Today is five months since Yaya ordered his security forces to massacre our
children in broad daylight before the whole world to see. Needless to say,
up to this day, no one has been brought to justice for these gruesome
crimes. What did we achieve in these five treacherous months for the
families of the victims? We have the report of the coroner who did not
understand his powers as they relate to the criminal investigation. The
report is apparently a top secret document only for the eyes of the Attorney
General and the coroner. We also had a toothless commission of inquiry where
government officials went and told blatant lies with impunity. The
commission's report is yet to be made public. We also have some movement in
the Ebrima Barry case; the case that sparked the massacre on April 10 and
11. We shall see what the outcome of that case will bring. The Ebrima Barry
case is an open and shut case, which if it was handled properly in the first
place, our children that were massacred on April 10 and 11 would still be
alive. We urge the court in the Ebrima Barry case to do the right thing this
time. Justice should be dispensed swiftly and the court should throw the
book at the animals that murdered Ebrima Barry.
But the major focus of my posting is the silence of civic leaders back home
with regard to the massacre and the subsequent injustice being visited on
the families of the victims each day the murderers are allowed to roam the
streets of Serrekunda with impunity. As I opined before, opposition leaders
seem to be afraid to espouse this cause because they fear that Yaya will
accuse them of instigating the students in the first place. This is a
shameful state of affairs. Opposition leaders should not allow Yaya to hold
them at ransom. The moron will accuse the opposition anyway, because he does
not want to face facts. The opposition should desist from these tactical
consideration and follow this matter with the same venom they followed the
crude oil saga, the groundnut fiasco and the UDP ambush. Time and again,
leaders had asked us to be patient and wait for the commission to conclude
its hearings. The hearings have been completed for some time now. It is now
time for the opposition to take over the agenda and make sure that justice
is done. Opposition leaders should sensitize their supporters about the
massacre and the lack of justice. It is a shame that leaders do not even
talk about the massacre any more. Instead people are busy bickering about
some tractors Taiwan gave us or did not give us. This is sending an
appalling message to our children. This is telling them that the lives they
laid down for a better Gambia is worthless. It is arguable that had the
opposition been more effective and pursued the Ebrima Barry case the way it
should have been pursued, our children would not be massacred. We should all
share part of blame for what Yaya and his animals did to our children and do
something about it. The time for old tactics are over. Which brings me to
the 'November Elections'. I hate to be a wet blanket, but I do not
understand what the excitement is all about. As I understand it, up to
today, opposition candidates do not know for certain whether elections will
be held and on what basis they would be held. When the IEC announced the
election date, they craftily made it conditional on certain things taking
place. I might be wrong on this, but I thought Parliament is supposed to
pass a certain legislation or the courts make certain pronouncements before
the elections take place. Have these things happened yet? Are the opposition
and the IEC confident that come November there will be elections? What kind
of effect does this uncertainty have on the campaigns of opposition parties?
Is it prudent for opposition parties to partake in an election under such
fluid conditions; whereby two months prior to the elections they are still
not sure that the elections will take place?
Again, these elections, if they happen, are going to further legitimize this
illegal government. Opposition parties should ensure that there is a level
playing field before they participate in the elections. As it is, the
integrity of the elections results have already been compromised. Opposition
parties are in the dark during this crucial campaign period. As I understand
it, the opposition is not even sure whether the chieftaincy elections are
going to be fought on a political partisan basis. How can we pin our hopes
on such a flawed system? Opposition parties should rally behind the banner
of our slain children and mobilize their supporters to demand justice from
the government. The culprits of this murder should not go unpunished.
KB

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