(JollofNews) – The presiding Bishop of the Methodist Church of the Gambia has used her meeting with President Yahya Jammeh to tell him the uncomfortable truth regarding the tense political climate in the country.
The Most Reverend Hannah Caroline Faal-Heim, said many people in the Gambia have been deeply hurt by President Jammeh and have singled him out for causing conflict among people and in the country.
“They say you are diving us. Please you know, I know this it is painful… but they say that you have the guns and you are determined to use it against your own people,” she told Mr Jammeh at the meeting held at State House on 19th December, which was attended by Muslim and Christian leaders following Mr Jammeh’s rejection of the election result.
According to an audio recording of the meeting leaked on Facebook, Reverend Faal-Heim, who is also the chairperson of the Gambia Christian Council said the Gambia is going through a very painful time and Gambians are very angry with Mr Jammeh:
“I want to ask your permission to speak truthfully and plainly to you because I see you as a brother because we are all Gambians. I have not come here as the chair of the Gambia Christian Council. In fact many people told me not to come here today, and all of us not to come because people are so angry with you,” she told Mr Jammeh.
“I seek your permission with deep respect [to speak] because the nation has been going through a very painful time. I don’t know whether many people tell you, but you know they tell me that I should not tell you because I will be in trouble. But I know that you prefer the truth. That you prefer people to pray for you and we both have been praying for you, even if we get in trouble is because we love you and the Christian truth that we stand for.
She added: “Love God first with all your heart, mind soul, strength, everything and love your neighbour like yourself. That is what has brought us here today. And I come not as a chair of the Gambia Christian Council but I have come because I am a member of the Gambia Christian Council and I come as a servant of the Living God whom I serve and whom whose heart I want to follow all my life.
“And that’s why I have come with the others. We have come because you are our president no matter what. And we feel that we have to come and hear you speak. And we thank you that you have done that. And we hear you and the reconciliation that you have talked about.
“Sir, there are people who are deeply hurt. They say that it is you who is causing the conflict among the people and in the country. They say you are diving us. Please you know, I know it is painful for me to sit here and tell you and that’s why I asked for your permission. But they say that you have the gun and you are determined whatever will come you will use it against your own people.”
Reverend Faal-Heim who is the first woman bishop in West Africa added: ” I am telling you Sir because they say you will lock me up if I speak the truth. I don’t believe that you would but as a servant of a Living God, I come here with the love of Christ in me to tell you that your people, the people – you are part of us because this is Gambia and Gambia must be one. We must be one. We must all work for Gambia.
“And they say that now the election took place, you never had any intention of stepping down. You have conceded but you will not accept the results, you will not help the nation to have a smooth transition and you will be prepared to even fight and put the guns on the street to stay in power in the Gambia.
“Sir this are painful things for all of us. Painful for me to sit here and tell you but the people must talk because they must believe and trust you again as they use to trust you. They don’t feel trust and they said the only place you can hear them is through the ballot box. Because they are afraid to tell you the pain that this nation feel. Everybody is feeling it and we don’t want outsiders from ECOWAS to come and tell us how we can be together as Gambians because every Gambian must be good for this nation.
“They are afraid. Some of the people said they loved you and you were their friend but you have been dividing the people and they no longer want to stand there because they don’t understand you. It’s a new you. Sir, these are painful words for me to sit here and tell you because I respect you deeply and no matter what anyone would say, I know today, they will even have names for me but I am a servant of the Living God before whom I stand, who called me to serve Him in this capacity as presiding Bishop of the Gambia.
“And I am presiding Bishop of every Gambian, no matter what you look like or who you are. My job is to pray for the nation and to pray for all people. That’s my work. It is not politics and to bring the love of God to everyone and every day we pray for you, the whole nation, every person, every farmer, every market woman, everybody including every soldier. But they pray that you will not raise your hand against the people you say you love and that we don’t need outsiders to come and give us a smooth transition after the election. Because you yourself said, I follow the will of Allah, I follow the will of the people.
“Sir, they want to honour you but I want to appreciate that I can come and dare to speak to you as a servant of the Living God and not fearing that you might be angry with me and even turn against me. I will rather that you get so crushed with me but I will bring it to you because the people love you and we love you. You are my brother in the Gambia. I mean that will never change.
“The Gambia belong to us. We were born here and every Gambian must feel that they must be part of the Gambia and work for the Gambia. We cannot be divided as a people and we cannot invite outsiders to divide us even further. What I am saying is, the people said that it is you who is going to make all the fighting because you don’t want to handover, smooth transition, and allow a democratic process and to stand again for an election and come back again.
“[Do] you know how many people are crying Sir because they are feeling this pain?. So yes, some people are rejoicing and they say rejoice with those who rejoice but mourn with those who mourn.
“Sir, I cannot tell you what to do but you have the fear of God in you because you always talk about Allah, your relationship with Allah and I know you say you don’t fear anyone and that’s is fair because what can mortals do for us? Our confidence must be in God.
“So sir, I am coming here today despite every odds or whatever and I don’t care what anyone is going to say. I am here and thank you for giving me the platform of speaking what you might never hear from anybody else – but that you need to hear and I realise that it is painful because you have loved this nation.
It is painful to hear but God is our healer. It is God who heals nations. We can go and talk to the people about forgiveness and peace. It is God who changes the hearts of man and women. It is God in His mercy who forgives us everyday that calls us to forgive one and another.
“Sir, I don’t have anything to give you. I only have God and a brotherly love that you are a Gambian like me. I have nothing to give you but the people, the people are there Sir. Even if they smiled to you, they will not show you their heart, but they are upset and angry and they say that its only you who can make the transition go smoothly. If you choose not to, you will bring in the guns on the streets of the Gambia but we pray to Almighty God that, that will not happen.”
Speaking earlier, Mr Jammeh told the religious leaders that Gambians have been enjoying uninterrupted peace and stability for the past 22 years of his leadership. He decried that some of his supporters have been insulted and harassed by opponents after the initial election results were announced.
He added that his initial acceptance of defeat demonstrated his unflinching loyalty and love for the country’s peace and stability. He said he would not allow anyone to plunge the country into civil war, thus enjoined all and sundry to refrain from acts that could threaten national peace and stability.
Wow, what a BRAVE woman. So this is why Information Minister Sheriff Bojang – middle of picture in black suit and tie – cut out the audio of the brave woman’s speech when this was aired on GRTS! Truth will out indeed. Amadou Samba, does not have this woman’s balls, he has to run to Dakar to send his “resign” letter to Jammeh via online media – no wonder Sedia Bayo made him cry like a baby!
Surely Jammeh MUST agree to leave peacefully now that NO-ONE (except Sheriff Bojang and one or two others) want him. Please GO, Sir, and save Gambia bloodshed.
Why are you all wishing Jammeh to leave? If he has any balls between his legs, let him stay until the 19th and then we will witness the real coward that he is. He will be abandoned by his closes friends like a dirty underwear. Please stay, please stay, please stay! Because i would love to pay and see you behind bars. You think that the Gambia owes you, because you WISELY used its wealth to enriched yourself – not knowing that it is because of the Gambia, you were able to easily hijack cocaine and distribute them around the world hiding behind your diplomatic immunity, no checks and balances – to enrich yourself. The educated fools that support you, should simply ask themselves, how come you became so rich 1- Your salary cannot earn you such wealth 2- As a president you cannot be in business that benefit you and not the people that you are serve 3- As a president, who gives you the mandate to decide, how people should live their lives. I can keep going on, but nothing is worse than trying to talk sense to an active ignorant – Euripides once states that “talk sense to a fool and he calls you foolish”. Jammeh has repeatedly nurtured his stupidity, and all these selfless Gambians see is wisdom. For this reason they will ALL PAY. Time will tell.
I don’t think jammey has any idea what time it is, but any leader that thinks we still in the 80s or 90s doesn’t have a clue what is going on. Gaddafi before you met his brutal fate so also any mordan day tyrants.
I believe you love your mother and daughter why would you let them go through this? History is not forgiving especially in today’s world. Whatever you decide to do ,nobody will beg you to vacate the seat of the Gambia government but remember the likes of you in Rat hole (Saddam). So think twice, think it over before you plunge that peaceful country into caps.
“…every Gambian must be good for Gambia…”
This Godly Lady of honour have really hammered the message home well; only that I would like to borrow the phrase in her honour that “…every human must be good for humanity in general…” is what religion & humanity is all about; for ensuring peaceful harmonious coexistence & progressive prosperity for humanity advancement…
EVIL yaya DEVIL kanilai Lucifer/IBLIZ(A) can stay until 19th January as John Smith rightly observed, & see who the pretentious Coward would be; the Gambia is ALREADY liberated from December 1st elections; THERE’S NO TURNING BACK; DEVIL yaya & ANYBODY else in doubt can stand in the way of the peasantry Gambians with the whole wide world alongside in solidarity with & see what would happen…
Dida, you weren’t only in “full agreement with” me alone but with all Decent Gambians & rest of humanity world over, for the ending of the Dark (22 Years) Ages EVER, in the annals of our decent history; even in this 21st century…?
God bless Gambia; Ameen…
Yes Bajaw, I have listened to the Good Rev Hannah again today on UTUBE and one famous speech came to mind:
Dr King’s I HAVE A DREAM TODAY – the night before he was killed.
This brave Lady knew the danger and said it to Jammeh, to his face. As jammeh tried to stop her she insisted, firmly but politely – and then continued to tell Jammeh exactly how it is. “You have the gun, you have put it on the streets and your are ready to use it against your won people”.
Her words must go down in the annals of Gambian History – God Bless Her.
I was raised to respect my elders – But I will never respect an Elder who tarnish their integrity for selfish purpose. How many kids were assinated by Jammeh at a protest and no one said a thing, people keep going missing – no one said a thing, But finally after fearless Oppressed Gambians start defying the norm, these Elder have the nerves to tell Jammeh the truth. How can Jammeh respect or even listen to individual that have no moral principles. As the famous quote of paster Niemoller rightly implies –
“First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out— Because I was not a Socialist.
Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out— Because I was not a Trade Unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—Because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me”.
This has been the situation for the past 22yrs, and everyone kept quiet. Speaking out earlier would have averted the situation right now. When Jammeh is caught and brought to justice, we don’t want to see any Elder beakering about leniency or trying to preach to us about what God said in the Quran and Bible. Keep your preaching to your congregation, because it is you the Elders that have failed us. They failed us when Jawara was around, then Jammeh, and now Barrow – Please keep to yourselves and let’s run our democracy, the democratic way – Separation of religion and state.
Well put John Smith – You only have to look at places like Saudi to see what happens when you combine the two. The Most Reverend Hannah Caroline Faal-Heim is indeed a very brave lady – I bet he as not expecting that – mind you he ought to be used to it from his wife – I don’t expect she minces her words when she is pissed off with him – then off he must go and bring her some more jewellery and a holiday flight to USA paid for by the citizens of the Gambia who have barely enough food to eat. Personally I never trust a country leader who is fat while his citizens are hungry!
Well whether he chooses to leave or not, that is his own headache. If he chooses to leave how will he be punished for the attrocities he committed in the last 20 years? When everybody was warning Gbagbo in Ivory coast to leave, he ignored every body because he needs to suffer. When he was arrested, he was dragged around like a common prisoner.
Now that the blood of the innocent is crying vengeance against him, his cup is full and he has to be punished too.
West African forces be on the alert, if by 19th he refuses to hand over, overrun the country and bring him to Nigeria as a prisoner. We have prisons waiting to host him.
Concerning your president elect, I hope that after assuming power, he will not also turn a despotic leader like most of the leaders in Africa.
Concerning the Bishop, God will bless and protect her against such lunatics in power.
Why the hell does this lunatic have to be hosted by another African state he belongs in prison. Amazing how these African leaders run to the rescue of their friends now he has to go to another African state get a nice mansion at the expense of the taxpayers to enjoy his ill gotten wealth. That shouldn’t happen let him have justice the African leaders should know that they can’t kill harass steal from their citizens and get away with it.