Gambian President tells citizens "Forgive me"

Gambian President Yahya Jammeh:
«I forgive all of you and I expect all of you to forgive me.»

© afrol News / UN Photo

afrol News, 15 December - Gambian President Yahya Jammeh Friday took an
oath of office for another five year mandate. Mr Jammeh was re-elected to
office on 22 September presidential elections after he had polled 69
percent of the votes. The Gambian President said he had forgiven every
Gambian with whom he has an axe to grind. He also asked all Gambians to
forgive him.

"I forgive all of you and I expect all of you to forgive me," he told a
large crowd at the Independence Stadium in Bakau, northwest of the Gambian
capital, Banjul.

President Jammeh's inauguration was attended by several world leaders,
including those from Nigeria, Ethiopia, Indonesia and Taiwan - the latter
being one of The Gambia's major donors.

President Jammeh was economical in his speech, which is very unusual.
Interestingly, he had not uttered a word about upholding the rule of law,
democracy, human rights and good governance in the country.

In a nutshell, Mr Jammeh stressed the need for Gambians to throw their
political, religious and ethnic differences and rally behind the
government to develop the country. He said after voting him into office
with landslide, time had come for Gambians to accord him the necessary
support during his third term in office.

President Jammeh was upbeat that it is easy to develop and grease the
economic engines of a small country like The Gambia. He emphasised
discipline to prevail among Gambians of all classes, defending, "when I
was a junior soldier, one of my instructors told me that being disciplined
does not harm but one can break an arm or go to jail for being
undisciplined."

Mr Jammeh promised that his government would eradicate electricity
blackouts in the country by the end of 2007. He said it was impossible for
The Gambia to realise its Silicon Value dreams without arresting its
"epileptic and erratic" energy supply, which has been scaring away
potential investors.

Gambian President in his speech thanked all Gambians, including those who
oppose him. He admitted that his government's 13-year rule was punctuated
with numerous challenges but that his government would be able to live up
to expectations.

Holding the Quran, President Jammeh took oath of office before the Chief
Justice Abdul Karim Savage saying, "I do swear that I will fully execute
the functions of the office of the President and that I will be faithful
and bear true allegiance to the republic of The Gambia according to law,
so help me God."

Since Mr Jammeh came to power in a 1994 coup - after he had seized power
from the country's founding father, Sir Dawda Jawara - there have been
repeated reports of violations of human rights, democracy and rule of law
in a country that was once described as a champion of human rights in
Africa.

During his period, security forces have been accused of inflicting
systematic torture on opponents of President Jammeh. Also, the era has
seen waves of attacks on critical private media, with fire and bullets
being used to silence journalists and their institutions.

On the eve of the inauguration, the Paris-based Reporters sans Frontières
(RSF) reminded leaders from democratic countries attending the Banjul
ceremony to mark the start of another five-year term for Gambian President
that 16 December would also be the second anniversary of journalist Deyda
Hydara's still unpunished murder.

The media watchdog group said it particularly warned Taiwanese Prime
Minister Su Tseng-Chang, whose government is a strong supporter of the
Jammeh regime, against continuing to back a ruler who is on RSF's list of
press freedom predators.

"With 10 journalists arrested in 2006, one missing, many others in exile,
countless unpunished crimes in which the President's supporters are
suspected of being the perpetrators or accomplices, a murdered
journalist’s memory besmirched by the government and a permanent climate
of fear - Jammeh's record on press freedom is appalling," RSF said in a
statement.

"Gambia's president proclaims his contempt for the rules of democracy,"
the press freedom group added. "We appeal to the leaders of democratic
governments who are being wooed by this aggressive regime to not let
themselves be accomplices to these crimes and to instead help Gambia's
journalists recover their freedom."

Mr Hydara - the leading Gambian newspaper editor, co-founder and editor of
'The Point' and correspondents of RSF and 'AFP' in Banjul - was shot dead
at the wheel of his car on 16 December 2004. Deyda had previously received
threats from National Intelligence Agency, which had put him under
surveillance a few minutes before he was gunned down.

There have been no serious attempts to investigate Mr Hydara's killing and
the report published six months after the act depicted the slain editor as
a "serial womaniser" whose bad acts led to his death.

“I don't believe in killing people. I believe in locking you up for the
rest of your life. Then maybe at some point we say: 'Oh, he is too old to
be fed by the state,' we release him and let him become destitute. Then
everybody will learn a lesson from him," President Jammeh said when asked
about Mr Hydara's killing in September.

Mr Jammeh's government is also famous for closing down media houses,
arresting and detaining journalists in horrendous conditions as well as
use fire to tame its seasoned critics. When asked about the closure of the
bi-weekly newspaper, 'The Independent', President Jammeh said "Let the
world go to hell. If I have good reasons of closing down any newspaper
offices I will do so."



By staff writer

© afrol News

This article was found at the online version of afrol News: www.afrol.com

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