By Demba Baldeh, Commentary
His famous words when he accidentally became President in 1994 were accountability, transparency and probity. All he knew at the time was that the nation was discontent with the status quo and was yearning for political change from the founding fathers who overstayed their mandate and somewhat lost sight of the need to lay down a foundation for peaceful political transition. The young 29 year old Jammeh probably did not even know what accountability and transparency meant. As he looked in the mirror daily and unbelievably saw himself enjoying the privileges that come with power, he couldn’t believe his new found life. The poor boy who couldn’t even have a girl to date throughout his life was now at the center of attention. Life couldn’t be better!
To Yahya Jammeh life was never the same again. His understanding of accountability was different from the conventional concept. To him, accountability meant only being accountable to him as the supreme leader and not to the people. Anyone who does not listen to him and does as he says and not as he does was being insubordinate, incompetent and unpatriotic. To him experience, professionalism and loyalty to God and country don’t matter, nothing and no one matters except him and his desires. To him, development means seizing as much public and private land as possible to build his own capital and become richer than the state. To Jammeh, bumper harvest and back to the land meant people living their lands and harvesting for him while he dominates almost every aspects of business competition in the nation.
Transparency to Yahya Jammeh has a different meaning; it only means running his errands for him to his liking and his personal benefits. Sticking to one’s professional ethics and standard of operation to serve one’s nation was out of the question; is his way or Mile II. He jailed all his top aides from his attorney General; Chief Justice, Chief of defense staff, Inspector General of police, Solicitor General, Secretary General, Accountant General, Vice President, State Guard Commanders and many top judges and ministers over the years because they didn’t understand his modus Operandi. He accused them of abuse of office; corruption, tribalism, disloyalty, incompetence and an attempt to overthrow his government. Jammeh saw what’s wrong in him and his actions in his aids but not himself. He is a Saint, incapable of reflecting on his actions, loves his country more than anybody and because he “owns” the country he does what he wants and crushes anyone who dare speak, write or stands on his way of ruling the Gambia for live.
Yahya Jammeh seized power claiming the government was reddened in corruption; nepotism, abuse of office, excessive power grab and 30 years of underdevelopment and one man rule. He proclaimed he wasn’t a politician, that “staying 10 years in office” as President was far too long and that he was different. The only thing different about him is his complete alien character to what is inherently Gambian. Since he took over power he has done exactly worse on everything he has accused his predecessors of. He has epitomized everything that could go wrong in a country engulfed in the worst form of leadership incompetence; power abuse, nepotism and corruption. Yahya Jammeh has incentivised corruption and become a role model for worst form of citizen selfishness and greed. His numerous commissions to stampede corruption only made a mockery of what fighting corruption looks like. His “operation no compromise” was designed to ensure that no action is compromised except his own. His tax commission insulted the intelligence of hard working decent citizens who has paid their fair share of taxes from their hard earned entrepreneurial businesses. Every private business entity and individuals were brought before the commission except Jammeh’s owned numerous businesses and some of his closest gang of business confidants. How much respect and credibility a witch hunting commission designed to mask the President’s own corruption is anyone’s guess. Thus the reason the tax commission’s report belongs to the dumpsters of history.
The fundamental flaw and worst disease Jammeh is suffering from is unfortunately not a physical incurable disease. It is a disease deeply rooted in basic human decency. As former Vice President Bakary Darboe once told Gainako Radio, “Jammeh lacks basic honesty”. He simply lacks fundamental tenets of human decency that is not taught in the classroom or read in books. It is a basic tenet of our reluctance or shyness as human beings to lie about something because someone is paying attention or simply a value we are taught at home or by our religious teachings that it is embarrassing, a sin to tell a lie in front of citizens, strangers and the whole world about something almost everybody knows is not true.
Yahya Jammeh for several years now stands in front of Gambians and the world and proclaimed that he is going to transform Gambia into an “economic superpower”, turning Gambia to be the envy of the world, over “Dubai, Singapore or Qatar”. His claim that he can cure Aids and HIV, Diabetics or infertility even while he suffers from the disease himself is simply a sad reality. Jammeh’s incapability to learn and grow as a leader and a human being even after 20 years in power simply must sum it up for Gambians and decent citizens of the world that Gambia is in the hands of a mentally unstable leader who is beyond redemption.
As a result, Gambians and the world must brace for more crazy things from this leader who has no sense of history, who neither can relate to himself nor to any other human being. Thus, often he is seen unleashing his dangerous impulsive brutality on innocent citizens of the Gambia. Jammeh and his likes are a rare one time breed of leaders who accidentally surprise the world and rise to power unnoticed. The earlier Gambians recognize the incurable sickness of basic decency in Jammeh and his quest for material wealth and power the sooner Gambians can stand and reclaim the country without further bloodshed. The country has reached epic political emergency and if not rescued sooner could lead to another ungovernable failed state.