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Momodou
Denmark
11634 Posts |
 Posted - 01 Aug 2012 : 17:48:45
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Aljazeera Opinion: Gambian leader celebrates coup, not country
By Lamin Jahateh
01 Aug 2012 13:44
The West African state's autocratic president has elevated his coup d'etat over his country's independence.
 Banjul, Gambia - Last week, on July 22, Gambian leader Yahya Jammeh celebrated the day he overthrew the country's democratically elected president in a coup d'etat in 1994. Then a lieutenant, Jammeh led a group of young soldiers to overthrow the government of President Sir Dawda Jawara. Jawara was among the key people who fought for the independence of The Gambia from British colonial rule, and subsequently became the first prime minister and later president of the country after independence.
President Jammeh has now for 18 years commemorated the day he broke one of Africa's longest traditions of electoral democracy. In the celebration, he justifies his unconstitutional action by claiming the former government had not been developing the country, and that his bloodless coup was a move to salvage the country and bring development to the people.
By now, the coup celebration has eclipsed the country's Independence Day. Jammeh's administration has relegated the Independence Day celebration on February 18 to be officiated by regional governors and mayors.
In contrast, every year on July 22, Jammeh lavishly spends millions of dollars on partying not only with party militants, but with government ministers, regional governors, and military officers - all of whom should be independent of party politics. These officials are now Jammeh's political toys. Halifa Sallah, one of the main figures in the opposition coalition National Alliance for Democracy and Development (NADD), has said the funds going into these celebrations are public funds.
In one of the celebrations, a record 80 million dalasis, about US$2.5m, was spent.
.............. Instead of celebrating September 30, 1996, the day he was declared winner of the elections with 55 per cent of the total vote, Jammeh continuously celebrates the coup d'etat - sending the wrong signal that there is a virtue in taking up arms to overthrow a constitutionally elected president....................
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