ANOTHER IRAQ??? Louis evaluates Senegambia News’s Plea for a US Invasion

In my reviews of last week’s news stories, I promised to comment on a story I saw on Senegambia News entitled “Editorial: A plea to US government to grant asylum to Gambian journalists, political dissidents in Banjul and Dakar: Help us remove the regime of terror in Gambia”

http://www.senegambianews.com/article.cfm?articleID=1899

I said I would decide whether the writer is an ignorant retarded dummy OR a dumb ignorant retard. Well, after taking time to think about it, I’ve decided not to call the writer EITHER of the two because that would not be cool of me. I must admit that I was pretty ticked off to read see such a selfish and irresponsible story from a Gambian website but I took time to simmer down before writing. Now mind you, what I have is a blog and I have no problem venting my rage on it. This is not to say that I will accept the same from our NEWSPAPERS. There is a huge difference between a blogger and a newspaper journalist/editor. I chose to write this response in a “chill” tone in the spirit of Ramadan and out of consideration for my readers as well as the journalists and editors I’m addressing. I am NOT obliged to. Anyway, to the article we go.

In bold italics below are direct quotes from the article in questions followed by my commentary.

“Senegambia News hereby pleads with the government of the United States to grant political asylum to any Gambian journalist or political dissident in Banjul or Dakar as our dear country, the Gambia has become a lawless state as evident in the continuous torture, extra-judicial killings, harrasments of civilians and endless arrests and detentions of journalists with impunity.”

A lot of journalists (and some civilians) do have legitimate reasons for wanting to stay away from the current situation in The Gambia. Citizen FM Radio, The Independent Newspaper, Radio 1 FM, the late Deyda Hydara and more recently, Fatou Jaw Manneh, are all evidence of the hostility faced by members of the press that no one has to go through.

As a result, I have no problem whatsoever with Senegambia News, or any Gambian for that matter, trying to secure their immigration status in the status as political refugees in this country. We are all free to seek political asylum for ourselves, friends and family.

What I do have a problem with, is someone going through any means necessary, including disregarding the stability of our country and our national sovereignty just to achieve such individual ends. Yes, I use individual ends because some people will choose to live in country, despite the current circumstances, rather than live elsewhere as refugees or have outsiders interfere. Even some journalists such as the late Deyda Hydara, will feel it is nobler to stay and play their part in effecting changes, even at the ultimate cost, than to flee or neglect the country at its hour of need. Again, it is a matter of personal choice and I don’t blame anyone who seeks asylum for themselves or their families. It is the rest of the article contained in the following quotes that I have a real problem with.

“…we plead with you (US government) to help us capture the Gambian leader Yahya Jammeh, his hench men…”

“If this lunatic [Yahya Jammeh] could lay hands on weapons of mass destruction, we bet he will not hesitate to use them against perceived Gambian enemies, British and US citizens around the world. He is more lethal than he appears. It's time he is gotten rid off before it's too late because he has started building alliances with the world's most notorious regimes.”

On this, the first thing I would like to do is to put to rest any notion that I’m even a bit concerned that the USA will actually even consider intervening militarily in Gambian Affairs as requested by Senegambia News. The USA has no interest or stake to interfere in the Gambia. They have lots of more important issues to deal with both within and outside the USA than poor little Gambia, oceans away, with no natural resources or real power. They’ll treat this “plea” just as it deserves to be treated; a petty, juvenile complaint much like a parent would ignore a complaint by one of his kids that a sibling is making silly faces at him. Now why would I respond to it you ask…because I find it sad, almost pathetic, that a Gambian Newspaper in this day and age will even think of writing such irresponsible comments. I also want to take the opportunity to shed a bit more light on it for the benefit of any other like-thinking Gambians.

For multiple reasons, this article made me wonder if the writer even reads or watches the news. I doubt that anyone following the events in Iraq will make such a plea to have the country they care about invaded. I suggest a quick glance and reflection on the Saddam Hussein Iraq versus the Iraq of today. Also look up the events of Black Water Company recently in the news and tell me you still want an American invasion in the Gambia.

Another cause for my doubts about the writer’s knowledge of current affairs is the events in New York this week. President Ahmedinajjad of Iran, who was labeled as one of the axis of evil by President Bush, a man who is unapologetically operating nuclear science and questions the existence of the holocaust, is speaking in NEW YORK CITY. If the Americans do not “capture this guy, who is also accused of supplying weapons to Al Qaida in Iraq, then why in the world would you think they will ever have the slightest interest in little Yahya Jammeh??? If Hugo Chavez of Venezuela, who stands in front of the UN and calls President Bush “the devil”, and makes signs of the cross at every mention of his name, is left to speak then why would you think the Americans will so much as take a glance at Yahya Jammeh?

Wait, I know why America would be interested in Gambia….because the great Senegambia News asked for their help!!! Brothers please, take a reality check. Your plea only exposes our naivety, anger and poor judgment skills to the world. It embarrasses all Gambians who know better and makes us look bad in the eyes of our foreign “nawlehs” (as if the AIDS cure report on CNN wasn’t enough).

“We want Jammeh out dead or alive to restore democracy and rule of law.”

Am I the only one who sees the irony of this sentence? Does the writer actually believe that the way to restore democracy and the rule of law is to invade a country and remove a sitting president elected by the people of a sovereign nation?

In addition, if Jammeh has committed all the atrocities he is accused of, what justice would there be if you got him dead? Wouldn’t it be more democratic and under the rule of law for you to prosecute him in a court of law and send a message to others that such actions will never go unpunished? I don’t want to call anyone a moron but I’ll say that this sentence is what you call an oxy-“moron” in literature.

“Gambia needs help”.

Yes my friends, Gambia does need help. We need the help of Gambians!!! We need all hands, and intelligent minds, on deck. We need the help of all Gambians to contribute positively in whatever little way they can in effecting the changes we need. We need it fast and we need it in a peaceful way. What we need is to have all our journalists, scholars and politicians responsibly speaking up and condemning the wrongs. What we need is for them to educate and inform the masses. We need Gambians to take responsibility and control our destiny. No administration will stay in control if the people REALLY don’t want it to. Rather than call for “big brother” to come and “rescue” us, we need to “rise up, question the system” as Mutabaruka says. I end with an olof saying that “ndimbal na cha fekah lohoi borom”. Check Myanmar (formerly Burma) where Monks are leading pro democracy rallies against the military government. Please remember that Mandela did not flee South Africa and cry for outsiders to end apartheid.

Louis Friend