It is not suprising to see the women reacting to the conditions at home. The
situation at home is alarming and words cannnot explain it. For Fatoumatta
Jahumpah Ceesay to go on national TV and asked women to come out and march
from the Arch to State House in commemoration of Jammeh's Birthday that
coincide with the ALD is a complete mockery and insult to all women and the
entire nation. For the government to murder and massacre the sons and
daughters of our nation and asked their parents to come and celebrate their
deaths and wounds is the must inhumane, imoral and ungambian thing fatoumatta
Jahumpa ceesay and her murderous government has done. Did she call on all
mothers to march in the streets of Banjul to share their pain and anger
against the massacre. Infact what is there for Gambians to celebrate on Africa
Liberation Day? What kind of liberation are we talking about here? Even if
Fatoumatta Jahumpa Ceesay calls on the whole nation to celebrate the ALD what
is there to jubilate or what kind of liberation? How can a people without
food,a people who are denied their basic needs celebrate a liberation day?
What are they liberated from? How can a continent that is still colonised both
politically, economically, socially and culturally celebrates a liberation?
Walking in the streets of the Gambia, i just wonder were the likes of
Fatoumatta Jahumpa Ceesay and co are living. Are they living in Gambia or are
they just closing their eyes to home realities.
THe suffering that our people are going through is something that any human
being even with closed eyes can feel and see. THe whole nation has turn to
beggars in the streets, at homes against their wills. You cannot imagine
people going to funerals and begging to feed their kids. I just could not help
the situation, whiles mourning the death of my father i loved so much, who
have given me lots of inspirations and strenght i had to mourn the death of a
nation. A nation my father would always say "you own this nation a lot, if it
is destroyed you are destroyed, if it is developed you are developed, the
nations is like a family and treat it like a family, so the choice is yours."
Seeing and witnesses what poverty can do to human beings expecially a nation,
a people full of dignity, morals etc, who had lost everything in the name of
poverty and oppression. The words of my dad echo once again on this very day.
I turn to my mum and i said mum, "what is this all about, i just can't
understand" She said to me, " this is why we send you to school, this is a
question you have to answer and resolve it"
The farmers are faced with no income due to the lack of groundnut sales whiles
Jammeh is still building and developing Kanilal at the expense of the nation.
It is very alarming that farmers are still asked to pay tax and their laons
when they cannot even purchase food for sustainability.
The education systems is so poor that you just wonder in the next 10 years
what kind of manpower are we going to have. The APRC government was only
interest in building schools but what runs those school was known of their
concern. In reaction to the student strikes all the SOS for Education did was
to introduced the Code of Conduct and asked parents to go and sign it, so that
they a liable for their children's action. I find this very insulting and a
complete violation of the students rights as well as their right as Gambians
to a better education.
THe health system does not exist at all. The RVH is privitised because if you
cannot pay you won't get treatments, if you cannot buy medicine you cannot be
treated. I just said to my self no wonder people prefer to die quitely in
their homes than go to hospital were you are disgraced because of your
inability to pay. The lack of instruments and materials even make it worse for
those who can afford it because you will not escape it.
The Jammeh legacy will take us more than 20 years to clear. The crime rate is
at it's peak, prostitution is the order of the day, drugs are like cigarettes
in the country. Corruption is a source of survival for the working population
and the top leaders. It is hard to believe that one is in the Gambia.
The situation at home cannot be solved by mere rethorics it has reach a staged
were we need pratical solutions to the problems. The starvation at home is
alarming, and i don't think we have to wait until it explode and we start to
rescue it,then it will be too late.
THe government is very aware and very conscious that the Gambian people are
feedup with the whole system and they want to call it a day. I believe that
Jammeh has to create miracles to win the next elections and this they are very
well aware of.
As i said before there are no words to explain the situation at home one has
to be there, live it and experience it. So, despite our politcal differences
we are having a dying nation at hand, what are we going to do cure is our
common responsibility. We can draw all wonderful theories but one thing is for
sure, time is against us.
Guys, i must say i am very angry but thank God that it is a positive anger in
the sense that it allows me re-think my position and role in the development
of our nation. After witnessing the suffering my people are going through.
The Struggle Continues!!!!
Ndey Jobarteh
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