Editorial: So What Did The Mass Executions Achieved For Gambia?

Tuesday, 02 October 2012 01:08

(JollofNews) – Take a glance at newspaper headlines these days and for sure your mind will drift back to late August when nine murder convicts were put to death by the Gambian state supposedly to set example for would be murderers.

The world responded with strong condemnations with some calling the executions unnecessary and unreliable a deterrent. The government of the Gambia, from the President to the last cabinet minister, took turns to praise the move and even threatened to carry out further executions if need be.

Only weeks on, several cases, at least three in the space of days took place in the Gambia, vindicating the voices who asked President Yahya Jammeh to adopt measures, using intelligence and other methods to curb serious crimes and not the an-eye-for-an-eye method.

He however remained defiant that he would execute more people if the rise in murder cases did not drop.

So, with these recent deaths, we ask what shall President Jammeh do? And what purpose did the nine executions served, if not only tarnishing the image of the Gambia?

In fact, what Mr Jammeh and co-hurts failed to realise is that in this day and age, if you put nine people together and shoot them, you would only achieve giving yourself a monstrous image, no matter what crime the dead people might have committed.

This is not the 1970s or 80s when the cold war and other ideological differences in politics often led to mass killings by states in the name of patriotism.

By putting people to death in mysterious circumstances and denying their relatives access to the bodies President Jammeh has played into the hands of his critics.

What does Gambia gain from such analogies? Only disrespect, isolation and embarrassment at all international meetings.

At this juncture, therefore, we call on Mr Jammeh to change his methods and listen to wisdom.

The Gambia would live on after him and his place in history is continuously being marred by one bad act after another.

Just when and whom will Yahya Jammeh listen to? A question that must be answered one day. It is a matter of time.