A lot of people, Gambians and friends of the Gambia, all around the world have taken keen interest in your new appointment as Secretary General and Minister of Presidential Affairs. Albeit your appointment as the most senior civil servant in the Gambia has generated a lot of interest, it is important to remove the grain from the chaff to avoid drawing inappropriate conclusions. It will be an understatement to opine that the fundamental essence of history is to avail and arm us with lessons of successes and failures of both great and lesser men of yester-years in order for us to avoid making similar mistakes. In an ideal situation in the Gambia I will not be writing you this letter. Our paths crossed at the University Extension Program way back in 1997 up to our convocation in 2000. As we shared classes and many other forums, we got to know each other better. You earned the respect and admiration of many of us due to your academic excellence, charming sense of humour, trustworthiness, upright character and personality. It was owing to these reasons why you were unanimously entrusted with the mantle of student’s presidency. I must hasten to add as humans grow and progress most often than not change to adapt to their prevailing circumstances. However, there are some who will never compromise their integrity and self-esteem no matter their conditions. The way you carried yourself all these years made me conclude that you will strive to keep your integrity in check while executing your responsibilities without fear, favour or ill-will. Unfortunately, you are serving under an oppressive and dictatorial leadership who believes his way is the only exit route. He does not entertain a second or different opinion. As a result, many of your predecessors who dared to subscribe to a different view from his suffered both humiliating verbal and mental abuses from him. It goes without saying that you will be of no exception if you choose to contrast his opinion.
Your situation is a catch 22 with two choices: choosing the right path by executing your duties and responsibilities as you are sworn to do or hop in his wagon to rob the Gambia. Either choice embeds consequences. If you choose the honourable option of chasing the desire of upholding the principles of good governance, the rule of law, and running your offices in accordance with dictates of the national constitution you will go down in history as one of Gambia’s finest youngest Secretary General and Minister of Presidential Affairs who defies all odds of injustice and tyranny to put his national interest above his personal. You will be remembered for transforming a dictator into a democratic leader. Furthermore, your footprints will be indelibly crafted in the hearts and minds of all Gambians even for generations yet unborn. This of course you can achieve not through open antagonism and disobedience to the President. When Allah sent Musa (AWS) to Pharaoh, He cautioned Musa to speak to Pharaoh with humility. In other words, being humble, respectful, obedient and upright can earn you great returns. Changes can also be effectively attained from within and you can be that seed of change in Jammeh’s oppressive regime. You are now opportune by virtue of your position in government to help open the eyes of your colleagues to the sufferings of ordinary Gambians around you and together you can work to halt it. In some quarters it is argued that the president is not aware of most of the injustices systematically perpetrated on vulnerable fellow citizens on a daily basis. If there is any iota of truth in this notion, you will do yourself and the nation a great service if you draw his attention to them. As a youth who still socializes with his mates, you might not miss some of the burning issues which often resurface in your rendezvous discussions. Experience is said to be the best tutor. As a note of caution, do not let yourself fall prey to temptation. Once you lose your hard earned respect and integrity, it will be very hard to regain it. A life without respect, integrity and self-esteem is worthless and liken to that of a beast of burden.
On the other hand, if you decide to collaborate with Jammeh to oppress and repress your fellow countrymen and women, you will go down in history as an intellectual who aided and abetted a brutal dictator who systematically harassed, intimidated, killed, tortured and unlawfully incarcerated his citizens. You will be remembered with utter disgust as a Secretary General and Minister of Presidential Affairs who prostituted the hopes and aspirations of his fellow citizens. I am of no doubt that Jammeh will try and test your firmness and integrity by tempting you with dazzling pleasures to caress your ego. If you fall for it, you will be compelled onwards to accomplish all his dirty jobs. Just like he did with your predecessors, he will dump you when he finds no use for you. When he does, how will you look at your colleagues in the eyes knowing that you have betrayed their hopes on you? Will you then be able to admonish the youth again on how to give their quota to state and country? The thread between right and wrong is very thin and slippery. It requires a lot of courage and strong will to balance oneself on the right path especially when you find yourself trekking on a volatile path. You have walked into a system whose leadership has eroded all institutions of good governance and the rule of law. To add insult to injury he has stained and destroyed anyone or thing that has the potential to revive democracy and rule of law under his administration such that all chances to changing his regime through a democratic system are absolutely slim. This makes yourtask a herculean one. It entails cleaning all the mess created by Jammeh and your predecessors who shamelessly adulterated anything good in the Gambia. I am conscious of the fact that you find yourself between a concrete floor and a rock but with determination and a solid will power you can do amazing things for your country and fellow citizens.
Finally, ensure your safety by establishing mechanisms that will protect the safety of your person and integrity. Whatever you are doing or assigned by the President be guided by law and document all your dealings in and out of office for posterity. When the day of reckoning strikes you will be able to vindicate yourself. If you fail to do so, you will live to hate yourself and wishing to have done the right thing but it will be too late. I have no doubt you have the potentials and capability to measure up to your new role’s expectations.
While counting on you subscribing to doing the right thing, please accept my unflinching service to the Gambia.
Yours compatriot,
Sulayman Jeng, UK