Is Sir Dawda Jawara Among The Successful African Leaders?
If you ask ten people what is their definition of a successful leader?, you will certainly get ten different definitions. I know the Jammenkundas will define a successful leader as one who can provide three course meals for everyone.
Invariably successful leadership qualities are extensive and varied from different perspectives, however, in my opinion, a more progressive definition encompasses advancing the socio-economic, educational, health and environment and living standard of nations. My concept of leaders here means, heads of nation countries concentrated on African leaders from time of independence to date.
People have different yardstick to measure successful leaders or leadership and their qualities that made them successful in lifting the condition of their people from humble beginning to become an economic and perhaps technological success. From abject poverty to appreciable standard of living, weaned their countries from dependence on others to a sustainable and economically viable nation.
Some common leadership qualities that good Presidents appear to have include the following:
- A strong vision for the country’s future. …
- An ability to put their own times in the perspective of history.
- Effective communication skills.
- The courage to make unpopular decisions.
- Crisis management skills.
- Character and integrity.
To borrow Michael Hast phrases in his book, the 100 most influential leaders:
My choice of Muhammad to lead the list of the world’s most influential persons may surprise some readers and may be questioned by others, but he was the only man in history who was supremely successful on both the religious and secular levels
PROFESSOR JULES MASSERMAN stated.. “what we are really looking for in the man, the qualities that sets him apart”…..
He says that “leaders must fulfil three functions – -” and I quote two here for relevance.
THE LEADER MUST PROVIDE FOR THE WELL-BEING OF
THE LEAD …
THE LEADER OR WOULD BE LEADER MUST PROVIDE A
SOCIAL ORGANIZATION IN WHICH PEOPLE FEEL
RELATIVELY SECURE …
Management theorist stated, good leadership qualities are
- Honesty and Integrity. …
- Inspire Others. …
- Commitment and Passion. …
- Good Communicator. …
- Decision-Making Capabilities. …
- …
- Delegation and Empowerment. …
- Creativity and Innovation.
Before I proceed let me make the following statement or fact about every person, a mortal.
- There is no apparent superiority attached to any person except for his or her righteousness, substance of character and benefit to fellow humans and non-humans.
- That the pinnacle of wisdom is knowing oneself that you are mortal. Ibn Tamiyah raahimahullah pointed out, how can he be arrogant, he who came from two passages of filth, that of a man and a woman.
- That everyone come naked and shall go naked. With nothing of wealth and other resources.
As beautifully demonstrated by a sage, when he was resting on the roadside. People pass by him, they greet and revere him except one poor man. He asked the poor man why he did not respect and greet him like the others did, did he not recognise him and his response was a bid bloody shock, the poor unassuming man was apparently insulting but what came out of his mouth was a priceless gem and the reality of every person, leader or the led, rich or poor.
He replied yes:
” I recognise you more than you recognise yourself, I recognise you for what you are, a human being like me, one of the sons of Adama , and Adama was from the earth. I know that your beginning was a filthy fluid and your end will be dead carcass and between these two periods you were a vessel or a vehicle carrying filth”.
The sage replied “you truly know me more than I know myself and more than these people who revered and glorify me.
Folks our leaders are our appointed guides but not lords over us and if anything, they are our servants. We should not mystify them but respect them as our leaders, when they performed well we congratulate them and when they err, we correct them in a respectable manner.
Which African Leader can be described as successful
The type of leaders we choose may well determine the type of society we reside and the direction the country takes.
So far, Africa can point to few leaders with admiration and nostalgia. Few leaders have inspired us and have ruled with distinction, sincerity and honesty since end of colonial rule.
In developmental and socio-economic prism and the dispensation of justice and fair play, it is ironical that Africa continue to wait in anticipation for highly successful leader who embody all the attributes of successful leader.
Why folks, with all educational achievements and experiences of Africans and we have not been blessed with very successful leaders in the calibre of Muhathir Muhammad of Malaysia, Lee Kuan Yew of Singapore who were imbued with a high sense of national call, understands the economics and political ramifications of steering a country to the realm of development worthy admiration all over the wrold.
Education, skill training, enterprise, infrastructure, democratic expedience, health and environment all combined neatly in the vision and personal chemistry of one leader. This is rear gem which for decades eluded Africa. She had some good leaders who had shots at these qualities but were either cut short by imperialist machinations, IMF/World Bank impediments, lack of populist’s instincts or in touch with realities of their people.
I will touch on few post-colonial African hero-leaders meaning presidents who were celebrated for their distinguishing achievements.
After we kick out colonialist, we continue to be begging for economic, financial and technological help from them. Even basic medicine and many manufactured are still heavily imported from the same colonialist we thought are no good for us. We are still begging them to employ us, to accept us as immigrants in their countries to the extent we risk our lives to reach their shores. An Indian man was asked, why do you sell sub-standard medicine to African politicians, you are helping corruption and exploitation of Africa masses. He said.
We have different grades of medicines, cheap and expensive. African politicians, ministers, pharmacist chose sub-standard medicine, so we have no right to obliged them not to because they are very corrupt.
The final answer made me cry. He said “what stopped them from making their own medicine”. They are the only people who can’t make their own stuff. This is food for thought.
The leaders I chose are:
Kwame Nkruma of Ghana
Very good leader but not quite successful. A great Pan-Africanist to the detriment of his leadership. He achieved a lot on the educational arena but was very philosophical, not much in touch with realities and aspirations of his people and underestimated his opponents. Little infrastructural development to show for. An orator and populist per excellence. Gave great boost to education and even encourage learning nuclear physics. He was overthrown by CIA using Colonel Afrifa, Kofi Busia, General Ankara and General Acheampong.
Jomo Kenyatta of Kenya
Hmmm good leader, populist and had good vision but poor on delivery. Surrounded by vultures like Arab Moi. His vice one time president, Obinga Odinga was a pragmatist but bit tribal. Did well in terms of infrastructure and education but not all encompassing.
Julius Nyerre of Tanzania
Just like Kenyata, Great visionary but poor on development and economic empowerment. Lacked in developing technologies to exploit rich minerals resources. More of a socialist.
MORE RECENT AFRICAN LEADERS
Murtala Muhammad of Nigeria
Had the combination of all the traits of an exemplary leader and successful leader destined to succeed but very carefree especially with his security. Noticed early as pioneer but cut short by imperialist and local ethnocentric power struggle. Within a period of six months, he managed to change the direction of Nigeria beyond imagination only to be killed needlessly.
Thomas Sankara Bukina Faaso
Great guy and visionary per excellence. Acutely cognizant of world power play, economic and political land scape. Made a brilliant start and knew exactly what needed to be done to move his country forward. He was too trusting of the people around him and was late to realise the impact of his economic measures against the economic interest of colonial master, France, who for very obvious reasons may have instigated his murder. It has been reported that Sankara was warned about the wicked activities of his friend Blais Campaore but he was too trusting and couldn’t imagine betrayal from such a close friend and relative.
MANDELA of South Africa
Hmmm difficult one, the Great one, conscientious, truthful, honest, engaging populists but little developmental substance. More of personal style and Charisma. The black people continue to wallow in poverty and lawlessness. His score on education, skill development for the majority black, housing, infrastructure, my guess is as good as anyone’s guess but overall not a proud legacy, in terms of socio-economic transformation, especially for the black majority. Thabo Mbeki was just a continuation of Mandela’s leadership
J J Rawlings of Ghana
Usurped power by the gun and when to win election in an allegedly dubious and none level playing field. He did improve education and infrastructure but largely failed to inspire profound socio-economic transformation.
His plus was handing over power without bloodshed in a democratic dispensation.
Paul Kigameeee!!! An epitome of new African Leadership
Although came through the barrel of the gun and presided over a genocide. Indeed, evidently complicit in the acclaimed genocide, made the impossible become possible by sheer courage, determination, foresight, great understanding of world socio economic political land scape with a non-philosophical exuberance.
He is one I salute and admired. If he can mend the wounds of genocide and carry both ethnic groups along that will be a great bonus.
There are many African leaders I did not mention out of the desire to make this article short.
There were:
Patrice Lumumber, Amilcar Gabral, Sam Nujoma, Samora Michael, Dr Kaunda, Sir Siaka Stevens, Abubacar Tafa Belewa, Amadou Bello, Leopold Sidar Senghore, Saikou Touray, Ahmad Ahidjo and our own D K JAWARA. Olusegun Obasanjo, Ado and Mahama
Sir Dawda Jawara Of The Gambia
Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara was a great leader per se. A democrat and to certain extent human right champion. On Education, skills training, health and infrastructure, economic development and empowerment, visionary leadership, no, not a very proud history to be frank
He was too soft and failed to rein in on official corruption, waste and economic marginalization of the majority. Through out his rule, economic and administrative activity was concentrated largely within the purview of Banjul, his in-laws city and his city.
Nearly all development projects, RDP1 and 11. IBAS, etc failed woefully to achieve objectives. We lived to pay the exorbitant loans while those who squandered those funds exhilarate with effrontery.
Conspicuously, nearly all top positions, Permanent secretaries, Directors of departments, Auditor and Accountant Generals, remained the exclusive domain of Bajulians and those who meandered around that community for 33 years.
Although his ministers were from relatively diverse background, it can be excusably viewed that his ministerial setup been predominated by one section of the community yet economic and administrative power lies somewhere. Inconsequentially in the last five-years of his rule, there appears to some extent, some shift in the distribution of economic power.
You can count the number of people of provincial extract among the top officials on your fingers. No hospital and no new high schools built in 33 years of his government. All were either a colonial remnant or built my other entities.
With plenty of fresh water, a navigable river, plenty arable land yet we imported basic foods stuff like rice, oil, onion and tomatoes.
Very little manufacturing and poor public transport and urban congestion and unacceptable rate of unemployment. A lot of dissatisfaction which led to military takeover.
He never had any tangible succession plan and no wonder when he demanded to hand over power, there were a lot of selfish hoo and ha and he ironically rewarded those ministers who begged him to stay put. Was he sincere in Mansa Konko, not at all in my mind. If he had pass power to his successor peacefully, there might not have been any need for coup d’tre. The military would have had it harder to overthrow a changed government with changed new loyalties in place. B B Darboe, the successor apparent would have steered the PPP government on a great developmental trajectory.
Same choices will yield the same results.
We Africans cannot afford to repeat the same mistakes over and over for donkey years and expect different results.
As a poet lamented, “O Ahmed the road to Irbil is to the north, you are heading to Basra in the south”.
How long shall we continue to vote into power people who don’t empathise with important domestic issues that are of great concern to us. Leaders who love the glitter of office but not the responsibilities of office. Leaders with Mansa mentality when they are actually voted to serve.
Who is more important, the one who vote you to power after convincing them that you are the fittest person to serve
If during election, our leaders campaigned very hard for us to accept them to serve us and we give them authority to do so, who is more important.
If Africans want to move forward we must choose our leaders wisely on the basis of their abilities, character and right qualifications(not paper qualifications), not on the basis of tribe, kabilo, kunda or other insignificant and sentimental considerations.
Our leaders on assuming office take oath of office which seem to have religious connotation.
In the swearing box our leaders swear before God with a holy book in hand, meaning they are making God a witness that what they are about to swear to, is done with truth and sincerity. That they honestly, with conviction accept the 3Fs (Faithfully, without Fear and Favour discharging their duties). Implying that the oath will be the driving force and point of reference for all their decisions in their administration and in the discharge of their responsibilities.
Now if a leader take such a solemn oath and accept to be judged by those sacred precepts then is it unfair that when they stand before God on the day of judgement, they are held accountable to those 3Fs.
Is it unfair for us judge our leaders base on the responsibilities they swore to fulfil and which they vehemently begged us to elect them to do.
Leaders come and go but the legacy or the impact they make stays in the annals of history and in minds of their people for generations.
Africa must generate good leaders to move our countries forward. We need leaders who have good understanding of how the world works, leaders with exemplary character who are not dedicated to building a personal empires and wealth. Leaders who don’t sleep with full stomach while the masses go hungry, have uninterrupted water and electricity supply while the majority sleep in darkness, whose children have the best of education, the best of everything while the children of those who put them in power wallow in abject poverty.
Leader whose wives put on the most expensive clothes and most expensive jewellery while our wives and mothers are contented with cheap fantinyo and waxo.
Leaders who are not preoccupied with scheming, planning, strategizing how to maintain their power, control the people and hardly think of succession plan to hand over power voluntarily when they cannot effectively and diligently manage the affairs of their nations.
Leader who waste our resources on expensive and unworthy travels with big delegations, including wives and relatives are not the ones we can remotely refer to as successful but those who waste our resolves needlessly by stealth.
We need leaders who are concerned with our plight and dedicated to honestly and effectively deploy our resources in ways that improve life for the many not the few. Work to improve transport and communication infrastructure; descent water and electricity supply for the entire country; so that Africa leap forward to takes its place in the club of nations that administer justice and fairness for all plus descent standard of living so that we don’t become unwanted immigrants in other people’s land.
When shall we have such successful leaders and what is your definition of a successful leader and who were/are they in the African continent.
Lamin Darboe, Leicester
UK
Mr Darboe, I’m aware that you do not take criticism kindly as you mostly see objective criticism as an attack on your person.
I am also aware that English may not be your first language and that you may not be fluent in other Gambian languages except for your mother tongue.
What I do observe is that you are a good listener that is quick to pick up on ideas and concepts to further elaborate on topics.
However, where you aspire to be a youth leader, you must be thoughtful, show tact, patience and count on context to inform your decisions. I do not imply here that there’s the tendency to embellish your narratives but instead wish to point out that thorough research for the object of getting more meat on the bone and to refresh your knowledge of subjects, data and events is invaluable.
You must also invite friends, that may be more resourceful in writing, to be your sounding board and also help in editing your articles for congruence. Otherwise, while you mean well, your writing can be difficult to follow and readers may feel weary at the end of the piece.
Your friends may have been hinting at an issue when they mentioned to you that they needed a dictionary to follow the article. Take that as worthy advice from friends that mean well my brother. And yes, I know, we meet again Marshallah.
Andrei
Thanks for the constructive critism. While I don’t agree with all your observations, I look forward to improving my myself. Management science we called it “Continuous Business Process management ” of or improvement. You have always misdiagnosed my persona that’s why begin to have the feeling that you may know by brother or Gunjur but you don’t know me.
Perhaps let me clarify a bit.
I have no desire to be a youth leader or leader of any kind, my mission is to get close to my RABB and help others to get better because Allah endowed me so much beyond my immediate need.
I have been made president of of Gambia Leicester Association and I resigned, I been asked to be Finance and account Committee for Gunjur Development Association and I declined, I was chairman of Gambia Business Association and I resigned. I have been offered to act as Accountant for Global Hands and I declined. I am not a person who seek recognition since at High school. Just want to be a normal person without responsibilities of any organisation on my shoulders. Bro my life revolves arround my kids, mosque and my profession to the extent I refused to work for big accounting firms or for anyone big company, just contented with my accounting partnership and my busineses.
I recognise constructive critism when I see one but recognise caricature when I read one.
Life is short, I can’t afford to store thought of what people say about me in my mind and sleep over it. You are right I hardly go over my article thoroughly to weed out synyax and grammatical errors but I will start doing that inshallah. I do see some in your postings as well especially coherence and depth but I know the articles are not academic papers. It is out of hobby I write. My main hobby is memorizing Qur’an.
In life I love consistency in applying my thoughts and stand for justice at all time while not forgetting my Obligations to my Deen and my Rabb. I hate hunting with the hounds and subsequently playing with the rabbits.
Thanks.
Andrei
I find this sentence to incorrect
“However, where you aspire to be a youth leader, you must be thoughtful, “
Again, to my point that you don’t take criticism kindly but instead want to go all out to needlessly rebut observations point by point.
I will leave it to your able self to choose to dedicate your life to your faith, charitable causes for the good of humanity and/or evangelical aspirations.
Please note that this world is replete with teachable moments and that the quest for knowledge has no limits until one takes his or her last breath.
Andrei
You always misjudged me all d time. I accept constructive criticism but not ad hominem. That is what is lacking in many forum debates. Waste time looking at the messenger and forget the message. You made an indirect reference to my aspiration to be youth leader unless I misinterpreted your inference. So I had to correct that impression A person who even refuse to be imam and other community positions has no desire for recognition and pomp. U are right life is continuous learning process and that has been abundantly expressed in Quran sura Yusuf: …Fawka zil ilmin aleemun
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/mar/31/republicans-rigged-democracy-democrats-fight-back
Andtrei
The above article may be og interest to you. This explain how in a great democracy like us a dominant party skew the law to give them an unfair advantage. I was very surprised when I read that article.
I thought america is immuned to that sort of manipulation but there you are.
They lecture the world about democratic values and good governance but in this year alone we have seen several twitter dismissaln of top officials which would have been criticised by US if other countries like Iran or North Korea did that. Thats why I don’t want political power, it corrupt and on the day of qiyama will account for every deed even an atom’s weight.
There’s absolutely no need to wait for Quiyaama.
Just strive to do right in this world
You can paint us all with that broad brush targeting the US. Smacks of shortsightedness and deficiency in thought.
Salam Andrei
I rspect you and I don’t want needless argurement with you. You are a highly accomplished person but that does not mean I should swallow everything from you hook line and singer. we had different upbringing, different disposition and consequently different experiences.
It is natural that we have different perspective on certain issues and cannot bridge the gap.
I have never been scared of anyone not even towering Abu Denton at my young age.
I love people who debate with calmness, no invectives and no ad hominem, just on the substance not the form. My views are mine and yours are yours.
I believe sucess in this live is when Allah give you signal that He is happy with you. The supreme sucess is to be saved from Jahannama and admitted in Janna. Not shallow, perishable and fleeting material endowments which can be source of anguish in this world and hereafter if not expended in the right fashion.
Please read the following hadith and ayas, perhaps you will understand the purpose of life and the supreme sacrifice one need endeavour to achieve while you are alive.
Hadith:
It was reported that Abu Dharr Algifaari came to Rasoollullah (pbuh)and said “awseeni” (advice me) and he replied “La Taghdab”(don’t be angry). He ask three times and the prophet anwered the same thrice ….
……………………………………………….
Qur’an’s definition of sucess
Surah Aal-e-Imran, Verse 185:
كُلُّ نَفْسٍ ذَائِقَةُ الْمَوْتِ وَإِنَّمَا تُوَفَّوْنَ أُجُورَكُمْ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ فَمَن زُحْزِحَ عَنِ النَّارِ وَأُدْخِلَ الْجَنَّةَ فَقَدْ فَازَ وَمَا الْحَيَاةُ الدُّنْيَا إِلَّا مَتَاعُ الْغُرُورِ
Everyone shall taste death. And only on the Day of Resurrection shall you be paid your wages in full. And whoever is removed away from the Fire and admitted to Paradise, he indeed is successful. The life of this world is only the enjoyment of deception (a deceiving thing).
Surah Yunus, Verse 64:
لَهُمُ الْبُشْرَىٰ فِي الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا وَفِي الْآخِرَةِ لَا تَبْدِيلَ لِكَلِمَاتِ اللَّهِ ذَٰلِكَ هُوَ الْفَوْزُ الْعَظِيمُ
For them are glad tidings, in the life of the present world (i.e. righteous dream seen by the person himself or shown to others), and in the Hereafter. No change can there be in the Words of Allah, this is indeed the supreme success.
Surah At-Taubah, Verse 100:
وَالسَّابِقُونَ الْأَوَّلُونَ مِنَ الْمُهَاجِرِينَ وَالْأَنصَارِ وَالَّذِينَ اتَّبَعُوهُم بِإِحْسَانٍ رَّضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمْ وَرَضُوا عَنْهُ وَأَعَدَّ لَهُمْ جَنَّاتٍ تَجْرِي تَحْتَهَا الْأَنْهَارُ خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا أَبَدًا ذَٰلِكَ الْفَوْزُ الْعَظِيمُ
And the first to embrace Islam of the Muhajirun (those who migrated from Makkah to Al-Madinah) and the Ansar (the citizens of Al-Madinah who helped and gave aid to the Muhajirun) and also those who followed them exactly (in Faith). Allah is well-pleased with them as they are well-pleased with Him. He has prepared for them Gardens under which rivers flow (Paradise), to dwell therein forever. That is the supreme success.
Surah At-Taubah, Verse 72:
وَعَدَ اللَّهُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَالْمُؤْمِنَاتِ جَنَّاتٍ تَجْرِي مِن تَحْتِهَا الْأَنْهَارُ خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا وَمَسَاكِنَ طَيِّبَةً فِي جَنَّاتِ عَدْنٍ وَرِضْوَانٌ مِّنَ اللَّهِ أَكْبَرُ ذَٰلِكَ هُوَ الْفَوْزُ الْعَظِيمُ
Allah has promised to the believers -men and women, – Gardens under which rivers flow to dwell therein forever, and beautiful mansions in Gardens of ‘Adn (Eden Paradise). But the greatest bliss is the Good Pleasure of Allah. That is the supreme success.
.Surah An-Nisa, Verse 14:
وَمَن يَعْصِ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ وَيَتَعَدَّ حُدُودَهُ يُدْخِلْهُ نَارًا خَالِدًا فِيهَا وَلَهُ عَذَابٌ مُّهِينٌ
And whosoever disobeys Allah and His Messenger (Muhammad SAW), and transgresses His limits, He will cast him into the Fire, to abide therein; and he shall have a disgraceful torment.
Thanks Mr Darboe for the providing the Ayas with deep meaning.
True sucess is peace of mind and achieve the happiness God because everything will go back to him.
Whatever u have in this world, you will leave it and go. We had good leaders and Jawara was one of them.
As far as I am concern Ghadaffi was the most successful African leader. Libya has very high living standard and citizens don’t pay tax.
They have high quality roads and other infrastructure. He created a man made river in the dessert, water and electricity never failed and education free up to university
If we accept his failings as a part of human imperfection, then Ghadaffi will, undoubtedly, be the most successful African Leader, with the greatest impact on the socio-economic wellbeing of his people.
Lamin Darboe,
I am at a loss to understand how you can fault Mr Yaya Jammeh but “salute” and “admire” Mr Paul Kagame, because he (Paul Kagame) is the master of every trick in the book that Yaya Jammeh utilised to survive for 22years. He is the foxes fox.
If indeed, you salute and admire Paul Kagame, then I suggest you add Yaya Jammeh and Yoweri Musevenni in that list of yours; and don’t forget to complete it with Mobutu Sesseseko because Messrs Kagame and Musevenni are playing exactly the same role that the likes of Mobutu played for US/Western geostrategic goals and cooperate interests in Africa for decades.
Paul Kagame, though paraded around as the saviour of Rwanda by some of the most powerful publicity campaigns ever seen, has never convincingly cleared himself as the catalyst of the genocide by ordering the downing of then President Habarimaniya’s plane; an event which kick started the killings.
And forget about Rwanda’s economic miracle claims under Kagame, please. With a budget that is 50% dependent on foreign aid and vast areas of the country facing risks of starvation, such claims are nothing but a farce.
It’s an economic MIRAGE, according to economist, Dr David Himbara, one time Principal Private Secretary to Kagame and head of Strategy and Policy at President’s Office, who had to flee into exile, like many others, in fear for his life.
“Paul Kigameeee!!! An epitome of new African Leadership”? Please, don’t insult Africa any further. You have done enough by diminishing the achievements of Dr Nkrumah.
Bax
You spot on and you have valid argurements.
I did not give Kigame blank exultation. I stated that he presided over a genocide and it would have been a plus if he included the other tribes principally the majority Hutus.
I know that Rwanda like many nations have budgetary constraints albeit to different extent, the nature of financing may well determine the resourcefulness and financing opportunities available to nations.
Some countries sell weapons to bridge their deficit gap, others exploit other nation’s natural and financial resources. Some through war. Some incur huge national debt to finance their deficits.
Mighty US has a monstrous national debt of $20trillion and budget deficit of $440billion whilst GDP stands at $20.37 in 2018 fiscal year
I understand your import of economic marginalization and deprivation in some areas of Reanda but there is marginalization and deprivation in UK and US as well. Only the impact differ as most advance nations have benefit system which UK unfortunately is cutting by stealth.
Kigame is chosen among the contemporary African leader because of speed and extent of transformation of economy, infrastructure, IT and many other amenities. As Thomas Carlyle and even Barnard Shaw priced “meaness of resources and time frame” leaders achieve so much as one quality of a great leader.
Nkruma was my star since school and I stated he did wonderfully well but had put too much focus PanAfricanism. He should lift up Ghana first and all other African countries would use Ghana as model. At the end, I ask everyone to chose your most successful African leader and provide justification. I just gave synopsis of my chosen leaders record albeit in general terms.
Thanks.
Lamin Darboe,
I am not only struggling to understand you now, I am completely bewildered by how you seemingly trivialise the ways nations “bridge their deficit gap”, given that you profess to be a devout, God fearing Muslim.
I would have thought that a person like you would have nothing but condemnation for nations that wage wars or exploit other nations’ resources to “bridge their deficit gaps.” I don’t know what to make of these contradictions.
No need to get into a debate about deficits and debts, but I think we ought to be very careful about this “ONE SIZE FITS ALL” argument: that the US runs a massive budget deficit and incurs a huge national debt, doesn’t mean that it is the normal or the right way to run an economy.
What is shows is that these countries are either misspending and mismanaging their resources or they’ve got their priorities completely wrong. The US has certainly got its priorities wrong when it spends more than half its budget on the military and maintains uneconomic and unprofitable military bases around the world.
As for Paul Kagame, he might be your African Leader of choice, but he is no different from Yaya Jammeh. Like Jammeh, he sees no distinction between him and the state. There are no institutions and no laws. He has just amended the constitution to stay in office. He is ALL and he kills, tortures, exiles and oppresses to maintain his grip on that poor nation, and he is very, very corrupt, thus becoming another of the richest presidents from the poorest countries in Africa.
Ntoma,
religion and politics do not mix well. Using one to cement the impacts of the other has always been fatal. History has captured many events of such, time and time again. I will leave that at that.
I must however not hasten to say you have started a very crucial conversation around the question of political leadership in Africa. So, to keep this essential convo lively, I have a counter question to yours and it’s as follows:
What do you think is the single most important factor that is hindering the progress of Africa and Africans?
Yours in the service of The Gambia and Africa, I remain.
salam Bro
In my opinion since independence the paramount deficiency was leadership, leadership, leadership to borrow Tony Blair.
With good leadership, corruption is tamable, resources are not wasted, we can finance crucial developmental programmes, the leader will be good role model, all his ministers and officials will copy the leader’s honesty, hardwork and propriety.
As the saying goes, if the head is rotten the rest become rotten.
Our prophets (pbuh) always warn his representatives to show excellent example and warn them of severe reckoning for leaders in the day of judgement to the extent he refused to make his uncle Abas ibn Abdul muttalib, a governor. He said between sulayman(ahs) and other prophets will be 500years in entering Jannah.
So good leadership is key factor that retarded African development.
I have worked with Jawara government and seen the waste in our budget spent on unnecessary travels, hefty per diems and transport for senior officials.
One minister with 3 cars when hospitals, schoools, polices don’t have functioning and reliable transport. sallalahu alaihis wasallam.
Andrei
I am asking tue same queation as Ntoma asked.
“What do you think is the single most important factor that is hindering the progress of Africa and Africans?”
What do you think are the salient qualities that make a successful leader in African context?
Well……well….well……Ntoma,
many observers will tell you knowledge, cum mental consciousness is the single biggest hindrance to our progress and prosperity as a people. And I subscribe to that hypothesis for the following reasons:
1) The ignorance of many a leader has led them to be worst than white slave hustlers and colonial imperialist in suppressing and subjugating their own people to treatments worst than what was meted on to us by the Arabs and the White Savages.
2) The people (the ruled) became docile in the running and management of their own affairs, shifting everything to mystical and supreme phenomena. God and religion became “deciders” of who becomes a president, who gets educated in schools, who dies from preventable and curable diseases and so on and so forth.
3) Knowledge, know-how and wealth creation (in our minds) became the sole properties of westerners, leading us to loose confidence in ourselves not to depend on aid and loans.
4) We continue to wallow in ever perpetual consumption of everything that’s not made in Africa.
The above numeration is not in anyway exhaustive. However, imagine a scenario where Africans and African leaders will be conversant with their historical and contemporary realities to shape their destiny, a destiny devoid of war and total destitute that guarantees all freedom and wellbeing.
No leader will be able to deliver without the prerequisite knowledge, wisdom and understanding that is necessary as a science and an art to catapult Africa into a future that we deserve.
So, only if you are able to show me an African leader who has strived and succeeded to liberate his/her people from the shackles of ignorance, will I be able to tell you who I believe to be the most successful African leader.
In the service of The Gambia and Africa, I remain.
Bax
I think you making wrong inference from my seemingly glossing over the abominable shenanigans some impearial economic power utilised in deficit reduction or financing.
That is most diabolical way of financing deficit and is morally repugnant.
Bax you don’t you expect my response to encapsulate all the requisite insinuations here because our discussion here is not expected to be exhaustive on the topics. To borrow Andrei ” meat on the bone” proposition.
Please I am not trivializing or glorifying the economic imperialism we see today using technological and financing instruments or even derivatives to disadvantage poor countries into mortgaging their vital resources. Western businesses who use their technological advantage to siphon our resources by the backdoors are equally mendacious and morally deficient.
Paul Kigame yet again. Bax I am not excusing his faults nor do I condone his excesses. At least there is democracy and he achieved a lot within a short time.
Not only me but many experts thing the same. Have you seen UN report on Rwanda.
There are many UN Reports on Rwanda. Which one have you got in mind? Democracy in Rwanda? You got to be kidding me. This guy is a 99% vote catcher. How can that be democracy? What do you call a “short time”? This man has either been the leader or the defector leader of Rwanda since 1994. Why wouldn’t he achieve a lot, when he receives almost $1Billion of recorded Foreign Aid annually? What’s unrecorded is anyone’s guess, as he either exploits Congo’s resources or colludes with foreign operatives to exploit the DRC. That’s not a model you want to promote for emulation, surely.
I’m telling you brother Lamin Darboe, don’t fall for the publicity. Kagame is the worst type of leader for Africa; far worse than the likes of Yaya Jammeh. Kagame is the creation of those who want to de-establish Africa to continue exploiting our resources and he is playing his role very well.
Bax
I beleive it is a moral imperative to exorcise our debate from personalisation. I was bit disappointed that you seem to ro be borrowing from the text book of denigration of Andrei. I have the feeling that the quote bellow is “ad hominem”
Lets set out sight on the ball, that is successful leadership qualities and achievements.
“I am completely bewildered by how you seemingly trivialise the ways nations “bridge their deficit gap”, given that you profess to be a devout, God fearing Muslim.”
I will respond to Toma and Jack in a short while inshallah. Suffice to say ignorance is a great impediment, then corruption etc but a good leader become a model and thus have the moral standing to take action on any corrupt official. If not how can a morally bankrupt leader wield the moral wand or be a paragon of moral virtue.
Agreed about the personalisation of the debates, but you will agree that if you had not brought that aspect of yourself into this forum, I wouldn’t have known it, as I don’t know you in person. No offence meant and my apologies.
Imam Siddique, before I proceed with my comments, I’d like you to note three points here.
One is the sound advice from your Tomaa Lamin that’s stated below:
“Ntoma,
religion and politics do not mix well. Using one to cement the impacts of the other has always been fatal. History has captured many events of such, time and time again. I will leave that at that”.
The second point is that the business of using someone else’s material without offering the credit due amounts to plagiarism.
The third is that reference to Quranic verses and the Prophet in arguments and narratives tend to rob the context and logic out of the presentation.
I will start with The Gambia that most readers on this medium are quite familiar with.
The factors that impede growth and development in The Gambia are multi-faceted and complex but I will start with a quote by your Tomaa, Lamin on this point:
” The people (the ruled) became docile in the running and management of their own affairs, shifting everything to mystical and supreme phenomena. God and religion became “deciders” of who becomes a president, who gets educated in schools, who dies from preventable and curable diseases and so on and so forth”.
Gambians are masters at promoting fiefdoms, fatalism, Mansayaa and demi-gods in seeking their own selfish interests. These traits cause a huge amount of distractions plus a sheer waste of time and resources. Gaping holes that can never be filled are created as a result of ample corruption tied to “mystical and supreme phenomena” as stated by Lamin.
Leadership as we know it in The Gambia has never served to tame corruption or plug the gaping holes caused by years of corrupt practices in government but instead have rewarded shifting allegiances over time. Be they religious, party or other self-serving affiliations.
From 1965 to date, The Gambia has only bled resources for the benefit of “leaders” that are the architects of the very wounds that have caused the perennial bleeding.
Selfless leadership and commitment to a shared vision are yet to be found in The Gambia and indeed most of Africa.
Huge morasses left by poor governance can never be filled for frankly, the will doesn’t exist to garner the internal resources required to address the deficiencies.
Successive governments continue to carry freeloaders that present a constant drain on the economies with little regard for the poor rural masses that live on less than a Dollar a day.
So in a nutshell, The Gambia and indeed Africa has not yet seen the kind of sustainable leadership that is required to pull us out of our “poverty” culture where the plunder of national resources is legitimized and malfeasance passes for kindness, brotherliness and godliness in cahoots with Talibolu that want to live the GRAND life but do not want to work for it. I am yet to see anyone build an institution or a legacy without sheer HARD WORK.
Unless the masses rise up beyond voting for candidates to demand that governments and stronger leaders employ internal resources to deliver the goods for the people, African/Gambian leadership as we know it may not have much to speak for.
We cannot, at least in the African context, keep borrowing to find our way to prosperity! That mindset may have died with the Asian Tiger nations!
This conversation must be sustained. Thanks folks.
Andrei
You still replicate your ad hominem critique. Where did I plagiarize.
Tom made a valid point and I acknowledged it. He seem to be bemused and wittingly sentimental about the religious people and their impact. Indeed the matabout culture is detrimental and have conferred dissonance of oir economic development. Just yesterday I read about human sacrifice in Sierra Leone elections.
Instead the more profound and permeating impediment that bedeviled an African renaissance is the technocrats and so called educated. See how easily an uneducated moron like Yaya Jammeh misused, dump and recycle the intelligent-ignorant technocrats to captain his orgy of economic plunder. Who penned all his draconian laws if not the Fafa Mbyes, the Scatrets, the Saballies and the Njogu Bahs etc dozens more.
Andrei have taken my cue from Dr… article and will never be engaged in parody and personalisation of the debate other than crack light jokes.
Please what is the full name of Lamin. I hope he too is not wearing a mini burga.
Bax
thanks for those sentiments
APRIL 1, 2018 AT 7:52 PM
Agreed about the personalisation of the debates, but you will agree that if you had not brought that aspect of yourself into this forum, I wouldn’t have known it, as I don’t know you in person. No offence meant and my apologies.
Its all Andrei Gromyko’s penchance for ad hominem. He has penchance for attacking my persona and I had to defend my self with counter arguments which involve references to my person and with hindsight I should have just ignored him.
I pray that we all accept Baba Kalleh’s insightful admonitions. We all have divergent views but convergent goals of seeking better standard of living and economic prosperity for our nation.
Leadership is an art and it encapsulate propensity for positive thinking, operational efficiency and prescient judgement of situations to ensure decisions taken is cognizant of the realities of a given situation. The opposite is emotional decision making which seek to make the spectators happy but fail the task.
In recent times students of African history have shown interest in one man. It is difficult to find any negative about his character, vision and delivery on political promises. It is also notable that he is not an architect of conflict in any part of the world. To date Africa’s best leader is:
Seretse Khama Ian Khama.
The list by this writer is very curious. I leave it at that.
And he has happily; in fact, very happily stepped down on Saturday and handed over power to new President Masisi, after serving for two terms. He puts the likes of Yoweri Museveni and Paul Kagame to shame, who have both altered their constitutions to beat the term limits. Botswana does provide a little glimmer of hope for democracy in Africa. Their presidents are strong contenders for the title of best African Leaders.
Imam Siddique said,
“They say if education is expensive ” try ignorance”. It is even more expensive and indeed expensive for Africans. Toma we need a complete attitudinal changes from religious to the secular specter.
He then goes on to say,
“Tom made a valid point and I acknowledged it. He seem to be bemused and wittingly sentimental about the religious people and their impact”.
The statements above come from a young man that calls the Quadiyanni and my very self disciples of Abu Jahl.
Religious people and their impact. I asked what impact?
Has he truly had a change of heart?
“Please what is the full name of Lamin. I hope he too is not wearing a mini burka”
There’s the Wolof adage that, KU NYEPP TUFLI NGA TOY.
The Imam must also be reminded that he can’t go picking fights with any subscriber with a dissenting viewpoint on this newspaper.
He must be seen to embrace not only, in his own words, the art of leadership but indeed the science of leadership.
If your Tomaa Lamin is hiding behind a burka, then the SULU fellow may also be a veiled Imam Siddique.
It good the debate stay calm and respectful after all we are all brothers and sisters.
My choice most succesful is Leopold Sida Senghore who of early democrats in Africa.
He built a lot of infrastruture more than many african countries and he was not corrupt. He also handover power peacefully.
It good the debate stay calm and respectful after all we are all brothers and sisters.
My choice most succesful is Leopold Sida Senghore who of early democrats in Africa.
He built a lot of infrastruture more than many african countries and he was not corrupt. He also handover power peacefully.
Dr Sarr thanks for citing Sir Seretse Khama’s exemplary leadership in Botswana.
He’s indeed an African leader worth emulating.
Thanks
I would like to admit that am learning from the exchanges on this thread.
Having said that, I would like to appeal to all to keep the conversation free from personal attacks and as impersonal as possible, for only the objectivity in the discourse could yield any beneficial results for all and sundry.
@Ntoma: Lamin will do for now. Grins
Burka, half or full, I personally would like to keep political discussions free from religious sentiments and symbols. To your credit, you are recognizing that for ideas to flourish, secularity is what guarantees peace and liberty. If I get you right.
Back to the topic at hand. I do agree with you that the (western) educated elite class has failed us (black Africans) too many times in our quest for dignity in the community of nations. But remember I did not equate (western) education to knowledge, wisdom and understanding for that will be a fatality. Many a times I have espoused that these are more poisonous than the devil imperialist invaders.
Notwithstanding, a leader like Thomas Sankara is hard to top in both comportnent and orientation. Is that not because he was a conscious and a mentally liberated son of Africa?
Yours in the service of The Gambia and Africa, I remain.
To be followed by Seretse Ian Khama’s able leadership.
Botswana is indeed a beacon in that region of Southern Africa.
Andropov Vladimir
I never called you Abu Jahl. I called u Rightwing secularist or secularist thumpers but not once i used a sarcastic adjective that has irreligious connotations. The Qadiyani and Golden Lead debates is archival now so lets move on.
Leadership is not a science but an art. As a science, it will presuppose a systematic and coherence approach with specific actions achieving specific outcomes.
NaOH + HCL=NaCl +H2O fashion.
If leadership is a science then same leadership strategies will yield same results.
Gambia need to cultivate future leaders now and it should not be based on educational attainment alone but qualities that stand out encompassing organisational skills, charisma, crisis and change management skills and appreciable level of understanding of how the economy works. Thats where I think Mahathir Muhammed exceled.
Leadership as an art means there is no structured and systematic approach and creatively is a luxury one can afford to avail. Thus different approaches may yield similar results within different time frame.
It good the debate stay calm and respectful after all we are all brothers and sisters.
My choice most succesful is Leopold Sida Senghore who of early democrats in Africa.
He built a lot of infrastructure more than many aAfrican countries and he was not corrupt. He also handover power peacefully
A quick note here.
True that western educated administrators/technocrats have largely failed The Gambia but we cannot exempt the Islamic scholars that initially found their place in Islamic instruction in schools but soon thereafter moved to fill positions in the Supreme Islamic Council (SIC) and other bodies. The role of these scholars weren’t only confined to haughty Arabic sermons but they also went on to profit immensely from Arab and Muslim generosity. Let’s take stock of all the structures that were built in the name of Islam in The Gambia and we’d find that only the King Fahad mosque passed muster. Anyone remember the rickety structures at the Muslim High School in Banjul?
So we can’t lay the blame exclusively on the doorsteps of the western educated technocrats.
Lang Tomaa, I do agree with your statement that, “Many a times I have espoused that these are more poisonous than the devil imperialist invaders“ as I’ve always maintained that public servants may be the primary impediment to growth in Africa.
Toma
To be candid am not secularist and don’t like their ardent but prejudices effort to internalize secular western concepts in African thinking without proper contextualisation. Many of them think with Orwellian impulses “Western good, African bad” also “religion out of politics, unfettered liberalism in” is farfetched and notorious vanity.
Africa had very good customs and traditions which had served us very well. The old Mali empire peaked in neatly all facets of modern civilisation use of Islamic sciences.
I love religion and want to live by it. I even advocate sharia for Gambia and recommend that it in tye new constitution and be put to a referendum . I will not apologise for stating that.
Secularist want ro put religion on the sideline and think religion has no place in modern democracy because it belong to the old, i beg to differ. Malaysia is a very religious country but excel in many progressive indicators.
Hate or love me but I and most of my friend some of who are good scientists in Washington have similar outlook.
OK folks. I’m gonna move on when it comes to Imam Siddique, the master of head scratchers!
Going forward Bajaw, I resign myself to being the APPARANTAY of BOMA NAARO, the MBO JALO from Jarra Sikunda.
NYANNA BAALU DUNDI LEH
BARI ALU FO SULU YEH KO AYEH MAA KUU DEH!
Andropov
Who financed the first brikama Basse road, tue Lameng koto pasamas roads, who build the many religious schools, Talinding, sheik Hatab Bojang schools in Bundung and Gunjur, who built the Talinding Arabic shool, the Islamic university in Kanifing, the schools in Keneba, Kuntaur. Do you know how many girls and boys boarding schools my friends in Leicestet here build in Kuntaur and Brikama. Perhaps you have not visited Gambia for a long time or you were comfortable in your motel.
How many orphans we support, countless mosques in Guinea Bisau up to Cameron
I don’t want to say all these but you provoked it.
If I have your number I will send you pictures of the boreholed and schools to back my self.
Boreholes that provide clean drinking water for large number of people in the catchment area.
In Gunjur a nursery school for for poor kids well resourced with a borehole that supply the community in the area. Ask Gunjurians about Sheik Hatab memorial Nursery School.
Perhaps you need so some research.
Its not only muslim high school, remember the Kuwaiti and IDB development funds which was not placed in the consolidated revenue funds but seperately disclosed as development funds which Jawara government immensely misappropriated.
Andropov
Eko Pura ko joobi yeh sooling wo beh Jahanamaleh. Ye wo long. The mandinkas say YIRI KUNTO MEETA BAAKONO NYA WO NYA ABIKA KE BAMBOTI
Lets respect each other views. Democracy is idea contest not personal contest and fpr africa to move forward, islam has to take centre stage.
The Ahmadi and churches have a lot more to their credit!
Imam Siddique:
“Democracy is idea contest not personal contest and fpr africa to move forward, islam has to take centre stage”.
WRONG! Africans are a lot more dynamic than to embrace retrogressive views!
We are looking ahead to a brighter future!
Andropov Yuri
That is not the debate here. You are always cavalier with real issues.
Which road did your beoyhers, the Qadiyani build. Muslims build so many amenities but they don’t show off becauae the intention is for God and to serve humanity not to peddle misguided doctrines through the back door in guise of providing education and selling useless Pakistani medicine which do more harm than good.
I went there once as a teen and I was administered a medicine that look like cow dum. I refuse to take it becausenI may get more sick.
Let refocus the debate on leadership
Leaders need to think outside the box and be ready to pursue unpleasant decisions that ultimately brings maximal well-being.
African technocrats are adept at taking decision that maximise their personal wealth and utility. They love usless travels and boast of their qualifications some of which are not usefully utilised in the Gambia.
Thats why nearly all government projects and parastatals failed. In the Jawara, only Gamtel was profitable thanks to the ingenuity of Bakary Njie. He had the stamina to stand up to the machinations of Banjul Mafia. Customs was corrupt to core, GPMB, PORTS, GPTC, SSHFC were all white elephants and who ate packed there, the technocrats.
I was posted to former NIB office by Margaret Keita former accountant General. It was packed with technocrats shifting files, using government telephone to make international calls. See how they quickly exhaust their hefty office entertainment budget and ask for supplementary allocations or even budget misappropriation.
Them all secularist who helped write our constitution, hide secularist ideas in it and foist it on the unsuspecting illiterate masses. I suspect we need hard working leaders who want to bequeath a glorious legacy by improving the lives of their people.
Andropov Yuri
I can sense you are tired now. I am retiring to bed as its 3.34am here in UK. Enjoy your tea and watch your lousy toxic right wing ideologues Fox News.
Its been a combative day and I really enjoyed your company, I must admit. I have neither seen you nor know you in person but I am beginning to like you .
You take your position and I take mine and wait another platform foer next two articles, one carrying on premises Baba Kalleh set. Hate and excessive bikering among ourselves don’t help our course and the road is long. Clearly, on the spectrum of world economic competitivenrss we Africans are greatly disadvantaged. No good infrastructure, not even a broadband for quick internet service.
Transforming the New Gambia – Implementation and Accountability forum Organized by Taf Gambia. I found this very very important and even though some of you might have watch this already, I see a need to us to listen to the discussion critically and draw a lesson from it and I encourage the youths to watch this to the end. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-lG9K6IwkhU
au revoir
Really? Like me? The Abu Jahlist?
YEH ALLAH JAY TUNGO KONO MUNTO LEH?
Was this with guidance from your Khirahman or Khatibiin?
I like you too but as long as you refuse to eschew your Islamist “postulations”, I will keep beating up on you.
It’s a crusade for me albeit with the required amount of decorum!
Andrei Yuri
Thanks for the kinds words and I don’t expect you not to challenge me cus I enjoy it. You are well accomplished and I take some things from you and reject others. Even my younger brother, more learned than me don’t agree with some of my stands but I emphasise to him that even twins differ on some iasues ans agree on some. That should not draw out boxing gloves to hit each other. Lets contest ideas not blows like chimps do. As much as I want islamic sharia law in the Gambia, I don’t advocate foisting on non-muslims and those who don’t agree. Just like secular laws, if we put sharia to referendum and majority wins, then there is justification to institute sharia. Perhaps when I returned home that will be my retirement preoccupation, make a case for referendum for sharia.
Toma
I have l listen to it and took great benefit. This kind of discussion is needed in the new Gambia. To hear materially successful people share their experiences and give inspiration to others especially the young some of whom are not motivated by what they see arround them.
It should he widen to include diasporans perhaps on an online fashion.
Thanks for sharing it.
Imam Siddique, I’m confident that you’re a lot smarter than you pretend to be to be. Do you ever think about how much time you expend on frivolous arguments pegged on mere obstinacy in the name of Islam. Think about how much space that you take up on this medium to promote your views of Sharia plus your version of Islam that’s totally devoid of consistency and context.
Dr Sarr may have a point that you do need a psychological evaluation.
To Jack’s foregoing points, I’d add that your brand doesn’t offer the leadership called for in Africa and may just die a natural death.
In my book, leadership in Africa is about creating the right models targeting job creation, boosting confidence in young folks, creating the resource base and skills to lift the population out of poverty.
You only need to raise your head to absorb all the good that’s going around you in the U.K. And the EU. After all, that’s where your SUTURO resides.
Life isn’t all about the house, the Masjid, wholesale prayer and food. If you’ve made it in the U.K. as you claim, well hop on a plane to The Gambia, set up a foundation that’ll provide seed money and/or venture capital sourcing to the teeming numbers of Gambian youth that are sitting at home with all the bright ideas but without the means, MUNAFANGO, to see their ideas through. Or better yet, start small, set up a bright ideas fund to enable access to seed money for helpless youth looking at a dead end.
In the meantime Dabanani Enterprises Conteh keeps expanding and creating employment opportunities for hundreds of Kombo youth.
Franky Siddique, you aren’t gonna wear anyone on this exchange down with your bombast and Islamist rambling as myself, together with countless folks, will just not let your brand of Islam Take Center Stage as you’re wont to put it.
Please use the valuable time on your hands for other pursuits that will benefit The Gambia and humanity at large!
Also note that a good number of readers on this forum are starting to see you for who you really are. A FODAY INSALLAH. Particularly when you present starkly conflicted positions as time goes by and valuable water keeps going under the bridge.
I really feel for your predicament! I do!
Andrei YURI
You always peddle negative vibrations and it does not actually help any discourse. Majority of people here hit the issue but you smell of invectives and parody, very unGambia.
I too provide employment., we have a work force of nearly a 100 at Xxx Finance where I am a shareholder and also YYYY business.
You know more about Shylock Conteh only because you benefit from him even though he invest in morally repugnant enterprises.
You are the only one who professionally parade invectives with a free hand without regard to decorum and civilised behaviour. I have been profoundly touched by Babakalleh’s treatise and will never compete to be more obnoxious and acerbic than my protagonist. Unfortunately your secular proselytizers never bring that to attention.
They say in mandinka NIN JURUMEH JANO.MAMBANG BASA KULLATAROOLU KANA JELEH NYOOLA.
For you, sucess is material and for me sucess is beyond material and it encompass spiritual sucess as well.
After all, a man who rejoice in arrogance is a man blind to his substance. As the sage lamented, your beginning is filthy fluid and yoie end, a dead carcass and between the two, you are a vessel of impurities. Take the advice of our Dr of pre-eminence not supercilious camels who cannot even properly recite sura Faatiha and call themselves unenlightened.
Spiritual success only in your wildest dreams!
Take a turn for the better young man as that’ll serve you much more than your isolationist stances.
Kunjuru knows that you provide NO employment opportunities for anyone.
Your brother Ousman Darboe and Alhaji Conteh have been and will continue to create wealth in Kunjuru and The Gambia.
DONGO DIYAA TA KUYO YEH, BARI TAY TAA LA.
That’s where you find yourself.
Keep hurling insults at anyone that disagrees with you on this forum.
Alhagi Kontehshin Oligarchev
Sometimes I marvelled at your witty impulses in twisting the debate.
All along I summoned your courage to Lift the burga. These ramblings of yours add no value to debate.
You don’t know me wanlai. If you do, you will not make this false statements about me. Ask Ous who were the original owners of that business or you call Central Bank and ENQUIRE about the original equity stakeholders in that business, surely you will find a name Lamin Darboe, B Bojang and Ousman Darboe. Call him if you want to prove me wrong.
You see I really hate to bring personal issues to this debate it has no significance.
Andrei Kontetlhsin, as your brother Alagi Conteh, how many thousands of pounds I transferred here in UK to pay his electrical partners or supplies here. By Allah La illaha illah huwa, I have no grudges against him.
I told you, many people say he is generous man but my beef with him is his company Golden Lead which is harming our environment, thats all. Nothing more, nothing less. Before that I never said any bad thing about him because that is not my nature.
My Friend wealth is not my problem ok. I have content (sakina) in my heart and Allah Jalla Jallal gave me a peace of mind Kings would buy with their kingdoms. This is no exageration. You know Ous isnit, call him by WhatsApp and ask him, simple, before you peddle lies about me here.
Bro I hate personalisation and I hate to show off, it has never been my character since childhood. Please lets fix our eyes on the ball not the spectators..
You know Alagie conteh, you know Lamin Bojang and Mabuna isnit, get Ous number and call him. He will tell you, leave him alone, he is what he is. I don’t care to stand alone than curry favour with a 1000 dajjals.
In US where you supposedly live, my best friends are there both PhDs albeit they don’t bother to append that little to their names. They made the PhD not the other way round and both are very devoted muslims.
You secular thumpers think good education means dishing the epitaph of Islam to the extent you change your names to look American. Yiu snuff wth your snouts, the American air, Dawda metarmorph into Andrew or David and muhammad become Mo and shout LGBT, LGBT, punk punk, let the dogs bark, the caravan will pass surely.
Andrew kontev
Stop TABA NANKASSO. I value you above these protruding pettiness and schandenftreude attitude off yours.
Write your own articles and we can debate if there is anything to debate. You write no article but scarvenge on other people’s articles.
Bring your ideas and help your country rather than this infatuation with pedestrian argurements that add no value.
Please bring one article to the table and Jollof news debating fraternity will look at it. Ok
Siddique, you can’t call the shots here!
Do in-depth research, read and embark on the requisite homework to not only to seek to buttress your positions but also inform the theories that you present on this medium.
I personally believe that you don’t bring the proper perspectives to the readership. I don’t know you from Adam and I certainly hold no grudges. All I’d wish to see is that you pay more attention to detail, cut your tees, dot your I’s and cut out your campaign of disinformation.
The premise here is simple. Read, read and read to be properly informed but don’t bring perspectives that amount to wasting the privilege accorded to you by this paper.
Again Dr Sarr, Jack, Bax, myself, your Tomaa plus every other person that you’ve rubbed the wrong way on this exchange don’t know you in person and have no reason to hold any grudges against you.
You just don’t listen well but I must also confess that I’ve taken up valuable time and space in the effort to pump some sense into a numskull. So I’m not going to do anything else but counter any ill informed “Islamic” sermons that must not go unanswered!
Andrew this young man is scary. You know why?
He hides in UK and instigate violence in The Gambia. That makes him a coward. He refused to address this environmental issues when Yahya was the dictator. He is a coward. He responds to opinion without articulating his points. He is immature and impulsive. He reigns abuse on anyone with opposing opine. He is abusive, impudent and imprudent. As I said we will hear from Lamin Darboe again and again and he will not stop until some of the youths in his community gets seriously injured or killed, while he hides in the safety of UK. He is a most dangerous type of religious extremists. The dishonest, cowardly kind. He is a danger to our republic.
Andri Kontehev
Don’t put yourself in the same category as Toma, he never used a single caricature.
You style of debate is ad hominem and your hardly add value.
Please check your responses to all my articles and see whether I ever bring in any private personal matter.
The only gratuitous comments was on my article on ” Government should set strategic goals” , once I touched on Gunjur environmental issues which your brother is associated with, you went ballistic.
First you said my clan Darboekunda are retarded in the old archaic philosophy of LUNTANG/DOORING and that we are lazy and hard working Gunjurian have surpassed us in wealth and other mundane achievements, I countered your false statement by quoting Ousman Darboe and my grandda. More mockery ensued, you retorted that chieftancy is domain of Touray amd disaprove you.
Second you dished me personally and responded that I too had accomplished something, that have worked at treasury as an accountant, you started laughing and mocking me as a frivolous accounts clerk, on an on.
I have not seen anyone more adept at pilory, parody and parochial lampooning than you.
I debate the issue, you create create fissure.
The date is off track and I suggest we it has become ad nauseam. I don’t I stand alone once I stand alone with truth alwith conviction. Truth nowadays bite. you can see watch football for hours but can’t pray sallah for 5 minutes and if u advice him he will say u are extremist. Funny innit.
Thanks.
Andrei
I can you ate forced to back off. Now you know yiur claim that I provide no contribution to employment in the Gambia is bogus. You think only Conteh is beneficial to gunjir. Just now i employed a gunjut group to do some work Burusubi worth Dxxx and someone impressed with their work and offered them work in Wilinkamma Dxxxm I told you my place and you send someone to go and confirm or I give u the mumber.
How many times I prove you wrong. You better learn and get off your high camel or horse.
Did you mean to say, Ousman Darboe’s home in Brusubi where you’re sheltered?
Why would you expect that we don’t know about family rumblings in Kunjuru where what’s supposed to be SUTURO is proclaimed at the top of minarets?
By the way, what’s a “secular thumper”?
I’ll let Dr Sarr have the last word!
On a final note Siddique.
This is in no way an attack on your person but a gentle jogging of your memory to recall that when you found your first job at Veterinary, what subsequently became the Department of Livestock Services(DLS), it was Dr Nyambi Touray that offered you the job together with the Balla Darboes, Lamin Tourays, Sulayman Tourays plus all the other Kunjuru drivers that found their fortunes at DLS.
The same Dr TOURAY that you’re throwing stones at today together with Alhaji Conteh!
You may also recall whatever happened to Boto MANJANG and his interests at Gambia Marine! Thanks to Kombo Kunjuru.
MAA KUU DEH LAMIN, MUNA, MAA KUU!
Jack, I totally agree with the comments above and wish to implore you all to stand up for what is right in this world. At a certain level of self-actualization, we honestly do not need any religion to tell us how to live a rich and rewarding life! The human nature is innately good. Thus leading us to strive for goodness and excellence at all times.
However when folks choose not to work to earn a decent living but instead count on vague and misplaced notions of leadership that are pegged on to religious beliefs and interpretations plus pittances of non sustainable Salafi-Arab handouts in exchange for influence, we have a dangerous mix of conflicted minds and evil at work.
Mine is a crusade against injustice, greed, impunity, freeloading plus the attendant campaign/propaganda pegged on to religious persuasion. What phenomena the Yaya Jammeh era offered us umpteen examples of and what I hope and pray that the Barrow government will steer clear off of. We can’t have this go on forever in our midst only to be “forgiven” and brushed aside as frailties of the human nature.
What we have been seeing around Yaya Jammeh together with the SIC and his “Islamic” scholar enablers then and now are schemes that are deliberately crafted to hoodwink naive and unsuspecting Africans into religious dead ends with the aid of dirty propaganda funds.
Meanwhile what are labeled “Islamic scholars” in our society wage a fight against what they in turn label as Bureaucrats and Technocrats that are ungodly and up to no good! A recipe for a frantic jockeying for clout and crumbs off of the “MANSA” table. Let’s take stock of what we got under Yaya Jammeh.
I am reminded of the late Imam Karamo Touray of Brikama that walked out on Yaya Jammeh at a staged meeting of Gambian Imams. He swore never to take a lecture from Yaya Jammeh or accept a single Butut of his ill-gotten money. He was subsequently set up, accused of trumped up charges and jailed for what were his core beliefs of upholding his honor, the truth and speaking truth to power.
Now here’s a real Islamic scholar in my book that held on to his core beliefs that included keeping large farms and herds of cattle to honorably provide for his family. He also never preached that Islam should “take center stage” or shove it down anyone’s throat.
I can’t say the same for today’s “Islamic” enablers of malfeasance that only believe in living off of the sweat of the poor, the seeming and misguided gift giving of their puppet masters together with living off of the very systems that they profess to abhor.
The message to Gambian leadership is to keep their eyes on the ball while aiming for the ultimate prize. They mostly come from simple rural homes and are fully aware of all the bugs that bite in the average family household.
If only the leaders on the ground will count on their collective perspectives to guide their thoughts, commitment and integrity, The Gambia will be well on it’s way to prosperity that may have been seemingly elusive for all these years. We can’t count on prior examples or references in leadership as these have been overall BAD for the eighties and nineties generation that grew up the era that The Gambia has consistently gone downhill. If we are to achieve different results plus uphill movement this time around, leadership must be bold, forthright to muster all the energies to do things different. To be clear, The Gambia doesn’t need a slew of PhD’s to do this as we do not have that luxury in the first place. Oh help us God!
Jack
I dont think you guys understand democracy well. I have my opinion and you have yours, no boxing gloves please.
You are at least a more reasonably guy than the communist and Oligarch of Andrei Kontesin. He pass as hyopocrite to me. He dance with hares but hunt with the hounds, he want to fight for justices for the Qadiyani but fight against Gunjur environmentalism. He want to fight for justice, a surreptitious justice, whatever that maybe on selective bases. He want to fight for Qadiyani and The chinese Golden Lead simultaneously, that is an oxymoron, fighting for injustice and fighting against justices.
Dancing with the devil against the honourable people of Gunjur by peddling accusations and recommending absurd environment waste management measures that actually exacerbate the pollution danger of gunjur’s already fragile ecosystem.
Mr Andropov had lied against me on numerous occasions and I prove him wrong on all occasions and now he is twisting the debate again. Why not call Ousman Darboe to confirm my statements.
If this debate is to be meaningful, we have to learn to stay on the substantive issues, not to employ digressive tactics through personal attacks, pilory and character assainations.
The only person who perfected that art is Andrei Kontehsin. I used this names for a purpose. One reason is, I don’t know his real name so by calling him Andrew I may be lying.
If a person can use false name even though we now live in a free country, what else can he fidget. Such a person can afford to lie, insult and debase others because we don’t know him.
I will write as many articles as possible and will even contribute to Jolloff news continuously and generously to help keep this medium alive. They spend money to maintain the site AND.
I LAMIN DARBOE OF LEICESTER UK, CHALLENGE ANY OF YOU TO PLEDGE £500 to Jollof news and I will match it. One condition, lift the veil off your identity and fight like a man, like Madi Joberteh, the hero of Gunjur.
By the way I am sponsoring a recognition price for the most beneficial man or woman to Gunjur with a juicy cash price on Gunjuronline, Check it out, we are discussing the modalities.
Andrei you have to learn about your Deen so that you understand etiquette of debating. So that you don’t construct lies on protagonist’s image however you may differ with them on issues. Check all my postings, I repeat and see whether I ever initiate insults, its all in response to your caricatures and invectives.
Don’t insult or threaten your opponents with law suit as you did on Madi’s articlem That was hilarious because your identify is unknown in the first place. You know the common principle “He who comebto justice must come with clean hand ”
Without my articles you would not be debating this much.
I have three articles in the pipe line(not your GL pipe of death) and I know you will be the first to attack.
Jack I am reasonable but very strong in terms of standing for my convictions and I don’t mince my words about that and I dontnl hide behind a spurious name.
No secular thumper and hot gospeller will intimidate me.
It is obvious what you care about, and it is NOT the young men and women at home. You are a liar and a pretender, all you desire is recognition as a stepping stone to your political ambition. You desire political office so you can steal public funds, that’s what you want. You are a crook. I know you wonder how I know so much truth about your miserable life. Every time you look behind you, I promise you, I am there. I will not let you lead those young men to their death. Yes, those boys in Gambia are pawns in your very dangerous and deadly game. Of course, you will not fight the war you started, you will hide, like the coward you are in UK getting your public assistance eating bacon and eggs. Your favorite foods.
You are always angry with educated Gambians, yet you lie that you obtained a degree from London Business School. You are not so proud of your academic accomplishments. Are you? Is that why you hate those above your station in life so much? You want to be rich, no one in your family ever had anything, no money, no respect in the community. You are not a person of worth. You are dying to be, but can’t. You are full of hate for people like me, you will never be welcomed in my circle. Know why? You are crude, ugly and poor. Yes this interaction is designed to enrage you and I know it will, even after I tell you what is about to happen, you cannot control your rage. I can and will play you anyway I choose. Please don’t respond, you will only make a fool of yourself.
Oooh Jack! Don’t mention the spotted forehead lest something befalls you. The fellow is adept at the LISTIKHARR and HALUAH stuff!
I can mention that because I’m worse than the BASSA KOMBORONGO that someone labeled me. So nothing happens to me.
However, on second thought, we need to put together a SUUKUU recital group to benefit from the proverbial £££. I can play the role of cheerleader for the popular old Kunjuru SUUKUWO that goes…ehm, ehm..SUUKO SALIMATA O, SALALAW….SUUKU…
Help me Bajaw so the TINAY comes raining.
I didn’t mention a Darboe? Did I?
I can see all of you are extremely petty and don’t contribute anything good here by your recent postings. only insults and abuse and you call yourself educated. It is really shameful to see arrongant Doctor and so call educated people trade insults. you are no good example for us. Keep the debate free of malice.
This quite absurd and dissapointing to see educated people trading childish insults. Where is the education you all claim to have.
Please you either talk sense or stop the debate.
Andrew, my Suukuo is thus; can I please appeal to you all to see reason; to engage each other constructively & safe us all in the nick; our conviction to the Homeland is natural as Birthright & have condemn us to destiny together for life; in that we may, shall & will step on each other’s toes unavoidably & unintentionally here & there in our search collectively & yearn for better together; our personalities are different & obviously hence our differences in approaches, engaging, interactions etc etc….
The media (Jollof News) Web is international & indelibly in record; our footprints in deliberations, in our various contributions are permanently in recording; our utterances & actions will impact on the portrayal of the Gambia(ns) to the outer world & of course, will be termed (by the wider readership) as reflective in connotations; we must try to stay calm & collect under duress; what may term & assuming a (usual) “verbal quarrel” in Gambia context doesn’t equate so on Print Media….
Please I have taken my hat off for you all & placed on the floor; if I may, once again. Thanking you all…
God bless Gambia….
I know who I am and I don’t care about public perception or opinion. This imbecile is planting a seed of discord and fermenting the framework for insurrection in my country using his brand of religion as a tool. He won’t stop until Gambia implodes. This boy is extremely dangerous and sick. If I have to walk naked in Serrekunda market to stop him, then so be it.
Little Girl since you mentioned my family then I have to respond. First I did not put London School Economics as my Alma mater, face book did that when I joined, I thank you for bringing that to my attention and I will change it. I will not display my educational background in the full gaze of online media.
I did my ACCA at ATEmileWoolf and I as there with a cousin of yours. My MBa was under University of Lincolnshire and Humberside. Look I am not proud of qualifications, you dont carry them to your grave as my favourite Sheik Hama Jaiteh stressed. The qualifications did not make you, you make them and what you u do with it is more important than displaying it on your chest.
I am surprised by your rudeness and pomposity. I know your family to my finger tips and I will not dwell into the characters of your good uncles. A K Sarr, E K Sarr are/were very pious people and we used to do Tafseer of Quran under the Soto tree at the gate of Sarr Kunda.
E K Sarr has masters and was once Education Minister under Jawara government and would be sad if he is aware of these invectives of yours. He used to ask me in early 90s to do Tafseer when Sheik Seedy Ali Janneh did not turn up in Ramadan Tafseer and I always reject the offer.
You father was different from all of them, very arrogant, mean and pompous, always keen to show that he was a senior custom officer in the 90s when he was just one grade above me.
Where did he get all monies he fed you with. He was among the 10 directors of customs Yaya Jammeh dismissed and do you know directors were on grade10 about D3000 at that time. So where did he get all the monies. I will not go beyond that out of respect for my friend, cousin of your but if you insist, I will reveal amorous matters. You granny was a serrel on fishing mission in Lameng and settled down, mandinka community gave him land and a wife. You, because of your mandinka phobia which you took from your mum speak sarcastic mandinka.
As for my family, you really don’t know. My born dad was in US, New York before he died. He can speak Swedish and Spanish. As for educational career accomplishment, my uncle the current chief was a lecturer at Gambia College just like EK at one time. His dad was Chief Sulayman Darboe, whose brother was chief Famara Darboe, whos brother was the eminent Alkalo Nyang Tumanding. Now the current Alkalo, Giki Darboe, tell me which family in Kombo had more local administrators like ours. Note that my great great father Lang Sona Darboe refused to be enthroned king of Gunjur but recommended Kombo Sillah because that was what their matabout, the father of Samsideen Hydara foretold and advice him. Why do you think we own more land than anyone else in Gunjur. What land do your father’s own in Lamin.
As for wealth, my concept of wealth and yours differ. I value peace of mind (sakina) as the greatest wealth and favour of having Ghusu), the inner JOY and contemplation in you salla/prayers as a priceless gift.
Albeit even material wealth we are not deficient in Gunjur and indeed Kombo, comparing the houses in Sarr Kunda and Seyfukunda in Gunjur. Note, who is in your family is more accomplish, career-wise and wealth than Ousman Darboe. Even Buba Darboe in US can buy your dad’s compound many times without winking.
Jack, i will not exchange insults and parody because its unworthy and add no value. It is shallow mindedness to ignore the substantive issue and occupy yourself on the forehead of a person. At least I have the courage to show my face but you don’t and that speak volumes. By the way, did you contribute a single article in this forum, show me please.
And the communist oligarch and blood sucker of Gunjur’s resources to fill your unholy stomach and lead a haram lifestyle on the back of poor people of Gunjur.
The issue of pollution was not very evident during Yaya era because the operations of GL was shrouded in secrecy. Alagi Conteh was dishing money to suppress any protest and by the time my ganny Alkalo Giki Darboe became fully convinced of the clandestine activities of Alagie Conteh, it was too late.
Isatou is the most arrogant and tribalist person I ever meet, as ugly as a wolf. You think you ate wise but other wise ans Gambians ate no full. Please refer to the video of sheil Hamma Jaiteh, you will learn a lot. If you cannot contribute positively, why not shut up for good. Remember I know your dad very well. He was not in good terms with his siblings and yearn for respect beyond what is due to him.
Isatou is the most arrogant and tribalist person I ever met, as ugly as a wolf. You think you are wise but other wise and Gambians are no full. Please refer to the video of sheil Hamma Jaiteh, you will learn a lot. If you cannot contribute positively, why not shut up for good. Remember I know your dad very well. He was not in good terms with his siblings and yearn for respect beyond what is due to him.
If you believe in democracy why do yiu whinge at the expression od putting Sharia to referendum. That shows yiu hatred for our deen. Sharia is more than what to know. What yiu know is cutting hand and death penalty but what you have in America is even worse. Lethal injection and even electric chair at one time.
Yiur rudeness know no bounds but if you insult my family again, I will reveal issues that may cause divorce and very unpalatable to you and
your cousins. I will hate to reveal that yiur insolence may trigger a reaction. I knew customs very well.
I just saw Bajaw posting and will stop as he requested but if you continue I will come with love life and that will embarrass you big time. In mandinka they say.
NING EFA FULANGOLU MAN BANG FAALA, KAANA EBULO CHIKANGDI BAAKEH
Let your friend Oligarchev translate that for you.
I love to hear it.
You can’t stop now until I expose you for the fraud you are.
For full disclosure, this are the rules of engagement.
I am going to reveal my full story to you, so you have an idea who you dealing with, since you are too daft to do simple research.
My name is Isatou Sarr. After leaving home, I came to school in London. My first degree was in Economics from the same school you lied you attended. My JD is from the top law school in the US, my MBA is from the number one business school in US. I got my MD from the best medical school in New England and my residency and fellowship are from the top programs in the country.
Since you cant read, this is the summary:
BS, JD, MBA, MD
I am the Chief of Staff, and Chief of Cardio Thoracic Surgery at my hospital, one of the leading institutions in US. I know you lied about Facebook putting the London School on your profile. You did that. You are shameless. You also sent the same information to Gambia looking for work. You did not start your aggressive campaign until it was clear that Barrow administration does not need your services. You lied on your CV.
Unlike you, I did not seek nor do I need to work for Gambia. In my case. Gambia cannot afford me. In your case you are unqualified. Yes you are born poor and I was not. You are still poor and I will never be. Not bragging, just facts, saying it to you and you alone, because you are full of jealousy for women like me. Women who are smart and attractive that look at a brut like you with disgust. I know you have a scar on your frontal lobe, same as your forehead, you will not be able to control your rage after reading this and you will respond. Take my advice in this “fight” your best option is silence. Yes I can buy you and your entire family, you already know my net worth is over $20m. Yes boy that’s with six zero. We will never be in the same league, of course you already know that. You are a coward. Golden Lead has been poisoning the community for years, and the people have been talking about it. You did not say a word because you were afraid then as you are now. All your online bravado has the hallmark of insecurity and fear. You do not donate to anyone or any cause. How can you receive public assistance for your family and yourself and claim you are living below poverty line in UK on one hand and also claim to sponsor multiple projects in Gambia. Makes no sense. Finally take care of those poor market girls you impregnated. They are innocent and fragile, as a good Muslim, you should protect them not take advantage of them.
Bajaw
My commendation to you and I wish there are many like you to inject sanity to this debates. Its better to stop the debates than trade insults and useless contributions. Democracy means different views. If there is conformity of ideas then there will not be need for debate. If we can’t have a healthy debate then it is better we stop all together.
Thanks Kaddy; & thanks Lamin, surely there’s more for us all to reason than not; every contribut(or/ion) are (reflective) representative of the Gambia individually & collectively; we are ambassadors, every single one of us, in our various individualistic capacities (in utterances & behaviour); please can we all look forward to seeing the new Gambia broadly in perspective for better together for humanity…
Lamin (you) can have his take on “referendum” proposal for shariah as his opinion; while Bajaw can argue that wasn’t applicable for the secularity of the whole wider Gambia in collective unison as a diverse people collective of Muslims & other faiths in equality under the judicious dispensation of the laws….
Lamin, shall I remind you here – the Holy Qur’an says “… lakhum deenikum wal’yadeen…” (…unto you your religion; unto me, my religion…) Lamin Darboe will not be held responsible &/ made to answer for, yet get published in the Hereafter for whatsoever Bajaw believes & deliberates into, while here on earth; the community is bigger than every religious unit singularly & even all the religious units combined together; secularity & tolerance AREN’T negotiable in the Constitution which is supreme statutory references point for all aspects for the Homeland…
Please, I appeal to us all once more, the face to face “verbal spats” in local terms, aren’t ambassadorial as reflective on here, for the whole wide world consumption; there are people among the readership who don’t know & never set foot in the Gambia yet; what image are we selling the Gambia out with…???
Isatou
I think you are talking about the wrong Lamin Darboe. Please call your cousin Pa Mus, then he will tell you the right Lamin Darboe.
I never have a even a girl friend in life much more to impregnate a girl. If you know anyone in Accountant General’s Department in 2990s and they say a single negative stuff about me, tgen know it is out of malice. My path was spiritual since primary school.
Now I will come to your false allegations about my education. Now London school of Finance was opposite AT/EMILE WOLF and they are under University of Lincolnshire and Himberside. My thesis professors was Professor Dr Tether and before I could even conclude my Dissertation, he gave me distinction. It was on tje success of IMF/WORLD BANK economic recovery programme in Africa with Gambia as a test case.
Now My CIMA was at Kaplan which took over AT/EMILE WOOLF.
Coming to benefit, I don’t claim any benefit, little madam prodigious lier. Never have I jad ant benefit other what is statutory.
All what I will say is truth but you lie a lot and I never think you can stoop so low and those who know me will despise you aa a certified lier. Call Pa Mus and confirm. I tell you I know your family and I know how your mum set a barrier between you and your wider family because of her tribal disposition.
The wollof say:
SOSSEH KU JEKUL WOLLOF LADEH TAGA
That is your dad. Arrogant to the extent that he wanted to compete with his born brother EK Sarr when he knew he wasn’t qualified. That was because he was pushed by your all controlling and tribalist mum.
Now prepare for your Father’s history later. A greedy custom officer who was not clean at all and cannot raise his hand up at Customs Department, poorly educated and jealous to even his siblings.
I will come to that later.
To you qualification is very most important achievements in life, to me it is different, Simple life is my mantra so thay I don’t have much to amzwer for on hre day of reckoning.
I am ACCA qualified, MBA in finance, AFA, ATFA, AAT CIMA finalist.
AFA is Association of Financial Accountants and ATFA Association of Tax and Financial Accoutants. I am in practice.
I have never submitted any CV to the Gambia and can swear by the Quran. My former boss is the Finance Minister and I and your cousin used to be taunted as Amadou’s lieutenants.
I was acting principal accountant at Control unit and unlike your father, I left that place in honour. The reason I did not go back was that it was not a conducive environment and I had children going to school.
One thing you will not near from me is lie even against my enemy because it is against my principles.
Please call your cousin and confirm my story. If I had submit a CV for a job with barrow government , he would know. Also ask another cousin od yours Demsay and confirm my aforesaid statements.
These too guys are wonderful people, humble, honest, well accomplished in life and religious unlike your side, tribalist, arrogant, supercilious and schandenftreude.
I don’t know you whethet yiu are in talking terms with them because you are so arrogant and tribalist and your mum twist your brain to be suspicious of your siblings.
Now you Jack at least you are reasonable and pasture on the substance of the debate albeit diversionary some times.
You see I hate personalisation of the debate to the extent I was reluctant to answer back to the communist Oligarchev of FAMBULU Kontehev.
My ideas are geometrically opposite to yours and I respect that. I see things from religious perspectives and you from secular perspective, is that not what democracy is all about. Does that warrant insults and caricature. Man, this is not gambian. I dont know whence all this i KULUBALIYA come from.
I said I will prefer a religious state if the majority of Gambians voted for YES in a democratic referendum, does that sound like extremism to you.
My path since childhood was religious and yours may be different and I reapect that, so you equally have to respect mine as well and no boxing gloves. This is so simple. If the issue of sharia is put to a referendum, I am convinced, the the overwhelming majority will vote yes if they are informed because the majority of Gambia hardly understand what they vote for in the constitution.
My principle are based on religion it demand truth, honesty and justice within the bounds of sharia. I will quote two ayas foe your understanding.
Surah An-Nisa, Verse 135:
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا كُونُوا قَوَّامِينَ بِالْقِسْطِ شُهَدَاءَ لِلَّهِ وَلَوْ عَلَىٰ أَنفُسِكُمْ أَوِ الْوَالِدَيْنِ وَالْأَقْرَبِينَ إِن يَكُنْ غَنِيًّا أَوْ فَقِيرًا فَاللَّهُ أَوْلَىٰ بِهِمَا فَلَا تَتَّبِعُوا الْهَوَىٰ أَن تَعْدِلُوا وَإِن تَلْوُوا أَوْ تُعْرِضُوا فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ كَانَ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ خَبِيرًا
O you who believe! Stand out firmly for justice, as witnesses to Allah, even though it be against yourselves, or your parents, or your kin, be he rich or poor, Allah is a Better Protector to both (than you). So follow not the lusts (of your hearts), lest you may avoid justice, and if you distort your witness or refuse to give it, verily, Allah is Ever Well-Acquainted with what you do.
(English – Mohsin Khan)
Surah Aal-e-Imran, Verse 185:
كُلُّ نَفْسٍ ذَائِقَةُ الْمَوْتِ وَإِنَّمَا تُوَفَّوْنَ أُجُورَكُمْ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ فَمَن زُحْزِحَ عَنِ النَّارِ وَأُدْخِلَ الْجَنَّةَ فَقَدْ فَازَ وَمَا الْحَيَاةُ الدُّنْيَا إِلَّا مَتَاعُ الْغُرُورِ
Everyone shall taste death. And only on the Day of Resurrection shall you be paid your wages in full. And whoever is removed away from the Fire and admitted to Paradise, he indeed is successful. The life of this world is only the enjoyment of deception (a deceiving thing).
(English – Mohsin Khan)
DOCTOOOOR ISATOU
You value your self with money, what about when you become handicaped you can’t work, then what is your worth. This shallow materialistic valuation of $20m is cheap Little Girl, it can’t buy the surah’ I memorized from the Quran. To me $20m is nothing wallai. What Allah give me is so abundant I cannot even fathom how to thank him so I just say
ALLAHUMMA LAKAL HAMDU KAMA YAMBAGI LI JALAALI WAJHIKA WA AZEEM SUKTANIKA.
Please don’t bring this shallow estimation of your value and I thought you are more valuable than that. Even the kalima LA ILLAHA ILLALLAH is more valuable than the world and what it contains because at the point of death, the millions are useless and even if your relatives remind you about your wealth you will dislike it. Instead you would love that your last word is LA ILLAHA ILLAAHA.
Still I am yet to finish with your father because you were th gist to insult my family. Remember my dad was in Europe as well albeit the of first but retirn8to built an orchard whoch give him D100, 000 per annum and the biggets on Gunjur. From hos sweat not bribes at customs.
See you later. First call your cousin and confirm my identity.
Now since you lie against me. Now we can what is called ALFAWRO.
We make dua against each other.
Now since you lie against me. Now we can do what is called ALFAWRO, Curse for the lier.
We make dua against each other doe the lier to be punished doe his or her lier..I will fast for 3 days and invoke a curse.
Now since you lie dangerously against me. We can do what is called ALFAWRO, Curse against the lier.
We make dua against each other for the lier to be punished for his or her lier..I will fast for 3 days and invoke a curse.
What I am going to say about yiur dad is nothing but the truth and I will not lie just to tarnish his image. You said I impregnate girls and disposed them so I have a choice to reply back or be patient accordingly to Qur’an and I will provide evidence.
﴿فَمَنِ اعْتَدَى عَلَيْكُمْ فَاعْتَدُواْ عَلَيْهِ بِمِثْلِ مَا اعْتَدَى عَلَيْكُمْ﴾
(Then whoever transgresses the prohibition against you, you transgress likewise against him) (2:194), and
﴿وَإِنْ عَاقَبْتُمْ فَعَاقِبُواْ بِمِثْلِ مَا عُوقِبْتُمْ بِهِ﴾
(And if you punish, then punish them with the like of that with which you were afflicted) (16:126). Justice, has been prescribed, in the form of the prescribed laws of equality in punishment (Al-Qisas), but the better way, which means forgiving, is recommended, as Allah says:
﴿وَالْجُرُوحَ قِصَاصٌ فَمَن تَصَدَّقَ بِهِ فَهُوَ كَفَّارَةٌ لَّهُ﴾
(and wounds equal for equal. But if anyone remits the
If you want to retaliate, retaliate to the same degree as the injury done to you. But if you are patient, it is better to be so.
( Quran 16:126)
﴿فَمَنِ اعْتَدَى عَلَيْكُمْ فَاعْتَدُواْ عَلَيْهِ بِمِثْلِ مَا اعْتَدَى عَلَيْكُمْ﴾
(Then whoever transgresses the prohibition against you, you transgress likewise against him) (2:194), and
﴿وَإِنْ عَاقَبْتُمْ فَعَاقِبُواْ بِمِثْلِ مَا عُوقِبْتُمْ بِهِ﴾
(And if you punish, then punish them with the like of that with which you were afflicted) (16:126). Justice, has been prescribed, in the form of the prescribed laws of equality in punishment (Al-Qisas), but the better way, which means forgiving, is recommended, as Allah says:
﴿وَالْجُرُوحَ قِصَاصٌ فَمَن تَصَدَّقَ بِهِ فَهُوَ كَفَّارَةٌ لَّهُ﴾
(and wounds equal for equal. But if anyone remits the
REPLY
Isatou
Thanks for pointing out the wrong profile on. I never wrote that. I couldnt find your profile either since two weeks ago. I am not a Facebook person. My friend ask me to join FB to view old class mates pictures. I will come back inshallah.
Physical sickness is lesser than spiritual sickness. If later is not cured before death, it can lead to everlasting torment in the hereafter.
Docters don’t diagnose their patients online but my seeing them, for seeing is belief. Only stupid and spurious docters will do that.
Andrei, you are a master caricaturist and vitriol. Please go over all your responses onces again and check who started personalisation and insults.
Please write your own articles ans lift the veil of burga if not you are a cowards and guilty of slander because you hide behind a false name to throw insults on others who revealed yheir5 identity. We are here for long journey because I will be writing more Articles.
Isatou are really a doctor?, cannot see your profile so I did not see quoted high-profile. Please you need a psychiatrist to check you because the level of arrogance you exhibit is not normal. You have had a bad parenting. If make allegations of me inpregnating girls without evidence, yiu know it is blatant lie ans under Sharia yiu are entiled to 80 lashes if you did not bring evidence. Please reveal your true identity.
I wonder how such a beautiful exchange of ideas came to this.
I’ll just retreat to another interesting thread and leave the field to be trampled by self-proclaimed giants of everything, except humility.
Have fun on each other’s flesh and blood.
APRIL 4, 2018 AT 7:23 PM
I have thoroughly read this article and i agree wholeheartedly with the content. in this modern day and age, we are pushed to show respect to people from all walks of life. I see by your username that you are ‘allegedly’ a doctor. I find your comment absolutely disrespectful and you of all people should understand what respect is. if you don’t agree with the content of the article, the best thing to do is to ignore or if you are itching to reply, leave the author with constructive criticism. Targeting the individuals mental state is low, instead leave your thoughts and views respectfully as it is more appreciable. Also by you being a ‘Dr’ you should know from experience that many people around the world suffer from mental health, mocking conditions such as this is absolutely disgusting. so before leaving vile comments like this think what effect it can cause. its people like you that bring disgrace to certain ethnicity and culture.
You might have heard of the term ‘HATER’ that is directly linked to the noun COWARD. That perfectly describes what both ‘dr’ isatou sarr and andrew are. By targeting an individual at least have the courage and the audacity to show your identity. Its hard to take the words seriously of a person that intentionally disrepects another whilst hiding behind a computer screen.
its extremely ironic that ‘dr’ sarr is , once again’allegedly’ a doctor. As the reality is you yourself need a doctor.
also by assuming an individual has diabetes and mocking such conditions potrays that you yourself is insecure and has low self esteem and relish in mocking others. Both of you seem to be bubbling with hate , my advice is learn to love yourself instead of relishing in mockery and disrespect
Yes you my be a docter but its good to be humble. so what if your net worth is $20m that means you are worthless as some docters have a networth from upto $500m. like I said before your self esteem seems really know if you think your networth makes you who you are lets just say yes you have money but that can never make up for your disgusting vile attitude.
reading all these negative comments its a shame that they are people like this living umongst us
Look folks, here’s an issue in The Gambia where arbitrators seek to make peace but don’t commit to taming wayward fellows. So the same problem festers on only to lead to apologies in the name of Allah.
You all should make it clear to this Islamist that he couldn’t go hurling insults at anyone with a dissenting view or using this medium to proselytize to what he considers lost souls.
Why would he dare folks to put up a £500 donation to Jollofnews that he would match.
That’s utter disrespectful on top of whatever else he spews out there. Who cares that he donates to Jollofnew!
The response here is to rein this fellow in and not give him a pass on his campaign of disinformation.
We may not have all the time that he has on his hands but I certainly will not let the fellow have the last word. Particularly when it comes to his radical Islamist viewpoints.
Great! So when he becomes the “Islamist” President of a Sharia laden The Gambia, he can have it all.
After all, readers get to dedicate valuable time to reading what he puts out there. This is about standards!
Respect MUST be EARNED and I wouldn’t fault Dr Sarr one bit for her rebuttal.
Jack, note the statements below from one Jacob Robinson-Smith and parse them out for clues.
“Yes you my be a docter but its good to be humble. so what if your net worth is $20m that means you are worthless as some docters have a networth from upto $500m. like I said before your self esteem seems really know if you think your networth makes you who you are lets just say yes you have money but that can never make up for your disgusting vile attitude.
reading all these negative comments its a shame that they are people like this living umongst us”
Spells Doctor as “docter”?
“your self esteem seems really know”?
“reading all these negative comments its a shame that they are people like this living umongst us”?
So you get where I’m going with this? The cellphone is acting up again and wouldn’t honor editing or spellcheck…….ya think? Haven’t we heard that before?
Mr Jacob Robinson-Smith-Crusoe is none other than our very own Imam Siddique!!
Now we have unmasked him again for everyone to see. The holier than thou pheasant’s real Modus operandi (M.O.) is here for all to see.
MBEH DURUMO BUFFA LALEH, KAA BONDI TUNGO KONO. Real fun ey?
So Bajaw, I went to Tankularr and back but I’m here.
Anyway, on to more substantive issues.
Can we table the subject of Agricultural and farmer lending/Farm Credit strategies for small and medium scale Gambian farmers in grain production?
I would encourage subscribers to this medium to present proposals that could be built upon. Thanks.
respect Is something that should never be earned. you show respect to others even if you don’t get respect back there is no harm in that. its disgusting that you all hide behind a name. atleast the author had the courage to leave his full name and photo. Targeting someones appearance is low. you all quote about your views but how can you be taken seriously when your immaturely mocking someone and making assumption after repeatedly saying ‘I don’t know you personally’
sorry but I have my own identity how can you just assume because of a few spelling errors that I am ‘imam siddique’. you just assumed that i am using a cell phone, where is your evidence. Like I said, you don’t know me so don’t judge me from petty mistakes. you expect me to listen to your views but you instead mock my name and make assumptions that I am not who I said to be. So it is yourself you have embarrassed. I am proud of my name and heritage something you should learn to do.
Andrew
I have been following this debate for long and I can see you are one of the most divisive person here with an overblown ego of self inflation.
I checked you credentials and they are all false.
I have check so called Doctor credentials and discovered it to be also false. There is no one with those name in in media platform. I checked Lamin Darboe and show many, Dr Isatou Sart, only Dr Isatou Touray appears. Now will have to check Dr Google to see whether it too can help.
I am not surprised because if you called yourself a name different from what you are, no one can trace you. Also I checked to see whether there is an online trace by form of an article or media presence and there is none so I concluded, all the qualifications and positions you attributed to your self is a lie and hence you are likely to be a great lier.
If the debate is to be productive, people will have to stop lying about who they are.
Now if you disapprove what I am saying give evidence of the scientific board you sit on, schools you attended and your institution otherwise everything you say here is pure lie and self inflation. How can Bajaw form a credit farm if your identify is false then you guys all collude here.
Gambia cannot afford to have people who say they are successful yet they lie and lie about themselves, what a pitty. If we all lie about ourselves then we cannot take responsibilty of what we say and a person should our earn respect if he is responsible. This is because you can afford to be careless with what you say.
Life is more important to be engaging in endless debates which is not beneficial to anyone.
You and Mr Darboe should learn to debate with respect so that we can be seen to be disciplined people but so far this debate has been toxic and of no value. Now id every body use false name, how do we know what he say is genuine, kon yun yep deff loolu.
Andrei Kontehsin Oligarchev
The only person I can liken you to is Donald Trump. Vindictive, callous and insolent. I have tried to reason with you but you chose arrogance and insanity. In Mandika they say NYAMAATO TERIYA MU NYAMAATO YA LETI.
I have heeded Baba Kalleh’s advice but you still throw caricature so now I have to choice to but to put a tape on your uncircumcised lips. You can see the same trend with natty and Babu Soli. If you want to take that route, I am ready. In Islam, you have a choice to respond in like for like or be patient. Sometimes it is necessary to meet like for like especially if you confront an brutal and arrogant tyrant.
Amdrei Kontehev
You rude, ugly and coward. I have the audacity to debate with my name but you don’t that to courage to do the same hence you are a moron and a foolhardy donkey worthy of whips. You are so insolent that you don’t fit in a civilised society.
I dont know whether your parent did afford to take you to circumcision because EMAN KULU. EMAN KASAI…EMAN EFOTO KUNTU.
BA TARADING
Now I will show your true self and address you who you are. You and your brother Konteh are the same rude and arrogant halves. Note that he has won a contract in millions of Dollars with Chinese to supply electricity but we know its all inflated. Your corrupt ass know no bounds and I will find you in Gambia one day inshallah BAATARA DING.
Andrei Kontehev
I will say to you
KAPURR PURI
ESSELMAY JUKEH
Andrei Kontehev
If have tue boldness to append my name on my article and debate with my name, why I callwe myself Ribinson. Look at loopy logic. You say you lived in US for 27 years, that is a big lie. Tellnus the state and where you work.
Your identity is no.more than Allagie Konteh himself and now I will expose your dubious land and compound deals.
EMO FUU RING FANG KESSEH LOMBALI. Now get ready to fight you on your own game.
Jollof news ahouls wed out people like you who use spurious names to insults contributors and stymie constructive debate. You have n used. Of my articles are bigotry, why you care to read and be the first to respond. KENYANG TANG KESSO HAINANG MUSOOLU TEHMA KOOMA BA
ALLA SABADOORO BEY NIN KARANGO
ETOORO SIYAATA ENAFAATI
If you can stoop so low to make false allegations because you use a false name, so what ever I say here is to a false name. A false Alagi Conteh the shylock.
Alagie Andrei Kontehev
That is my OWN SUKUWO and I will develop it.
Lamin & Andrew; in solicit, I will “Wadhan” to prayer to the Almighty (SWT) instead; for (we) all to see to reason & behave (y)ourselves (if I may); this is become unGambian already in speaking my little mind….
Lamin, I’m a brother to you both as citizens; we both know each other in person; you are fondly called Lang; your father (or shall I say our dad) is Fa-Ouma; out of my shy away from the Limelight, my name Bajaw, is traditional equivalent which my grandmother used for me…
Andrew, the “farmer cooperative” facilitation for agriculture is a good idea but the debate can’t go on as usual with the current deliberations on here lately; both of you have brilliant ideas amongst the endeavours to improve upon & pave the way for Gambia for better…
Universally, a person “have his or her (their) right/s regardless”; in Gambia, a person have his right while your family, love ones, neighbours & community too, to some extent have (entitlements) some degree of say (opinion) into a person’s life to some extent too; especially in terms of misunderstanding, verbal spats &/ quarrel/physical fights between compatriots in search of destiny together….
I’m here by relying ENTIRELY on tradition & invoking my “will” to make us give up upon this unpleasant exchanges right here please!!!
Please, let’s leave out the personality & stay calm & collect & show maturity under all duress; in our search for the best possible envisaged aspirations for the Gambia together; we’ll be stepping on each other’s toes here & there but it should be for the greater communal progression & nothing less…
Thanking us all….
Bajaw
I really understand your anguish at the invectives traded, no level-headed person will like this. It does not add anything to the debate and its immature. I have never been involved in this type of exchange in my life. You have seen the articles I sent in KairoNews and never there was this type of hostile exchange.
To my utter disgust, this uncouth boy always attack me with frivolous observations and unsolicited recommendations for my articles. Our fight is with Alagi Conteh who use his political cloud and connections to destroy our environment and we stand impotent for so long.
If Alagi Andrew and his sister Isatou and friend Jack think that my articles skate on bigotry and extremism, they can take issue with the editor who publish them. They also have a choice to close their eyes whenever they see my articles.
On the other hand if they wish to grace my article with a debate let them debate on the substance of the article not on my person. I float an idea, if don’t like the premises of my idea, attack it with facts not emotions, that is professional.
Actually you know a educated folks by their actions and so far what I have seen is unimpressive and unbecoming of well educated and accomplished person who lie about everything.
From now, I am going attack in a similar manner and even expose this Alagi Conteh surrogate. My position is base on Quranic principle
Sura Nisa aya 148
Allah does not like that evil should be uttered in the public except by him who has been wronged. And Allah is ever All-Hearer and All-Knower.
Ambiya 126
( Quran 16:126)
﴿فَمَنِ اعْتَدَى عَلَيْكُمْ فَاعْتَدُواْ عَلَيْهِ بِمِثْلِ مَا اعْتَدَى عَلَيْكُمْ﴾
(Then whoever transgresses the prohibition against you, you transgress likewise against him) (2:194), and
﴿وَإِنْ عَاقَبْتُمْ فَعَاقِبُواْ بِمِثْلِ مَا عُوقِبْتُمْ بِهِ﴾
(And if you punish, then punish them with the like of that with which you were afflicted) (16:126). Justice, has been prescribed, in the form of the prescribed laws of equality in punishment (Al-Qisas), but the better way, which means forgiving, is recommended, as Allah says:
I am making a proposition, I trust you and perhaps they too trust you, let us all send pictures of our certificates to you and you check who is lying. Suntu Touray is my friend, you CAN get my number from him and call me please, I will send all my certificates to prove to these nonentities that I don’t lie and don’t inflate my achievements.
You Andrew, I am ready for you to trade fire with fire, this applies to Jack and Isatou.
It is mind-boggling and gut-wrenching to see so called enlightened people behave like children, I think we all need to show professionalism in whatever situation but here we got invectives, caricature, pillory and parody, what a foolish behaviour.
THEY SAY IN MANDINKA
JOBI KO PURA YEH SOOLING WO YABEH JAHANAMA
To the nearest meaning: You want good from people but you sent bad to them
I have a SUKUWO FOR ALAGI ANDREW KONTEH, I WAIT FOR YOUR RESPONSE.
Point is made!
Let’s move on!
Suit yourself Siddique albeit that the DINDING SILANDI RANGO will remain. All in kind Kunjuru humor.
I rest my case. Promise. Smile.
To cap it off. I’m a big fan of NNA ARDO, the associated MANSAALINGOLU, TAARIKOLU plus other invaluable cultural attributes that need to be preserved but may be headed to the grave.
Wish to share the words of Dr Maya Angelou’s son, Guy Johnson.
“As we spend what would have been my mother’s ninetieth birthday, I think of her melodious tones speaking about the need for tolerance, understanding, forgiveness and love. My mother’s perspective was that human beings being social animals are strongest when they are unified. She saw hatred and greed, not only as divisive, but as the forces of evil. She recognized that unlike positive virtues, neither greed nor hatred has to be taught; they come naturally and have to be untaught in order to free their possessor of their burdensome weight and baggage”.
Mr Andrei
In this day and age, Aficans continue to be let down by people they trust to be educated and can help steer the wheel of development if availed the chance but unfortunately the very people when it’s comes to working for western institutions and governments, perform extremely well, when it comes to Africa, they become arrogant and overbearing lords over the people
Always waiting for a chance to exhibit paper qualifications.
This is simple, a democratic secular dispensation envisages idea contest and scrutiny, it celebrates divergence of views imbued with a sense of constructive criticism not caricature and insolence.
I made clear since in begining, lets debate responsibly, that create an ambiance of positive and facfual exchange, not emotional competition of vitriol and viturperation. The debate become useless.
I used to send my articles to Kaironews and there has never been a case of virulent and conspicuous stock trading of ignominious insults. Why in this forum.
My friend all intelligent people can differentiate between a productive criticism and caricature, the former emit a radiance of sincerity and later an insidious impulses.
Lets move on and take a cue from the ill and vexastion engendered by these ungratuitous exchanges which is the construction of our collective hands.
Look the hits for this article, over 3200, more than the most educative articles of BABA KALLEH AND YORRO…why