When Solo Sandeng and group went out to demand electoral reforms on April 14th, 2016 knowing fully well what could happen to them, they did not do it for their individual interest. When he was killed in custody, while fatoumata Jawara, Nogoi Njie and others were tortured and potentially raped, they did not expect a nation to sit back and watch their ordeal. When Mr. Darboe and Co went out two days later to demand the body of Solo Sandeng dead or alive, they did it on behalf of the collective freedom of a nation.
When student victims were massacred on April 10th and 11th, 2000 they were demanding justice and respect for the rights of all citizens. When Deyda Hydara insisted on advising the young government of Yahya Jammeh on Democracy and rule of law, he was doing it for the collective press freedom and Democracy and respect for human rights of all Gambians. When Ousman Koro Ceesay former finance minister stood up against potential financial destruction of a young nation, and was burned to asses, he was standing to protect the future of a nation. When Imam Baba Leigh, Bakawsu Fofana, Imam Karamo Touray and thousands of other Gambians spoke against injustices and religious oppression they were fighting for the freedom of the nation.
Today, what started as an isolated act of oppression here and there has grown into full blown “assault on national sovereignty” (Madi Jobarteh 2016). Yahya Jammeh tasted power through the blood of Gambian citizens and will not let go under any circumstances. Every life, every individual liberty and security of Gambians is now under full threat of total assault on our nationality and identity as a people. It is therefore past time for Gambians from every worth of life, from Koina to Karton and from the North to South and East to West of the world to act in making the Gambia UNGOVERNABLE through civil disobedience to mass uprising. Many people will ask how and when?
It is time for the Bar Association to walk out of every court proceeding in the Gambia. It is time for all civil servants to walk out of their jobs and demand respect and dignity for our citizens. It is time for the workers union, the transport union, the Gambia students union, the University of the Gambia, the political opposition, the taxi drivers, the commercial vehicle drivers, the shop keepers, the bankers, the religious institutions, the petty traders, the small businesses and entrepreneurs, the ordinary citizen youth and women to stand up and make the Gambia ungovernable until the government of the Gambia live up to its basic obligation to protect, respect the basic liberty and lives of citizens.
If you are tax payer, if you are an individual employee of the private sector, the hoteliers, the fishermen, the butchers, the construction workers, the merchandisers etc.. you must in your own way disobey the orders of government and refuse to live up to your obligation as a citizen until the government regains its trust and mandate to protect the lives and liberties of individual citizens. Every Gambian has the power to individually and collectively demand justice and accountability of our government. The Jammeh government has failed to live up to its national and international obligations the government pledges to protect and live up to. It has lost the legitimacy and respect deserving of citizens and international partners. Gambians can and must indeed do something to regain their government from the clutches of Jammeh’s taste to spill more Gambian blood. We have paid too heavy of a price to maintain the peace in Gambia, we have paid with the blood and lymph of our innocent citizens. It is therefore time for Gambians to respond to the callings of Dr. Martin Luther King who said “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter” and Edmung Burke added “all it takes for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing”. Time to hold our government accountable through civil disobedience and mass resistance. The clock is ticking and more Gambian lives are at stake as Jammeh uses Nigerian judges, morally demoralized security personnel to set our country on fire. We must refused by sticking together and proof that power of the government must be driven from the people of the nation!