Compromised justice

Over the past two weeks, local newspapers in the Gambia were filled with stories about the former Alkalo of Sohm, Momodou Baringo Jarjue, who was convicted for illegally removing forest properties and conniving to fell a mahogany tree as well as charcoal burning.

The Daily Observer even went further to write an editorial on the subject captioned Exemplary in which they praise the head chief of Kombo East, Alhaji Basirou Jarjue, for upholding the law by convicting his own brother.

The Daily Observer was right when it said that what the Gambian society needs now is leaders who are servants of the people and not masters. The author of that editorial needs to look at that statement over and over again in respect to the country's leadership. He needs to ask himself whether the leadership we have in the country is that which sees itself as master or servant of the Gambian people? To me and indeed to every right thinking Gambian, Jammeh is not only a master of the Gambian people but a God as well.

Since 1997, the Gambian leader has been manipulating the country's constitution, enacting laws after laws that give him absolute powers over the country and its people. He does what he feels like and says what he wants to the people without due regards to the law. He is untouchable. He cannot be questioned by police or prosecuted for any wrong doing while in power and even after exiting from the corridors of power.

The Observer is again right when it says: "If we make a rough quantification of the causes of Africa’s underdevelopment, we are likely to find 50 percent of it, if not more, being the cause of unscrupulous leadership." Well, in the case of the Gambia, our underdevelopment is all down to one man. And that is Jammeh.

This was a guy who before July 1994 was nowhere near the property ladder. The fella was poor, malnourished and even had ratatoi. Today, he is the wealthiest Gambian owning vast lands and properties he can never afford with his mere salary. How he acquired all those riches will always be a mystery to the Gambian people. Start talking about his assets and you risk being buried six feet deep or incarcerated at the Mile Two prisons if you are lucky.

Jammeh and his associates have hijacked the country and anything good is for them. They are like the pigs in George Orwell's book, Animal Farm.

Many close associates of the president who were sacked or indicted for corruption are never brought before any court of law neither do they pay back to the state monies illegally acquired. Instead they are within months of their dismissals reappointed to higher positions of public trust. And if an alkalo who is not paid a penny for his work could be punished for illegally removing trees belonging to the village forest in the name of justice, then that gives another interpretation of our justice system. It only severely punishes the poor.

Our justice system is not fit for purpose. It is very compromising. Justice in the Gambia is one sided and the only people who face the brunt of the law are the poor and opponents of the regime. Take the case of Abdou Jobe, former managing director of Nawec as an example. The guy was arrested and charged with economic crimes only for him to be pardoned by Jammeh after some Muslim elders pleaded on his behalf. David Colley's case is another example. The guy was convicted of theft only to be reappointed as director general of our Prisons services less than four months after his conviction.

Why is Blaise Jagne, Neneh MacDoul, Yankuba Touray, Lamin Kaba Bajo and all those big fish who were implicated in official corruption never taken to court when their crimes are more grievous than those committed by Alkalo Jarjue. And if a poor local chief like Alhaji Basirou Jarjue can uphold the law by punishing his own brother, then President Jammeh should bury his head in shame. He put his interest and that of his mates before national interest and as a result many corrupt officers who should have been eating porridge at the Mile Two Prisons are still occupying public offices and continuing to milk the tax payers. What is good for the goose should be good for the gander.

The fight against corruption in the Gambia is only targeting the wrong people and that is why Jammeh's Operation no Compromise has failed. The so-called operation was nothing but a witch hunt and a waste of tax payer's money. Almost all civil servants who were sacked after been indicted by the Paul Commission are all back at work. In fact, the report has never been made public.

To conclude, I will say well done Chief Basirou, shame on Mr President.

Defending Pa Nderry
Over the weekend, my colleague, Pa Nderry M'bai got a nasty email from one Ebrahim A Jackson or whatever he calls himself. I had to laugh aloud after reading Ebrahim's mail to Mr M'bai as his writings shows that the guy's balls are bigger than his brain.

Ebrahim needs to know that while he is busy singing and dancing to Afinjang, the rest of the Gambian people are not. We have woken up from our slumber and have realised that the APRC and its leadership is nothing but wolves in sheep clothing. And while Ebrahim is still blindly worshipping Jammeh, whom he regards as god, witted Gambians on the contrary sees Jammeh as nothing but their servant period.

Jammeh is paid by the Gambian tax payers. Above all, building schools, roads and hospitals is his government's responsibility and it would be very idiotic if Gambians are to praise him each and every time he does what he is meant to do.

Blaming Mr M'bai of neglecting the carnage in Iraq is nonsense. The development in Iraq and Guantanamo Bay has nothing to do with the Gambia. Mr M'bai is a Gambian and it is his responsibility to talk about issues affecting the lives of the Gambian people.

Mr Ebrahim should understand that patriotism goes beyond supporting tyranny. Jammeh does not love the Gambia more than us and our criticisms of his oppressive regime should not be regarded as a means of trying to destabilised the country. We love the Gambia, it’s the land of our birth and we have our families living there and it is only a mad man who will set fire on his own house while his parents and kids are sleeping inside.

Mr Ebrahim, in this 21st century, it is very sad to see that there still exist young men like who have failed to recognised who they are and where they are going. You have eyes but you don't see and if the Freedom newspaper is giving you sleepless nights, stop reading it period.