By Sana Sabally
The coalition-2016 is the “mene, mene, tekel, parsin” of The gambia. They want to individually “rule or ruin.” (But) who didn’t see it? – “The writing on the wall: (Holy Bible: Daniel 5:25-28).
True, H.E. Yahya Jammeh is no more in The Gambia but also there is no “New” Gambia. The so-called “New” Gambia is only a political fantasy. There is only what the Germans call; “Kuddelmuddel” – mess, confusion and disorder; which together characterizes The Gambia’s present predicament: politics of bitter grievances.
“The world will not be destroyed by those who do evil, but by those who watch them without doing anything.” (Albert Einstein).
Partisan Tribalism Politics (PTP) is of no advantage. I have remained silent to this time. However, I have now decided to submit a few words on the subject under practice and discussion. I do not wish to say anything offensive to anybody, political party or tribe, but I desire them to understand what I mean. The hour is now. Let Gambians look at themselves from inside – It is proper that Gambians are ready to meet every issue fairly and honestly; and not to threaten each other with what no one of us desires to execute. I call on everyone to take that into consideration, not to violate Gambian law… not to revile others’ parents.
We have to know that no man was born to use the language of derogatory-booted and spurred to ride over the rest of mankind. We must stop reviling of each other’s parents on social media… Stop the sudden gush of fury and vitriol and be civilized… Such, Gambians; are my views in reference to this matter. I have not spoken them so much for the political tribalists as for the purpose of giving expression to what I believe to be the same sentiments of those I share the same views. Whether right or not time only can decide, and I am willing to abide that decision.
Gambians, I am opposed to any Partisan TribalismPolitics (PTP) in any form, colour and shape in which it exists, or may exists. I am free to say further, that I will raise my voice and vote against any individual, group, organization or political party that makes a trade of it in the political gossip market. I have avowed my own opposition to Partisan Tribalism Politics, and I am as strong in it as any genuine Gambian. I wish to say, again and again, I do not mean that I have any of the particular feelings and the right answers on the subject, which others have called “sickly sentimentality.” If this matter with a political design and terrible effect is to be pushed forward and beyond what the Constitution originally intended it (mutual coexistence); we are going to be driven to the wall by those who practice it. Let me tell the Gambians that this is not the last time they will hear of my voice.
I regret that my personal passion about issues surrounding these events led me to speak about them indelicately. We all have by now discovered the seriousness and complexity of Gambia’s tribal and political problems while posing as good neighbours or politicians. I am not proud of it (Partisan TribalismPolitics – PTP), and nobody should be, but I realise I need to grow into understanding this deeply rooted system to be able to be part of the dismantling of it.
The Coalition 2016! All in the same storm, but not in the same boat. The Coalition-2016 members were not allies, but bitter adversaries; and doomed to Failure.
What would it take for Gambians to admit to themselves that Partisan Tribalism Politics (PTP) i.e. H.E’s “Jammeh´s loyalty cult”, “Darboe’s loyalty cult”and “Barrow´s loyalty cult” instead of “The Gambia´s loyalty cult”; (loyalty to The Gambian Nation alone) is slowly but surely destroying our country they claim to love and serve? Idolization of the state as court of last resort and bulwark against evil, and even faith in a leader, have their origin in such historical experiences. H.Es. Ousainu Darboe/Yahya Jammeh (each) was able to play on such attitudes and use them to further his plans for dominion (of party, and Jammeh, is the Nation).
“I will ´RULE´or ´RUIN´ The Gambia…,” they say. (But) who are they? An insincere political person is very repulsive. They are those, anybody who doesn´t have things in their own ways. “Integrity is the most valuable and respected quality of leadership. Always keep your word,”(Brian Tracy). When we do not have competent, experienced, compassionate and sincere (political and administrative) leaders in government positions, the Gambian people suffer. The Germans say; “Niemand kann sagen, man hätte nichts gewusst.“ (Nobody can say they didn’t know anything.) From what we know we can judge of the unknown.
Let us think of politics solely as politics. An insincere political person is very repulsive. Contempt for reality corresponded to an increasingly overt belittling of politics. Politics was reality in the bluntest, most obtrusive sense: the “rule of the inferior,” as one man put it. The freedom of dreams for constitutional rights. “I never make a mistake. Every one of my words is historic.” Yahya /Darboe make their Party members believe. The masses sing, “Your Honour is Loyalty,” as they are “politically blind and stupid” and do not know what they do. Taking an “unconditional oath of loyalty” to him personally and subsequently to have every single member of the Party do the same, believing that “To carry out all orders fearlessly and conscientiously, since I know that my leaders will require of me nothing illegal.” Who was to give the orders and who was the subordinate? Everything was mercilessly reduced to the contrast between master and servants; all that existed was the raw, unshaped mass and the great personality for which that mass as an instrument, material for political manipulation. This was all the easier because reality had become so harmful that “disgust with politics” could be aroused far more effectively than ever before.
An insincere political person is very repulsive. There are insincere politicians who are twisting and abusing politics and different strains of the same politics in order to further their own “dirty” political objectives. That’s one of the biggest political problems in the whole of The Gambia. All other problems emanated from this. Many of our politicians have vague political plans, relatively insignificant support, and totally untested governing skills.
As Jesus Christ said (Holy-Bible: Matthew 11:15), “He that hath ears to hear, let him hear”. “The stubborn ear that refuses to hear good advice will always go into the grave with the head.”(African Wiseword). My erstwhile comrade the AFPRC H.E. Yaya Jammeh will certainly nod “Yes” to that… (In Wollof) – “Bato dem Bato Kosteh,” One boat leaves (sets sail away), and another boat docks. Simply put, one goes out, and one comes in.
“Beating an incumbent is never easy.” But at the same time, I think Gambian people recognized that he (Yahya) has not done the job they expected him to do and that he promised he would do. So, they voted him out! That is election. He won many elections. Others loose. If he became a looser and another became the winner, there must not be any “Palaver wooo”. Its fair play. All Truth-loving Gambians must reaffirm their “strong support” for the Gambian people and their shift to civilian rule. The TRRC public hearings are being held under the theme: “Confronting Our Difficult Past for a Better Future.”
Everyone was dumbfounded. Nobody thought it this easily possible that the Coalition 2016 would have the chance to bring about this election victory – defeating incumbent Yahya Jammeh. They rejoiced. But this euphoric mood was soon over, even before it has started, giving way to a degree of confusion the Gambians were never prepared for this much earlier… The Coalition-2016 broke into pieces. In addition, Barrow´s political chances started and were improving from day to day.
Yahya Jammeh´s reign as President of The Gambia ended in a terrible unexpected confused series of politically motivated events, presenting more contradictions, delusions, and drama than many a work of fiction. Those who saw and knew the meaning of the writings on the wall, knew Yahya Jammeh´s time has come to an end. However, his insincere advisers and others desperately urged him to continue the senseless and fruitless political fight. He had implored all those very close to him to devote all their efforts to achieving a victory; their great 22 years´ opportunity must not be squandered. Then, with a dismissive gesture, as if a reminder, he warned, “You always have to keep in mind that if we lose this elections, we lose everything.” He knew he had burned his bridges to the rest of The Gambians and the world. The consequences of losing the elections did seriously concern him. Disappointingly, he eventually lost the elections. The results told him he was no longer needed, he should come down and handover to President elect Adama Barrow: “It´s all over now.” It was like a thunderbolt. He refused the results after first conceding defeat. In addition, the impasse followed, but he could not survive it. He was chased out by the ECOMIG intervention… Perhaps APRC Yahya Jammeh had been defeated and thrown out into forced exile. For whenever such a leader falls, the losses are well beyond what is visible to the eye. Actually, nothing was completely over for the APRC. They hung on to the hope of a future that would bring back Yahya Jammeh. Is that naivety or mere illusion or stupidity or all of these? God alone knows this political future. And with God, nothing is impossible, because the word “impossible” itself said, “i´m possible.”
Politically, political parties hastily without any genuine direction for the nation, organized a fragile mismatched “Coalition-2016” of political oppositions, independent candidates, and some errant Political Know Nothings(opportunistic, misinformed and misguided elements, especially those of us in the Diaspora), held together on one selfish common issue: tough opposition to the re-election of A´F´PRC Yahya Jammeh. “Losing isn´t always the end, sometimes it becomes the beginning.” (Joseph Duffy). Understanding politics can function effectively even when many citizens lack trust in an individual incumbent. In fact, partisan politics assumed such conflicts and offered the recourse of “voting the incumbent out” in the Presidential Election of 01.12.2016 which saw the disgraceful exit of A´F´PRCH.E. Yahya Jammeh (into exile in EG) and the entrance of the Coalition 2016 H.E. Adama Barrow (from exile in Sénégal) in the Political Administration of The Gambia. They had won a great victory in convincing The Gambians to vote them in government. The population [today] under that government´s child (Coalition 2016) however turned out to be very unhappy… The H.E. President Barrow´s NPP is not yet in power – thus, it cannot be called the ruling government. The Coalition 2016 is. The current (Coalition 2016) government has failed on the social and economic fronts and has not improved the security situation — the harmonious tribal cohesiveness in the country has totally broken down. Today, The Gambia is polarized; – ethnically and politically divided, mainly between and within the UDP Mandinkas and the APRC Jolas. Gambians couldn’t even begin to get their hands around the enormity of the insincere political hypocrisy and the tragic consequences. They (Coalition 2016) are an indescribable disaster and disgrace in our politics. Let the past tell its history. If people will not be true to their own lights, what further argument is left? I now borrow words “…Our problem is that people are obedient while the jails are full of petty thieves… (and) the grand thieves are running the country. That’s our problem.”(Howard Zinn, American historian, playwright, and socialist thinker) “Only in Africa (I put The Gambia here) will thieves be regrouping to loot again and the youths whose future is being stolen will be celebrating…” (Nobel Prize Winner. Professor Akinwande Oluwole Babatunde Soyinka (Nigerian playwright and poet). The political leaders (Coalition 2016) should have lived up to the values that we, as young people, have been demanding all along – integrity, transparency, saying no to corruption and standing up for African values and not in entirety the imported ´misunderstood´ western democracy. When you get to a position of power, always remember why you are in that position in the first place. Thousands of young people look up to you. We need a new generation of leadership grounded in a multi-tribal, working-class experience and background. People/government should reflect that diversity in our country.
One thing is clear, THERE IS NOTHING SO POWERFUL AS TRUTH! I can only say: “Let us wait the issue: my faith tells me that Allah’s Truth must prevail.” [Surah 20: v 135]. The truth is sometimes bitter, but it must be told. There is a new political party. Who created this political beast – (PTP) Partisan Tribalism Politics? WHO IS TO BLAME? Everybody is responsible! “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another” (Proverbs. 27:17) Mercy Otis Warren, a political writer at the time of the American Revolution, observed that “the origin of all power is the people, and they have an incontestable right to check the creatures of their own creation.” Despite their impressive achievements, however, the Coalition 2016 government’s legacy was always marred by their failure to lead the “new” nation out of the quagmire of the Partisan Tribalism Politics. The Coalition 2016 political leadership in its entirety should retire completely out of the Gambian politics. They are a great disaster and disgrace to our nation´s pride and politics. Jane Anne Morris, a contemporary cultural critic, has pointed out that “if you don’t know what the government is doing, you don’t live in a democracy.” I´d say, ´…, you don´t live in The Gambia.´
The Coalition 2016 is the first government in my lifetime who does not try to unite the Gambian people—does not even pretend to try. Instead, it tries to divide us. The Coalition 2016’s first SSR statement, was an unprecedented assault on Gambian democracy and (Foni) Jolas values. We are witnessing the consequences of four years of this deliberate effort. We are also witnessing the consequences of four years without mature leadership. They have disintegrated into their individual selfish parties for oneself rather than for the nation. They have failed us. We can unite without them, drawing on the strengths inherent in our civil society. This will not be easy, as the past four years have shown, but we owe it to our fellow citizens; to past generations that bled to defend our promise; and to our children. The Coalition 2016 goes on to contrast the Gambian ethos of unity with selfish personal political ideology. Their unwritten political slogan for destroying us was ´Divide and Conquer.´ Our Gambian answer should be ´In Unity there is Strength.´ We must summon that unity to surmount this tribalism and insincere political crisis—confident that we are better than our insincere politicians and their politics. The Coalition 2016 leaders should have devoted everything to Gambia’s African democratic traditions and to the ideals of honesty, accountability, and transparency in public life—all of which they have scorned.
(SB Sabally´s cocktail of facts): Drink from it…and you´ll feel “not bitter but better.”
“Quidquid agis, prudenter agas et respice finem!”-Whatever you do, do wisely, and think of the consequences. (from the”Gesta Romanorum”).
I respect people who tell me the truth, no matter how bad it is. The only people who are mad at you for speaking the truth are those people who are living a lie. Keep speaking the truth. They are just angry because the truth you speak contradicts the lie they live. Truth is like a surgery. It hurts but cures. Lie is like a painkiller. It gives instant relief but has side effects forever. “Telling the truth and making someone cry is better than telling a lie and making someone smile.” (Paolo Coelho) It is too painful to accept the Truth. Let us be very conscious about our ourselves and our country.
If you avoid the conflict to keep the peace you start a war inside yourself. “The world will not be destroyed by those who do evil, but by those who watch them without doing anything.” (Albert Einstein). “Never be afraid to raise your voice for honesty and truth and compassion against injustice and lying and greed. If people all over the world would do this, it would change the earth.” (William Faulker). “The time is always right to do what is right.” (Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.)
Nobody can hurt me without my permission. The Internet is not, will not and cannot be a battleground for me! The keyboard is not my weapon. And I don´t run away from the battle… “We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.”(Albert Einstein). We commit a comedy of errors. Wars start for the oddest reasons. It can be from a poorly refereed soccer match. People can misjudge emotions, and feel obliged to respond to a criticism or an insult that may (later) seem more humorous than humiliating. “God does not give you a wife to frustrate you but to complement you.” Howard G. Hendricks – American Professor at the Dallas Theological Seminary (1924-2013). Again, I reiterate like in SB Sabally´s article – “THE GAMBIA POLICE FORCE – GPF.”- (Freedom Newspaper July 19, 2020). “The way of the sage is to act but not to compete. When a wise man points to the moon, the fool only looks at the finger.” (My GrandMa). “I’m not opposing “Anybody, (Shakespeare-Concerned-Gambian or Minimum or Maximum)” and Mr. Anybody (Faceless Shakespeare or Mini or Maxi) is entitled to his opinions. I’m simply saying that my position – It is not an adversarial process and should not be pursued or responded to in a spirit of conflict. I recognise and value individuals from diverse backgrounds who bring with them fresh ideas, knowledge, experience and talent. Do we hold in contempt those who go to or belong to a different tribe, political party or a revolutionary group and don´t agree with us on every issue? For me, the answer is a big ´No.´ Immaturity is the incapacity to use one´s intelligence without the guidance of another. There are many Shakespeares, Minis and Maxis out there. It’s simple; I throw on your faces the cold water of wise words of Friedrich Nietzsche; “We often refuse to accept an idea merely because the tone of voice in which it has been expressed is unsympathetic to us.” The days of false mawkish sentimentality are over.
Congratulations to myself! – I now have Mr./Mrs. William Faceless Shakespeare (the most important literary figures of the English language) as my new teacher and a master. (But) Is my teacher a ´he´ or a ´she´ or both in one (Hermaphrodite)? Pa Nderry should make his sarcastic laughs here, those laughs he used to employ on Yahya Jammeh – Lol Hahahahahaaa! A student is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. (But) I am seriously ´unconcerned´ about the so-called William Shakespeare “Concerned Gambian” personal issues. Why hide your ID behind the screen? If you are short and ugly, then you´re not for a beauty contest! Thanks to the devil, that after 33 years today, I am not repeating my GCE “O”- Levels because of English wooo. Yes, My Master (grammar-teacher) I completed that in 1988. Let my master – “grammar-teacher” just keep looking at my finger instead of the moon. A master and grammar-teacher who thinks he knows and can accuse and judge, he should rethink everything he thinks he knows. “Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.” (Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.) I know – It is too painful to accept the Truth. At the sound of my name alone; their hearts like an oven; it keeps on smoldering, like a self-fueling oven. I am the frog jumping in front of your way; continue kicking… Keep reading…! I really want to concentrate on that which I can do better than others: Keep speaking the truth. I will simply deal with what is for me nationally the key issue, namely, our Partisan Tribalism Politics (PTP), but also our sincere approach to this particular issue is very pivotal for me.
We must realise that we are a nation in denial regarding the extent of the problem. We are a bit like an alcoholic. We are suffering from this disease PTP. By a silent and insidious process of osmosis, we have absorbed this disease and tragically, we do not understand the extent of the problem. If we perpetuate PTP against ourselves, how will we ever address this problem nationally? I do not hate politicians, but the insincere ones. An insincere political person is very repulsive.
I seek to make a modest contribution to this body of knowledge on political matters. This is not about Sana-Bairo Sabally. The affair is not (about) a personal matter but a National one. I don’t want public attention because I don’t want the story to be about me. I want it to be about National Peace and Security: “Partisan Politics” and “Tribalism” what these have done and are doing in the name of the government and the people of The Gambia. Despite these fears, I remained hopeful my articles would not divert attention from the substance of these discussions. I really want the focus to be on these matters and the debate which I hope this will trigger among citizens around the globe about what kind of politics we want to have in our country.
My Standpoint: Partisan Tribalism Politics (PTP) everywhere is a threat to justice, peace and security everywhere in our country. Unnecessary and misplaced anger and hatred confuses and darkens everything we have to do together as a nation. “A lot of people are afraid to say what they want. That’s why they don’t get what they want.” (Madonna – born Madonna Louise Ciccone, American singer, actress). I have a moral obligation to speak up in the face of these dangers while there is still time to avert them – some consequences. It is better to stop something bad from happening than it is to deal with it after it has happened. Partisan Politics of Tribalism – It is firstly a safety issue, which is naturally the responsibility of the State to solve. Keeping the peace was regarded as a citizen´s foremost duty; but peace and order in turn became the citizen´s foremost demand upon his government. The role of the authorities was to keep out fear and misery; the Gambians view of governmental authority accorded well with this.
Homecoming: “Home Sweet Home” probably adorns more plagues than any other motto. Home is a place where you can lay down your tired body and bruised ego in total safety. There´s no place like home. Home is in The Gambia, a place that brings comfort right down into your bones. (Holy-Bible: Psalm: 84:10) “Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere.”) On 27.03.2017, H.E. the President Adama Barrow re-entered Banjul-The Gambia from Dakar-Sénégal; and he waves jubilantly to a cheering crowd on the roadsides winces inwardly at the political bruises he suffered – and inflicted – during the campaign, election and the impasse. People sometimes have a strange reaction to a great victory. Some call it, “morning-after sickness.” Personally, I felt oddly worried. Knowing some of the members (and their insatiable hatred and evil intentions) now in this newly formed government, I was stabbed by sympathy for those they defeated. “Because you haboured an ancient hostility…”(Ezekiel 35:5). It will be like “between two clans dated from the beginning, when Jacob cheated his brother Esau out of the family inheritance.” Like many Gambians, I knew enmity has been spawned by Partisan Tribalism Politics (PTP); a beast was going to be ´officially´ created and released onto and against the already defeated perceived enemies – “Region of Foni, Jolas and the A´F´PRC…” by the Coalition 2016 government all because of one man – H.E. Yaya Jammeh; thereby, by extension; making the body tribe of Jolas to “feel like strangers in their own land.” Paradoxically, the sweet taste of such a victory (by a ´mismatched´ Coalition) can quickly take a bitter edge. Coalition members should be allies, not adversaries. They were bitter selfish adversaries. The Gambia was but in short-lived jubilation. (Holy-Bible, Proverbs 14:13). “Even in laughter the heart may ache, and joy may end in grief.” Choices that seem perfectly right may end up destroying you. That is precisely why people need to cultivate wisdom. What looks good often isn´t. The Apostle Paul wrote, “Let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall” (Holy-Bible, 1 Cor. 10:12). “It is a great vice for any constitution to leave to powerful men no alternative between their own power and the scaffold.”? Benjamin Constant. The winds of change heralded some disasters; “The Worst Danger of All: (Partisan Tribalism Politics – PTP), political hatred and hypocrisy, and the inevitable Disintegration of the Coalition-2016.” “…Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand…”(Matthew: 12:25) “Those who cannot remember the past are doomed to repeat it.” – Unknown. And the Coalition-2016 has woefully failed The Gambians. Who is there to believe them anymore – they are simply incapable of delivering the Ship of State to a safer shore; a future – “The Better future we want.” “Political liberty involves every citizen without exception in the examination and study of his most sacred interest. It aggrandizes the spirit, ennobles the mind, and establishes among all of them a sort of intellectual quality which makes for a people who are both glorious and powerful.” ? Benjamin Constant
“We may have all come on different ships, but we´re in the same boat now.” (Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.) (In Mandinka) “Kulung Bula-laa Bee Ngania-Kiling” – all those in the canoe have the same wish (perhaps, to cross the river safely!) However, in The Gambia, it’s totally different. (In German) “Alle im selben Sturm, aber nicht im selben Boot” – all in the same storm, but not in the same boat. That is The Gambia´s political reality today. See article: “Gambia: OJ Brands UDP As An Enemy Of Change; As He Drops A Bombshell At A Latrikunda Meeting!” (Freedomnewspaper Online, March 6, 2017) “When Ousainou Darboe, was in prison, his party officials witnessed our discussions and meetings. Dembo Bye Force, Alhagie Darboe, and co used to attend our meetings. We all agreed for a three year transition government if elected. Now that we are elected, the UDP is playing games. The UDP is not acting right. What the UDP is doing is not right. The UDP should be thankful to God and the alliance. Without the coalition, Ousainou Darboe, would have been in jail up till now. That’s the naked truth. UDP is hell bent on undermining the peace and stability of this country with their divisive politics. UDP is not acting in the best interest of the Gambian public. The public interest supersedes party interest,” OJ said. (OJ´s “The public interest supersedes party interest,” only re-echoes the (Holy-Bible, 1 Cor. 10:24) “Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others.”) It is too painful to accept the Truth. Let us be very conscious about our ourselves and our country.
“If political authority is not limited, the division of powers, ordinarily the guarantee of freedom, becomes a danger and a scourge.”? Benjamin Constant. My sincere advice to The President of The Gambia (today), H.E. the President [Barrow] should sincerely pledge to steer clear of all shady political alliances. Coalition members should be allies, not adversaries. (Because) Any breakdown in the coalition-members´ relationship has serious spillover effects on all the relationships in the political home and government. “A man´s enemies will be the members of his own household.” (Matthew 12:36). There are enough proved cases to make this point without diluting our criticism with unproved charges. An example of such is the “Debate and Rejection Result on the Draft New Constitution 2020” – blamed squarely on H.E. Barrow alone. This is ludicrous. The Honourables NAMs were already decided on a verdict of “REJECTION” even before going to the NA… Lack of Power is replaced by Total Madness. They say- “We will ´Rule or Ruin´ in all events. They say they will Rule The Gambia in Peace or Ruin The Gambia in Pieces. They were the originators and strong pillars of the Coalition 2016 government; and now, that they have disintegrated and crumbled away; they wished, that remaining part-the Barrow-led administration must fall by all means. No crisis, not even the present one, is an excuse to do that. Because it is not Barrow alone but The Gambia they are ruining in pieces. How could such selfish politicians be elected in positions of administration? Let them pass the baton to the younger generation. We need a new generation of leadership.
The 3rd US President Thomas Jefferson liked Jesus’s teachings to his supernatural acts. With reasonableness, he cut and pasted, and edited and redacted a collage of verses from the New Testament. This he called The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth. People know it as The Jefferson Bible. He was called “Jesus Jefferson”. Like some old people said; “Sana-Bairo has the body hairs of Prophet Yusuf (Joseph)”; reference to the way and manner in which I went to prison…” – Yusuf (Joseph) is the 12th Surah of the Holy-Qur´an and Holy-Bible: Genesis 37 thru 50. Solo Sandeng is called the “Steve Bantu Biko” of The Gambia. Uncle Waa Juwara is known as “Mbaroodi” (Fullani for Lion). H.E. Uncle Ousainou Darboe is the “Nelson Mandela of The Gambia.” I will now coin up a new word-name for H.E. President Adama Barrow: “ADANIEL” from (Adama & Daniel). H.E. Adama Daniel (“HEAD”) is The Gambia´s “Daniel” from the Holy Bible´s 28th Book (“Daniel”) of the Old Testament. As a young man, H.E. Adama “ADANIEL” Barrow could have anticipated an outstanding future in The Gambia. He came from a prominent family, and he had a first-rate mind. But through his ability and God´s Blessings, when the UDP brought him forward; and the Coalition-2016 (C-16) made him their “independent” Presidential “Flag-Bearer” (a position; many declined for fear of being a potential target for H.E. Yaya Jammeh´s assassins…), they (C-16) didn´t ask him about his plans and dreams. They chose him not only to be their political sacrificial lamb but also because he is cap´able´; emphasis on cap´ability´ i.e ´cap´ the ´able´ one (in other words; let the ´able´ one amongst you take/wear the ´cap´– otherwise why did they choose him? Why did they give him the ´able´ one´s ´cap´? If he is bad, incapable; then those (UDP and C-16) who set him over themselves and The Gambia are far worse – simply; Blind leaders of the blind! A Clear Conscience Is a Soft Pillow! The C-16 and the UDP: no regrets, but disappointed… “We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.”(Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.) (“You see UDP does not have any regret in presenting Barrow as a candidate in 2016. UDP is only disappointed but has no regret,” Uncle Ousainou Darboe told the Press. “The hidden character of the individual is usually not known when they are looking for something. It is what they aspire for when they get there, then their latent characters are revealed, and I must tell you that as far as the UDP is concerned, Barrow is a prodigal son. He’s a prodigal son as far as we are concerned. And certainly, when you have a prodigal son and he gave it away, yes, you can only be told that he is your son but it doesn’t mean that we have imbued in him the quality and character that he exposes,” Darboe added.)
The Company You Keep: Some friends build you up, others tear you down. That’s true for people in influential positions as well. “Politics makes strange bedfellows,” they say, because a politician must work with people from various political factions, whether he or she admires them or not. “It is hard enough to deal with enemies, but far harder to face the fact of betrayal by a close friend or ally.” I, SB Sabally can better tell you that… “Maalong Jarjue is a Jola.” Smiles… My Granny has said, “Living alone is hundred times better than living with fake people who hates you but acts like loving you.”
Betrayed by a Friend: No Peace but Division: On Friday 22nd July 1994; the AFPRC Revolution came into being… (Luke 12:51-52) tells us “Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division. From now on there will be five in one family divided against each other, three against two and two against three.” And on Friday 27th January 1995; the head of the fish got stale and the entire fish went rotten: the prophesy “three against two and two against three,” became a reality; AFPRC split and disintegrated… “Two betrayed and in Detention Mile II Prisons…” Thank God, I came out of prison “Not Bitter But Better.” The rest is history.
There are always lurking enemies whom we may not know, but whom Allah knows. It is our duty to be ready against all, for the sacred Cause under whose banner we are fighting. If separation is inevitable, the parties should not throw mud at each other, but recognize what is right and honourable on a consideration of all the circumstances. To all and everybody, I will say; “If you lash out at others, be sure to hurt yourself. If you bite and devour one another, beware lest you be consumed by one another!” “We cannot trample upon the humanity of others without devaluing our own. The Igbo, always practical, put it concretely in their proverb “Onye ji onye n’ani ji onwe ya”: “He who will hold another down in the mud must stay in the mud to keep him down.”? Chinua Achebe,
The Gambian political situation is a very sad one. There was a man who hated a frog, but sees the frog in front of him and he decided to kick it like a ball, forgetting that “The one who kicks a frog forward has given it a good lift in its forward leap to the front.” (Proverb)
The higher he (H.E. Barrow) rose, the more prominent a political target he became. The Coalition-2016 (C-16) and particularly UDP resented his UDP background and political success (ambition for presidency). They begin to convince others that H.E. Adama deserves no honours. Their wishes and plots put him under political pressures to compromise his personal political faith, to fit in, to bend his principles; to make way for H.E. Ousanou Darboe. He refused. With Great Personal Courage: H.E. Barrow´s decision, as distasteful to the UDP/C-16, founded his break-away party, the NPP (National Peoples´ Party). Any one far from your parent political home (party) feels ostracized and lonely. The UDP said it has disowned him. The NPP said it had simply left the UDP. Until elected under a(n) NPP ticket on Saturday 04th December 2021, H.E. Barrow´s political roots stems from and still represents the UDP and C-16 Government. H.E. Adama Barrow is now caught in the jaws of brutal Partisan Tribalism Politics (PTP). H.E. President Adama Barrow is now in the Den of Political lions; “politically Kidnapped”. Even as President, H.E. Barrow remained a lonely outsider… His political life was always in danger. He is respectful and diligent, meek and not weak. Throughout his four years of PRESIDENCY, he laboured with great effectiveness and compensated the UDP (80-90% of key government positions (national and international) went to the UDP and Ousainou´s origin Town, Bansang). The records are there. (I know Ousainou is from the village of Dobong just across the River Gambia …). In a quick Flash Forward; H.E. Barrow would continue to feel stark opposition from the UDP Darboe camp even long after his presidency was successfully completed.
MEEK AND NOT WEAK: Most people consider meekness to weakness. In a world dominated by the strong—ruthless dictators, callous drug traffickers, envious State officers, insincere politicians, and powerful corporate leaders—no one wants to be the wimp everyone takes advantage of. But is that what it means to be meek? When Jesus said, “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth,”(Matt. 5:5) He was telling his followers to be submissive to God and willing to put their strength under His control. We also can be submissive to our governments and leaders. I am not advocating a spineless acceptance of life or a doormat mentality. Think of it this way: There is a wonderful cooperation between a powerful horse and its rider. An animal of tremendous size and strength, seven or eight times the weight of a man, submits itself to his master´s control. A horse may race, leap, turn, prance, or stand motionless at the rider´s slightest command. That´s strength under perfect control. And I think that defines the original meaning of meekness. If you think, meekness is weakness, try being meek for a week.
H.E. ADAMA/ADANIEL: The Holy-Bible gives no better model of how to live with and serve those who despise your good labour and don´t share or respect your political independence and believes. The UDP broke into two, each group different from the other. The UDP is ever divided; throwing The Gambia in a “dangerous political situation”… Gambians, let the visual hypocritical political games of insincere politicians engage your emotions and imagination. You can look at the “Lineup of Presidential Candidates for the 4th December 2021 Election”… So small a country and population; we have over ten political parties vying for the presidency. Are we to see another ´Coalition(s) again? These multitudes of insincere politicians believe in nothing good for the nation or her people “other than their own political party pledges.” (In Mandinka) Mballoo Faata Gambia-yeh! My Body Dies For The Gambia Wooooooo!
Source: freedom
