By Ebrima Manneh
Under the first republic, Gambians enjoyed and exercised their freedom. They exercised dissent and were not afraid to criticize the government on the issues that impacted their daily lives. They were confident that such criticism will not get them killed or land them in jail. The people enjoyed the liberty of worshiping according to their belief systems because the government embraced and tolerated it. It may not have been a perfect system, but there was rule of law, balance of power and a broad and effective representation from all parts of our society. The first republic ran on an inclusive platform that accommodated power sharing and a consultative decision making process. This generated a sense of belonging and an indication that their concerns were respected and addressed. It was a government that did not make draconian laws that created a hostile environment and caused misery to the populace, but implemented laws that served the best interest of the nation. Laws that did not meet the welfare of the public were challenged without fear due to the tolerance that the government exercised in dealing with members of parliament, and the people in general. The country was on a progressive path because there was a leader that had a vision, a plan and the passion to move the nation forward. He accommodated opposing and diverging views and willingly forged them for the best interest of the nation.
The democratic ideals and principles that the people enjoyed under the founding fathers vanished when the Jammeh regime came to power. He deviated from the promise he made to the people to make things better. He had an ulterior motive to adopt an authoritarian rule using brutal measures to intimidate and repress any form of opposition or dissent. He has so far succeeded in injecting fear in the populace through the utilization of gruesome torture measures up to the extent of causing men to lose their potency. The detention of family members of the alleged December 30th, coup attempt base on relationship confirms how vindictive and irrational this president can be. It is an alarming situation when a 13-year old is subjected to the vindictiveness of this president. A clear indication that this so-called leader will not hesitate to use extreme measures or do whatever it takes to stay in power. Extrajudicial killings, disappearances and many other documented abuses remain a trademark of this regime. This president marks 22nd July as “Freedom Day,” yet he subjects our people to the most heinous and inhumane crimes; crimes that violate international laws and treaties. The United Nations promise and mandate of “Promoting and Protecting Rights around the World” is being denied in the Gambia and instead replaced by gross human rights violations. The United Nations and other international organizations must take precise and appropriate actions against such governments. Any delay leads to the violations of rights and brutalization of innocent and helpless citizens. Citizens must also exercise personal responsibility, put aside naivety, and put up resistance to end the reckless abuse of authority by this regime.
A nation that continues to experience gross human rights violations and destruction of its resources leaving the future generation to embark on a long recovery, must apply a sense of urgency and sacrifice to halt this destructive trend. It is time we reach out to one another and mend our pre-conceived broken relationships. We must realize our interdependence and compliment each others’ efforts to attain collective interest. Understanding our interdependence will enhance our sense of cooperation to build a strong coalition that will end dictatorship. It is a well known fact that tyranny will continue as long as people remain afraid and stay divided, and the tyrant therefore incites the division to cement his position. Countries that went through the same ordeal acknowledged their differences but agreed on their common problem. This motivated them to come together to combat and defeat the common enemy. We have come to the understanding that the issues that divide us are solvable but the pain endured under dictatorship are intolerable. This should be the driving force that should make us put our differences aside and coalesce into an indivisible movement that will withstand the adversaries and end the suffering of our people. The successes of previous coalitions was based on their understanding and acceptance of their shared pain and their love for country. They understood they had different political views and strategies, but were willing to bring their divergent ideas together and find common ground. We have a sacred responsibility to emulate their humility to urgently put aside our differences and build a strong coalition that will confront and end this unfortunate chapter of our history.
For a battle to be successful, it will be engaged and won at different fronts. We must continue to raise the awareness and mobilize our people to be proactive in fighting for their liberation. Educated citizens are guided by informed consent which motivates them for civic duty. They are guided by strong ethical principles and therefore cannot be led astray by deceitful leaders. They are also guided by a moral intellect to act responsibly and dissociate from evil, and cannot be used by a tyrant to conduct inhumane and treacherous acts. Parents are neglecting their responsibilities for not taking active roles in steering their children in the right direction. Instead, they encourage them to take part in aiding dictatorship. It is time for the parents to exercise a moral sense of responsibility and guide their children to be righteous and exercise high standards of professionalism in the execution of their national duties. Parents must always remind their children that they can be humane while executing their official duties, especially those in the security services. The armed forces of progressive nations play major roles in ensuring that their citizens enjoy the application of rule of law. We must raise awareness of our men and women in the armed forces in the Gambia to understand this important responsibility. This understanding will make them desist from executing the unlawful orders of the dictator in carrying out tortures and killings of innocent citizens. The young men and women in the Gambia must exercise wise judgement and take active roles in safeguarding their future. They must realize that this regime indulges in routine festivities as a means of distracting them from the poor governance and squandering of national resources, leaving them with a very dark future.
We must be a nation that shows gratitude and respect the legacy of our predecessors and founding fathers. Dictatorship denies our youth and populace access to the valuable history of our nation. This regime blatantly refused to honor the legacy of our independence in the recent Golden Jubilee celebration because it does not want the present generation to hear about the successes of the founding fathers in achieving our independence. They exercised tolerance and were willing to work together and overcame all the obstacles to independence. The inclusive and power sharing government of the previous regime is what is lacking in the current regime because there is no rule of law. In the absence of rule of law, power is monopolized and institutions that provide checks and balances in a society are ineffective.
We are aware of our problem and must now cooperate and build a strong coalition to get rid of it. This will require rallying behind an individual that exhibits the highest leadership traits. Such a leader will see him or herself as a servant of the people and cannot be self-centered, will grow people and will not be threatened by their development, such a leader will not exert absolute control over the people, but will guide and energize them especially the youth so they can successfully assume leadership roles. Gambia is yearning for a leader that advocates for and respects rule of law, a leader that embraces a power sharing government with effective representation and a viable opposition that will challenge unjust laws. It is our collective responsibility to identify and select a leader with a noble character that will surround him or herself with the right caliber of people that are willing to address the wrongs and rights of society without fear or favor. They must be willing to put aside selfishness and embrace selflessness to end this irresponsible regime and replace it with a responsible regime that will put the welfare and safety of our citizens as its most important priority. The contribution of every citizen matters. We must stop “cursing the darkness and provide some light.” We must embrace our responsibilities in nation building as sacred.