President Jammeh's July 22nd Speech Causes More Confusion

http://allafrica.com/stories/200307280644.html

The Independent (Banjul)
OPINION
July 28, 2003
Posted to the web July 28, 2003

By D.A. Jawo
Banjul

Once again, President Yahya Jammeh has marked his July 22nd 'Revolution'
with a scathing tirade, touching on many issues. As usual, he started his
speech with a huge dossier on the achievements and successes of the regime,
and he went on to admonish those who criticize the regime regardless of all
those achievements. His long list of achievements and successes included
the areas of education, health and agriculture, as well as numerous other
development projects, which he attributed to the regime.

While there is no denying the fact that his regime has registered some
infrastructural developments, but there is still a lot that should be
criticized and as such, he should be magnanimous enough to accept
criticisms in good fate. He should not expect the whole country to become
his 'finas', singing his praises. He should be satisfied with his large
entourage of sycophants and praise singers who are always ready to deify
him at every available opportunity.

While it is true that some development has taken place in certain areas he
mentioned in his speech, including the construction of schools, hospitals
and the provision of agricultural implements such as tractors to the
farmers, but development is certainly much more than the provision of
buildings and infrastructure, but those things must be harnessed with the
development of the human resources.

Turning to the controversy over the use of the veil in some Christian
mission schools, which he alluded to in his speech, rather than resolving
the issue, he seems to have provoked more controversy and confusion. By
imposing a blanket ban on the use of the veil in the schools by next
September, he has caused more confusion amongst the people. He seems to
have either forgotten or disregarded the fact that there already exist
schools where the veil is part of their uniform.

What happens to those schools when it comes to the implementation of his
new 'edict' on the veil in September? It would have made more sense if he
had at least specified the category of schools he was referring to rather
than generalizing.

While he was quite right that Muslims and Christians have always co-existed
in this country in peace and harmony for more than 400 years, but it is
also a fact that his regime's comportment has contributed to whatever
problems existing between the adherents of the two religions.

Even though The Gambia is supposed to be a secular state, but since the
assumption of power by the AFPRC/APRC administration, the regime has become
too much involved in religious affairs. They started with the construction
of a mosque at State House; the most important symbol of the state,
culminating in the appointment of a religious affairs ministry, the
construction of mosques in all public institutions and the inscription of
Quranic verses on all public buildings. In addition, President Jammeh and
some members of his cabinet also always begin their official speeches with
recitations from the Quran. All that certainly makes a complete mockery of
the secularity of the state.

Therefore, this veil controversy was no doubt a direct consequence of the
actions and comportment of the regime. There is no doubt also that those
Islamic fanatics he was castigating in his speech were emboldened and
encouraged by the pro-Islamic actions and comportment of his regime.

If he and his religious affairs secretary of state can always be seen to
hold meetings with these so-called fanatics and tell them all that they
want to hear, and even give them vehicles and other material gifts, they
would certainly conclude that the regime is with them and therefore, they
can demand anything in this country. Indeed it was just a matter of time
before they even started to demand the introduction of the Northern Nigeria
type of Sharia in this country.

On the veil issue, it was quite wrong for the government to issue a press
release in May instructing the acceptance of the veil in all schools in the
country, only for President Jammeh to now turn around and ban its use in
September. This is yet another clear manifestation of the inconsistencies
and contradictions that have become the hallmarks of this regime. It is
wrong for him to say one thing to day only to contradict it a few days
later. It is not even within his purview or that of the government to
determine what type of uniforms students in private schools should put on.
That is the sole prerogative of the school administrators and proprietors
to determine. It was even wrong in the first place for the government to
issue that press release without even consulting with the proprietors of
the schools concerned.

It is indeed time that President Jameh started making clear proclamations,
to at least avoid confusing the people. Another good case in point had been
the 'edict' that he issued earlier this year banning nawetan football in
the provinces. With so many sycophants amongst his followers and the public
services, most of whom would not hesitate to jump whenever he tells them
to, without even asking how high, he should always be careful with the type
of directives he gives. As a head of state, whatever he says would have
some bearing on government policies and as such, he should always carefully
weigh the possible implications and consequences of the directives he
gives. He should not just make statements for the sake of it, but whatever
statements he gives must be clear and unambiguous, as well as
implementable. For instance, his proclamation that the men should not marry
more than three wives in the next three years is just as ambiguous as it is
unenforceable in this country. Indeed it is also not within his purview as
head of state to make laws. That is the responsibility of the National
Assembly.




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