The telltale signs of a nation that has been usurped from it's citizens
generally revolves around two main themes. First the people are totally
excluded from being part of the decision making process regarding things that
affect every facet of their lives, and second they are prevented through a
variety of ways from peacefully seeking remedies through democratic
procedures. Gambia today is in such a fix. Yahya Jammeh has taken it upon
himself to cast our country to his liking  by deciding who  participates in
national life, how resources get allocated, who enjoys basic freedoms, how
commerce is conducted, religion and other various aspects that until now has
been thought of as being the very essence of a free people. It is simply a
disgrace that we , a proud and God fearing people would simply accede to such
a sweeping forfeiture of our basic personhood to someone of such  manifest
churlishness. Why is it ok that he takes the nations money and spends it
lavishly on himself , gives it  to his cronies or otherwise disposes of it as
he sees fit? Why in God's name are our people being made to be at the
receiving end of Yahya Jammeh's 'charity'. The papers this week have
enthusiastically reported how the president  gave six hundred bags of sugar
to people in the provinces , part of a string of giveaways that is designed
to endear a profilgate leader to a suffering people from whom he has
consistently skimmed money. Yahya Jammeh never had any money. All he is
dispensing are monies that have been shaken down from businesses who want in
on the vast scheme of cronyism that pervades this government or public funds
that have simply been diverted to his pocket. As things stand now, no gambian
has instutional recourse to stop the abuse. The government has steadfastly
refused to account for loans contracted in the people's name. The president
simply increased his statehouse budget from D40million last year to
D60million this year precisely because that is  what he wants. He has
absolutely no regard for what happens to the country either in the near or
long term.D30,000 of public funds from the social security administration was
'donated' to the president's foundation, a mind numbing act that would be
illegal in somalia, a country with no functioning government.

I think for those of us who are pledged  not  to surrender the place we call
home to a tyrant and his enablers  embarked on bleeding our country and it's
people dry, we must settle on a two-pronged strategy. First we must do all we
can to remove this government. Once that is done, we must move swiftly to put
in place a strong and lasting institutional framework that would safeguard
the nation from ever deviating from participatory democracy and the rule of
law.Our biggest gift to succeeding generations would be if  we can spare them
the specter of  even a flash of a Yahya Jammeh type government. I also
strongly believe that a post Yahya government has to thoroughly investigate
their reign and catalogue all the crimes and prosecute them to the full
extent of the law. Murder, malfeasance and abuse of office  has to be
appropriately redressed regardless of the passage of time because it is such
an integral part of the overall cleansing process.
That, list members, is the best way we can retake our country.

karamba

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