Thanks for the comparison. It will help to jog the memories of those of us
who are in a sleepless slumber. All the signs are there for the making of a
tyrant- an ill-educated, ill-mannered, murderer, who assigns himself the
power of agency to represent all Gambians in signing to accept borrowed
money, signing to execute bilateral agreements and contracts, lead us
gambians in war against aggressor nations, formulate programs and policy for
our healthful living. Now that is creepy.

Yus, you mentioned that these tyrants are hard to remove. It only appears so
especially when they hijack the judiciary, build up a bunker in order to
scare off ideas of armed insurrection, forment a seige mentality or an
atmosphere of impasse within the armed forces by pitting soldier against
soldier or at least impregnating the corps with moles.

My friend, the intelligent exaction of punishment for the crime of murder
and fraudulent agency does not require inordinate arms or the execution of
innocent by-standers. Nor does it require an aide, abbetter, or an
accessory. Ask Hinckley, Lee Harvey Oswald, Samora Machel, Anwar Sadat,
Nikolai Chouchesku, etc.

Death by hanging is too tedious. A summary execution-surgical in
perspective-regardless of jurisdiction, is done by a single vigilante with
no motivation other than salvation for his/her bretheren.

Consider the custodian of the death chamber. His/her only motivation is an
annual salary and the guilt of his clients. The ordinary Gambian has a more
honorable inspiration: The freedom of his/her countrymen and land of his/her
ancestors. Gambians and Africans in general have to abandon the idea that
the only way to remove a criminal from office is by coup d'etats and mutiny.
The word Coup D'etat suggests that there is an etat in the the legal sense
of the word and that the formulator is an aspirant to the chef D'etat
position.

Fil hajja Takminul Hurriya. LABORAYO EXPECTAYO


>From: Yusupha Jow <[log in to unmask]>
>Reply-To: The Gambia and related-issues mailing list
><[log in to unmask]>
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Idi and the President: Coincidence or eerie similarities?
>Date: Fri, 22 Sep 2000 03:50:26 EDT
>
>Gambia-L members, A&E just aired this series of documentaries called
>Absolute
>Power.  Idi Amin was the featured documentary yesterday.  We all know the
>legacy of the brutal Amin but very rarely do we get the whole story of his
>rapid rise to power from his days as an ill educated underling in the army
>to
>a general who did Obote's dirty work, and, finally, to the crazy, brutal,
>power drunk but charismatic Alhaji DR Field Marshall Idi Amin Dadda at his
>full prime.
>
>One thing that struck me in particular was how this man's life mirrored the
>sequence of events our present leader's progression of power. Granted, The
>Gambia is a much smaller country than Uganda.  Therefore, when a comparison
>is made, events have to be viewed in relative terms.
>
>  When Amin finally turned on his equally vicious master, everyone,
>including
>the British, agreed that this ill educated man was woefully unfit to lead
>an
>army not to talk about a whole state.  But everyone, especially the
>Ugandans,
>welcomed the change as a breath of fresh air.  A change from the
>incompetent
>administration that was Obote's.  He spouted the basic rhetoric that the
>average impoverished Ugandan wanted to hear.  He promised new schools, new
>roads, new hospitals, better and more competent administration of
>facilities
>for Ugandans as whole.
>
>Furthermore, Amin had a foolishness and clumsiness to his personality that
>tended to mask his vicious ways.  He would occasionally go into the country
>side and dance around and threaten horrified white diplomats, who would
>cringe in horror, with spears.  His interviews were funny and filled with
>contradictions and weird statements that somehow seemed funny. This, much
>to
>the amusement of Ugandans, Africans and the rest of the World.  He was seen
>as a harmless, funny, semi-illiterate African leader, not too bright, but
>essentially a toothless lion.
>
>Sadly, this was far from the truth.  He launched a campaign of terror
>against
>his own people right from the start. Silently eliminating his political
>rivals and those that spoke out against him.  It was a silent campaign of
>terror.  People were disappearing but no one knew what was going on because
>his initial campaign was so effective.  And, of course, the harmless joker
>couldn't be behind this? No way! Then he bit the hand that fed him in
>England.  He kicked out half a million Indians who ran the economy in
>Uganda.
>  Then, in a puzzling about face, turned around and asked the British for
>arms.  The Brits, not ones that were used to humiliation, especially from a
>buffoon for a president in Africa, rejected his request.  Amin found an
>unlikely bed fellow in Khaddafi.  He embraced Islam, supported the Mideast
>cause and became an Alhaji because of his fear of isolation.
>
>In a short while, he managed to run the economy into the ground.  But
>because
>he was surrounded by yes men, who said what he wanted to hear, his position
>was quite secure.  This coupled with his propensity for carrying out
>ominous
>threats, it was extremely difficult to oust him.  He made the mistake of
>tangling with the Israelis plus made the more horrific error of killing a
>Roman Catholic Bishop.  The eyes of the World were finally opened to the
>terrible atrocities in Uganda.  Even then, it took the brave Nyerere, RIP.
>to
>oust him.  Disgraced, he flew away in a battered helicopter seconds away
>from
>imminent capture.
>
>
>Fast forward, to 1996.  A semi illiterate army Corporal, in a half bungled
>ridiculous demonstration by the army against unpaid wages that somehow
>turned
>into a coup d'etat, overthrows the waning incompetent Jawara regime.
>Initiall
>y, the Corporal is hailed by the people of The Gambia as a savior from
>incredible poverty and a terrible infrastructure that was the trademark of
>the country.  Again, he is considered a fresh breath of air, a welcome
>change.  Most but all are fooled by his populist rhetoric.  We live in a
>different time but the false promises are still the same.  New schools, new
>roads, new hospitals, a more competent administration.  The Gambia to and
>for
>Gambians !
>
>Our new leader, cum savior, like Amin, has this incredibly silly demeanor.
>A
>foolish deceiving, ear to ear smile and is manner of speech is almost
>comical
>and almost child like.  He also travels to the countryside, where the
>majority of the population lives, and relates on a basic level with the
>citizens out there.  In the process, stressing his humble beginnings and
>his
>Foni ancestry. These qualities, different from the stiff polished way of
>the
>Western educated Sir Dawda Jawara, help to enamor him with the locals,
>especially those in the provinces.
>
>However, while this wonderful romancing of the people was going on,
>carnage,
>given on a smaller but relatively equal level to that of Amin's, was being
>carried out.  Let's see:
>  Massacres and mass burials in barracks in Bakau, Yundum and Farafenni.
>Political opponents were imprisoned, sometimes killed with no due process.
>Untold amounts of people, particularly in the military, disappeared with no
>word to the poor others and fathers who had worked so hard to save up their
>well earned Bututs and Dalasis to put their children true school then the
>army.  Untold amounts of brothers are still unaccounted for.
>
>Our still beloved leader, also managed to insult the West through his
>bungled
>and aimless speeches that appealed to the average anti-colonialist, a trait
>that we understandably still have.  He thought this was funny but "they"
>were
>taking note, again not liking the humiliation.  And, again, understandably
>spurned by those he insulted, he fturned to Amin's old friend, Mummar
>Khaddafi.  He takes up his "Kuros", turban, Boubou, institutes a fake
>fundamentalist Imam in a fake state house mosque, and hides behind the
>cloak
>of Islam.  A perfect masquerade to hide behind to woo these people of God.
>
>   Meanwhile, the killing and abductions continue.  He is surrounded by yes
>men and is not afraid to carry out or spout threats on television that s
>run
>by one of his equaly incompetent sidekicks.  Soo, likeAmin, he is difficult
>to remove.
>
>Nevertheless, this fake sultan is on the verge of being disrobed and made
>naked.  He is reponsible for the murder of over 20 school children.  Foday
>Makalo was killed and buried somewhere in the bush.  Where is Dumo Saho?
>Has
>anyone, including his wife, seen him yet?  Eerie feelings, perhaps a sense
>that they are covering something that went horribly wrong with that
>abduction?
>
>The similarities are scary.  Amin was a foolish, cowardly, ugly, and wicked
>ogre that lives as buffoon cum celebrity in Saudi Arabia, the supposed holy
>land.  I would hate to compare any human being to him but the evidence
>speaks
>for itself.  You decide!
>
>Cheers
>
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