By: Ousainou Mbenga
Straight to the point. If the coalition leadership allow Jammeh’s treacherous plan to bury us in the “9 feet deep” mass grave he dug for Gambia; it will be remembered as the worst betrayal of the will of the people at the ballot boxes and our collective aspirations for a Gambia without Jammeh.
Gambians are now fully awaken with an unshakable determination to hold leadership accountable. I am in full support of the coalition and the maintenance of the breathing space that the electoral victory of December 1, 2016 made possible. A post Jammeh era is within our reach. But it is imperative that the Gambian people be empowered and not be relegated to spectator roles.
Everything in nature and life have limitations, so does the coalition of political parties led by the president elect Adama Barrow. But many excuses have been made for the coalition’s reactive posture as a result of its own created “limitations”. The coalition has been effectively paralysed by indecision while the deposed Jammeh effectively continue on his tactics of intimidation without any authoritative challenge from the coalition leadership. The morbid fear of what Jammeh could do if provoked only serves to demoralize the courageous and mighty Gambians that voted you to victory. The fighting capacity of the masses against tyranny must never be calmed.
I further take issue with how the coalition leadership continue to allow the imposed “authority” from the deposed president Jammeh to dictate the narrative and his sinister attempts to suffocate the breath of fresh air following his defeat at the polls. You cannot continue to create your own “limitations” as a result of Jammeh’s intimidations.
You must make demands of Jammeh to show the Gambian people that you are in the process to take control of the reigns of power. You should have had unfettered access to the “state media”, GRTS and Radio Gambia to broadcast to the nation.
You should have demanded the release of all political prisoners.
If the coalition leadership wants to be naive enough to believe that this monster Jammeh can transform into a “democrat” within two weeks, then we are in for a rude awakening.
In my view, the coalition leadership is yet to appreciate and respect the power of the people manifested on December 1, 2016. We all better pay attention. The Gambian people have tasted FREEDOM for 13 days and are determined not to turn back. The masses never defend abstract things, they always defend concrete things. FREEDOM is concrete and must be defended with the people’s full participation. You cannot exclude the masses in this process to take our country back from the clutches of tyranny.
JAMMEH MOVES THE GOAL POST
All the signs of his trade mark behavior: arrogance, brutish ignorance and the abject disrespect for the Gambian people are clearly still at work.
First, was his reluctance in conceding defeat followed by his sinister statement that if Barrow needs him, “I will be in Kanilai”, an obvious signal that it is not over until he says so. To Jammeh, Kanilai is his personal property, a no go zone within the territory of Gambia.
Secondly, his audacity to promote 49 lower rank soldiers to higher ranks of his own choosing was a test in search of loyalists who he can count on to defend his criminal plans. This action should have been challenged and vigorously denounced, the Gambian people and the world needed to hear your position.
“MA WAAHUN WAAHET”
Thirdly, the December 9, 2016 rejection of the election results after he already conceded defeat was no surprise because you lacked the will to assert the authority the Gambians bestowed on you. And adding insult to injury, Jammeh plans to take his challenge of the elections results to the Gambia supreme court for redress with the intent to hold new elections. This will be his last insult to our beloved Gambia, if you are willing to defend the interest of the Gambia people.
I ask the sticking point question; what will be Jammeh’s next and final declaration to drag us back into the swamps from which we just emerged out from. Are we going to sit and wait for his next move to disrupt the transitional process?
The only and most reliable guarantee for victory against the neocolonial Jammeh regime is to increase the fighting capacity of the Gambian masses.
It makes no sense to calm the masses down. And if anyone is to be peaceful, it’s Jammeh that needs to be peaceful. We have known only terror under the Jammeh regime. We welcome all attempts to see to a peaceful transition from our neighbors, Senegal, Nigeria, Ghana,Liberia and the rest of the African world but Jammeh will no longer hold the Gambian people hostage for fear of what he’s capable of doing.
Whether it’s a rumour or real, a demonstration by the APRC supporters in rejection of the declared election results must be considered illegal. For the simple reason that Jammeh already conceded defeat. What would happen if we organize a demonstration to defend the official declaration of the December 1, 2016 election results?
Finally, after years of caustic criticisms of the Gambia Bar Association, I want to congratulate the bar for their stance against this criminal and treasonous act by Yaya Jammeh. This is a new period in the history of our beloved Gambia, you cannot tail the masses at this critical juncture of the people’s resistance. 22 years is too damn long to have put up with the Jammeh regime! Jammeh must go!
ONE GAMBIA ONE NATION! LONG LIVE AFRICAN UNITY!