By Dr. Ousman Gajigo
Africa-Press – Gambia. According to press reports, President Barrow has likened some presidential aspirants to vultures. He didn’t name any names, which is unfortunate. A serious leader would be direct and forthright about such accusations.
But going beyond which individuals he may have in mind, let’s look at the substance of the accusation. Barrow asserts that some were afraid of Yahya Jammeh, fled the country, and only returned after Jammeh was removed from power. While not explicitly stated, Barrow wants the inference to be drawn that Gambians have him to thank for removing Yahya Jammeh because he was active in opposition parties.
Barrow’s participation in opposition politics during the Yahya Jammeh era should be commended. But the sort of credit he wants to take is not warranted. Barrow’s assumption of the presidency is simply a byproduct of Gambian electorates voting out Yahya Jammeh. To take ownership of that, as he has done before, would be akin to a baby crediting his birth to himself.
A general point is worth making. Anyone who played a role in fighting Yahya Jammeh’s dictatorship should have our enduring gratitude—particularly those who suffered in doing so. It is also important to point out that not having publicly played an active role in fighting against Jammeh does not take away your right as a citizen to undertake any activity in the nation’s affairs. The fight for one’s country takes many forms and is not limited to a particular point in time—no matter how pivotal that time may be.
But there is another area of responsibility that Adama Barrow conveniently fails to mention. That has to do with the responsibility of failing to deliver the important task of transitional justice. His administration has woefully failed to deliver on the recommendations of the Janneh Commission and the TRRC. Adama Barrow’s administration failed the country by actively scuttling the draft constitution produced by the CRC. To add insult to injury, officials in his administration engaged in corruption when they were expected to administer justice in the disposal of Jammeh’s assets.
Another area of responsibility concerns Adama Barrow surrounding himself with people who actively helped Yahya Jammeh. What moral authority does Adama Barrow have by going out of his way and giving the important position of deputy speaker to a character like Seedy Njie? This was the same Seedy Njie who stood by Yahya Jammeh even as his own ministers were deserting. This was the same Seedy Njie who flew with Jammeh to Equatorial Guinea.
So, even if one fought for democracy under Yahya Jammeh’s dictatorship, that moral authority is tarnished when one plays a key role in short-circuiting transitional justice. That moral authority is corrupted beyond salvation when one heads a government that is engaged in far greater economic crimes than the dictator you replaced. That moral authority evaporates when you surround yourself with the dictator’s active enablers.
Let Gambians compare the above moral failures to the purported transgressions of those he considers “vultures”
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