“IF YOU KILL TELL ME”--ANALYSIS > The Gambia Echo > The Gambia Echo

“IF YOU KILL TELL ME”

From a linguistic point of view, President Jammeh’s statement can be dichotomized thus: A tacit approval of random killing or any kind of vendetta-instigated killing such as the murder of Finance Minister Ousman Koro Ceesay, the grisly execution of journalist Deyda Hydara among others. In sum, sitting Cabinet Ministers and their hirelings are at liberty to kill innocent citizens as long as they inform President Jammeh later. According to the President “he is human and understands as long as he is told.” The only crime he seems to suggest is to kill and hide it because if it is discovered later, “the killer Minister (s) has no one to blame but themselves.” The second interpretation from the statement is that the Gambian President knows that a certain Minister in his Cabinet has been killing innocent citizens ferrousiously but refused to inform him and now that the killings are being exposed, that particular minister has no one to blame but himself. Not only that, the President’s coded message portends cataclysmic gloom in the not too distant future for those killers who refused to inform him of their barbaric acts. Stretched beyond the dichotomy, the ominous military verbiage “If you kill tell me, I am human, I will understand” from a man who was elected by his peace loving; God fearing democratic constituents is the rude reality that in today’s Gambia, killing innocent people perceived as opponents is a way of life. The apparent bellicosity from a leader who is calling for world peace and unity among his people is in itself, very revealing. For me, it is a powerful encapsulation nor less a punctuation of the irksome echoes of a leadership in total crisis. Above all, President Jammeh’s hotchpotch statement is an admission of guilt that for the past twelve years, his Ministers have been involved in extra-judicial executions and now the gruesome killings are public knowledge.
We can also infer from the same sentence that President elect-Jammeh was issuing a decree that his newly sworn in Cabinet was not going to accept any criticisms; that critics could be killed as long as he is notified within 24 hours that so and so has been executed. In other words, as far as President Jammeh is concerned, the Gambian people have given him another five year mandate to rule as he pleases and more significantly, to kill any opponents real or imagined. It is the license to kill that he has extended to his Ministers with the condition that they tell him after killing not even before they kill. I wonder what my former English Literature teacher, Chief Justice Abdou Karim Savage makes of Dr. Jammeh’s statement?

Going beyond linguistics, I think your boss is suggesting that the Gambian judiciary has been eroded of its chaff. That he has effectively twisted the arms of the judiciary to the extent that Cabinet Ministers call kill innocent citizens and their victims’ families have no legal recourse. Hon. Chief Justice Savage, this is why until now, Deyda Hydara’s family cannot even get a death certificate for that murdered journalist’s life insurance benefits to be effected. This is why no inquest has been conducted on the circumstances leading to Deyda’s execution. This is why the only inquiry into Deyda’s death was by the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) headed by Daba Marena whose family is also now, anxiously waiting for an inquiry into his disappearance. I hope when Daba’s disappearance is finally conducted by the NIA, it will not conclude that he too, was killed by a jealous husband of a former mistress as was ascribed in Deyda’s death? I remember you eloquently quoting Shakespeare for me at Nusrat that “those who live by the sword, die by the sword.” This is why; not even the attempted assassination of your senior colleague lawyer Ousman Sillah could be investigated. Minus the usual hysteria that greets all such cases in The Gambia, today it is like not even a dove has been killed since July 22, 1994.

Sometimes the President’s discourse is so infantile or should I say juvenile-like that I do not even attempt to predict his next move. This is why The Echo never commented on who was going to be what after he dissolved Cabinet. Before he wrapped up his appointments, a delusional character in Raleigh hiding behind a roadrunner thinking that he was saved, wrote to me anonym; called me nasty names and warned that a phenomenal quack was among the new Cabinet but I ignored it as pure gossip. I have been long in this game and therefore, take my time before I utter a single word. Lo and behold, President Jammeh ended up appointing my good sister and junior at the Gambia College, Angela Kolley as the new Secretary of Tourism. While the quack was busy canvassing votes, sister Angella was educating our kids. A modest and urbane teacher, she had always stood towards her students inlocoparentis. Contrary to what most people think, she is more educated than most of the other folks in the Cabinet. She is much more educated than the quack that our letter writer suggested had succeeded lying to President Jammeh and was headed to Cabinet. I know them both!!!! Besides, it is not our business who he appoints Minister as long as the goods are delivered. Every Gambian citizen regardless of your ethnicity, class or origin has a right to be anything. What they do not have a right to do is to: lie, kill and steal. So we wish Angella good luck and admonish her as usual, to take it easy, work diligently, say little and maintain your low profile demeanor so that in the event that the inevitable electric broom sweeps, you can walk solder high with no regrets.

For our friend in Raleigh, we have this to say. Continue with your good work, call me names but when the dye is caste please do not say I am bad. A word for the wise they say, is enough!!

posted @ Tuesday, November 07, 2006 8:22 PM by egsankara