By Mariam Juwara, @JuwaraMariam
This year marks the 22nd anniversary of the World’s worst dictator military takeover ahead of the death of his APRC party and government by December 2016. The atrocities that Yaya Jammeh has committed on his fellow Gambians for the past 22 years crowns him as the champion tyrant of the 21st century. Gambians across the globe have had enough of him now and no more.
Champion tyrant Yaya Jammeh describes his military takeover as a revolution in The Gambia, deceiving Gambians to believe that his brutality on us is legitimate. However, level-headed people consider his so-called revolution as a false and unjustified claim. He celebrates every 22nd July with stern messages to The Gambians and the international communities notably the West and particularly America and the United Kingdom. He mystifies false hopes on Gambians with imaginary development projects such as “Vision 2016, Grow What You Eat” while covering his misappropriation of our national resources and monopolising our private sector investment opportunities for his personal gains. His greed and one man show results to collapsing national infrastructure, sinking economy and scaling unemployment, gross violation of human rights and massacring of the people. All these unfortunate circumstances result to declining standards of education at all levels, hunger, famine and gross retrogression of The Gambia. God save The Gambia!
Champion tyrant Yaya Jammeh does not spare anybody under his criminal watch. His own family members, enablers, political opponents and even nations that extend financial and technical support to him and his government end up being betrayed by him in broad daylight. Champion tyrant Yaya Jammeh extends his tyranny and misrule on people of all walks of life including religious leaders, lawyers, journalist, politicians, human rights activists, and business community etc. All his tyranny is geared towards consolidating himself in power, silencing people and instilling life threatening fear in them over whatever crimes he inflicts on them.
As we all know, July 22nd celebration is Yaya Jammeh’s greatest mockery of justice to The Gambians. However, we Gambians should take these celebrations to refresh our memories on what July 22nd has brought to us, good and bad. On that note we must work very hard and take stock of the daily atrocities he inflicts on Gambians and non-Gambians and classify them for proper record keeping. The countless false arresting, detention, torture, rapping, killing, disappearances of innocent people, illegal seizure of private properties, community agricultural lands, state residential lands and illegal industrial mining of our meagre natural resources for his personal gains among other things. These are some of the headings that can help us tabulate our data for better referencing. We must not lost sight of essential ingredients such as dates, times and venues to validate our data.
Victims of Yaya Jammeh’s tyranny are encouraged to speak up and share their stories especially with the appropriate Gambian mediums at home and abroad. This will also enhance a systematic data collection and analyses by the competent people. Authentic record keeping is essential in earnest preparation for the great day that The Gambians shall take Yaya Jammeh to task. Such records shall enhance the special trial of champion tyrant Yaya Jammeh and his enablers versus their victims. This is the envisaged day when justice will take its rightful cause without fear or favor.
Yaya Jammeh’s recent arrest, detention, torture, rape, killing and imprisonment of his main political rival UDP leader Lawyer Ousainou Darboe and his party’s militants in April through July this year is a gross violation of human rights. His brutal action against his political rivals and war against the Mandinka ethnic majority in The Gambia is a warning signal that the days of his party and government are numbered. I am therefore calling on all Gambians to dissociate themselves from the champion tyrant and his crumbling ruling APRC for a better Gambia tomorrow.
My message to champion tyrant Yaya Jammeh is that – NO ONE IS GREATER THAN THE GAMBIA AND NO ONE OUTLIVES TIME.
By Mariam Juwara, @JuwaraMariam