Ending oppression and liberating people from tyranny is not an easy endeavor. The challenges and obstacles are numerous and seem to be never ending. There are discouraging moments that signal quitting but because of the commitment and desire to create a just society, the willing stay the course and never stray from the legacies of freedom and independence. They keep fighting with the optimism that they will eventually win the battle because of the belief that their cause is genuine.
When a country is submerged in absolute dictatorship resulting in the complete loss of moral values, seeking change to regain morality and sanity becomes an inevitable duty. Dictators resort to all available measures to stay in power to continue enjoying the abuse and oppression that power avails them. The oppressed are also compelled by their suffering, which is not a pleasant experience, to resort to all means necessary to end their suffering. While utilizing all means necessary could be deemed justifiable to end dictatorship, the nonviolent approach has not only proven to be instrumental, but deemed most desirable because of its constitutionality. Citizens ensure governments fulfill their obligation and meet their demands through the exercise of free speech and peaceful assembly. Even though this natural and constitutional right is inviolable, it has been suppressed by non democratic governments. We have seen how autocratic governments like that of Yaya Jammeh and elsewhere have violated this right through mass arrests, excessive use of force to disperse, and even criminalize citizens exercising their freedom of speech and assembly. This is a strategy that has been effectively used by Yaya Jammeh through his security agents to stifle dissent, intimidate citizens and deny the opposition to effectively convey their message and rally the citizens behind them.
It is essential for citizens to know and exercise their rights, especially their right to free speech and peaceful assembly. The knowledge of constitutional rights motivate citizens to take part in protests and demonstrations without fear or reservation. The exercise of these rights may not only be violated, but can be met with physical abuse and brutalization. Despite these threats, they stand up to safeguard these rights with the belief that it is the right thing to do. As the old saying goes, “If you do not stand up for something, you will fall for anything.”Our experience under dictatorship indicates that a failure to stand for something has caused us to fall for all and everything that has been thrown at us. The right to free speech and assembly is a proven and effective weapon in toppling dictators. The worst dictators of our time have fallen due to massive protests orchestrated against their regimes. Their fall was not magical but the concerted and unified efforts of a committed populace that believe in the effectiveness of free speech and assembly, and also believe that power belongs to the people. This strong faith that power belongs to the people has eluded the Gambian population for quite a while. It is time we turn this around and embrace the fact that society is changed by people believing in the power God bestowed on them.
Through proper planning and an enduring commitment, the nonviolent approach and willingness to confront and overcome our fears, dictatorship can be ended. Strategists and theorists of nonviolent uprisings outlined the myths and realities associated with this approach. One thing that is clear is, fear is real but can be overcome. Intolerance towards injustice motivates the courageous to put naivety aside and fight for justice, especially when they are convinced their actions are lawful. Dictators use harsh measures such as torture, long prison terms, and even killing protesters to inject fear and discourage future attempts. Such a threat is real and risky. Organizing and mobilizing at the grassroots level, well coordinated dispersing strategies, and protective measures are all means of protecting citizens against police brutality during civil uprisings. Charlayne Hunter-Gault described in her book, TO THE MOUNTAINTOP, how civil rights activists would protect each other from severe beating by jumping in to take some of the beating thus dispersing the violence. This was not only strategic, but epitomizes teamwork and confirms that there is nothing that will stop a determined people in their pursuit for equal rights and justice. From water hoses, police batons and being beaten and chased by dogs, demonstrators endured all forms of harsh treatments during the civil rights era. Despite this cruel treatment, they returned the following day and carried on with the protests and demonstrations. South Africans faced terrible ordeals under apartheid but never relented in their pursuit of freedom. The steadfastness of these generations exemplify a courageous people that overcame their fear and confronted anything that stood against their objectives. From Yugoslavia to Egypt, Tunisia, Burkina Faso, Chile and other parts of the world, dictators have been ousted through peaceful protests and demonstrations. These success stories inspire us to believe that we can also achieve our goal in defeating dictatorship if all possibilities are explored and employed. Law enforcement officials play an important role in ensuring that citizens exercise their fundamental rights. They must honor the oath to provide safety to their communities. They must enable instead of impede the process of democracy.
While we believe that toppling dictators by all means is justified, the nonviolent approach is a moral option that citizens should utilize without hesitation. With the realization that the people have picked up on his deceptive and terror strategies, Yaya Jammeh employed his most recent ploy, the “prisoner pardon.” Citizens with informed consent warned that a dictator cannot be trusted in delivering the good for what it is worth. There is always an ulterior motive behind it. Releasing citizens that were wrongfully detained especially innocent family members, and parading them on national TV to sing praises of their abuser confirms the insincerity behind this act. This demoralizing and unfortunate moment should be denounced instead of being hailed as virtuous. We will not stain the good in this event. Moral victory belongs to the family members who endured the pain of being unjustly separated from their love ones. Gratifying a dictator that violated your civil liberties and subjected you to gruesome treatments is a testament of suffering from mental captivity. In a state of mental captivity, dignity is lost and civil liberties are compromised to include our right to worship and have God in our lives. We have seen how our nation focuses on pleasing “master” instead of executing God’s command to defend and stand by the truth. The morality of a nation is shaken when people cease to observe religion as the most important aspect of their lives.
The recent developments revealed that, as a nation, we must continue to educate and challenge each other to be virtuous. Virtuous people are guided by their knowledge of the truth which gives them great conviction to defend their liberties. When there is liberty, a society can seek happiness by utilizing the opportunities and resources equally accessible to all citizens. With the belief that liberty is sacred and a natural right, citizens march in protest for violation of rights to include illegal detention of citizens for exercising dissent, poor employment opportunities, food insecurity, and failure in the delivery of services in all sectors of government. We must unite and demand a replacement of this failed regime with a responsible government that will be accountable to the people. Opposition leaders must maintain their stance of confronting tyranny. We applaud and appreciate their sacrifice. Change does not occur without the sacrifice of the people. Change requires genuine and determined leadership, leaders that will lead from the front, confront the situation, and inspire the people they lead. The people also, especially the youths, must embrace the freedom fever that we have seen throughout the world, a refusal to moan over their problems and not do something about it. We must also admit that change also takes place as a result of the unification of freedom lovers from all walks of society. An important lesson that the civil rights movement taught us is that, a society that is aware of their shared pain willingly fight together. We have recently seen the people of Burkina Faso exercise the same determination to effect regime change. This is the true identity of a determined and solution-oriented society that value their civil liberties.
The fight for the restoration of our liberties has exposed realities, abnormalities and personalities in our society. We identify the weak and undetermined by their noncommittal to continue on the journey to fight for justice for all. We are grateful to our fallen heroes that paid the ultimate sacrifice to liberate an oppressed country. We commend and continue to be inspired by the empathy, courage and perseverance displayed by the renowned activists in the struggle, the vibrant youths, the great work of the online radios and other media outlets and sympathizers for refusing to look the other way while their people suffer. Your stance is unique in the sense that you continue to fight for those who cannot fight for themselves, and even show concern for those that remain loyal to their oppressor. This is the unique epitome of selfless service, fighting for what is best for all members of society.
We pray that God keep us relentless in our pursuit for peace and tranquility in our communities. Even though critics of democracy point out its flaws, its remains the system of governance that gives power to the people. A government that understands that power truly belongs to the people will not abuse it.For a society to coexist in peace and harmony, there must be justice which the members of that society must pursue and defend. The Gambian nation will overcome this test like all other nations that experienced dictatorship. We are optimistic of a bright future with a leader that will lead us through a successful reconciliation characterized by fact findings and delivering justice, enrich and respect our diversity, and put the welfare of the people as a priority. After 21 years of autocracy, the country deserves a leader that will recognize the inherent value of all human beings, remove obstacles, and encourage self reliance and end the culture of dependency. For now, let us unite, increase our efforts to ensure the end to tyranny and re-institute a Democratic government that will value and protect the rights of citizens.
The points expressed here have no governmental or institutional affiliation. They are strictly my opinions and exercise of my civil rights.
By Ebrima Manneh