Musings Of A Naïve African: Yahya Jammeh, What Do You Have Up Your Sleeve?

Can we now talk about Yahya Jammeh? The man who wears the most suspicious smile in the world. A cheery face is the last you would expect of an African warrior as masculine as Mr Jammeh , the man who boasts of a cure to HIV/AIDS.

Indeed, Mr Jammeh is a quasi-autocratic leader, the kind that the west will call a dictator. After all, he ascended the highest throne of the land of Gambia through a coup d’état, a military one. I know some of you human rights advocates are seething at my use of “quasi-autocratic”, but let’s face it, after his coup d’état he has contested and won “democratic” elections four times. Besides, Angela Merkel has taught us that it is legitimate so long as it is constitutional. He will surely win the December 1st elections as well, despite a fortified opposition this time, for obvious reasons. After all, what do you expect from a majority Islamic population when you declare your nation an Islamic state about a year before the polls? Also, given his style of governance and body language, it appears only Allah or death can quench his flames.

Perhaps, we could as well cut him some slack. His CV doesn’t match up to those of the giant dictators that have ever ruled in Africa. He joined the fold in 1994, just yesterday. Even if you decided to nullify his democratic credentials, and classify him as a dictator, he would be a freshman in the eyes of our Grandpa Bob and his cousins, Nguema and dos Santos. Before you think he’s in my good books, I should say that I very much acknowledge the fact that he created a blot on his record when he declared that he would be in power for “a billion years” so long as Allah wills. He must rather create a monarchy – that will be understandable.

You may be wondering who I am – a supporter or critic. Well, I must confess that I am confused. I am as confused as the often inconsistent and unpredictable Jammeh himself.

He announced last year that his country was exiting the Commonwealth of Nations because “the Gambia will never be a member of any neo-colonial institution and will never be a party to any institution that represents an extension of colonialism". The reasonability in his reason for exiting the British bloc was flawed two months later (December 2015) when he paradoxically declared Gambia an Islamic republic. A move opposition National Reconciliation Party member, Hamat Bah, called unconstitutional because "there is a constitutional clause that says that Gambia is a secular state," so "you cannot make such a declaration without going through a referendum." Obviously, Jammeh thinks it’s rational to take a step away from colonial/political influence whilst he signs his nation on to religious bondage. Who said Islam is originally African? The case of political influence versus religious imposition. In my view, the former is cosier than the latter.

What could be the inspiration for his decision? Some say he had fallen out with the west largely because of his ill human rights record. He has so-so relations with far-east China and Taiwan, to say the least, and with very little to gain from ties in Africa, his last jigsaw could be the middle east where he can be a beneficiary of the charity of some oil-rich nations in the region. With more than 90% of the country’s population, it is good to say they have an Islamic identity. Let’s pray everything will be okay since Jammeh says that they “will be an Islamic state that would respect the rights of all citizens and non-citizens."

Recent Precedents
In October this year, Gambia announced their withdrawal from the International Criminal Court, after Burundi and South Africa. You already know my take on the ICC’s alleged persecution of African personalities. The issue has to do with the timing of the announcement. Why did Yahya Jammeh choose a date so close to the election date (1^st December, 2016)? Is he seeking to score political point with that tactic, like every smart African leader would do?

The interesting part…
The AFP news agency reports Yahya Jammeh as saying “our campaign is focusing on peace and security and not for violence. Violence is like bushfire. You can know where it starts but you won't know where it will end…therefore let us campaign peacefully, vote peacefully and then celebrate our victory”. My outright impression was that this statement came from a grown African sage. The bushfire rhetoric is indicative of that, but reading between the lines, I get the hint that he could either be talking to his supporters, or the nation as a whole. Either way, it is good news to know that violence isn’t cool.

Ten days later, and three days to the elections, the tone changes; "I am warning all Gambians against violence." "There will be zero tolerance (of) ... violence and anyone disregarding public order will face full force of the law," (as reported by Reuters’ Tim Cocks). This is the point where I advise my brothers and sisters in Gambia to be cautious. It is no longer an advice from Alhaji Jammeh. It is now an order. The normal progression would include an order and a threat but December 1^st is already here so the last two (order and threat) will naturally be reserved as post-elections developments, in the worst case. He promised you “zero tolerance…” after the elections but you know as well as I do that “zero tolerance” has been his mantra since ’94.

Ecowas and the African Union have no hook on him despite some disagreements with him in the past. What about the UK? Well, he is no longer part of Commonwealth. He severed ties with the European Union and didn’t invite them to sniff around his backyard in the guise of election observers. The pan-African side of me believes the United States care less since Gambia is as ‘insignificant’ as Burundi. Since the Middle Eastern, Far Eastern and Russian forces have virtually no interest in democratic elections, they will also be asleep.

Now, who will check Jammeh when he goes haywire? My dear Gambians, who will come to your aid when Yahya locks you indoors with the wild cats? Don’t you think it wise to obey and pray? Mind you, I’m just asking questions. We usually do not know what he has up his sleeves, or I should say ‘under his Kaftan’, since he doesn’t wear shirts. Adama Barrow, the opposition leader says “If Jammeh wants advice... if he loses, let him accept the will of the people and accept the value of the Gambian people,” but Mr Barrow has forgotten that Jammeh has a divine pact with Allah and not the people of Gambia – “I will deliver to the Gambian people and if I have to rule this country for one billion years, I will, if Allah says so”. These are not my words.

You have the right to scream “give me my right” but remember, he said "I am warning all Gambians against violence."…and it was glossed with a smile. That smile. That charming smile.

Raphael Kodjoe / [email protected]
The writer, Raphael Kodjoe, is a Ghanaian Radio Broadcaster who thinks and talks about anything in the realm of humankind that is worth thinking or talking about.