Courtesy of the Independent.

More Skeletons in Jammeh's Cupboard

The Independent (Banjul)

EDITORIAL
April 4, 2003
Posted to the web April 4, 2003

Banjul

We may have been seen as giving the wrong signals at the time. But today we
stand vindicated. We have come out of the debate over the truth or untruth
of our assertion that Jammeh did secure two things from his trip to Nigeria
late last year in one honourable piece.

An editorial we ran at the time outlined the commitment to bilateral
cooperation between Nigeria, which was echoed loud for the press to hear,
and a gift of oil, which for capricious designs was kept away well away from
the glare of the media. Information about the gifts of oil to The Gambia
from the Obasanjo regime has been kept away from the Gambian public for the
wrong and sinister reasons.

Now new revelations by the Nigerian daily THISDAY about a fresh skeleton in
Jammeh's cupboard (see our lead story), would help provide some insights
into the way this administration works as it tries sometimes desperately to
hoodwink us into believing that it represents the bonafide interest of the
nation when its actions bespeak of the contrary.

Investigative journalism in its most uncompromising form was at work and
should be celebrated for once again bringing us closer to the truth about
the actions of officials who are overwhelmed with greed but yet still care
very much about them being discovered as the "emperors without moral
clothes". Deals and schemes concluded in the backyard, in spite of the fact
that they may impact inimically on millions of unsuspecting people are the
sort of things Gambians do not want from a government responsible for the
debilitating economic reality we must live under.

Talk about transparency and accountability now quite rarely occur in the
parlance of officialdom as we were wont to hearing just after Jammeh took
over. The disarming truth about our situation of governance is that it is
too awash with officials without the inclination to be transparent about
their dealings abroad supposedly on behalf of Gambians. Jammeh displayed
intimate knowledge of his people well when he said that a majority of them
are reluctant to take personal responsibility for the failures and scandals
of the government. But behind the scenes they gleefully line their pockets
with what is rightly owned by all Gambians.

However, the president's criticism of his aides is nothing but a scenario of
the pot calling the kettle black. Jammeh is a man of unpalatable mysteries,
whose depth will be plumbed for sometime after he is no longer president.
Even his closest aides are seemingly confused over his source of wealth,
which we believe is suspect.

With such deals suddenly coming out of the open and with compelling details
pointing to a scam most foul, it is not hard to see why Jammeh goes around
dishing out money tucked studiedly inside his great grand boubous, which
have assumed something of a moneybag in recent years.

This is not generosity. It is not helping to untie us free from the shackles
of beggardom and laziness as his administration has the haughty audacity to
declare. The truth of such a claim is of course wishy-washy, if we glean the
extent to which Jammeh and his henchmen allegedly went to secure millions of
dollars not for The Gambia but for themselves. It was a gift to us. The
transactions for it were conducted on our behalf but it was eventually meant
for some private pockets. This is heart-nipping mockery and because after
acquiring through the illicit backdoor wealth that truly belongs to the
people, successive generations of African leaders would decide that it was
time to play the generous card.

What should stop us from holding onto the belief that Jammeh and his cohorts
are runaway rogues, who need our votes to get what they want, while they
leave us in the lurch. As Nigeria open up high-profile inquiries into how
Jammeh allegedly tried to cover up some "nasty things" about the deal, we
hold our breath in anticipation for more disquieting revelations, which
would be as unsettling for Gambians as it would be embarrassing for him and
his administration.







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