By Demba Baldeh
This is perhaps a rare moment this network commented on the tragic story of a young beautiful family (Bob Keita and Co) that besieged a nation for almost two years. The story was so tragic and raised so many moral and ethical questions it was hard to see how any decent Gambian could take sides much less celebrate the permanent disintegration of a promising young family. But many people missed the real tragedy of the story and how it actually reflects directly on us as a society! Anytime we read about the story, we could only shake our heads in disbelief that this was happening and occupying center stage in not only the news media but social media and all corners of Gambian lives.
The story was more about us as a people and our society than the young family caught in a destructive behavior that has far reaching consequences than anyone can ever imagined. Here was a young man who spent two years in jail for an alleged crime he may or may not have committed! Here is a young couple caught in the most destructive manner ever for a family. A young promising girl caught in between a tragic story that destroys her life and along the way may have exposed the hidden underline moral bankruptcy of our society. The continuous detention and charge of alleged murder of Sainabou is equally beyond tragic. But the most difficult and heart breaking of all in this story is the loss of life of an innocent child who has absolutely no role in determining who his parents were or how he was brought into this world. This loss alone could have led for everyone involved in this case to pause and reflect on the tragedy of losing a child! The family did not even have time to mourn the loss of a precious life who could have become anything in this world.
This story may have exposed the moral bankruptcy and the complete breakdown of our families’ moral fiber as we know it in Gambia. The question is, how many of these stories were and are buried beneath the surface? And would it have been better to keep this within the family and try to resolve it without destroying the people directly involved and bringing added agony to the family. Or does this have any effect in changing the behavior of young people in our society? The jury is still out on that.
But Gambia, we did not get here in a vacuum. This story is a direct reflection and consequence of over two decades of moral erosion in our society. For the past two decades the life of a Gambian including children has become almost next to nothing as not only did the government(s) fails to protect sacred sanctity of lives, but the society was induced with hatred and moral decay as elders and families run away from each other and even turn against each other. The price of immorality and breakdown of societal norms in our society is what we are pay for right now in Gambia.
Looking back and seeing what’s happening in our society now, where people are being butchered in their homes, crimes committed in every corner of the country and young people being caught in tragic stories of killing each other, it is not difficult to connect the dots. When you think deep about this family tragedy you can see many signs of less value for life, no dignity and respect for moral values. You can see how young men could torture and or strangle someone until their last breath just to satisfy a leadership. You can see how it seems like nothing to behead someone and throw their bodies into an old well for an alleged political opposition without regard for life or their human rights!
Gambia, our society needed to heal and rebuild our moral fabrics after over two decades of fear, anarchy and unaccountable killings and torture. It was not only tragic but disgusting to see politicians who were caught in similar destructive immoral behavior jump and join the crowd to celebrate a tragic story they have no understanding. This is no doubt the consequences of morally bankrupt people chosen to lead our country or advise our leaders.
Our government and leadership were supposed to be central to that rebuilding of our moral fiber. We needed leaders who will speak to us and reassure our young people that what they endured in the last two decades is not who they are or what they ought to be. But instead, we got leaders who feel speaking to citizens is beyond their mandate. Leaders who cannot connect with the people at their level and speak to them. Leaders who are more interested in staying in power than building a society that is morally equipped to compete with the rest of the world. That leadership failure is equally tragic! The judiciary system was also supposed to be part of the healing by dispensing justice as quickly as possible. And certainly, there is no justification for any case to drag for two years and we hope these cases are reviewed timely and justice dispense accordingly. We wish and hope that every Gambian have reflected deeply on this young family story before jumping onto a van wagon supporting one side or another. Morality teaches that something was fundamentally wrong with the story and certainly there were no winners out of that case no matter how you look at it. The story reflects directly on the continuous moral decay of our society and the worst is yet to come!