Diplomatic Injustice!

                Email This Page

Print This Page


The Independent (Banjul)
EDITORIAL
August 24, 2001
Posted to the web August 24, 2001
Banjul, the Gambia
Has it all come to this? Poor speechless Bharat Joshi, the affable and
ingenious British diplomat found himself at the rough edge of the regime's
wrath. This time blunt rage reached extremities, reason shunned with
reckless abandon as diplomatic norms and niceties fly out the window just to
punish a diplomat for the wrong thing. What was his crime? "Interacting"
with the opposition in a press conference to which he was invited.
The injustice of his treatment is record peculiarity especially after no
reason was advanced for declaring him persona non grata. It could not be
fathomed by any wild stretch of the imagination as it smacks of absolute
clumsiness on the part of Yahya Jammeh's government, which is openly
disdainful of democracy as an "imported idea from the West".

Poor Joshi, who has since heeded the order to leave within 72 hours, was
wronged and victimised without reason. This is a government that cares less
about defending its actions.
But the truth shall always remain unaffected. There was no good, significant
reason to send this affable and rare diplomatic gem packing. If he was
penalised for making himself approachable as far as the opposition is
concerned, then the whole cadre of foreign diplomats here could just as well
be asked to catch the next available flights home.
Nothing like this ever happened here after Geoffrey Teneilabe (the then
Nigerian High Commissioner), Morikeh Fofana, the Chinese Ambassador and the
late Liberian Ambassador Scott were invited to APRC rallies. They at one
time or another openly parroted the government's praises without being
chided or warned, insulted or expelled. Why should Joshi's case be
different? If it is agreeable for Joshi to attend a Baba Jobe press
conference at State House last year upon invitation, why fume when he
attends an opposition press conference?
The simple truth is that foreign diplomats are free to attend any political
meeting upon invitation. Nothing should bar them. The invitation to attend
the opposition press conference was also extended to other foreign
diplomats. What is so out of place or harmful in responding to that
invitation? Absolutely nothing! It is also misinformed to assert that it was
a case of a foreign diplomat interfering in our internal affairs. The only
things that could have warranted Joshi's expulsion are a criminal act or
drunkenness. But it was none of these.
Poor helpless Joshi was the victim of misplaced paranoia. Jammeh's obsession
with the West as a threat is costing this country dear. We all know the
repercussions of pitting The Gambia against potential donors who have helped
in strengthening our democracy and beating a progressive path to
development. Joshi's expulsion is a blunt disregard for all this for as a
diplomat he made himself handy in the general drive to change our story of
political and economic bareness.
Joshi was not only a diplomat in the truest sense, he was also imbued with a
genuine love for The Gambia, where he became endeared to many. He meant well
for this country. News of his departure comes like death, wrapped in abysmal
darkness. What a shame that good people are mistaken for things that they
are not.





_________________________________________________________________
Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L
Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html
You may also send subscription requests to [log in to unmask]
if you have problems accessing the web interface and remember to write your full name and e-mail address.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------