I am not a fun of change that I have no idea about, neither I am also a fun of status quo that is oppressive, suppressive and destructive. I am only for positive change considering the fact that many African countries called for change in governments after independence and only to retrogress in fortunes leaving their people in sufferings and miseries. My home country Ghana is a shining example where Dr. Kwame Nkrumah’s government was changed in 1966.
We are still struggling after 59 years of independence with several changes in governments, and some through coups. Change is good but it should be positive and not the other way round. As long as my leader does the right things, I will support him. It’s happened in Cuba where the late Fidel Castro ruled for 55 years.
I am very sure in 1994 when Yayah Jammeh wrestled power from Dawda Jawarah through a coup, many might have been very happy despite the circumstances through which Yayah Jammeh came to the presidency. Whatever it was at that time in the Gambia, there was change. He has since won some elections to his credit so why the change now? We thank God that the change in the Gambia did not come through bloodshed.
There is a political earthquake in Gambia which has brought to an end 22 year rule of Yaya Jammeh, the man who once boasted that he will rule the Gambia for billion years. The world is at shock just like what happened in the American elections. It’s very interesting to know that the man who brought to an end the tenure of Yayah Jammeh was once a security guard. His name is Adama Barrow. He is the president elect for the Republic of Gambia and in 60 days from now, he would sworn in officially.
Even the mighty research engine, google and Wikipedia encyclopaedia have a limited information about Adama Barrow and who he really is. The search engines only talk about his date of birth, place of birth, home town and brief history about his school life and the fact that he moved to London in 2000 where he worked as a security guard whilst studying real estate.
Probably he is the Gambian type of Donald J Trump though he never spoke “big” as Donald J Trump did during the electioneering campaigns in America but he probably had a charisma with magnetic fields that pulled the people to him. One similar thing about both of them is that they are real estate moguls and not too much known in everyday politics in their respective countries.
The Gambia is the smallest country in mainland Africa surrounded by Senegal and the Atlantic Ocean in the west. According to 2013 census, the Gambia has a population of 1, 882, 450. Yayah Jammeh came to the scene in 1994 after a bloodless coup which overthrew the government of Dawda Jawara who was then the first president of the Gambia. Since 1994, Yayah Jammeh has since remained the president of the Gambia.
The rise and fall of Yaya Jammeh is nothing new in Africa in particular and the world at large. What this tells is that no matter how good a leader appears to be, with time, their people begin to loathe them. That is the exact time those leaders are supposed to leave the scene just like Nelson Mandela did in South Africa but unfortunately the situation is different with leaders who often times come through coups. They cling to power even to the point of death. They prefer to die than to be called ex-presidents or leaders.
What led to the fall of Yayah Jammeh? It’s because he has become saturated within the politics of the Gambia. For the past 22 years, everything in the Gambia presidency is about Yayah Jammeh. Is he the only person who has the potency to lead the Gambia? People might be wondering. People might have become fed up with Yayah Jammeh and his way of doing things. I am very sure some of his own staunch followers have fallen apart with him.
During this time time, cronies of the leaders tell them a lot of lies just to remain in their good books particularly if the leader is a dictator. I am sure that is what happened to Yaya Jammeh. He could have even disrupted or manipulated the whole electoral processes to his favour if he had gotten the little suspicion that this time he would lose the elections considering the fact that he is believed to have a track records of manipulating elections results to his favour. His cabinet people kept on telling him that you are still the people’s favourite and sung a lot of praises tune for him to dance.
Here is the simple truth. leaders rule their people for a long time, they loathe them and in some cases when they are even doing the right thing. They begin to call for change that they have no idea of. That time, leaders who are discerning leave the political stage like comedians who leave the stage when the audience are still laughing. Their countries miss them a lot particularly when things are going wrong.
For us African, we must pray for the Gambia for a smooth transfer of power from Yayah Jammeh to the president elect Adama Barrow. As to whether Adama Barrow would be a better president for the Gambia is just a matter of time.
Join GhanaStar.com to receive daily email alerts of breaking news in Ghana. GhanaStar.com is your source for all Ghana News. Get the latest Ghana news, breaking news, sports, politics, entertainment and more about Ghana, Africa and beyond.