>From: Ebrima Ceesay <[log in to unmask]> >Reply-To: The Gambia and related-issues mailing list <[log in to unmask]> >To: [log in to unmask] >Subject: My Thirty-Third Message To Gambians >Date: Mon, 25 Nov 2002 20:43:16 +0000 > >My Fellow Gambians! > >Clearly, The Gambia is at a crossroads: it is in a decisive period >of its >history and, depending on the people, will either head further into >chaos, >or be rescued for a brighter future. > >Gambians are now confronted with the immediate task of saving their >country >– of taking it back from the hands of its hijackers, before it heads >for >further mayhem. Gambians are now challenged to be more proactive, >to take >the powers-that-be to task, to take their own destiny into their own >hands. > >The country has reached a point where the damage is almost >irreparable. >Under Yahya Jammeh, our nation has been brought to the verge of >ruin. Every >sector of Gambian life has been destroyed by Jammeh and his thugs. >The >economy, the education sector, agriculture, health services, >telecommunications, foreign relations, the judiciary – all are on >the point >of devastation. It will be a Herculean task to repair the damage. > >Who in his or her right mind, can deny the fact that Jammeh’s rule >is >characterised by repression, corruption, nepotism, tribalism, >tyranny, >incompetence and illegalities of every sort? > >People are no longer appointed to their jobs because of their good >qualifications and relevant experience. Their ethnicity and >sycophancy are >the key factors in their appointments to post. > >Eight years ago, Jammeh seized power promising accountability, >transparency >and probity. Today these slogans are empty words, and have been >dumped on >the garbage piles by the regime. > >Secrecy in government, lack of accountability, lack of probity: all >have >reached an unprecedented high. Jammeh, Baba Jobe, Lang Conteh, >Amadou >Samba, Tarik Musa, Yankuba Touray, Abdoulai Kujabi and their ilk, >control >The Gambia as if it is their own personal property. > >Each of these miscreants has stolen, and continues to steal, public >money to >the point that their greed is such that it could persuade them to >sell the >country itself to the highest bidder in order to fill their own >pockets. > >These people are criminals, and let them be quite sure that one day >soon, >they will be held to account for their crimes against The Gambia and >Gambian >citizens. > >Jammeh is a liar of the worst kind: he makes empty promises. Where >is the >electrification of 95% of our country promised for Year 2000 ? >Where are >the wage increases for public servants ? Where is the payment for >our >farmers’ groundnuts ? Where is prosperity ? Where is peace and >justice >within our country ? > >Today our agricultural sector is facing severe problems, and what >does >Jammeh do ? Well, he scapegoats the former Minister of Agriculture >Hassan >Sallah and blames the chaos on him ! Who is kidding whom ???!! The >deterioration in our agricultural sector can be laid fairly and >squarely at >Jammeh’s own feet. > >It is time for Gambians to wake up to the reality of life under >Jammeh. >This man does not have what it takes to lead us in the twenty-first >century. > This is a man who cannot run his own house, never mind a country ! > >Under Jammeh, prices have sky-rocketed: a bag of cement is more >than 100 >Dalasis; a bag of rice over 250 Dalasis; a bag of sugar (if you >can get >it) over 400 Dalasis: a small can of Peak milk 7 Dalasis: taxi >fares up >again: a journey from Talinding-Kujang to Banjul via Westfield >Clinic for 7 >Dalasis one way. Every week, the amount our thrifty housewives need >for >fish money increases. > >The majority of Gambians cannot honestly say that they and their >families >eat well and live well in these terrible days ? Only cronies of >Jammeh and >his criminals have a comfortable life, and they are paying for it >with their >decency and with their souls. > >The unemployment rate continues to rise, and our vast numbers of >young >unemployed folk in particular are suffering. Even those >enterprising >youngsters who try to support their families by frequenting the >tourist >areas and earning a few Dalasis there, are now branded as "bumsters" >and are >being harassed, beaten, arrested and illegally forced out of public >areas by >the government. > >Shame on Jammeh and his henchmen ! They have let down a whole >generation of >young Gambians and condemned them to poverty or even worse, to >crime. > >The crime rate continues to spiral upwards, and we can no longer >blame >crimes on "foreigners". We need only to read the Court reports to >know that >many Gambians are now being found guilty of a range of >misdemeanours. > >Nothing is working in The Gambia: except of course, for those >decent and >honest citizens who struggle to keep themselves and their extended >families >fed, clothed, sheltered, educated and well. > >Without the vast sums remitted weekly and monthly to the country >from >Gambians and friends of The Gambia throughout the world, many more >families >would face disaster. But let us not forget those Gambian families >who do not >have a breadwinner in the Diaspora: how do they manage to survive ? > >The Gambian economy has been so badly mismanaged that Jammeh has >just >yesterday, banned the Finance Minister Famara Jatta and members of >his team, >from travelling outside The Gambia, until the Ministry can get its >act >together. Every day, the economy is deteriorating. > >People like Baba Jobe, Lang Conteh and Tarik Musa bring in goods >worth >millions of Dalasis, without paying one single butut in tax or >customs duty. > Baba Jobe alone owes Customs more than 30 million Dalasis, >according to >government records ! People who know Baba Jobe can likewise avoid >paying >customs duties. This source of Customs revenue, once so lucrative >to our >country, has dried up in the avalanche of "free" imports for friends >of the >regime. > >Lang Conteh is running the Central Bank of The Gambia as his own: >he >controls all foreign currency, and takes the money to his and Baba >Jobe’s >Money Shop on Kairaba Avenue. What do they care about the rapidly >devaluing >Dalasis ?? They are the ones who are making thousands of Dalasis >worth of >profit from ordinary Gambians’ economic misery. > >The land scams which have taken place recently, especially in the >Tourist >Development Area, have netted Jammeh and his cronies millions. What >do >Jammeh and his kind care about the true owners of the land ? They >sell it >to the highest bidder. Shame on them. > >With regard to the Civil Service, standards have dropped to an all >time low. > The incompetence is unbelievable. Abdulai Kujabi and Yahya Jammeh >appoint >people based on their ethnicity and unquestioning support of their >regime, >and now never take into account the skills, qualifications, >experience and >dedication of their appointees. > >Jammeh continues to play the Islamic card, but his insincerity is >well known >to all of us. The Gambia is constitutionally a secular state, but >recent >Western intelligence reports which I have seen personally, now >categorise >The Gambia as an Islamic state. Jammeh is using Islam as a cover >for lining >his own pockets, and he is aligning our supposedly secular nation >with >fundamentalist states. > >Clearly, Jammeh has damaged our country, and if he remains at the >helm, then >there will be worse to come. > >It is vital that Gambians become proactive in defence of their >country. I >agree with Kebba Dampha’s point that UDP supporters should converge >on the >police station where Darboe is illegally held and demand the release >of this >Opposition leader. > >There has to be a direct challenge against Jammeh’s illegal acts. >If the >government is allowed to get away with Darboe’s arrest, then >everyone is >vulnerable. > >As for the APRC members of parliament: well, shame on them for >having >passed a law which allows the state to remand anyone charged with >murder to >be denied bail if the trial is unreasonably delayed. This is the >law which >means that Darboe is held on the trumped up murder charge. > >These MPs serve as rubber stampers for Jammeh’s rule. Let them be >quite >sure that one day soon they will be held to account for their >actions, and >brought to justice themselves. Today they bury their heads in the >sands of >sycophancy: tomorrow Gambian citizens will demand restitution from >them. > >We are all aware that Jammeh himself is a coward: his fear brings >about his >massive overreactions in every sphere of life. If Gambians were to >challenge him openly and without fear, Jammeh would step backwards. > >Of course, I urge Gambians to remain law abiding, but if their >rights and >liberties are constantly eroded and infringed, then Gambians should >make >their grievances known by means of peaceful demonstration and public >challenge. > >The Gambian people can do a lot to change the situation in The >Gambia, but >to be truly effective, they need to be guided and organised in order >to take >their destiny fully into their own hands. > >This is where the role played by an effective Opposition is so >crucial. >There are challenges to be taken up both by the Opposition leaders >and their >parties, and by the citizens of The Gambia. > >The levels of injustice in our country have reached new heights: >people are >arrested without due cause: they are held incommunicado and without >charge. > >Pause for a minute and reflect on the plight of people like Dumo >Saho, >Momodou Marenah, Ebrima Yarbo, Lt Omar Darbo, Lt Lalo Jaiteh. For >how long >have these men being wrongly detained ? For how long have they been >kept >from their wives and families ? For how long have they languished >in >appalling conditions in our prisons ? For how long is this terrible >state >of affairs going to be allowed to prevail ?? > >I challenge every Gambian to send a protest letter to Jammeh, copied >to >international organisations such as Amnesty International, the UN, >the >European Union, the African Union, the British Foreign and >Commonwealth >Office, the US State Department. I urge you to demand the release >of all >those wrongly imprisoned detainees. I urge you to call for a >restoration of >full human rights for our citizens. > >We Gambians should be mounting a public relations campaign against >Jammeh >and his regime. Let us enlighten our citizens as well as the >international >community about the realities of Yahya Jammeh. > >I recently attended a seminar where one of the speakers spoke of his >amazement in encountering so many talented and skilled Gambians >working in >highly placed posts throughout the world. Wherever he went, he met >with >competent and hardworking Gambians working for many well-known >institutions. When he went on a field trip to The Gambia however, >he was >horrified at the lack of skilled Gambians on the home work front. >He met >with incompetents, mismanagers, and lack-lustre leaders. > >Our best citizens are getting out of the country and making a new >life >overseas. The speaker cited the case of Dr Lamin Sise, the chief >Legal >Adviser to the UN Secretary General. A man of Lamin Sise’s calibre, >skills >and character is desperately needed at home in The Gambia, but there >is >nothing to draw this man home. > >In The Gambia of today, Ministries are understaffed or filled with >feather >weights. > >I urge my Fellow Gambians to act on behalf of our beloved nation. I >urge >you all to challenge this dreadful regime and its leader. I urge >you to >work for peaceful change in The Gambia. I urge our opposition >parties to >lead the people in the challenges which face them. > >Unless we act together, and act now, then our nation will slip even >further >into despair and degradation. > >Let us unite against our common enemy, Yahya Jammeh, and let us lead >the >country into a brighter future for us all. > >God Save The Gambia. > > >Ebrima Ceesay >Birmingham, UK > > >_________________________________________________________________ >Add photos to your messages with MSN 8. 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