The trial of Amadou Sanneh commenced yesterday -the 6th of November, 2013. The Defense again plead with the court to free Mr. Sanneh or at least grant him bail, but the Judge, under “instruction from above,” denied the request. Lawyer Neneh Cham continues to put up a stiff defense for Amadou Sanneh and company nonetheless.
The court hearing was well-attended, offering Gambians an insight into how the Judiciary is currently being used as the key instrument of the state’s persecution of its opponents, thus helping to perpetuate oppression in The Gambia.
The law is supposed to protect every Gambian regardless of ethnicity, religious belief, financial status, political affiliation, or social connection. This is clearly not the case in today’s Gambia. Our country is in a very sad state of affairs – no matter what angle one chooses to analyze it from.
Needless to say, most Gambians are justifiably frustrated and angry at what is happening. Not just in the judicial arena, but in the larger socio-political-economic scene as well.
That is why we in the UDP view our collective struggle in a holistic way. Though Amadou Sanneh is, and has been a member of our Executive Council from day one, his current plight is only a symbol of what is wrong with the Gambia today. If anything, the fact that a senior member of the largest opposition party in the Gambia can be abused and denied his rights in such a blatant manner, underscores the level of lawlessness that currently obtains back home. One can only imagine what is happening to ordinary Gambians with lower profiles.
At the personal level, our brother and colleague Amadou, understands the risks involved in standing up against tyranny. Despite the inhumane treatment he is being subjected to, he remains in a good state of mind. For he understands very well why the Gambia government went to the extent it has to set him up, and cook up charges against him. He is not diminished by his current circumstances at all.
We in the UDP therefore see what is happening to Amadou Sanneh as a Gambian problem – not an exclusive UDP problem to fight. Every conscientious Gambian ought to be outraged by what is happening to Amadou. If this can happen to Amadou, it’s a safe bet that it can happen to almost any other Gambian.
It is therefore unhelpful and counterproductive for any Gambian to be asking, “Why is the UDP sitting by and allowing its Executive member to be tortured?” As stated, this issue is bigger than the UDP! And for the record, the UDP is doing all it can within the confines of the law, to stand up for Amadou Sanneh. But what are non-UDP Gambians doing or willing to do to arrest this reign of impunity in our country?
As we all know, in the past nineteen years, countless Gambians have been killed, tortured, or imprisoned for no reason whatsoever. Amadou Sanneh just happens to be one of the many Gambians currently in the “Bull’s Eye,” of the sadistic Satanist Dictatorship ruling Gambia.
We therefore urge all conscientious Gambians to begin closing ranks in our desire to give birth to a new reality. Let us all ask what we can do as Gambians rather than ask what the UDP can do. There is a tendency for some to see their different political affiliation as a reason to shun unity, and thus a reason to do nothing because the “issue is someone else’s.” This is something we must all guard against as we are all fighting the same cause.
It is heartening to see UDP Members, other opposition party supporters, and the general Gambian public turn up in court in large numbers to see for themselves what hitherto was unheard of in the Gambia. Amadou Sanneh’s case has laid bare the sad reality that a sitting Judge in a Gambian court, could completely ignore the law he has sworn to uphold base exclusively on “orders from above.” In short, the judge is willing to go against his own professional ethics to satisfy the powers that be.
Though, the Judge –our African brother, may regard himself as a foreigner, we want to point out that the concept of the law as a safeguard of human rights, and human dignity is a universal belief. We’d like all -foreign Judiciary staff or otherwise, to understand this point.
We would also want to believe that all Gambians now belong to a single political party: The Party to Free Ourselves from Tyranny. This Party has no banners or colors. It’s lone mission is to free us all from twenty years of helplessness and tyranny. It’s bigger than the UDP.
Despite his pretense, we believe that President Jammeh does not have any genuine supporters. And we believe he knows this. Which is why he has no mercy for even his most prominent supporters.
Given our reality, we the UDP, the NRP, the PPP, and the GMC are planning a unified rally later this month. We hope this will give Gambians the opportunity to consult and explore ways to harmonize our current disjointed strategies, with a view to solidify our resolve to free ourselves from tyranny.
We know that our task is not easy. But as the great Nelson Mandela has told us, “there is no easy walk to freedom.” We find solace in that lesson. With courage, and buttressed by the knowledge that we have the truth on our side, we shall prevail. Contemporary global history is replete with examples of seemingly powerless un-armed people triumphing over armed and brutal dictatorships. We believe the Gambian story will have such an ending.
Especially because Amadou Sanneh, the two Gambian-American citizens, and countless others currently being brutally persecuted extra-judicially in the Gambia deserve better from Gambians. Let us all be good and patriotic citizens and support the common cause to end dictatorship in the Gambia. The UDP is a part of the Gambian family, as is its Executive Council.
We implore those calling for a singular UDP outrage to not miss the big picture. President Jammeh is on record attacking the UDP with very ugly tribal slurs. It is our belief that he is trying to provoke our members, especially our youth, to take to the streets, only for him to turn around and use that action as justification to unleash his mainly-Cassamance ethnic militia on them. This, we have no doubts about. What we’re uncertain of, is what the rest of the Gambia will do. Will that be the continued implication by some that “it’s a UDP problem that they have to deal with”?
It is pertinent to remind all that if President Jammeh follows through on his plan to single out UDP members, and kill them enmass, the Gambia –as we know it, will cease to exist. As such, it is prudent for all of us to be cautious in terms of what we say or imply. We should all fight the Jammeh dictatorship in an honest and sincere manner. That way, when he falls, as he will, we can build a viable nation that our children and grandchildren will be proud of.
May the Almighty Allah be with Gambians and guide us in freeing our country.
My condolences go to the families of the victims of November 11th, 1994 as another bitter anniversary of that infamous day nears.