If you follow discussions about world events in academic, government or
business circles, one is quickly struck by the terrible and tragic fate
Africa is consigned to: disease, backwardness and strife. No one including us
Africans (atleast those left with an ounce of integrity and the I.Q of an
onion) believes we will in the foreseeable future redeem ourselves from the
perpetual abyss we seem to be plunging into. Why? The answer is both simple
and profound and it revolves around extraordinarily bad leadership. The
difference between successful and failed states lies principally with the
kinds of people in charge. In all of the nations that lifted their people
from abject poverty and set them on an almost irreversible course to progress
shortly after World War Two, strong and determined leadership based on a
selfless devotion to the common good is the one thing they had in common.
Successful countries recognize that inorder to inculcate a can do spirit in
their societies as a whole, the leadership must set and live by exemplary
rules that is based on merit, competence and the rule of law. This is the
only way a nation can evolve a system with strong institutional strength that
draws on the talents of it's most able citizens in the perpetual quest for a
better nation. In failed states as in most of Africa, it is usually the
mediocre or worst among the societies who are often adept at combining
wiliness, cruelty and selfishness that scheme their way to authority. The
only way they can stay there is to actively undermine the institutional setup
of their nations by subverting laws, employing terror to sap the will and
spirit of their beleaguered people until they reach their desired goal of
presiding over a Banana republic. The first casualty in these decrepit
nations is the talent pool as the people with the requisite talent and
motivation with no desire to morph into sycophants pursue alternatives
elsewhere and in most instances depart for other countries where they can
atleast make a difference for both themselves and their adapted communities.
This is how entire nations wallow in misery as an assortment of murderers,
liars, sycophants cling onto power with neither the ability nor the desire to
move their nations forward. This why our part of the world has people like
Yahya Jammeh, Charles Taylor, Lansana Conteh , Blaise Campoare etc. They are
certified criminals who ought to face firing squads for capital crimes. They
have pillaged, plundered and murdered their citizens and made their nations
caldourons of strife ensuring that their citizens remain trapped in a
never-ending cycle of poverty, disease and utter deprivation. Progress does
not happen in a vacuum. The only way forward is exemplary leadership firmly
rooted in the rule of law, participatory democracy and a strong educational
and work ethic. Until we have our nations set on these fundamental values the
African story will essentially remain the same. We shall remain the object of
redicule and marginalisation while the rest of the world treat their citizens
well and provide the environment needed to better their lives. Nations that
share common decent human values tend to progress together as they cooperate
in commercial, academic, cultural and every other aspect of the human
experience. In the meantime, the evil leadership that pervades most of Africa
will increasingly find themselves isolated and denied money they will never
use to help their people anyway. Shamelessly as we see Yahya Jammeh do, they
turn around and pound chest about their desire to safeguard their
sovereignty. What does a broke and creul regime have to offer nations without
whose goodwill our nation would collapse? Nothing. Gambian -U.S, and Gambian
E.U relations are essentially recipient-benefactor relationships. The demands
of our benefactors are simple and reasonable. They want the money they
provide which is the taxes their citizens pay go to help the average citizen
via competent people they train and hire. These governments will not be in
the business of cavorting tyrants or submitting to their whims.Yahya Jammeh
and his government can go to hell with silly temper tantrums hooting and
panting about the need for the U.S or E.U to respect them. They won't get an
iota of respect from any democracy in this world unless they treat the
Gambian people with the respect and protection they deserve under
internationally accepted norms. Unless state sanctioned murders, terror and
abuses are thoroughly and properly adjudicated, the constitution and laws
respected, I as an ordinary Gambian will do my utmost to work for a regime
change. I know decent Gambians and their friends the world over will do what
is necessary and right by our people.
Karamba

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