By Lamin Darboe, Leicester, United Kingdom
Holding high his award with brutal innocence, I cannot surmise of a man who perpetrate ignominy on his tribe and was an enthusiastic consolidator of a vicious dictatorship that rained havoc on the Gambian nation than Mr Sabally the former Secretary General. I neither have any grudges against him nor want to attack his persona but want to register my rejection and condemnation of his visceral role in aiding the Jammeh Dictatorship and my total dismay at his award for inspirational and trans-formative leadership among African youths. It is gut-wrenching to see a renown and unapologetic enabler of a diabolical dictatorship being rewarded for a "klutzy" management record during his time as Secretary General of the Gambia.
Yes, Sabally inspired the transformation of Jammeh's oppressive rule into an institutionalised oasis of tyranny.
If the Confederation of West African Youths is looking to encourage youth trans-formative involvement in stewardship of our countries, they must choose their candidates with care less they instigate generation of youths with admiration for dictatorship. What is so inspirational presiding over a president office characterised by mediocre in all developmental barometer, financial prostitution, detention and rape of political opponents, muscling the media, and the callous massacre of young students. Sabally never condemned the witched excesses and maladroit stewardship of our economy and exploitation of our meagre resources during and after his tenure. Even though Jammeh incarcerated him for some months, Sabally never had a contrite in his heart and apologise to Gambians for his part in consolidating Jammeh’s oppressive rule. Instead he eccentrically, sometimes with tint of melodrama defended Jammeh’s tyranny on media platforms in the glare of Yaya's victims.
Only in the Gambia, such men disrepute, who helped unleashed so much agony on nearly all families are glorified in national media as champions of national development and lately decorated as inspirational and transformational youth leader. He was inspirational in economic retardation, misrule and democratic subversion. What changes did this Sabally brought to Jammeh's vile corridor of power except to amplify his evil and hitlerile rule which transform our country into one of the most corrupt countries, wallowing at the bottom of all developmental indices. Let federation African youth organisation do its research before rewarding the wrong people, thus sending message that supporting and entrenching dictatorship which excel in all human debauchery is a commendable act. Sabally's reward must be withdrawn or it will remain a bad taste and slap to the victims of Yaya’s tyranny and a rebuff to efforts of human right defenders and civil organisations which fought Jammeh's misrule and economic rape for years.
As Harman was to the Pharaoh Ramsis, so was Sabally to Jammeh. Both lend sycophantic and unmitigated support that operationalise a vicious rule which deemed any opposition as an existential threat and use brutal force; sometimes mendacious stratagem to annihilate opposition and those perceived to be undesirable. Jammeh with the help of his unrepentant cohorts sabotaged our development, fragment communities, set a brother against a brother, friend against a friend by taking positions like chieftancy or Alkaloship from one brethren and give to another; with view of setting them up against each other. With an evil machination of setting the sparks of discord and malediction in our communities. All this happen under the direction and stewardship of Sabally and Njogu Bah.
The visceral culprits who masterminded the subjugation of Yayah's opponents, produced no one who is more conspicuously complicit thank Sabally.
He took joy and political orgy in defending Yaya's bad policies towards the West in an hypocritical twist of irony. While his boss overtly opposed the West, he clandestinely siphon off our funds to Western banks accounts and buy houses and other business entities in Western countries.
Sabally was on record on a public media platform insulting Mandinka tribe with which he has some blood relationship.
I am not sure he is a Mandinka by tribe because he seem to speak that language cockily hence his caricature and blatant insults was inexcusable. He shall go to his grave with a badge of self-denunciation and self-hate. Come on folks how can we forget so soon. Sabally with his supercilious and vainglorious indulgence swimming in arrogance of personal glorification could only join Yaya's rat race than creating a different consciousness that could inculcate a progressive and democratic mind-set at in Capitol of power.
He had the chance to do things differently but chose to look aside and join Jammeh's chariot of misrule.
What transformational leadership Sabally exhibited through out his tenure as secretary general that is worth rewarding with a medal. Was it not Sabally who squared up with Gambians in New York, in a mad exchange of callous of invective and insults during a presidential visit.
It begs believe to see Barrow curry to Sabally to the extent of trying to recycle him to a senior position while his victims seethe in anger and frustrations. What an unforgivable disappointment, with so many technocrats who fought Yaya's dictatorship for many years put at bay, are in a more worthy standing than Sabally. We cannot afford to reward the miscreants who fed the dictatorship and economic rape of our country, with poorest record on human rights, characterised by mal-administration and economic misappropriation.
Sabally and the plethora of mischievous enablers must apologise the Gambian people and join the bank wagon of reformation, NEVER AGAIN. I will write to Confederation of African youths to register my disgust at awarding such a bellicose enabler of dictatorship. That they are sending the wrong impulses to the young generation, that it is cool to aid a diabolical dictatorship and tribal bigotry.
It is like awarding Hitler’s chief enabler Heinman for inspirational leadership in the 19th Century, it would have attracted an uproar because his support lead to a holocaust. Although Yaya’s tyranny did not reach the magnitude of holocaust, the lost to some families had the same despondence and anguish as the holocaust survivors and the families of the victims. I end with an ayah from the Quran, a food for thought for all oppressors and their recalcitrant enablers.
Surah Ibrahim, Verse 42:
وَلَا تَحْسَبَنَّ اللَّهَ غَافِلًا عَمَّا يَعْمَلُ الظَّالِمُونَ إِنَّمَا يُؤَخِّرُهُمْ لِيَوْمٍ تَشْخَصُ فِيهِ الْأَبْصَارُ
Consider not that Allah is unaware of that which the Zalimun(wrong-doers, etc.) do, but He gives them respite up to a Day when the eyes will stare in horror.
By Lamin Darboe
Leicester.
Editor's note: Views expressed herein are those of the author and does not represent the views of GunjurNewsOnline.
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