By Dr Lamin Keita
I decided that I would not be part of any of this. However, Writer Elie Wiesel reminds us, “There may be times when we are powerless to prevent injustice, but there must never be a time when we fail to protest.” As a result, Brother Sillah and others had very little at their disposal to protest with, so the strongest statement he could make was to decline the honour of serving a government that is not sympathetic and concerned with the welfare of the poor Gambians struggling to have their daily bread.
Corruption in The Gambia has grown because it is highly encouraged. The trouble with The Gambia, I suggest, is that Gambians are corrupt because the system we live under today makes corruption easy and profitable. The country and its people will cease to be corrupt when corruption is made difficult and unattractive.
Eight hours after Brother Ebrima Sillah’s pronouncement, I can categorically state that the problem of corruption and indiscipline is probably worse today than it has ever been in the past 22 years of Jammeh. Blatant abuse of power. Because of the massive way in which the Barrows’ leadership is using the country’s resources to corrupt and destroy the country, so that no improvement can happen. With this, I noted that corruption in The Gambia has progressed from an alarming stage to a fatal stage. The Gambia will die if we continue to normalise it by pretending that the country is only slightly indisposed.
Brother Sillah, I recall those days (1997-2001) at Citizen FM when we would have great conversations about what our country lacks and needs. During this period, when you had to abandon your comfort zone of Janbur to the United Kingdom, Senegal, and Ghana, with the proclamation that your house was doused with petrol by Jammeh’s green boys. Out of this fear, you were running for your life and the lives of other Gambians that matter to you. Those conversations and trust do exist, even when we were all in exile due to the political climate back home. I believe we all love our country more than ever, and no amount of privilege should make us forget about the past struggles and what is great for our people. It is from this kind of environment that a leader, humbled by the trust placed upon him by the people, must emerge, willing to use the power given to him for the good of the Gambians. I hope you can still be among those remarkable people who have made mistakes in the past but chose to take a bold step to make things right.
