It’s either the tail wagging the head or dog biting man… National frenzy…Facebook hype…Indescribable dissipation of energy
Banjul Project, a colossal example of fiscal indiscipline: Not an eye brow raised
GACH’s involvement in all the many shady deals and the State’s complicity in the exploitation of her own people: not a finger raised
Milking of the national treasury: not even a shrill voice
Women and children dying due to lack or severe inadequacy of “life saving” equipment, tools or drugs: life moves care freely
Corruption and administrative malfeasance writ large: absolute apathy
Like a three day wonder, these matters which are killing the soul of the nation and destroying the future of posterity do not ignite even a flicker, not even a honourable mention in our discourses. They are not important to agitate us, to raise our “sugar” level, to worth our discussion….
In stead, we dissipate all our energies on the “minors”….A mispronunciation of a verse in the Holy Quran became the talk of the country for about a week… A simple correction from scholar could have sufficed. We could have all learned from it and moved on.
But no, we cast aspersions on the character of the person; we mocked and harangued and slandered…. And I bet until the mispronunciation of that verse, majority of the people who joined the chorus never knew about that verse. Thank Google they knew….
And fast forward to the last two weeks…. The National Human Rights Commission released its 2019 Report on the State of Human Rights in the Gambia.
In it the Commission recommended that the State PROTECTS the rights of LGBTs…. Without a second thought as to the import of the State’s OBLIGATION TO PROTECT, hell broke loose and the Commission came under fire and brimstone…. Protection suddenly became “We will never “decriminalize” or “legitimize” LGBT rights…ObLIGATION TO PROTECT became the same as OBLIGATION TO FULFILL….THe entire nation became hyped, was in hysteria….Understandable…. People felt religion and culture were under attack, even if erroneously….Imams, Priests, Political leaders, Who is Who, Who isn’t Who all made statements and sermons, condemning, disparaging and cursing…. Again understandable….
Nearly the same time as the LGBT rancorous debate was raging on, guess it still is, two important news hit the headlines: GACH involvement in mining, its nonpayment of dues owed to State and the State’s own complicity in the business; and the Finance Minister’s admission in the National Assembly of the financial disaster that the Banjul rehabilitation Project has become, a kind of financial albatross around the State’s neck.
These two stories, absolutely important for the survival of the country never worth the attention of our political leaders or intellectuals… No press statements were made about them, no press conferences called…. They were and still are non-issues for both the media and civil society Organizations…And I want to believe that corruption is a loathed behaviour in Islam…May be this Friday, today, our Imams will make sermons on it, may be…
So it perplexes me really about what agitates us as a nation, as a people who care about posterity, about the value system they have, about what they think is the purpose of the State..What seriously pricks our conscience? What issues really make us “angry” and are we really angry about the issues that should make us angry?
High maternal and infant morbidity and mortality; rampant corruption; administrative malfeasance; poor state of affairs; inadequacy or rather lack of needed equipment and tools in our hospitals; poor roads; erratic electricity supply; quality of education which leaves much to be desired; high unemployment amongst the youth; high poverty; etc. They don’t agitate us? Or rather we have not yet reached the point to be angry about them? What can really make us angry?
I know we are a religious people and none should attack our religion. “We will never tolerate that. Never”… But a religion that abhors injustice, corruption, inequality, filth, slander, dishonesty, and loves and teaches truth, honesty, excellent leadership, excellent management and very good life for its people expects to have adherents who are agitated about injustice corruption, dishonesty, and poor state of their emirate.
What really agitates us? Are we really agitated about what should agitate us?
May Allah forgives our trespasses. He is Raheem
