IS TRANSNATIONAL CIVIL SOCIETY KEEPING LEADER ON TOES?
Rtd Lieutenant/ Staff Writer allgambian.net
The consequent and precipitous impact of a collapsing state has always been an enduring fact of human affairs. Even before the inception of the Westphalia state system in the 17th century, numerous state formations in the Americas, Asia, Europe and Africa emerged and collapsed. In the case of modern day Africa, the root causes ranged from
“internal imperatives” triggered by issues such as widespread human rights abuses, institutionalization of ethnicity, corruption, the systematic appraisal of impunity, and spotlighting by the radar of trans-national civil society. Current events in the Gambia are a testament to the above mentioned validity.
With mobilizations by the Commonwealth, the Media Foundation for West Africa, local NGOs and other civil society groups, ending impunity and addressing the volatile human rights situation in The Gambia has come to the forefront of transnational civil society. The campaign to hold the Jammeh regime accountable for the brutal murder of 55 west African nationals including (44 Ghanaians, some Senegalese, Nigerians and Togolese), and the recent mysterious deaths of the notorious henchmen widely believed to have participated in these covert and brutal murders, raises the questions : Is transnational civil society keeping the Gambian leader on his toes? Are the mysterious deaths of Captain Tumbul Tamba and Major Musa Jammeh a deceptive move to conceal evidence in future trials?
What is certain is that,with his apocalyptic deluge coming to a halt, the non-visionary and diabolical Gambian leader seems to be put on his toes by the pressure from civil society organizations. Many political pundits are also convinced that the mysterious sicknesses and deaths are a flagrant strategy on the part of the disoriented Gambian leader of destroying and concealing evidences that could be useful in future potential investigations.
It would be perilous to underestimate the amazing complex criminal enterprise of the Gambian leader who undoubtedly provided diplomatic passports and airplane registrations to a range of criminal networks in Africa and overseas (Rebels in Southern Senegal, and criminal gangs from eastern Europe and the middle east).
Nonetheless whilst human rights situation in The Gambia has become a modicum of civil society organizations, the political landscape may be in a direction for a change. But does that mean that The Gambia is on the path of peace and security? Certainly by the look of things, Gambians have a golden opportunity to strengthen such historic gains in our collective struggle to replace the quasi–military regime with a stable and transparent democracy that would benefit all generations.
To succeed in strengthening the aforementioned gains, the domestic opposition in collaboration with Diaspora opposition must change strategy by challenging the legitimacy of the Jammeh regime and boycott any form of elections until the following conditions are met.
a)The opposition must insist that any future elections must be overseen by an independent election monitoring body such as the Carter Center or the National Democratic Institute.
b)The opposition to have equal access to the media (radio, TV) and other government resources.
c)The new local government act that empowers the President to dissolve any municipal council must be repealed and called off.
d)The opposition must also demand a total repeal of the Draconian Media Law introduced to muzzle the press and journalists.
e)The opposition like other civil society groups must also engage organizations such as ECOWAS and the AU about not only rights abuses, but also the unfair nature of how elections are conducted in the country.
f)The role of the Military and Security apparatus in politics must be challenged and properly addressed.
Once the opposition changes strategy and insist on the above mentioned conditions, another milestone in the history of the tiny West African nation could be attained.
Known as a beacon of peace and respect for human rights since attaining Independence in 1965, the military coup that brought Jammeh to power changed the Gambia and her communities into a beehive. With a systematic widespread torture, enforced disappearances, extra-judicial killings and flagrant restriction on freedom of expression, the campaign by transnational civil society to end impunity could not have come at a better time. The regime of President Jammeh may destroy evidences by mysteriously killing suspects named for torture and extra-judicial executions, however due to the nature of the crime, the President cannot be absolved of criminal responsibility. It has already become an international legal consensus that he could be held fully responsible and accountable for committing crimes against humanity.
In view of the aforementioned proceedings one may be logically tempted to presume that major global political powers have no interest in prosecuting President Jammeh.
However The African Union , The Economic Community of West African States (EEOWAS) , the United States, Europe, China and the rest of the international community have an interest in ensuring that the Gambian leader and his accomplices stand trial for not only the murder of 55 African nationals, but also the summary executions of November 11th 1994, the murder of former finance minister Ousman Koro Ceesay, the murder of over 15 student demonstrators of April 10th and 11th 2001, the Murder of veteran journalist Deyda Hydra and numerous other tortures. This so because whether found guilty or not, the presence of perpetrators of such crimes in an international dock will send a clear signal to future leaders that the world has robustly evolved to embrace the universal consensus of a democracy where the rule of law has not only ended impunity but would also never be compromised. One could therefore satisfactorily conclude that President Jammeh’s “familial holocaust of nightmarish proportions” has put him on his toes before the radar of Transnational civil society.
NB
“ when a nation is stung with injury and stays away from vengeance, voluntarily submitting perpetrators of heinous crimes to the judgment of the law is one of the most significant tributes that power has ever paid to reason” (Justice Robert Jackson)
i cant understand……