A Losing Battle? If You Can’t Beat Him, Join Him? This was an advice a compatriot dropped off in my inbox. He submitted we’re fighting a losing battle and his advice was to join Yahya since we cannot defeat him. Do you think he’s right? Are these signs of despair and dejection in our struggle? Is this a new phenomenon or has been around for long? Are they (believers in losing battle/join him) ever true to the struggle to begin with or just masquerades? I don’t have answers to all these questions. However these are neither new in our body politics nor towards the management of public resources. They have an interesting beginning and explained a whole host of our behavioral traits both in the past and present. The very first elections in what is today known as The Gambia was limited to the Colonies (Banjul and/or immediate surrounding). Yet those elections were very participatory in terms of the number of parties and their political ideologies. The party ideologies ranged from Islamic based (“DARAAS) to trade unionist blended around Pan-Africanism. In fact elections before independence has produced new and different winners almost each time it was held. Giving The Protectorates a universal suffrage turned the political landscape on its head. This was allowing people in rural Gambia to vote in elections. At the time rural Gambia was predominantly Mandinkas (different sub-sect of the tribe of course) and it probably still is. Also important were very influential District Chiefs who were not all Mandinkas. In fact I should say at the beginning the key chieftaincies were behind PS Njie and his United Party (UP). This earlier stand has a cultural reason and I will leave that aside. The birth of Protectorate People’s Party (PPP) on or before 1959 that was eventually renamed People’s Progressive Party to maintained PPP while protecting an all-inclusive image. Unfortunately for these chiefs, their children were either in school and/or not ready resulting to Jawara being picked to lead. He became ultimate choice because the preferred ‘MANSA LACILOLU’ has no one of their own at the time. If I may in fact say there were very few educated lads among rural inhabitants such as the ‘Fulla-Christian’ converts at or around Kisiri-Kunda. Sir Farimang Mamadi Singateh could have been another candidate but he was not favored. Not sure why but I assumed his religious affiliation (then President of Gambian Ahmadiyya Movement) and chief Gambian colonial operative (Queen Elizabeth II’s Governor General) after Sir John Warburton Paul may have lock up his prospects with the people. Jawara was no Muslim at the time and/or a new re-convert Jawara came to Bathurst (now Banjul) earlier in his schooling through a trading friend/partner of his father at Wally Kunda. This was the beginning of his Bathurst connection. A lot went on for him and he cunningly navigates his way through the sociao-economic ladder/relations to get to where he was aiming. There were oral narrations that his father wasn’t happy with his selection to lead the rural people because he is/was a betrayer – guess because of his conversion to Christianity from Islam. Jawara won defeating the biggest rival UP of PS Njie who at the time has most/all the key chieftaincies behind him. Why the people voted against the will of these powerful chiefs is a social abnormally then and now. They did have the desire to have a president of rural birth but I thought that might not be too strong enough to overturn the liking of the next-door chief who has every influence on your life. I hope some day historians help us figure our some of these intriguing cultural dynamics. Notwithstanding it is important to note that the Jawara’s victory wasn’t landslide and in fact PS Njie was at first presumed the winner until after a recount and/or some verifications. This gave the rural Gambia the satisfaction that their man is in charge but their expectation of a national government was every little/symbolic. Reality soon sets in! The government has to be run by Gambians as colonials were leaving. It is also one of the reasons of self-rule claim – that our own people are in charge. Jawara propelled to victory by those who are not educated or skilled enough to do what needs to be done in government. He has to work with those who opposed him in general terms. By mutual interest both sides see an unwritten rule here. They cannot defeat Jawara because of his rural-based (majority) support but they can enjoy the rest – because the rural people have no one to fill those positions or very little in number. SM Dibba and few others were those earlier incorporations. You may also remember the likes of Alagi Famara Wassa Touray of Gunjur and Kebba Nyama Leigh of Georgetown (Janajanbureh). Still though the technical arm (policy makers) were mainly people with Banjul and/or urban origin. As the education landscape was changing and more people of rural origin were coming up on the education ladder internal struggles start to surface. PPP cleverly navigated these social dynamics to maintain its grip on power while giving both sides something to cheer. In the end both sides sit on the notion ‘if you can’t beat him you might as well join’. The rivalry of Teri-Kafo and the so-called Banjul Mafia is rooted on access/control over public resources. Both sides have given up on a challenge on PPP/Jawara instead it was all about taking control of the lion/delicious share of the national cake. They will turned around and reinvest some of the captured national resources to perpetuate PPP rule, to further gain more and continuous access. Both SM Dibba and BB Darbo were said to be members of Teri-Kafo. I must submit these are very loosely used terms. It would be a good question who was/is a member of Teri-Kafo and/or Banjul Mafia. Is/was there members register? It was more of perception on which side of the equation one is/was. What Yahya did was to put all of PPP political tactics on steroid. This is neither legitimizing what he has done/doing nor was it a reasonable justification to wrong Gambians. On the contrary wasn’t that what he claimed to have put down his life to correct? Wasn’t that what he claimed to be the mission of ‘soldiers with a difference’? Wasn’t that his 3-famous words (accountability, probity and transparency) were all about? He doesn’t use those words any more unless forced by the circumstance of his speech (es). All of these were easy for him to say when he doesn’t own $10 to his name in his Checking (chequing)/Current Account balance at Continent Bank. After contact with what his predecessor never wanted to leave – he’s 180o away from those first few days’ proclamations. In fact somewhere down the road one of his famous defense were “ you waited 30 years for Jawara why can’t you wait for me”. Lazy and lame! The personalization of state including transferring seat of government to Kanilai without proper legislative/constitutional processes, intimidations, inducements, timid cultural traits and unimpressive entrepreneurial ability of educated Gambians have all contributed to the furtherance of the culture of ‘join him if you can’t beat him. It is unconceivable in a democracy an elected public officially to tell tax paying citizens developments for your village/district/region is contingent on your vote for me. It’s an impeachable crime that should take one to prison not just loosing a job. That’s enough a background. What are the implications? One Current visible effect is the Yahya recycling of educated men and women left, right and center. Are they accepting his appointments to contribute to their nation and/or for personal gains – you be the judge. More deeply it has seriously dampened our national entrepreneurial ability as people to make a living on once ability/skills without syphoning public resources into personal benefit. The other implications are the creation of social imbalances that forces the young, able and brains out in search of greener pasture. Certainly people in the diaspora have helped a lot but imagine if all we produce in foreign lands were produce within Gambia the benefit would have being greater. Am sure you can make your own judgment as to how personalizing national resources and everyone become beggars has affect our development and democracy in so many ways than I can numerate in this article. The important question is how do we deal with this now that we are more pluralistic, more educated, more open to one and another, etc. I must say its intertwined with many other pieces of our problems that it’s not a stand alone nor would it be wise/effective for direct targeting. Nonetheless the following below will significant address this problem: Education to create a citizenry with requisite capacity capable of living democracy Our cultural/traditional shortcomings were one contributor for this to start and continue for as long as they did. What needs to happen is to mainstream educating everyone on the nation – our share of it and how we can guard that share by each an every action/decision we make. This was not the case because it creates the requisite knowledge in a people to become masters of their own destiny. That in turn takes power away from the power loving ruler(s). Our educational system needs a complete redesign that teaches Gambia/Gambia Government at all levels of the education strata. There cannot be a certification unless and until one passes that level’s Gambia/Gambia Government class just as it would be if you fail/pass Mathematics and English Language. Recognizing that not every Gambian goes through the formal educational system we have to come with real/practical and targeted civic education programs to ensure everyone gets a dose of Gambia/Gambia Government. This is how great nations cultivate citizens with the requisite human capacity to live a life of democracy. Law Making, Administration and Application We should have democratic laws and democratic law making process. These laws should be administrated by the elected administration as intended. The courts should be used to clear doubts through democratic legal process. The laws should be applied equally, fairly and openly as they’re in the book upon every citizen without an iota of impartiality. Certainly all these processes should be done in accordance with due process or should I say citizens should be assumed innocent until proven guilty by an appropriate court of law. Such an equitable legal environment cultivates citizens playing by the rule and therefore reduces looting rampage on public assets that in turn will kill the ‘if you can’t beat him, join him’. Mainstreaming Basic Democratic Cultures Democracy is more a lifestyle than some fanciful government arrangement. That lifestyle has to be mainstreamed. That will give people their rightful place in running of the nation. Thereby no one will be reduce to beggars over public resources. Instead your skills set and ability will propel one to the highest height of this equal opportunity nation. The above suggestions and for that matter any action designed to fix these self-inflicted political mess are easily said than done. That said the difficulty of the task is no excuse to give-in with the quality citizenry we currently have both within and abroad. It is safe to say most of the issues are very inter-related hence we would need ‘holistic approach’ that starts somewhere and end with the last of the issues. It will neither be easy nor quick. It will be costly both in terms of money, time and may even claim lives and/or property. Recently I posted ‘A Plan’ through the online news outlets. If you haven’t read please try do so and/or contact me for a copy. Finally I wish to remind you we will be having a Teleconference on the political problems, possible solutions and appropriate vehicles for the solutions. You are invited to participate – we have room for 40 participants. Below is the conference number and access code: Hope you can make time. Saturday July 20, 2013 5:00-7:00 pm EST Conference Call # and Code: (605) 475-5900 & 416 565 6# God Bless The Gambia! Involvement, Comments, Questions, Contributions Burama FL Jammeh Facebook/burama.jammeh Twitter/bfljammeh admin@buramajammeh 810 844 6040/810 772 1628
Posted on: Sun, 07 Jul 2013 05:20:44 +0000
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