Protests Against Jammeh Wearing Emperor Bokasa’s Boots

(pic source: Jollofnews.com)
Revert thinking political authorities are rallying
 support to crown Gambian president Yahya as King

It's a familiar phenomenon in Africa where military messiahs have taken upon themselves the role of  watchdogs, accusing the political class of bad governance; they ride to power on a wave of popular support. No sooner do they settle down in power than they begin to undermine all institutions of democratic governance; ban political parties and roll out decrees to curtail the inalienable rights of the same people they purportedly came in to save.  

And in the struggle for power consolidation in The Gambia, the ‘revert thinking’ political authorities, led by traditional chiefs are rallying support to coronate president Jammeh.   

KissyKissymansa reports on the widening protests that greet these seemingly futile attempts to replicate the story of the self-proclaimed Emperor Bokassa of the Central African Republic (C.A.R).  

The unpopular campaign being mounted to crown The Gambian president Yahya Jammeh as king provokes growing criticisms both locally and internationally.  

“In this 21st century, I cannot believe that there still exists a group of educated Gambians who because of their selfish desire will want to put our hard fought democracy in the bin and crown Yahya Jammeh as king of the Gambia,” says PK Jarjue, a Gambian  abroad.

Supported by the ruling APRC party stalwarts, the traditional chiefs are rallying in support of transform the republic of The Gambia into a kingdom as they have toured the whole country pushing the agenda, before unveiling their plans earlier this month.

“The constitution is neither the Quran nor the Bible,” says Alhagie Demba Manneh a ruling APRC supporter from rural-Lower River region during a meeting at State House recently. “We want to make president Jammeh a King and we will amend it [the constitution] to suit us.”  

“I said it once and I am repeating it here that election, especially the secret ballot is hypocrisy,” says Hon. Fabakary Tombong Jatta, the majority leader and representative of Serrekunda East constituency in the Gambian parliament.

 “Even if it happens that we go to the polls 2011, it might as well be the last election [for The Gambia],” Jatta said.

They said installing President Jammeh as king is to reward him for bringing development, but the leader of the opposition-UDP Ousanou Darboe said president Jammeh’s 16-year-rule brought nothing but hunger and poverty to the people of the Gambia.

 “People are wallowing in abject poverty. Development is measured by the improvements on the people’s living conditions and not by few kilometers of road or ill-equipped hospitals and schools,” he argued. 

An unnamed political analyst said the campaign can further damage the president’s image, which has been dented in recent times, especially after ordering a witch-hunting exercise where elderly people were detained and forced to drink concoctions which hallucinated them.

The analyst also observes that although there has been voter apathy in the previous elections, the campaign can spur action from voters come the 2011 presidential election.

“2011 poll is fundamentally about the next generation – forget the notions of a monarchy,” says Mr Jegan Grey Johnson, a communication specialist cum consultant. “The notion that some people have the temerity to shamelessly engage in an effort to roll back our historical track record as a multiparty democracy sends a signal that our political sanity must be checked.”

A familiar road in Africa

Traditionally, African rulers are reluctant to gracefully leave office, although the continent is being rapidly swept by revolts against self-perpetuating rulers and numerous democratic movements have understandably demanded constraints on presidential powers, including the imposition of term limits.

Presidents who vacate office voluntarily, and who do so basking in national or international prestige - personified by South Africa’s Nelson Mandela and Tanzania’s Julius Nyerere and now many others - are enabled to pursue a constructive domestic or international role in their retirement.

In contrast, those who have presided over tyrannical regimes, and who were either ejected or toppled from office – personified by Emperor Bokassa, recently Momodou Tanjia of Niger and many others - are likely to be hemmed in politically by formal or informal restrictions.

Unabating protests

Meanwhile, the rally to coronate president Jammeh has triggered an unprecedented condemnation from the public even among the ranks of his loyal supporters.

And as almost all private-independent newspapers join the fray in protest, the state owned-media – both print and broadcast – remain mute over the issue.

But even the Independent Electoral Commission, which has been criticised by the opposition for supporting the ruling party, has expressed outrage at the ongoing campaign describing it as contempt of the constitution.

“The no-election campaign is a non-starter and should be discouraged in all its form,” IEC says, a stance hailed by the opposition leader Ousainou Darboe.  
Human rights lawyer Assan Martins also warned: “If they are doing this campaign at their own will, which does not comply with the law of this country, they should stop it. The idea that there should be a Monarchy is against our Constitution,” adding that “ the issue of crowning Jammeh as King of The Gambia must come through a constitutional change, a referendum. Gambia is a Republic.”

“The campaign to coronate president Jammeh as a King and to transform The Gambia into a monarchy should be nipped in the bud”, Darboe charged.

He promises to campaign hard and if possible once again form alliance with other opposition leaders to oust Jammeh.

“I strongly believe that President Jammeh knows that there’s every likelihood that the opposition will get together and that he will be flushed out of power in 2011, and he thinks that this is a way of keeping himself in power,” Darboe told Daily News.

Attitude determines altitude

President Jammeh came to power through a military coup in 1994 putting an end to the thirty-year-rule of Dawda Kairaba Jawara.

All political parties and political activities were banned during the two year transition period in the run-up to a return to a democratic civilian government.

The presidential elections held in 1996 saw Jammeh winning with 56 percent of the votes and captured the majority of seats in the legislative elections held in 1997.

Although he dropped to 53 of votes in the 2001 presidential elections, he was able to secure a virtual monopoly at the National Assembly after the main-opposition UDP party boycotted the elections amid cries of foul play.

In 2006, president Jammeh won 67 percent of the votes and his party maintained a strong majority in the National Assembly amid phenomenal voter apathy as over 50 percent of registered voters failed to cast their votes.

Although some local and foreign election observers deemed the elections free, fair and transparent, there were reports of unfair play and the opposition maintained that there has never been a level playing ground for free and fair elections. 

Jammeh is really a king!

To some, the president is already enjoying the privileges of a king as he is the “be all and end all” otherwise the “Alpha and Omega” in The Gambia.

"It's image construction," says Abdoulaye Saine, professor of political science at Miami University in Ohio. "He's not a scholar, he's not a doctor, and he’s not a professor. But he covets these titles."
Saine says Jammeh's coronation would give him a new title but would not change anything politically.
"Jammeh is already king," Saine said. "He practically owns the country of Gambia.

A referendum is more likely

But according to Gambian law, any constitutional change in choosing a leader will require the support of 75 percent of votes through a referendum.

And if the kingship campaign gains momentum, a referendum is more likely to take place.

But Darboe says, his party will soon hold a mass political rally to publicly condemn the kingship campaign.

“All well meaning Gambians should support us,” he pleads. “Even those in the ruling party, because this is not about electing an opposition leader into a political office, but a campaign against oligarchy.”

By Saikou Jammeh