President Jammeh's recent donation spree should not come as a surprise to
anyone familiar with the behavior of African ruling parties during
pre-election periods.

His apparent magnanimity and sudden outburst of selfless zeal to give out to
the needy and fund social programmes out of his own pocket will catch the
Gambian electorate napping. Tens of thousands of dalasis here, tractors and
sport material there will clog the memory of the traditionally docile
Gambian voter into believing, as they did under ex-President Jawara's
government, that this is the be all and end all of their woes.

Who is President Jammeh fooling? The blood of the massacred students has
barely dried up on the tarmac of Kanifing highway when he decides to give
10,000 dalasis of his own money to Gambian students. Oh, how the mighty have
fallen! The little souls of the students are crying out for justice when
their brothers are already taking 'bloody money' from the hands of their
alleged killer.

I am no soothsayer, but from all indications President Jammeh seems poised
for another victory. Why, all he needs to do is dish out more money,
demonize one or two of his cronies for some of his failures and mistakes,
and make glittering promises to the communities who are always eager to line
up the streets and 'strew flowers in his way'.

The defections from some of the opposition parties and the huge welcome he
allegedly got during his meet-the-people (his version of Jawara's
meet-the-farmers)tour betray the reality of a society whose children have
been killed, arbitrarily arrested and detained with impunity.

Probably, the worst thing that happened to Gambian society is the 30 years
of lies and tomfoolery under the former PPP government. It is unbelievable
that the president and his executive arm take liberties to abuse power,
misuse state resources, and flout the courts, yet recently he was running
around the country castigating communities which had failed to vote for him
during the last elections.

It is time that the Gambian people resist against this 'mansa' mentality of
yore.

Hamadi.


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