The Gambia: Jola kingdom and hegemony By Mathew K Jallow Imagine that in this 21st. century, there is a country ruled by a cabal of corrupt, semi- literate group of nonentities who belong to the same tribe. And imagine they are all in some way or the other related either by blood or by other tribal affinities. Imagine also their tribe is only a mere seven per cent of the population in their country. Now imagine they managed under the absolute rule of a tyrant, to establish their stranglehold on their country; its governance, its economy and its military and security establishments through the use of deadly force or the threat of the use of deadly violence. If we are talking about the tyranny of the minority, there could be no better example in the world of politics. Yet that tribe arrived at the apex of their power and domination not by their own might, power or bravery, but through the aid of the other tribes, whom, through the process of selective elimination, the ruler eventually methodically relegated out of prominence into the gutter of hopeless irrelevance and proverbial non-existence. That country is no longer a figment of anyone’s imagination. And the above preamble is not a work of fiction or a script that Agatha Christie could conjure from the depths of her fertile imagination. That country exists, and it is called The Gambia; a country where a segment of the Jolas under the patronage of a fellow Jola, Yahya Jammeh, have run Gambia’s affairs with brute force, ruthlessness and unforgiving cruelty for over a decade and half. Yes that Gambia the European tourists once described as “The Smiling Coast of Africa.” And yes that Gambia where tourist from all across Europe once flocked in their hundreds of thousands, to soak up the bright sun on the beautiful beaches of the serene blue ocean. Yes that Gambia on whose shores the lazy, frothing waves of the mighty Atlantic Ocean have since the dawn of time, flapped and danced ceaselessly to the beat of the forces of nature, before forever disappearing to a new rebirth below the sands of time. And today, it is an insult to our collective intelligences for Yahya Jammeh who has become Africa’s greatest tribal bigot to accuse Ousainou Darboe of tribalism; in effect ignoring that he has filled every position of importance in the government and beyond with his fellow Jola tribes men and women at the expense of other tribes. And today a significant number of Jolas have continued to immigrate to our country from Casamance to take advantage of the opportunities Yahya Jammeh will offer them at the exclusion of Gambia’s other tribes; the Akus, Wollofs, Mandinkas, Serahules, Fulas and a large segment of Gambia’s Jola citizens. What Yahya Jammeh has turned The Gambia into is the definition of tribal bigotry; and it is hurtful to every Gambian belonging to the other tribes. To allow Gambia to be ruled by a mere seven per cent of its population, who all belong to the Jola tribe, is an unconscionable assault of the citizenship rights of everyone else. Evidently, Yahya Jammeh has Fula, Mandinka and Wollof collaborators such as his maid Isatou Njie-Saidy, Kaba Bajo, Mustapha Carayol, Nete Baldeh, Modou Selou Jallow, Lamin Waa Juwara and others, all of who are mere props to show that Yahya Jammeh has other tribes in his regime. And these people are rewarded handsomely to the benefit of only their families, a benefit that never reaches members of other tribes Yahya Jammeh has ignored for so long. Why should Mandinkas in Gunjur, Brufut, Dankunku, Sutukoba, Illiasa, Manduar, Jali, Sankuwia, Fatoto, Basse Manneh Kunda vote for Yahya Jammeh when he does not care about them and has killed their sons? Why should the Fulas of Kuntaya, Sambang, Mansajang, Sare Gubu, Nioro Jataba, Niani Kunda, Basse Santosu, Kebbeh Kunda, and Fulabantang ever vote for Yahya Jammeh when he has ignored their welfare and killed their fellow Fulas just to stay in power? Why should Wollofs from Panchang, Mamut Fana, Sambang Wollof, Dingerai, Galleh Manda, Bati Ndarr and Fass vote for Yahya Jammeh when to him they don’t even exist? Why should the Serahules of Gambisara, Suduwol, Garawol, Koina, Medina Samako and Kularri and vote for Yahya Jammeh when all he cares about is his fellow Jolas. Why should Jolas from Batabut, Bwiam, Sibanor, Kanilai, Bajagarr, Bwian and Mayok vote for Yahya Jammeh when he has killed more of them than any other tribe and most of the people who have disappeared from the face of the earth since 2005 are their fellow Jola men and women. And equally importantly, why should Gambia’s other tribes collectively vote for Yahya Jammeh when beginning in 2009 he spent one billion dalasis grant from China-Taiwan for the education of Foni Jolas girls and not girls from other tribes? Why should other tribes vote for Yahya Jammeh when he has only offered his fellow Jolas employment to the most important positions to run the government and when he has exiled, murdered and executed so many of their sons, uncles, father, brothers, sisters, aunts and friends and neighbors. For an irrefutable reason why Yahya Jammeh should be voted out of office by Gambians all across our country, see the list of people who occupy the apex of power in our country. They are all Jolas; not one Fula, not one Mandinka, not one Wollof, not one Serahule and not one Aku. Fellow Gambians ask yourselves whether this is the way our non-Jola countrymen and women should be treated. Is this fairness? Is this right? Is this not a totally irresponsible way to run a government? I think so. Below is the list of Jolas who run The Gambia. Yahya Jammeh, President and Minister of Defense (Jola) Fatim Badgie, Minister of Health and Social Welfare, (Jola) Ousman Sonko, Minister of the Interior,(Jola) Pierre Tamba, Minister of Local Government and Lands, (Jola) Abdou Kolley, Minister of Trade, Regional Integration and Employment, (Jola) Ousman Jammeh, Secretary General and Head of the Civil Service (Jola) Harry Sambou, Permanent Secretary, President’s Office (Jola) Yankuba Kolley, Mayor, Kanifing Municipal Council (Jola) Fabakary Tombong Jatta, Majority Leader, National Assembly (Jola) Nfarama Jatta, Governor, Central Bank of The Gambia (Jola) Abdoulie Bojang, Speaker, Gambia National Assembly (Jola) Paharry Jammeh, Solicitor General (Yahya Jammeh’s cousin) Jola Ben Jammeh, Director General, NDEA (Yahya Jammeh’s cousin) Jola Numo Kujabi, Director General, National Intelligence Agency (Jola) Yankuba Sonko, Inspector General of Police (Jola) Buba Sagnia, Director General, Gambia Immigration Department (Jola) Muhammed L Gibba, Managing Director, Gambia Ports Authority (Jola) Nfansu Bojang, Director General, Civil Aviation Authority (Jola) Mr. Lamin Gibba, Managing Director SSHFC (Jola) Mr. Tamsir Badgie, Snr. Poject Manager, SSHFC (Jola) Brigadier General Ousman Badjie, Deputy Chief of Defense Staff (Jola) Ratatouille DK Sanneh, first and only female Army General (Jola) Momodou Sanyang. Director, Gambia Radio and Television Services (Jola) Fellow Gambians, this list above compiled thanks to Bamba Mass is not even complete yet. These are the Yahya Jammeh has appointed to rule over the rest of the country and as you can see they are all Jolas from the Fonis. Finally, given these circumstances, it is due time Gambians stand up without fear to dismantle this corrupt, bigoted and untenable regime by voting Yahya Jammeh out this year. Fellow citizens, you have the power of your votes to do just that so that freedom and liberty can once again return to our country. VOTE FOR OUSAINOU DARBOE the man with the best chance of removing Yahya Jammeh. NO MORE FEAR. Your voting card is like your shirt or dress which no one has the right to tell you what to do with or can take from you. Coming soon: Twenty good reason why Yahya Jammeh MUST GO and ten good reasons why Gambians should vote for Ousainou Darboe for President. ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤ To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://listserv.icors.org/archives/gambia-l.html To Search in the Gambia-L archives, go to: http://listserv.icors.org/SCRIPTS/WA-ICORS.EXE?S1=gambia-l To contact the List Management, please send an e-mail to: [log in to unmask] ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤