So many advisers so little good advice it would seem. At least it seems sage counsel was lacking before President Geingob chose to accept an award from little known UK-based magazine African Leadership.
During his recent trip to the US, Geingob has been speaking proudly of a “New Africa” – a continent that has turned away from authoritarian rule and instead embraces electoral democracy. Yet on September 18 in Washington DC, Geingob took part in a ceremony that in part appeared to be a publicity stunt organised to boost the image of Gambian dictator Yahya Jammeh.
Award scorned According to news reports in Gambia, at the same occasion Gambian Vice President
Aja Isatou Njie-Saidy stepped forward to receive the Political Leadership Award for Tourism Development on behalf of President Jammeh. The pro-Jammeh media in Gambia made much of the fact that Njie-Saidy had received the award alongside the Namibian President.
The Daily Observer newspaper in Banjul stated in its report on Jammeh’s award that Geingob “and other African-Americans (sic) were equally honoured”. In fact, Geingob received the African Political Leader of the Year Award and was asked to give the keynote speech of the evening. In contrast, the African Leadership magazine’s website only reports in passing the presence of a Gambian delegation and makes no mention of an award for Jammeh. Yet photographs published in Namibia and Gambia show the owner of
African Leadership, Nigerian entrepeneur Ken Giami, handing over similar awards to both Geingob and Njie-Saidy.
The recognition for Jammeh was slammed by human rights campaigners. Jeffrey Smith,
from the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights in Washington DC, poured scorn on the recognition for Jammeh in a series of tweets, saying “I really hope this is a satirical award”. Geingob’s speech at the event was admirable as much of his recent rhetoric has been.
According to the African Leadership website, Geingob told those gathered at the Four Seasons Hotel: “Politics in Africa is changing, and we are gradually moving from the past.
In the past, we used to have presidents and heads of government move from the State House to the grave or the prison. Now we have Presidents serving out their term and leaving honourably. They remain well respected and play the statesmanly role afterwards.” Oddly, these words did not appear in the version of the speech published on the President’s Facebook page.
Riposte to Jamm eh The most charitable view is that the President’s words were a direct riposte to the delegation representing the Jammeh regime. After all, Jammeh has nothing to do with the “new Africa” and “true democracy” that Geingob has been extolling in his recent speeches.
Jammeh claimed power in a military coup in 1994. He is now in his fourth term in office having been elected in ballots that have ranged from highly questionable to blatantly rigged. Unlike President Geingob’s wars on poverty and corruption, Jammeh has declared war on homosexuality even offering to personally cut off the heads of any gay man or lesbian he finds in his country.
In the last week of September South African comedian Trevor Noah, as the newly installed host of the prestigious Daily Show, ripped into Jammeh over his claim to be able to cure AIDS using bananas. Jammeh’s unconventional ‘cure’ required patients to give up their anti-retroviral treatments. But while in the eyes of some Jammeh may be a clown, he is a deadly clown. And instead of his rule becoming more enlightened
over time the human rights situation has worsened. In July this year, Amnesty International stated: “The climate of fear which has blighted the lives of Gambians for more than two decades worsened over the last 12 months with journalists, people perceived to be gay or lesbian, and those considered to be opponents of the regime and their families increasingly targeted.”
Arbitrary arrests and enforced disappearances have spiked following an attempted coup in December 2014. In March this year, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture issued a report citing the prevalence of torture in the country and expressing concerns over prison conditions. He noted that “the nature of the torture is brutal and includes very severe beatings with hard objects or electrical wires; electrocution, asphyxiation by placing a plastic bag over the head and filling it with water and burning with hot liquid”.
President Geingob has a busy schedule.
He can be excused for not realising who else was to be recognised alongside him on September 18. But surely one person among his rather costly A-team could have whispered in his ear that by lauding the like of Jammeh the African Leadership magazine was making their other awards worthless.
A president can be judged by the company he keeps. In reality, President Geingob has nothing to do with the kind of repressive regime that exists in Gambia and he should not be linked to the rather pathetic personality cult around Jammeh. Next time, an advisor should earn their perks and make sure the President accepts only credible awards as he went on to do in New York from the respected Africa-America Institute.
Source: http://www.insight.com.na/the-company-we-keep/