Commandeering State resources to institute a National Assembly that does not represent anyone but oneself, a National Security outfit that is ready to kill, torture and kidnap, force-disappear unarmed innocent citizens on your orders does not buy one the legitimacy as a president or head of government.
Since occupying the seat of power through an armed coup in 1994, Yahya Jammeh has systematically relied on the use of murder, torture, forced-disappearances, and outright terror to control every aspect of life in The Gambia. He purged all national institutions civil or military, of professionals just to replace them with his own hand-picked sycophants and loyal followers. He transformed legitimate national security outfits (army, police and Intelligence) into his own personal security militia who will not hesitate to break every law in our books. He imposed on us a National Assembly, whose only job is to pass laws indemnifying illegal killings, force disappearances and illegal personal business holdings. At the same time Yahya Jammeh employed foreign mercenary judges over qualified Gambian citizens to go after his enemies, real or imagined.
Over the last 21 years Yahya Jammeh has positioned himself as the King of the Gambia, grabbing any land or property he sees fit, taking decisions and instituting policies without consulting the Gambian people and often counter to the interest of the Gambian state or people. The declaration of the Islamic Republic of the Gambia without the pre-requisite constitutional amendments and the unilateral increase of ferry tariffs across the Trans-Gambia crossings by 10,000% without consulting the Gambian people and clearly against The Gambia’s national security and economic interest, are examples of Yahya Jammeh acting like he is above the law.
The abduction, torture and killing of Ebrima Solo Sandeng and the forced disappearance of defenseless citizens engaged in peaceful protests since April 14th 2016 and the illegal detention of Lawyer Darboe and several United Democratic Party executives, for demanding the release of Solo Sandeng “dead or alive” are clear demonstrations that Yahya Jammeh has no regard for the Constitution he swore to protect and defend. Running around the country threatening to bury citizens nine feet deep or killing all Mandinka, the largest ethnic group in the Gambia just because they do not support him, amounts to terrorism. Terrorizing populations, killing, torture and forced disappearance of political opponents by someone no other than one occupying the position of Chief Executive, Commander-in-Chief and President of the Republic of The Gambia has and will always be illegal no matter who does it. As they say a lipstick on a pig is still a pig.
It is about time the Gambian people see the criminal, terrorist and bully in Yahya Jammeh. It is about time the Gambian people stand up to this bully and fraud. Self-defense against a terrorist, torturer and murderer and one who publicly incites violence against an entire population is a legal and a noble cause. As Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “the principle of self-defense, even involving weapons and bloodshed, has never been condemned, even by Gandhi”.
Malanding S Jaiteh Ph.D