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Jali Baa     "Public Opinion Organ for SeneGambians "
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" FROM THE FRYING PAN INTO THE FIRE "
JAMMEH PAVES THE ROAD TO HELL
It's been six repressive years since the Jammeh regime was " lifted on the
saddle of power".  However, we are yet to see any significant difference
between the Jammeh and Jawara regimes in terms of the social, political, and
economic development of our country. In fact, all evidence shows that the
Jammeh regime has surpassed all the "corruption" and "nepotism" that
prompted the overthrow of the Jawara regime. If accumulating personal wealth
took the Jawara regime 30 years to do, these "Soldiers with a difference"
did in 4 years. The magnitude of their pillage and plunder is yet to be
exposed.
EVAPORATION OF A MYTH
Upon their aided ascension to power, the Jammeh regime, like the rest of the
African military regimes engaged in spouting "pseudo progressive" rhetoric.
This, to win the support of the Gambian masses who have been known to rise
to action whenever the call is made to transform our wretched conditions of
living - only to be betrayed.
Notwithstanding the blind support the Jammeh regime captured at the
beginning, we had raised the alarm on the skillful deception and "good
intentions" typical of the African military.
The first signs of what they were to become started with the perfectly
tailored Constitution without term limit and absolute power to amend and
decree into law the repressive police state that The Gambia is currently
subjected to.  It was during the transitional period that the Armed Forces
Provisional Ruling Council - AFPRC entrench the state apparatus that assured
them the sham victory during the elections. The creation of the National
Intelligence Agency (NIA) and the July 22nd Movement was to fulfill the
hidden political agenda that the AFPRC had all along.
The transitional period was rife with human rights abuses such as the
rampant arrests of innocent Gambians, detention without trials and the
killing of innocent Gambians-KORO CEESAY, SADIBOU HYDARA, the Ballangharr
boys and rampant corruption. The millions of dollars in Swiss bank accounts
and involvement in counterfeiting (operation green medicine) are just few
examples of Jammeh's criminal character.  The Courts became a den of
"mercenary judges" from Nigeria and Sierra Leone seeking fortunes from the
spoils of the regime.
After civilianization of the AFPRC, the language of these "soldiers without
a difference" took a drastic change, the words "accountability, probity, and
transparency" virtually disappeared from their vocabulary.  When was the
last time anyone heard these three words from Jammeh and his gang of
thieves? Now that they have gotten fat from sucking the people's blood, they
would go to any length to protect the sources of their spoils. The Gambian
masses are waking up to this deceit.
WE REFUSE TO BE HELD HOSTAGE
There is one thread that binds all the military regimes that have befallen
African Countries; they all became Megalomaniacs to the point of dismay. To
stay in power, they would apply any trick to divide and control the Country.
Jammeh has resorted to "tribalism" in a subtle way.  All neocolonial stooges
use tribal and ethnic affiliations to frustrate actions towards UNITY.
Consider the training and arming of the July 22 Movement who in it's
manifesto vowed to protect and defend their "noble president".  This is a
flagrant violation of their tailored Constitution, given the fact that the
July 22 Movement is not an institution or state apparatus that is answerable
to the Constitution.  Rather, the July 22 Movement is only an appendage of
the monster Jammeh intends to create (a one party state).  The NIA and the
armed forces are supposedly under constitutional scrutiny. Therefore, why is
Jammeh training members of the July 22 Movement if the army and NIA are
relegated the responsibility for his  "defense".  Has Jammeh lost trust in
the army and the NIA?  We await tangible evidence that members of the July
22 movement are being trained in military combat in an African country and
upon their return engage in military exercises in the Gambia.
The only reason Yahya Jammeh thinks Gambia is his personal property is that
he controls the guns.  Imagine a president saying "if you hate me, don't go
to my hospitals, don't drive your cars on my roads."  Any government that
attacks the people is an oppressor government and makes no law that the
oppressed will respect.
The Jammeh regime has become a nightmare for Gambians.  He has gone to the
lowest levels of intimidation by warning people about what happened in
Rwanda and that if anyone person or group threatens his rule, "the
consequences would be worst than Rwanda.  Given the already weakened social
structures in Africa, Gambia in particular, who would trust such a deranged
mind to have control over an arsenal of weapons?
Jammeh's tyranny is the biggest challenge to Gambians and there must be
willingness on the side of the Gambian masses to put a stop to this madness.
The military training of the July 22 movement in addition to the gang of
bandits in the NIA and army can never stop our resistance.  What happened in
Rwanda, Burundi, and Sierra Leone as abominable as it was for Africa will
never replicate in Gambia.  Contrary to popular belief, Jammeh and his
regime of low self-esteem, job-dependent flunkies are very unpopular.
Besides the so called "middle class" that he claims to have created and
tamed, the vast majority of the Gambians harbor contempt for the Jammeh
regime.  We must SMASH TRIBALISM: reactionary ethnic or tribal affiliations
are not the solution to our problems.  The solution to our problem is
NATIONAL LIBERATION upon which we can train our own soldiers, safety and
security officers for our national interest as opposed to the personal
property of one megalomaniac.

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