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Letter From Birmingham: Is He Aware Of Our Sufferings?
Friday, 16 September 2011 00:58
(Column) - When President Jammeh came to power in 1994, he told Gambians that he risked his life to salvage the country
from rampant corruption and retrogression. He promised to be a servant and a man of the people. He told us that he was not interested in power and will ensure that there is a presidential term limit to stop sit-despotism.However, 17 years on, Mr Jammeh is still sitting on the throne and is busy doing everything possible to remain in power despite the deleterious effect his rule is having on the lives of the Gambian people. Having tasted the comfort and luxuries of the presidency, Jammeh has become intoxicated, blinded and absolutely
corrupted by power.As president and head of state, all what he talks and dream about is power and is secretly devising modalities to transform himself into the Gambia’s first ever king. Jammeh rules with the motto that, he as president should be good sometimes and be wicked on most occasions to his opponents and critics. He believes in god and the god he believes in wants him to be filthy rich, successful and reign over us forever and his opponents and critics dead and buried six-feet-deep.
Jammeh is a delusional figure and has fooled himself into believing that he is the only Gambian capable of ruling the country. He has convinced himself that he hold the key to our peace and stability and that without him, Satan will visit the country with his disciples and spit the fire of hell on anything that moves.
In his foolishness, he has forgotten that our country has always been a peaceful one since time in memorial and the only one who is threatening our peace and stability is Jammeh himself. Since he came to power, Jammeh and his regime have committed gross human rights abuses against innocent Gambians they have sworn to protect. And utter disregard for the rule of law and of democracy have led to a situation of uncertainty in our country.
Last week during a meeting at State House with the people of Lower River Region, yet again Jammeh tried to fool us into believing that the country is developing despite the hardships and sufferings we are going through as a result of his misrule.
Our country is at high risk of debt distress, even after receiving HIPC and MDRI debt relief and for many years now, Gambians are living in economic uncertainty epitomised by skyrocketing prices of basic commodities like rice, bread, and oil which is making it difficult for the ordinary man in the street to put a decent meal on the table. Many Gambians are now reduced to beggars while the sustainability of some families rest solely on the shoulders of their sons and daughters abroad.
While it is true that the Jammeh regime has constructed roads, health centres schools etc from our taxes, we cannot used that as a yardstick to measure development. The development of country is not measured by the number of tall buildings a government has built. It is measured based on how well off the local people are. And in our situation, we are far, far from being developed as over 60 per cent of our population is living on less than US$10 a day.
In the midst of our sufferings, hardships and cries for help, Jammeh –like Mansa Musa Kankang of Mali- now drives past our towns and villages in his fleet of expensive cars and throws packets of biscuits at us. And in his total contempt of Gambians, he laughs at us as we shove and fight one another over the biscuits like children. Ndeysan.
Also, as we starve in our homes and wonder how to get our next meal, millions of Dalasis that could have been better spend in improving our living conditions are wasted on grand festivals in Jammeh’s native Kanilai.
In the Gambia today, while Jammeh and his cronies are getting richer and richer by the day, we the poor are getting poorer not because of laziness or lack of hard work. The cycle of power is continuing to grow bigger and bigger and there is no hope for our future generations.
Jammeh has stayed in power for too long and does not feel our pains and sufferings. He has ceased being a servant and a man of the people. He is now our master and is continuing to remain at the presidency at all cost for his personal interest.
And if all that we are witnessing in the Gambia since 1994 is the best Jammeh can offer to the Gambia and Gambians, then God have mercy on us when he is not at his best.
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