The real Y2K problem for The Gambia

Recently I came across some interesting articles on the
Internet regarding President Yahya Jammeh of The Republic of
the Gambia. In one article entitled: 'Government Celebrates
Fifth Anniversary of July 22nd Revolution Despite Criticism
from Opposition Parties'. Jammeh "outlined his government's
commitment to democracy but based on what he called homegrown
principles."

So, I ask, what are these "homegrown principles" that Jammeh
was speaking of? If he's referring to the times following
colonial rule and up to the 1994 coup d'etat, yes, we did have
a homegrown version of democracy (certainly not a perfect
version, but we were learning) but, if he's referring to the
post coup years then I must repeat my question, what are
"homegrown principles"?

In trying to answer my question, I've looked back to the days
of, and since, the coup and it appears to me, that according to
Jammeh, it must be that:

* "homegrown principles" deprive the free speech of all the
  Gambian people,

* "homegrown principles" allow for the detention of innocent
  people without trial,

* "homegrown principles" denies free press by not allowing
  Gambia news reporters to report what they see or hear and in
  one instance, allowed for the deportation of a certain
  newspaper editor,

* "homegrown principles" allow the kidnapping of opposition
  party members

* "homegrown principles" deny the right of the people to elect
  their own village and religious leaders by rejecting the
  peoples vote and forcing them to accept new non elected
  leaders,

* "homegrown principles" allow the brutal killing of a minister
  and the fabrication of such an astounding story about the
  circumstances of his death , that no Gambian citizen, in his/
  her right mind, could believe,

* "homegrown principles" allow for the unwarranted search,
  seizure and arrest of people, often times from their homes in
  the middle of night, to be taken to the N.I.A office for
  interrogation,

* "homegrown principles" deny certain Gambia citizens the
  opportunity to join, or form, an opposition party,

* "homegrown principles" allow for the detention of a certain
  solider (a former coup leader) for four years without trial,

* "homegrown principles" allow terrorization, beatings and even
  murder of opposition members while coming from campaigns or
  from meeting places,

* "homegrown principles" allow Government leaders to be elected
  by the people but only under threats and force by the
  military.

I ask myself, am I right? I looked back again into the old
newspapers, I remember the radio reports and I talked to so
many others who experienced those days and then I am able to
answer...YES!!! I am right!!

In another Internet site I discovered an article from the
Washington Post, dated February 18, 1999, and in that article
Jammeh was quoted as saying that "not even a dog died" [during
the 1994 coup d'etat]. Now, I don't know who wrote that article
but he/she must surely have been blind or else was absent from
the country during those days. It may well be true that "not a
dog was killed" (as most of us remember, during those days
there was certainly no time to check on the fate of animals)
but the same cannot be said about humans. Were all the grieving
family members and friends lying or crazy? Is it true that
there were no killings at Mile 2 or at the Army camps in Bakau
or Yundum? Were those people lying, who witnessed trucks coming
from the Bakau camp and said they saw bodies in the back of the
trucks?

I was there...I know what I am saying is true. But, so many of
you were there too. Are we going to accept Jammeh's "home style
democracy" when we vote in the year 2000? Or are we going to
vote for true democracy, which is for the people, by the people
and of the people?


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