By Abdoulie Mam Njie
In my earlier reflections, including “Mediocrity and Excellence: A Quiet Crisis in Our Society”, I examined how the erosion of respect for excellence weakens institutions and dulls national ambition. This essay extends that reflection by confronting a more troubling reality. In many societies, including The Gambia, success itself often becomes a source of suspicion rather than encouragement. Achievement does not always invite goodwill. Quite often, it provokes hostility.
Success casts light, and where light appears, it inevitably creates shadows among those unsettled by its clarity.
The successful are often targeted because their achievements expose insecurity, challenge false authority, and reveal truths that some would rather keep hidden. Those driven by resentment rarely assess success objectively. Instead of asking how progress was achieved or what lessons can be learned, they reduce achievement to surface appearances and pass judgment without understanding context, struggle, or sacrifice.
This failure of objectivity is neither new nor accidental. Kwame Nkrumah captured it powerfully when he observed: “Those who would judge us merely by the heights we have achieved would do well to remember the depths from which we started.” This quote, displayed at the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park and Museum in the centre of Accra, remains a timeless reminder of how easily outcomes are judged while journeys are ignored.
This insight explains why success unsettles some people. It does more than distinguish one individual. It exposes contrasts that demand self-reflection. For those burdened by insecurity or fear of comparison, another person’s progress can feel like a threat rather than an inspiration. Judgment becomes selective, empathy disappears, and objectivity is replaced by resentment.
A Wolof saying reminds us that true excellence cannot be concealed. No matter how carefully it is covered, its presence eventually reveals itself. This inevitability is precisely what troubles those who thrive on distortion. Rather than respond with fairness, they construct narratives designed to diminish, distract, or discredit.
This reaction is not only social. It is deeply spiritual. The Qur’an teaches that success is both a blessing and a test of character for the one elevated, and a test of sincerity for those who witness it. Those whom Allah elevates often attract resistance because their integrity and competence expose what others may wish to conceal. Prophet Yusuf (peace be upon him) was betrayed by his own brothers out of jealousy. Prophet Musa (peace be upon him) faced opposition because truth challenged false authority. Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) endured relentless hostility because his moral clarity threatened injustice and the abuse of power. Their experiences reveal a timeless pattern. When excellence stands firm, it often meets resistance.
This pattern is not theoretical. I have witnessed it in my own professional life. There were moments when honest work and visible results generated unease rather than support. In some cases, that discomfort took the form of whispered narratives and quiet attempts to undermine credibility. These experiences were painful, not because the stories carried truth, but because they revealed how threatening integrity can appear when it casts an unwelcome light. Yet they also reinforced a deeper lesson of faith. As the Qur’an reminds us, “They plan, but Allah is the best of planners” (Surah Al-Anfaal, 8:30). In every instance, His protection proved stronger than human schemes.
What occurs at the individual level often repeats itself at the national level. In workplaces and institutions across The Gambia, capable and principled individuals are sometimes isolated or questioned, not because they have failed, but because they have performed their duties with diligence. The danger is not neglect alone, but active targeting. When competence is treated as a threat, institutions suffer, reform stalls, morale declines, and public trust erodes.
History offers a sobering lesson. Societies decline not only when excellence is ignored, but when it is punished. Once capable people are sidelined or attacked, decay begins quietly from within. Civilisations have weakened themselves when jealousy and fear replaced merit, integrity, and fairness.
Spiritual wisdom reminds us that honour belongs to Allah alone. He protects the sincere, elevates the patient, and defends those who remain committed to truth and service. A society that targets its most capable citizens undermines its own future. A society that protects integrity strengthens its resilience.
The achievements of those who serve with sincerity may be challenged, doubted, or resisted, but they leave marks that time and hostility cannot erase. With faith, patience, and clarity of purpose, excellence continues to illuminate the way forward.
In the end, the successful are often targeted not because they have done wrong, but because their integrity, competence, and visibility expose truths that others would rather avoid. In recognising this truth, we honour both human effort and divine wisdom, and take a necessary step toward building a society where success is not feared, integrity is protected, and excellence is embraced as a national asset rather than treated as a threat.
