HARUNA DARBO IS RIGHT!!!

By Gibriel Jagne
 

I would like to support Mr. Haruna Darbo´s views so eloquently expressed. Those who criticize Freedom (the contrarians) have lost sight of the crux of the matter. Let me try to simplify the contention:
 
1. The contrarians failed to see the bigger picture. How do you see this? First, you must separate the people from the problem. The problem is the aggressive jolanisation of the public and civil service by yaya Jammeh. The people affected are Gambians, and those favoured are the jola clan. The policy of favouring Jolas by yaya Jammeh is corrosive and inimical to national cohesion, and has the natural consequence of anti-jola backlash. This practice need to be exposed and condemned by all progressive elements. If the condemnation had been extended to jola as an ethnic group, (which is not the case), that would have been unpardonable, except if evidence  indicated that such practice was endorsed by the jola as an ethnic group. So far, this has not been established nor was it alluded to by Freedom in any shape, form or context.
 
2. By condemning Jammeh´s policy of jola nationalism, one has to show evidence of this serpent. For instance, for an allegation of the crime of "receiving stolen goods" punishable under The Gambia´s criminal code, one has to show or lead evidence of the goods stolen, and the circumstances under which they were unlawfully assigned to the receiver. If you fail to lead evidence of the existence of such goods, plus the fact that they were stolen, the point of receiving them could not have become a factual or legal issue. To allege the insidios rise of jola ethnic politics as a policy, one has to demonstrate certain facts to prove the phenomenon, otherwise it would be a barren point. Without substantiating the allegation with facts, such as exposing the beneficiaries who aid and abet such illegality, would tantamount to arming the contrarians. Freedom did just that in publishing names to alert the nation of the emerging threat to our sovereignty and national character. If Freedom had profer the allegation without corroborative evidence, the contrarians would still condemn, calling for prove. Only to the mundane could the fanciful idea of Rwanda-like recriminations occur arising out of Freedom´s national discourse. We all know that such eventuality in The Gambia under current exigencies is a figment of one´s immagination, and certainly not one contemplated by Freedom as I understant it.
 
3. Rather than distinguish the issue from the ethnic personality (jola clan), the contrarians piled both issue and person in the same box. That Yaya Jammeh is practising pro-jola politcs is undeniable, and he conceives of the ploy in so subtle a manner that he thought it would not be discernible. What makes this incandescent trend diabolical is it´s unprecedented ferocity. Three institutions of government are the conspirators - SoS for Interior - law enforcement, principally the Police, NIA and Immigration ; the Dept of States for Local Govt. which manipulated the Local Govt Act. as to derogate all powers of decentralisation, controlling Governors, municipal councils, chiefs, alkalolu, etc; and lastly Dept of Defense - Gambia Armed Forces. The alter ego of this organised crime is the Presidency from where the policy is being directed and implemented by these institutions. The head of these institutions are ALL jolas, and the victims are other tribes. No surprise, all those being victimised in the prison cells, murdered or trailed are non Jolas. No surprise, Yaya toured the length and breath of the country insulting Mandingos that they do not exist as an ethnic entity. Now he  turns his flame on the Fulas, insinuating that they are in cohorts with Hamat Bah.
 
4. Rather than focusing attention on the message, the contrarians sought to decimate the messenger. Instead of evaluating the messaage, the contrarians sought to evaluate the messenger, and these are the initial syndromes of pseudo-intellectualism. Interestingly, none of them could conclusively refute or deny the truthfulness of the Freedom assertion as fiction. Assuming without conceding that two or three names were wrongly or mistakenly inserted, this is not sufficient to demolish the Freedom premise - that the policy of jolanisation does not only exist live and active, but has now assumed crystalised charasteristics.
 
5. Further, not a single non jola was successfully charged and prosecuted in recent memory. Mr. Colley of the Prisons (from Kanilai) was convicted by Banjul Magistrates Court of stealing - shortly thereafter, he was re-instated. On the contrary, the Butcher has tortured and killed a journalists, incacerated lawyers, attempted to kill two of them; prosecuted and jailed overwhelmingly Mandingo or Mandingo and Fula associated security officers in the invented coup; hatch a plot to get Darbo on trumped murder charge; convicted the  chameleon politician Juwara to render him ineligible for presidential elections, attempted to prosecute OJ, Hamat and Halifa which was averted by Obassanjo of Nigeria, inflicted a sustained attack on Lai Conteh of ex of KMC. Conceivably, only the Kujabis were directly brutalised among jola compatriots to any appreciable degree, and that was personal, the true story being over the abuse of his finances entrusted to them.
 
6. The truth is that if he could find Jolas to lead all govt. units, Jammeh would have done so. This explains why he is rapidly sending jolas in massive numbers to Venezuela, Cuba, Taiwan and Europe, and urging them to return. It is part of a long trem strategy - these are excellent times to be a jola in The Gambia sadly but truthfully.
 
7. PK intimated that the Speaker is not a Jola - that is because there is no jola politician who commands any semblence of national prestige in Parliament or outside Parliament other than Jammeh himself. It wouldnt serve effectively the dictator at this time to put a jola in control of Parliament. Again, PK said that the Chief Justice uisnt a Jola. The truth is that even if Jammeh would love to see a Jola CJ, currently there is no qualified Jola in the Gambia who could be appointed CJ under The Gambian Constitution. Jammeh had no choice in that case. However, he ensured that Justice Paul and Justice Agim would do what a jola would be commissioned to do for him in the judiciary, while continuing to demonstrate utmost contempt for CJ Abdou Karim Savage, even on national TV.
 
I would like to conclude this note by revealing a threat I received in my personal email box from one Dawda Bah, full of profanity, with a purported article asking me to forward the same to Freedom. Besides threats and insults, the write up is replete with grave spelling and grammer, and in the final point, while claiming to be a Fula, Dawda exposed his jola identity unconsciously. I know who he is, because he made the mistake of informing a few people of his "bravery to taunt" me, who passed on the information to me. Let me inform him that to respond would dignify him, and inflate his empty skull with his imaginary importance. However, he shall be handled at the right time in the most appropriate manner.
 
To Freedom, I say do not be daunted or distracted. Jola tribal politics practised by Jammeh and Gang as an emerging threat to our national security ought to be exposed, condemned and exterminated. The same need to be said of any other form of tribal politics in The Gambia where ever it surfaced.
 
Gibriel Jagne
 
I can be reached at gibijagne@hotmail.com