Arabic Students forced by Gambia government to demonstrate in Gambia against homosexuality
By Demba Baldeh
Mass demonstrations either for or against an issue are nothing new; it is a form of collective expression of a large number of people by coming out in the streets to express their frustrations or celebrations about a certain issue. It has been around for as long as time immemorial. What is unique about mass demonstration is its symbolism and the kind of message it conveys to the general public. Demonstrations are mostly put together by an organized group of citizens and or it could be spontaneous driven from anger and frustration of citizens. They also come in different forms, some can be extremely violent and others peaceful in demanding their goals. Historically, willful mass demonstration can be credited as the single most effective credible force in bringing change probably second to an open democratic electoral process.
Interestingly, the government of Yahya Jammeh a universally known dictator who has ruled over this tiny West African nation of the Gambia with iron fist for 20 years has occasionally orchestrated mass demonstrations when he feels cornered and his power grip threatened. On Tuesday December 9th 2014, the Jammeh government hurriedly organized a demonstration of Arabic Students and party supporters after receiving a strongly worded statement yet from the government of the United States on his irrational threat to jail for life or kill people suspected of being homosexuals. This followed a series of other international pressures from the European Union and the United Nations strongly condemning Gambia’s gross human rights violations and political oppression of its citizens including prison conditions. UN inspectors were apparently denied independent access to the nation’s central prison which puts Jammeh and his government under an unprecedented watch by the world body.
Readers may recalled that similar demonstrations were organized by Jammeh after he brutally executed nine death row inmates in August 2012 out of nowhere without due process of law. That sparked worldwide condemnations which led him to mobilize another symbolic demonstration to justify his despicable act of brutality. It only backfired and increased his unpopularity among decent people and those who led those demonstrations are currently either serving jail time or are being prosecuted for alleged crimes for playing his cards. What Yahya Jammeh and his clueless circle of cronies do not understand is that demonstrations organized by the government do not represent the free will of the people. There is no iota of credibility in public sentiment if any government goes out of its way to either bribe or pressure opportunistic group of citizens to come out in the streets and express their anger against certain issues. It is like organizing a group of drug cartels to publicly demonstrate against law enforcement for cracking down on their illegal trade.
What is even more appalling and embarrassing for the Jammeh government is the kind of groups that came out in the streets to demonstrate. These were Islamic students from various schools who are mobilized to come out and express their opposition to the practice of homosexuality. What other reaction does anybody expect from any religious students on the issue of homosexuality? Didn’t Jammeh know that even in the United States who issued that statement against his government religious groups do regularly demonstrate against a value they oppose? Does he expect to earn any sympathy from any credible nation for mobilizing citizens to express their opposition to an already divisive issue worldwide? Or was this another ploy to use as a begging scheme to his newly found Arab friends? Doesn’t Jammeh realized that government organized demonstrations effectively puts him in a gang of nations such as North Korea – a nation that represents the most brutal oppressive nation around the world? Yahya Jammeh and his government have lost it and they are simply scrambling to salvage the last breath of a dying regime. He is becoming his worst enemy in every single decision he makes out of desperation.
Looking at the Banjul demonstrations organized by the government, one would not fail to see that Jammeh does not even understand the symbolic gesture of demonstrations and what they truly represent in a nation. Mass Demonstrations are a strong pillar of democratic values and norms but only if organized by citizens independent of government. They are a regular occurrence and means for citizens to express their dissatisfaction against their government. Independent and politically informed leaders and societies take these constitutional rights seriously and utilize them to express their frustrations against their government. Only desperate governments who feel threatened by superior powers engage in mobilizing citizens to demonstrate in their favor; the only time they realize power belongs to the people. In effect, demonstrations orchestrated by a sitting government do not and cannot reflect the willful expression of citizens. One would reasonably expect that an effective political opposition with strong leadership would seize such a moment to equally come out and express their rights to demonstrate; but in Gambia opposition politics is far from conventional norms. For now President Yahya Jammeh continue to openly prosecute himself and damage the image of this one time decent nation in front of the whole World!