The TRRC is, in my view, the “best thing”, paradoxically writing, that has happened to The Gambia. We wouldn’t be knowing the truth, hard as it is to come to terms with.
It is forcing me to search deeply in my soul, to understand why a nation and people who prided themselves as godly and god fearing, as the “Smiling Coast of Africa”, tolerated or endured or accepted or resigned to the brutality, cruelty, violations, untold sufferings some of her own children and their own blood and kin endured. The snakes hissed where the pigeons sang.
Our “chastity” was fake; our godliness wasn’t godly; the love we professed for each was plastic and untrue. Before our eyes, our innocence was raped, plundered, exploited and ravaged and some of us were complicit in the abuse and rape.
The TRRC provides us the opportunity, as a nation, to engage in serious soul searching, to understand why it tumbled to ignominy and witnessed a barbarity unparalleled in its history and to learn from this past. Are we learning from this past?
So far my take are:
That there were men who, at cost to life and limb and without regards to tribe or language but with blood of human kindness in them, provided succor and solace to the victims.
That still serving our nation and living on our taxes are men who are being named as those who allegedly perpetrated the worst kinds of torture on our people and bear the greatest responsibility for the crimes.
That the scars are still deep, fresh and hurting and the “collateral damages” to the families of victims remain heavy, costly and psychologically devastating.
That if “Never Again” is to become an enduring pillar of the state and if “the truth shall set us free”, then respect for human rights and strengthening of good governance and the rule of law must have the highest pride of place in our governance.
That if our future is to be better than our past, then every person must have the courage of his or her conviction to stand for the truth, to always stand for what is right and do what is right according to his or her conscience, to always defend the truth.
Hearing is in earnest in the TRRC Chambers and is just too early to conclude the guilt of the named or accused perpetrators of abuses.Therefore as much as we are all shocked about the gushing revelations unfolding at every sitting,patience must be exercised to allow the final recommendations of the commissioners.
Mr. Baldeh,
Without waiting for the conclusions, it is very clear that the ideals of the coup were betrayed on the day of the announcement of the coup itself. As according to Sait Darboe and other corroborating evidences, the chairmanship of the Junta was hijacked, when Sana Sabally pulled a Gun and unilaterally declared Jammeh Chairman and in return himself as vice- chairman.
That gives a clue why 11. November 1994 had to be staged to rid of with Lt. Basiru Barrow.
And I don’t want to Sound medieval ethnic scaremonger here, but there is an enduring thread that raised its head on July 22nd Takeover and ran the Course until Jammeh’s exit. This thread was the unimaginable hate exhibited By Jammeh and likeminded People around him towards People of Mandinka origin.
I think TRRC will inevitably conclude that many of the extra-judicial killings were ethnically motivated.
And I agree that people like Mr. Badgie should not be serving this govt at this material hour or ever after – until he is totally and ineqivocally cleared off complicity in murder.
This is a disgrace and a recipe for instability in the Armed Forces and the Country at large. An incriminated high-ranking soldier in Jammeh circle should not be advising a democratically elected president.
Absolutely true, but hang on a minute! Who do you blame for this situation: Barrow or the entire Government (Executive)? People in Cabinet, who disagree with what’s happening should resign. Otherwise, they are as culpable as the Chief Executive himself, more so, if they are his Number Two. Won’t you agree?
So you are asking Darboe to resign? I think not. He is serving the country not a person. He should remain and fulfill the tasks assigned to him with the best of his ability.
Indeed, it would be change changer if Barrow starts ordering extrajudicial killings or arbitrary arrest or other dramatic moves towards dictatorship. We are not yet there… hopefully not.
Momodou Badgie’s involvements in the horrors of Jammeh terror, at least for public knowledge, is emerging/evolving and at the end will destroy non other than Barrow.
No, I’m not saying Darboe should resign. All I’m observing is that decisions of the executive, even if taken by one individual, carry collective responsibility.
Thus, everyone is duty bound to defend those decisions whenever challenged. That’s why officials in advance democracies resign their positions when they are unable to defend such decisions, for whatever reasons.
So, let’s not pretend that only Barrow is to be held accountable for the presence of top Jammeh officials in this government. All of them should be held accountable. That’s my point.
I’m sure Momodou Badjie, Mam Buray Njie, Tangara, Abdoulie Bojang, Tombong Jatta, etc will all claim they were serving country; not individual, if asked.
How do we make the distinction?
It will be very unfair if the revelations from the commission(s) destroy only Barrow. After all, they are ALL in it together.
Hearing should be in earnest but the author’s concerns also are troubling enough to be noteworthy. It is amazing seeing people who ran errands in the deep Jammeh inner circles are playing an advisory role in the present administration. Why are very important appointments in senior public offices not confirmed by the NA? Do they indeed confirmed appointments because they are obliged to after accepting the mysterious vehicles gifts?
Contenders to senior public offices in these times should to be summoned by the NA to be tested in order to be confirmed or rejected. That shouldn’,t have anything to do with what may transpire at the TRRC.
Hearing should be in earnest but the author’s concerns also are troubling enough to be noteworthy. It is amazing seeing people who ran errands in the deep Jammeh inner circles are playing an advisory role in the present administration. Why are very important appointments in senior public offices not confirmed by the NA? Do they indeed confirm appointments because they are obliged to after accepting the mysterious vehicles gift?
Contenders to senior public offices in these times should to be summoned by the NA to be tested in order to be confirmed or rejected. That shouldn’t have anything to do with what may transpire at the TRRC.
Kinteh (Kemo), while I do agree with some of your positions on this and other media, I’ve become, of late, genuinely concerned about the semblance of ambivalence in your defense of Ousainou Darboe.
Frankly, I don’t know that you can speak to Darboe’s thought process, inclination or allegiances even where you were acting as “spokesperson”. Frankly I do not see the UDP and Ousainou as one and the same thing and neither should you. Or else the party will ultimately be irredeemably tainted.
The Gambia is clearly in a state of flux at this moment in time and one would be prone to shooting oneself in the foot in the attempt to come out in defense of leadership that’s at best in a state of quandary!
To be credible you must always bear in mind that this is a forum of peers that will not leave partisan and politically motivated offerings unchallenged. We’d be doing each other utter disservice where we show little effort to undertake a modicum of peer evaluation.
Be true to yourself Kemo.
Andrew, I am not sure what you exactly mean By “semblance of ambivalence” in my defense of Darboe.
And if you could elaborate why I am not myself? do you think perhaps I am being reluctantly pushed to the udp corner?