tyrant we are fighting off?
What comment here could be as bad as Minister Fatou Mass Jobe's proclamation here?
People like brown Stone ought to try to know themseleves before attempting to play the good cop. We love Gambia probably more than you do.
"there is always someone who came from the province to live in the area and start bringing all these Banjul craps tribal shits as he is the grandchild of MANSA MUSA"
If you are born and raised in New Town and fluent in Mandingo; this does not make you none tribal bigot. As some one from New Town myself (a stone throw from the stadium), I am shocked to know that here is someone I probably grew up with in the same neighborhood with such an attitude and this is what Yaya Jammeh knows and capitalized on it. To say that anyone will be worse than Yaya Jammeh is a bit of a stretch, don’t you think? I mean the only thing this guy hasn’t done yet is to sacrifice a Gambia for Tobaski, is this when we will see the light????
Jawara, (whom I am not a fan of) to his credit turned the PPP into an inclusive party where everyone is welcome and made sure his Government includes everybody. This “Teri Kafo” thing that is being thrown around in the internet, I have to admit I left Gambia in 1983 wasn’t at voting age to know all this, but I do go home and own properties there. I am aware of gambian politics.
Today we do not have anything closer to equality in the Gambia. When Yaya took over power, his mantle was "they will never occupy this seat again in 100 years". He made these remarks over and over in his political rallies during the first election campaigns. This was music to the ears of a lot of anti-Mandingoes and Yaya Jammeh understands this politics and took advantage of the sickness that is destroying the Gambia. Now we all know that it is not only the Mandingos that are facing the rat of this mad man called Yaya Jammeh.
The tribal sentiments I am hearing on the online paper together with our spineless military: Yaya Jammeh will be doing as he please for a very long time. Yaya Jammeh is not a Mandingo problem, but a Gambian problem.
Briefly, the power struggle pre-independence was done thru tribal lines, no one can deny that and both the UP and the PPP played the tribal card. Yes, I was not around then as well, but both sides of the story were narrated and I guess your paps (Badara) was too angry to give you both sides of the story. Mine were UP too and they made sure I heard both sides, it was tought in schools (in History)as well.....
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