By Nyang Njie
We can’t build a nation that is not anchored on the core value of GRATITUDE. Heroes are made and immortalised by the will and gratitude of people that they have served, not by decree or legislation. Martin Luther King and Gandhi are national heroes because the state took the lead. The demise of Solo Sandeng and the valour shown by the likes of Nogoi Njie should galvanise our resolve to do right by patriotic Gambians. Gambia needs a hero’s day in our Republican Calendar. A day set aside to celebrate our very own. It is a shame on the nation at large to see Nogoi Njie live and die in agony. A country without heroes is like an encyclopaedia without references.
A country is managed strategically with vision not emotional decisions based on social media narratives.
Westfield roundabout has become a symbolic icon for our struggle for freedom and eventual new found freedom called the #NewGambia. The man who served as the catalyst was whisked from that place in plain view. The state has finally decided to muster the courage to honour Solo Sandeng by giving him a fitting and dignified burial worthy of his ultimate sacrifice for country. I am still saddened by the fact that the vestiges of repression still linger in the new Gambia. It is a mockery and insulting that people such as Seedy Njai and Fabakary Tombong Jatta who are known instruments of repression are allowed to mainstream into new Gambia without atoning for their transgressions against Gambians by aiding the brutal brute called Jammeh. Our transitional justice programme has been tainted due to the inconsistencies and lack of moral fortitude to call out the charlatans that contributed and profited from our misery and anguish. Many are still on government payroll whilst others occupy important positions in the new Gambia.
While I commend the Government in taking baby steps to right the wrongs of the past, I will equally admonish them for being inconsistent with the plight of the victims of Jammeh’s misrule. Restitution and reconciliation are priceless and in no certain terms will Seedy Njai and Tombong Jatta play pivotal roles in any democracy considering their track records. Then again, it goes to show what kind of people and nation we are. Dignity, conscience and pride has eluded us. We are in need of conscientious decisive leadership that is people centred. I am of the view that our country suffers from three fundamental ailments that will continue to deter our march to prosperity. These are the crisis of confidence, crisis of conscience and crisis of competence. Let us take nation building seriously and call out those that are impediments on our path to prosperity. Gambia finds itself in the predicament it finds itself because most of us are out sourcing our societal deliverables to people without the requisite toolkit or passion to steer the affairs of the greater good. Rest well Solo Sandeng, as you have been elevated to a national hero. May you be greeted at the gates of heaven by men like Bantu Stephen Biko, Nelson Mandela and Che Guevara. To Muhammad Solo Sandeng and family, I want to let you know that you are not alone. The tale of this hunt will surely not glorify the hunter (Jammeh) as there were people who witnessed the hunt. Shame on our President for not making this event a priority attend. Notwithstanding, we move on with or without him as Solo Sandeng is the very reason he exists as a president. To whom much is given, much is expected and once again gratitude is a Gambian malaise that we exhibit too often.
