The Gambia’s Continued Arresting of Citizens: Where do we stand?
By Yero Jallow
Something is really interesting in today’s Gambia. As I grew up, in a traditional Africa (The Gambia), it was a “bad luck” (bad omen) to get arrested, almost the most shameful thing that could happen to one’s life. True, because freedom is so sweet, and life itself was meant to be free. I know why. Being arrested was attached to criminal behavior. Jails and prison cells were meant for violators of the law and societal norms, in that case, punishable, and enforcement of the law is well deserved. Does that hold for today? It goes either ways. Morality and shame has been lost and people are left to the political whims and caprices of Jammeh’s tyrannical regime, which decides on citizens’ fate, to arrest, jail, maim, kill or even exile, as they wish, with no following of a law, or to safely say that a muddy law being used to criminalize citizens whether they were right or wrong.
In reflection, I just sometimes seriously wonder, as I hate to be neutral in my stance, especially when what was up in the air, is sandwiched between supposed Government and the governed, where power greed, political selfishness, self-denial, opportunism, and lack of reality, on the looming overhead dangers was just spreading like a bush fire on dry vegetation. I know to talk like this is to be branded “political” or anti-government, and whatever of it, is loaded in those blurred minds in self-denial our predicament, when we all know we are sitting on a ticking time-bomb. Tell me one more time we ain’t and I will shut my mouth.
One thing I can ask. Are people not really tired of being arrested or their family members being arrested? I don’t even need a confirmation as I was just making a case. If so, why make fool out of yourself, not once, not twice, and not numerous times? What sympathy or help do you need from the others and how can they help? If you are, for example, working with Jammeh’s Government as an enabler, and you see all these happenings, and still want to hang around, while others are going through “Gambia’s normal process” (torture, humiliation, maiming, and even death), and with certainty you know your day is also approaching, a day to fall from grace…what is just there?
In the past three weeks alone, I cannot remember all those I heard were arrested and some of them even serving as Jammeh’s ministers or in some high ranking portfolios. These are lasting trials without end, with “moosal tuuti” and wait for more. Can we say some are victims? Can we say some deserve what they get, especially if they are in complicit with the rogue system? We know the case for the Imam of Darsilameh Sanghajor (Hydara) and his followers were victimized for no crime, and such deserve our sympathy, solidarity, and love. There are countless that are preyed upon and my heart really goes out for them. Well, we also have some that are “enablers” to the tyrannical system in no small ways, and even contribute to the arrest of citizens, looting our country’s economy, and the downfall of the nation, and to me, such a class of citizens also gets their share of the cake. To the class of citizens, no shame, no pride, no principle, no lesson to learn, no iota of heart-thought, or even a little reflection, and all that life means was dancing to a political hypocrite and criminal ruler, no matter what comes with that. Like the many of you, my heart really trembles at the injustices meted out to citizens, but a caution that people should also be mindful of what they associate with.
I am just saying those that chose to politicize the shit, acts neutral, hypocritical, or pretends as if nothing really is going on, you need some reality check. It is temporarily your business though, but for goodness sake, if any thinks and knows they were right, to the certainty of their hearts, minds, and eyes, please don’t change position….stay with what you have. Here is a parable. A man’s bed was full of bed-bugs and they bite him to his skull every night, to the extent no sleep, no rest, and even thinking right, he sits there denying that the bugs were finishing his soul….and to such a man, how can he get help?