GAMBIA

…..JAMMEH SOWING SEEDS OF DISCORD IN THE GAMBIA

A case study on Gambia’s tribal discrimination!!

Tribalism is Gambia’s HIV/Aids today. It’s undermining the fabric of society. If concerted efforts are not taken to salvage our country, we risked witnessing a Jolla Kingdom in The Gambia. President Jammeh is fanning tribal discrimination in our country. It’s about time for Gambians to stand up to be counted to end such a social and political injustices meted out to our dear motherland.

 Gambians should stop the behind the scene murmuring and speak their minds on national issues. Tribalism exists in this country. We should talk about it no matter, whose ass is gutted!!! Let them accuse us of spreading tribal hatred. History shall be the best judge. God knows we are on the right track. We committed no crime to warrant such false accusations. We do not want to waste our valuable time dignifying such idle and fallacious comments devoid of the truth.

Whether admitted or not, the Jolla minority tribe has been favored against other tribes in the country. President Jammeh is a tribalist big time.  He hates other tribes. He would have loved to see a Gambia without Mandingkas, Fullas and Wollofs. That’s Jammeh. He is a hater!!! He does not hide his tribal tendencies.

Jammeh inherited his tribal hatred from his mother Ajaratu Asombi Bojang. Jammeh’s mother too is a tribalist. She does not speak Mandingka, even though the Mandingka Community in Bakau,  bailed her out during their pre-1994 coup economic nightmares. The old woman was selling dry fish at the Bakau Market. She interacts with the Mandingka Community. She used to speak Mandingka fluently. But today Madam Asombi hates to speak Mandingka.

 “ Each time I greeted the old woman in Mandingka she will respond to me in Jolla. She pretends as she cannot speak Mandingka. I am always caught in the middle by such embarrassment. I do know that she can speak Mandingka, but she just don’t want to speak it.” Said a source close to the President’s mother.

Jammeh has been nursed under such tribal hatred. His tribal discrimination should not come as a surprise to Gambians. Tribalism is in Jammeh’s blood. He lives with it and shall die with it.

Gambians have two choices: One, to find a lasting solution to the ongoing tribal injustices taking place in this country. Two, to fold their arms and allowed to be enslaved by the dominant Jolla Government.

              Gambians should not live in denial!!!

 According to author Cornelius P. Cacho “The practice of treating the results of tribalism while virtually denying its existence, is largely responsible for the poor outcomes of the development efforts and for persistent poverty in Africa.A few examples should suffice: the Nigerian Civil War killed over a million. In Rwanda/Burundi some 800,000 lives were lost. Recently over 1,000 died and about 300,000 were displaced in Kenya. Thousands have died and millions have been displaced in Zimbabwe where a once thriving economy has been destroyed. The state of Somalia has all but disintegrated. One could go on-- Sudan,Congo, Ethiopia to name a few. The purpose of this note is to sound a much needed alarm that unless tribalism is confronted, continuing to throw resources at the problem such as is proposed by the Commission on Africa and others, will result in further failure to improve the living standards of Africans. They deserve better.”

Indeed!!! We are witnessing the same situation in The Gambia today.  Few Gambians are strategizing ways and means of highlighting the nation’s full blown tribal crisis. This is the right time to talk about tribalism in The Gambia. Failure of which, we risked paying the consequences.

As rightly argued by author Cacho “Although ethnic conflicts are sometimes recognized en passant, the term tribalism and its reality are avoided. Yet tribalism is at the root of these regularly identified development constraints. Tribalism directly affects the quality of governance, is conducive to corruption, negatively impacts the availability of investment finance, prevents thousands of skilled Africans from returning home and indeed encourages many who are trained in the subcontinent, to emigrate. Civil wars consume resources, destroy infrastructure, discourage investments and therefore inhibit development.”

From 1994 to date, we have witnessed an unprecedented tribal marginalization in The Gambia. Jammeh openly discriminates against other tribes. He uses his position to order for the extermination of other tribes linked to bogus coup plots.

  Jammeh’s Killing Project Against Mandingkas!!

Years back, Lieutenant Almamo Manneh and LT. Landing Sanneh were accused of coup plot. Almamo being a Mandingka was killed by Jammeh’s hit squad, while Landing Sanneh a Jolla was spared. Landing Sanneh was said to have resisted arrested. He was also said to have thrown a grenade at  the arresting team, but was never killed.

There is no evidence suggesting that Almamo Manneh resisted arrest. But was denied the right to live.  Manneh was ambushed and killed by his killers.

Again in March of 2006, Daba Marena, the former Director General of the NIA was killed in cold blood by Jammeh’s hit men. Daba was killed alongside with four other alleged coup suspects. None of those killed were Jollas.

Corporal Dumbuya, also Mandingka was killed by Jammeh’s hit men.

 Captain Basiru Barrow and dozen other Mandingka army officers were killed under similar circumstances.

Former Rebel Yahya Drammeh was tortured to death by Jammeh’s hit squad  Yahya Drammeh died as a result of the torture he suffered from Jammeh’s pet killers.

            DISCRIMINATION AT THE WORK PLACE!!

 Many workers are being discriminated because of their tribal status. They are being denied promotion, decent raise and overseas studies.

Most people promoted in the armed forces are Jollas. The same trend applies in the police and the Prison’s Department.

Each time, Jammeh promotes other tribes, he is doing it for a purpose. One, such promotions are what we call political baits calculated  to possibly eliminate them from the system.

Education Ministry sources said scholarships  are now handled by the President’s office. The President determines who should be sent for overseas studies. He vets lists of prospective students lined up for overseas studies.

Occasionally, Jammeh personally selects names of Jolla boys to be sponsored for overseas studies. He controls the entire state machinery.

      Who Benefits from Tribal Discrimination!!!

 The main beneficiaries of tribal discrimination are its perpetrators. They favor their immediate families, loved ones and extended family members. They are given special preferences against other tribes.

They violate state policies just to accommodate the immediate needs of their loved ones. Even if one is a convicted felon, he or she is  never disqualified from any employment opportunities. What mattered to them is the tribal heritage.  As long as they come from the same tribe, such policies should be waived.

 We have seen Jolla former public officials convicted of felony being rehired. A classical example is the current Commissioner of Prison David Colley. Here was a man accused of stealing and economic crimes by the state. A court pronounced him guilty, but he got rehired.

The current IGP Ben Jammeh is a felon. He was convicted in 1981, on treason charges. Ben is today policing The Gambia. Where is tribal justice in this country? How can we allow former convicts to handle key Government positions?

                    Conclusion

Gambians should wake up from their slumber and tackle the nation’s tribal crisis. Jammeh should treat all tribes equally irrespective of one’s tribal background. Let put aside personal interest and reclaim our country. This tribal injustices should end!!! Gambians open your eyes!! Jammeh's tribal discrimination is getting out of hand.