It has been a week of total madness and distraction in our collective struggle due to the fact that, I started a fire which I never foresee that it will be skilfully high jacked and turned into an all our war of words between Pa Nderry Mbai, Yankuba Darboe, Bamba Mass, Hon. Mai Fatty, Suntou and many other citizens of our motherland.
Initially, I took the decision to highlight and point out what I believe to be an unfair, irresponsible, divisive, implicating and dangerous way of writing by one of our brother in the struggle, in the person of pa Nderry Mbai, editor of the freedomnewspaper. Instead of sitting behind close doors and back biting about him and his imperfection or errors in carrying out his noble duty as one of the top journalist of our beloved nation, I thought to engage him democratically and in the open hence he is someone we all love or hate but after all, I am among those who recognised his excellence and relentless efforts to expose the injustice, corruption and brutality of the Jammeh administration over the years, in our long struggle and steady march to our freedom as a nation and therefore, I requested a live date so I may address him and put my concerns to him as a brother.
Was it right for me to think that an open call for a debate was in fact the right call? Did I foresee the out come and repercussion of such a move? If in fact we are out to nurture and fight for the restoration of democracy in our motherland, why can’t we be open and real enough to engage each other based on mutual respect and understanding? I expect anyone to challenge me on any issue they feel upset, worried, concern or confused about if I am the one responsible because no one is perfect so I will always and forever stand to be corrected and guided so I may continue to walk on the path of righteous. It is my firm belief that if you love me enough, then you will never lie, defend or praise me if I say or do wrong but tell me the bitter truth and if you do so, then you will undoubtedly win my love, respect and admiration for only the truth will set our souls free on earth and hereafter.
What unravelled following the publication of my first article about Pa Nderry took me by surprise because the manner in which he reacted to it was rather unfortunate and disastrous but reading between the lines, I can see that it was a clever and well calculated move to divert the public attention by calling on all others into it and blowing it all out of proportion. Pa Nderry pulled it off well and I must admit that he is a very clever dude for the simple fact that his move was amazingly shocking because he knew of what to say and how to say it and get everyone jumping on his back thus neutralised the facts and points that I initially confronted him with and that, helped him to completely avoid me and go on a log ahead with others,using the tribal politics card. Smart and well calculated move still.
My brother came out, firing indiscriminately, calling out names of others and accusing them of all kinds of things and completely dived me and went all out to get the whole country into it by further saying things that can only be best described as a clear, unwarranted and blatant provocation of a complete debate or war of words with an entire party, its members and other party leaders. That, I believe in my humble opinion, was a well calculated move on his part because my main aim and objective was to simply challenge him for a clean, fair and balance debate hence we are fighting for a democratic society, so therefore, we should be the change that we are seeking for and that, we should start putting it into action but instead, the entire atmosphere was polluted and we were relentlessly bombarded with the talk of tribalism and Party politics which then led to the total distraction of the concerns and worrying issues that I highlighted in my most recent articles in which, I challenged him for a debate but unfortunately, what followed was shockingly clever but on the other hand, deeply regrettable and disappointing to say the least. Lesson well learnt so time to move on to the next chapter of 2014 in peace, love and unity.
I spoke to many of our respectable elders in the struggle and they all advised and urged us to refocus ourselves as a family and do away with all the madness and negativity so I will continue expressing my thoughts and observations in black and white as usual until such time that we all can freely debate issues as expected of a free, fair and democratic society we all fighting for at the moment. Out of decency, I will love to take this opportunity to apologise to all those confused and baffled with the unfortunate events of late. I can assure you all that, I am done for now and I will also call on my brothers, Pa Nderry Mbai, Bamba Mass, Yankuba Darboe, Suntou Touray, Hon. Mai Fatty and all the members of the UDP and all other opposition political party members and Gambians as a nation to rise above it all and focus on the bigger task ahead, in unison and to stand united based on nothing but the absolute truth. Soon enough, we shall all be rejoicing on the streets of our motherland from Karton to Koina by the grace of the Almighty.
We can agree to disagree but as long as it is all done in good faith and out of love for humanity, then we should all be able to forgive each other so we all can continue marching on, as one human family. Let us all keep on helping each other by telling each other the truth for that is what will be pleasing to the side of the Almighty Creator. To be brothers keepers, we must not be selective in speaking the truth but in doing so, let us always maintain our high moral standards, norms and values as decent people with good upbringing, love, understanding and respect for ourselves but more so, for our elders and for humanity as a whole.
May Allah SWT grant us all long life, health and strength to witness the day when shall all be free from all our endless pain and miseries as a nation, free from the clutches of tyranny.. I humble myself on my knee before our Creator, asking him to deliver us from the evil which He created and grant us victory in our long and collective struggle against injustice and brutality..May He guide us all on the path of righteousness and cast away all our difference in both our thoughts and actions so we all may live in unity for ever more as one people, one nation, one human race..Ameen Ya Rabi.
May peace, love and unity continues to rain on Humanity…Ameen
The struggle Continues!!!!!
In the service for Humanity
Sulayman Shyngle Nyassi/UK