Dr. Amadou Janneh and co maybe prisoners of conscience! BUT ARE WE READY FOR MORE Dr. Jannehs ? Don’t think so!

By Bamba Mass Human Right and Political Activist (UK)


Patriotic Gambians, as events unfold in our country the Gambia, I belief time has come when Gambians should take a proper and clear good look at themselves. It is becoming evident that Gambians ourselves are the problems and thus the continuous mistreatment of Gambians by Yahya Jammeh and his Very Important Criminals (VICs), would take even longer to curtail because of some self centred individuals who are based abroad and at home. These uncouples individuals abroad, evidently intend never to settle again in the Gambia and probably to be buried abroad. They are unfortunately born in the Gambia thus parading themselves as one. Some left that country even before some of us were born and have not gone back since, while others only travelled once or twice to that Gambia. I am sure even in any change of government, those same evils would try find an excuse so as to serve craft for discord for their selfish ends. They cannot ever imagine thinking of going back to their people and share their expertise with them. But anytime an issue concerning the Gambia comes, they would want to champion it up by continuing poking their running noses into everything genuine Gambians strive towards. The strive for the restoration of democracy in that tiny west African nation would only gain cement strength when patriotic Gambians realise who these people and their engines back home are. They would continue to stay watchmen and gardeners of their selfishness just to be called SEMESTERS.

While Dr. Janneh and colleagues continue to suffer at the hands of the dictator, Gambians in the Diaspora each talking amongst themselves. I am even more surprised that citizens of his own native village Gunjur who are here none of them dared call up freedom to challenge the dictator openly.. No one would speak instead Diaspora Gambians would continue castigating one another thus playing into the hands of the dictator. These are all the handiwork of few and am sure when the race become tougher, they would take a back seat and push most of us forward. Where were they when armed bandits from Yahya Jammeh’s green boys attacked UDP convoy at Chamoi bridge in Basse? Where were they when the same events took place with armed Bandits from the same green boys attacking UDP convoy at the Denton bridge causing lost of lives? How about the Talinding killings?

These are people would selectively choose what to condemn about the Gambia while some they condone the reason are simple so as to confuse us.

They don’t care for they are European and American citizens and their governments would stand up for them in any events of problems. Do we Gambians claiming protections from their governments in Europe and America have such protections from our own government? NO and despite we would have appreciated it if they stand in solidarity with our plight rather than pose as Gambians thus championing our cause while we capably can do it ourselves with their support but they want it the other way round.

Gambians who genuinely claimed asylum for fears like the one befalling Dr Janneh and co today of cause did so based on realities on the ground for we all knew once you are arrested in the Gambia not only you suffer alone your family suffers as well travelling from one police station to the other bribing ASP so and pleading with Superintendent so and so. Even the stigmas surrounding arrests in the Gambia are tortures on its own. The humiliation that tyrant subject most accused through are immense.

Gambia’s enemy number one may be Yahya Jammeh but there are also others who play Jammeh’s games for him by spreading false accusation against fellow oppositions of the dictator so as to encourage confusions amongst us with each out of the confusion blaming the lark of genuine change on innocent democratic minded individuals. Some of these enemies are known while others parade themselves both inside the Gambia and abroad as the only true messiahs capable to save the Gambia and without them no one else can. They write and talk but Gambians should know they are sick inside for Gambia is greater than any individual. The division amongst Gambians are caused by so many factor but the chief of them are those cancers amongst us parading as champions of so and so. Yet they would love Yahya Jammeh to continue ruling and killing Gambians rather than someone else take over other than them or their chosen ones.

God would expose them soon. True Gambians would rather have anyone rule the Gambia be it Ousainou Darboe, Halifa Sallah, Hamat Bah Omar. A. Jallow or even Fatoumata Jahumpa or Miriam Jammeh (Yahya’s Daughter) for we are fed up with the tyrant and want Yahya Jammeh to go and We belief any opposition be it politician, Civil / Human Rights or otherwise group should think exactly that line for any Gambia is better at the helms than Yahya Jammeh even his son or daughter. Gambia is better off without Yahya Jammeh and we all knew this. Why would we continue to castigate each other just because of grudges we bore against each other centuries ago? Some oppositions, politician, civil rights ect are so callous and self centred even to an extend that they hate us to be free so long as Gambians did to bow to them for their efforts. Some are even coated by some international bodies as telling such groups that it is better to have Yahya Jammeh stay in power rather than have Mr so and so take over.

Can anyone genuinely with conscience think it is better to have Yahya Jammeh than have another Gambian? It sickens me to imagine men supposed to be our pillars preferring the Devil to their brother in the struggle. I belief they are the true agents of Yahya Jammeh while in the outside they parade themselves as our saviours yet behind shadows they receive his blessings. Yes only if we let them lead us otherwise they would continue to show seeds of discords within our midst. Yahya Jammeh must be enjoying himself.

Gambians have been watching with mouths wide open as Yahya Jammeh takes one farm land from people to the other all in the name of president’s farms. These farms Yahya never steps his foot on and most of the crops are grown by people in force labour and the crops taken to Kanilai. Food sufficiency in the Gambia is when the stores in Kanilai are filled to the brim. No wonder commodities there are cheaper than anywhere in the Gambia even inside the capital city Banjul. I used to remember when we were children, people from Kanilai used to come all the way to Sangajor to buy cheap food. Now even Bwiam, Kalagie or Sibanor who are bigger towns than Kanilai, are all answerable to smaller Kanilai today. Would anyone imagine Yahya Jammeh would disregard our constitution and do as he wish when he first came in 1994? Very few but now we are all witnesses to his turning Kanilai into the stomach of the Gambia. Cabinet meetings Kanilai, Cultural activities Kanilai, a village turned into what only God knows. Some people even claimed Yahya Jammeh’s Father was the marabout in Kanilai who fixes broken hands. I challenge anyone who would tell me that man was Yahya Jammeh’s father. That time Yahya’s dad was at Mayok not fixing hands. This radio kan kang of Gambians is indeed laughable.

Today inside the Gambia who is standing up for Mr Janneh and co? Why where there no calls for demonstrations by opposition groups within? Was Mr. Janneh and co not fighting for our cause facing the dictator and his VICs headlong?

But only Gambians in the Diaspora do the cry asking for Dr. Janneh and co’s release that’s all we can do but lets ask ourselves had it been we were united regardless of political, social interests, would some of these things have happened? NO. Anytime Yahya touches even a crocodile in the Gambia we scream, he would know he had succeeded in the dividing the opposition parties but failed to divide Gambians abroad.

We could have averted even the unlawful arrests of nine journalists, Mr. Femi Peters of UDP, or even that of Dr. Janneh and co. Gambians in the Diaspora need to realise what is at stake even when we differ politically for we all share the Gambia and she rely on our shoulders to salvage her therefore the need to come together as one is over due. Let us not allow ourselves to be fooled Gambia cries out to us and it is our responsibility to safe her. No Western Power would do that for us and we knew this therefore time has come.

What is wrong with printing a T-Shirt calling for democracy and end to dictatorship? When has that become a treasonable offence? Has Yahya Jammeh himself not said on national television that he is a dictator of development ? If Dr. Janneh and co felt he should not be a dictator of development but rather an encourager of development, what is treasonable about that? But it is the Gambia isn’t it?

No wonder people’s family members would be too scared and restless when a member of their family ever mentioned Yahya Jammeh’s name and the reason is simple they know once you get arrested, they the family members suffer. Some Gambians would sympathise with you but cannot show up least they are accused with you while some would want you dead for simply trying to cause trouble. You would be left alone in that wide Gambia for everyone is left scared due to the fact no one would be outside the police gate looking for you apart from your close family members and lawyers.

Yahya Jammeh knows that Gambians are known for their enviousness of each other and he can always get his way around and rule for as long as he lives. Some of our educated group are even more stupid, selfish and enemies of democracy today that they would continue to praise sing for Yahya Jammeh and glamour for disunity because it would always suit them well.

Gambians in the Diaspora are even worse that is evident by our divided thousands of association claiming the same thing yet we cannot form any serious umbrella body that would compound all these associations. Every one wants recognisation and any small thing they jump high as champions while they cannot think of the other succeeding without coming through them.

Beautiful former smiling coast (Gambia) do not definitely deserve certain sons/ daughters. How can anyone think it is better to have Yahya Jammeh continue as dictator killer of Gambians than have one’s personal enemy who you only hated not because he/she is not capable but because he/she is more famous in the eye of others than you. Gambia today is heading from bad to worst with Yahya Jammeh as its head.

Gambians would come stronger as one family for we are all intermarried. Pre 1994 Jola, Fula, Manjak, Wollof and mandinka were each other’s brother in laws or father in laws and sisters like wise. These is even evident today as most Gambians speak one or two of these languages. Our common bond would be strengthened even further once we remove the cancer affecting our unity.

Long live the likes of Dr. Janneh and for his cause, we are all Coalition for Change in the Gambia (CCG)

Every Gambian should become a member of any organisation once Yahya Jammeh touches a member of that organisation so that we can confuse the devil and in solidarity we stand firm. FREE Dr. JANNEH & co without delay.

God save the Gambia!

Bamba Mass

Human Rights & Political Activist (UK)