LISTSERV - GAMBIA-L Archives - LISTSERV.ICORS.ORG

My Fellow Gambians,

I have now had the opportunity to read and re-read Jammeh’s speech to the UN on Friday, and I must admit that I had to laugh when I started to analyse its contents!! Whoever is employed as Jammeh’s speechwriter has done all of us opponents of the regime a great service! Thank you to him/them from the bottom of our hearts!

The speech in its entirety is based on empty words – there is talk of “participation”, “collective responsibility”, “tolerance”, “love and caring for each other”, “caring and sharing”, “moral and institutional support”, “good relations between Governments”, “transparency and fairness”, “proportionate representation”, “sharing of responsibilities”, “dignity” and finally, “peace”.

Not one of these words or phrases represents what is to be found in present day Gambia, either as a political ideal or a practical reality or a dream for the future. The very reverse is true.

Our nation is currently characterised by lack of participation, by despotism, by autocratic and nepotistic government, by intolerance, by distrust and hatred, by theft and lack of care, by immorality, by poor (and worsening) relations with other governments, by intransparency and unfairness, by political and electoral misdealings and illegality, by tyranny, by indignity, theft, murder and warmongering.

Interestingly, Jammeh dares to classify himself among the “world leaders”, and speaks of combining forces with them to bring about “a brighter future for humankind”. One wonders how those high-calibre world leaders who also addressed the UN actually perceived our dreadful representative – whatever did they think when he started speaking these high-sounding noble sentences on Friday morning? They, above all, will have recognised the emptiness and the vacuity of the sentiments upon which Jammeh touched.

They will also have predicted that the main thrust of this insignificant speech would have dealt with the Taiwan and Cuban issues: as my source had told us in advance, those would be key issues for Jammeh. My source was correct and accurate yet again!

Jammeh’s speechwriter chose words that have no part in today’s Gambia, nor in Jammeh’s heart, soul or intellect. Jammeh is the man who can give the order to open fire with live bullets on a peaceable student demonstration: this is the man who can incite the APRC youth to set the torch on independent radio stations: this is the man who calls for the abduction, kidnapping, imprisonment without trial, even murder of anyone who opposes him in any way; this is the man who is lining his own purse with public money; this is the man who claims to have the best interests of his country at heart!!

The truth of the matter is as far removed from the noble and laudable words of the speech as it could possibly be. Not one iota of what Jammeh touched upon is representative of what he practices daily in his own governance of our nation. The very reverse is true.

I shall now track through Jammeh’s speech paragraph by paragraph, and highlight the untruths, the false sentiments, the lies and the nonsense. If this is the best that his speechwriter could come up with, then heaven help The Gambia.

Jammeh spoke of the UN’s need to “chart a new agenda of participation and collective commitment”: a worthy notion indeed, but the words are lightweight in reality.

What typifies The Gambia under Jammeh is repression rather than participation: autocracy and despotism rather than collectivity. Jammeh exhorts the UN to adopt a more responsive and responsible role, but his own leadership style remains the absolute opposite of this. What is good for the goose should also be good for the gander.

He then spoke about the UN’s need to “evolve a better and more responsive role”: Jammeh needs to turn the spotlight on himself before he makes these sort of pronouncements. In what way has he improved himself, or become more responsive to the needs of his fellow citizens? The man has become a megalomaniac, who is totally out of touch with his people, and who in fact, cares not one fig for their well-being, their prosperity or their future.

He moved on to talk about the “promotion and preservation of international peace and security”. Our analyses of the deterioration in relations between The Gambia and other countries in the sub-region, the continent and the international stage, suggest that notions of preserving peace or enhancing security are far-removed from Jammeh’s policies and thinking.

He is doing his level best to incite trouble in West Africa: he is bringing in a deluge of weaponry and armoury to our peaceful land; he is developing paramilitary organisations within The Gambia to control his population by intimidation and force.

In the next paragraph, Jammeh talked of the need to usher in “a more balanced and equitable world devoid of social injustice, economic deprivation, hunger and diseases as well as senseless wars”. What, we ask ourselves, is Jammeh contributing to these aims in our country or in West Africa? The Gambia of today is typified by social injustices of the very worst sort: our economy is in a state of stagnation; our people are hungry; our people die from disease before their time; our so-called leader incites mistrust and terrorism in the sub-region.

Yahya talked of bringing about “permanent global peace and security” through “tolerance, love and caring for each other” and through the inculcation of “the spirit of caring and sharing”.

What a lot of nonsense, when you set what he says against what he has been doing in The Gambia for the past six years. The man is truly deceiving himself: his regime represents the antithesis of tolerance, love and care: ask Dumo Saho or Koro Ceesay or George Christensen about Jammeh’s spirit of caring and sharing!!

Reading this sort of absolute nonsense rendered me speechless!! I am certain it had the same effect on you!

We then moved on to Jammeh’s thoughts on the “scourges of social and political upheaval”. Coming from a Lieutenant who masterminded a coup d’etat in 1994, Jammeh’s words are laughable. The man himself is a usurper, who is using thuggery and butchery to consolidate his tenuous power base.

Jammeh spoke next of how disheartened he felt to observe “the proliferation of conflict situations”: he could in fact, have spoken about his own role in exacerbating mistrust, terrorism and conflict in West Africa. The man’s reputation as a diplomat is laughable: no-one takes him seriously, and many fear what they see as his misguided interference in diplomatic and political matters about which he knows nothing nor cares little.

Jammeh’s overriding aims are to look after himself: to ensure that his wallet is full to overflowing; to hold onto personal power at any cost; to make the Gambia a supporter of terrorism and a drug and gun-running state.

The man even had the nerve to call upon the international community to “provide greater moral and institutional support for the attainment of these noble objectives” of conflict prevention, resolution, management and peacekeeping!!

As my source had already intimated, Jammeh would use this occasion to put forward the case of Taiwan and Cuba vis-à-vis the United Nations. My source has already responded to these issues, and I totally support his analysis.

In his concluding remarks, Jammeh spoke of the need for the UN to make reforms and fundamental changes, particularly in relation to the reform of the Security Council. His reasons for calling for action were to “ensure transparency and fairness”!! I would suggest that Jammeh turns his attention to the situation in his own country, before he calls on others to make changes.

The AFPRC overthrew the last government, and its watchwords were probity, accountability and fairness for all. Well, we have seen what this present regime actually promotes in The Gambia – the very opposite of transparency and the very opposite of fairness. If Jammeh is serious about making changes for the better on the world stage, then he has to start on his own doorstep and set the example himself, before calling on others to do it.

Jammeh pronounces that the UN be the “moral standard bearer of humankind ensuring justice, equality, peace and stability around the world”. Well, the UN is doing its very best to do just that, but its task is close to impossible when leaders of the standard of Jammeh assume power. What, we ask, is Jammeh himself doing to “make this planet a better and more productive one where humankind can live in dignity and peace”??

The Gambia under Jammeh is neither dignified nor peaceful. Our beautiful country has become the laughing stock of Africa and the world: we have lost all dignity and respect in our international relations: our people are beset by problems and deficit in every sphere of their lives.

The Gambia, under Jammeh, has become a travesty of itself. It is typified by inequality, injustice, poverty, repression, social disintegration, economic collapse and worst of all, a lack of hope for the future.

There was no one at the UN who will have failed to see through Jammeh’s high-sounding phrases to the awful truth of the matter. Certainly, none of us who have read the speech have been fooled by Jammeh's words!

Ebrima Ceesay

Birmingham, UK.

Copied: Secretary General, United Nations.

Share information about yourself, create your own public profile at http://profiles.msn.com .