The Battle For Our Country: The Military and Security Forces.
By: Associate Editor Mathew K Jallow
Twelve years into APRC rule, it has become apparent that our military and security forces have become an extension of the executive branch of our government. In other words, the military and security forces do not serve at the pleasure of the Gambian people, but have instead been turn into servant of the president and his APRC party. Today, the activities of these forces are indistinguishable from the activities of APRC party stalwarts, and there is no denying that Yahya's hand is manipulating the nation's security forces in a manner that secures his individual and personal interest.
This kind of over-handed behavior is symptomatic of failing regimes; regimes that have lost the confidence of their people, and consequently have no business remaining in office. We all know that our national elections do not in reality represent an educated decision made by our people. Because our people are not educated and informed on the important issues, there is a tendency to vote on grounds other than self-interest; such as tribal affiliation or for returning a favour to the APRC and to Jammeh in particular. Jammeh is known to corrupt the electoral system by his doling out wads of money and the absurd practice of sending select but influential Gambians to the Hajj on an annual basis.
Through all this, the role of our military as a neutral force has been compromised, and rather than serve the best interest of our country by protecting our borders, the military has turned inwards and is looking for enemies within our own borders. That is a shift in mandate than is both unwarranted and inexcusable. Because the military and security forces are seen as an extension of this brutal regime, the very sight of military personnel in uniforms is enough to arouse fear and panic among the general population. This is not the way we want our military and security forces to be perceived by our people. Rather than focus on what Jammeh thinks as "enemies" within, who are actually legitimate opposition, our security forces should rededicate themselves to securing our borders and protect our people.
For the past twelve years, our southern border has seen incursions into Gambian territory by armed elements from Casamance. The entry of any armed foreign nationals into our territory is a belligerent act and our security forces ought to respond aggressively to secure integrity of our borders. Casamance rebels must be expelled from our territory without delay, and our armed forces must use whatever force is necessary to do so. We cannot continue to allow our territory to be used to ferment instability in Senegal, or to use our country as a sanctuary and out of the reach of Senegalese authorities.
If Jammeh is that much passionate about the cause of the Casamance rebels, he can go there and fight with them, and leave our country out of it. Many former military people have informed us that Jammeh in reality is not the brave person he pretends before the cameras, instead, he is said to be very cowardly individual. So, our men in uniform do your duty to seal our border from armed outside incursions. That is your primary and only responsibility to The Gambian people. Your role is to stop any threat coming from outside our country, so that our people can enjoy living in peace and tranquility.
In other to better understand the role of the military in any free country, we Gambians do not have to look far to educate ourselves. Senegal our neighbor and sister, is one of the shining example of a non-politicized military force. Senegal is unique in Africa in the way the military and other security forces conduct themselves. No sitting president in Senegal has ever tried to use their armed forces for political advantage. It could cause social unrest of imaginable magnitude if any ruling party attempted to use the Senegalese armed forces for their political ends. It has remained this way since Senegal attained independence, and the people of that great country will have it no other way.
The armed forces of The Gambia must now stop and rethink what their role and responsibility to The Gambian people is. Should they continue to allow themselves to stand between the people and their government? Will the armed forces continue to remain an impediment to the desire of the people to remove a government they no longer have confidence in? Should the armed forces continue to be used as enforcers for the murderous regime? Does the military condone the savage murder of its personnel as we have seen in the case of Dumbuya and most recently Camara and many others. Is this the kind of Gambia we want to live under where the armed and security forces are accomplice to the murder, rape, torture and the disappearance of our citizens? Some wise man once said; "Bad things happen if good men don't do anything."
We are in the middle of a divisive period in our country's history, and it will take us a long time to recover from this nightmare. But, the sooner we begin to bring our people together and close this chapter in our history forever, the better it will be for us all. Ladies and gentlemen of the armed and security forces, Jammeh is not building our country, he is destroying it. No amount of roads built or bridges constructed will mean anything if the people themselves continue to live in fear for their lives and in poverty. Real development is in the minds of the people. The heads of all the armed and security forces should meet and give Jammeh an ultimatum to leave and move to the country of his choice or be remove by force. We do not even want to kill him any more. He can take his wife and any other family member he wishes to take with him and just leave The Gambia. This is not asking for too much. We want our country back, and we need the full cooperation of the armed
and security forces now.
Posted on Monday, May 08, 2006 (Archive on Tuesday, May 30, 2006)
Posted by PANDERRYMBAI Contributed by PANDERRYMBAI
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