 |
|
| Author |
 Topic  |
|
|
Momodou
Denmark
11831 Posts |
 Posted - 07 Sep 2007 : 19:54:26
|
OPINION
Slaves, Or The Biggest Fools, What Are We?
Foroyaa has been advising and teaching us for the past twenty years to know ourselves, know our country and know the world so as to be the architects of our own destiny. But can't we stop a minute and ask ourselves whether we have heeded the advice and learnt any lesson from what we were being taught? Do we know who we are? Do we know the type of country we are living in and the system it has been operating under from the days of colonialism to date? Do we know the kind of world we are living in? In my view, the answer to these questions is no. That is so because the kind of questions being raised, and the statements being made by people who are supposed to be torch bearers in our society is an indication that very little has been learnt. Had we learnt our lessons better, we would not have been asking questions such as what is responsible for the skyrocketing of the prices of basic goods, the stagnation of the starving wages of workers, the retrogression in the agricultural sector and the difficulty experienced by farmers in the marketing of their products year in year out. We have failed to learn that just few decades ago we did not own ourselves and therefore did not have any rights over ourselves; that we were subjects of other people who think for us and decided on everything about our lives for us.
Because these people think for us, we are made to work and serve them while they ensure a better life and comfort for themselves. On the other hand, we as their subjects continue to live in subhuman conditions. However they also know that we are not unblessed in terms of mental capacity and resources; that if we are left on our own unhindered, we will be able to use our creative minds to harness the material resources in our environment to transform our lives. Instead of pursuing a development process which all societies must pass through, they found a shortcut to development for themselves by exploiting us. Survival of the fittest is an integral part of their ideology. Their greed for material wealth has conditioned them to accept that as normal. They couldn't see any evil in exploiting others as long as their selfish interests are not affected. Since they consider exploitation to be normal and logical, it must be left to continue without let or hindrance. Anybody trying to interfere with that system must be resisted. This has been, and still is their position regarding this system of exploitation.
But, as human beings, we cannot continue to live like animals forever. The desire to be free and live like human beings forced some of our fathers to mobilise our people to resist this evil system, which made the exploitation of person by person normal. Their vision and mission was to put complete the end to their evil system. At the initial stage of the struggle, it must be unimaginable to many that any headway could be made. But with patience, perseverance and selfless sacrifice they were able to take us to where we are today enjoying the little rights that we now take for granted. As our fathers were sacrificing everything in the struggle against the evil system of marked exploitation, the master exploiters were also strategizing to defend and conserve it. When they realised that with the determination of fathers they would not survive as exploiters, they eventually decided to retreat at a certain point and rethink their strategies. They acknowledged the fact that if they were to survive as exploiters, they had to relinquish their position of lordship over us at least to give us a false sense of freedom and independence. With this false sense of freedom and independence, a seed of complacency was sown among the exploited and oppressed and their fighting spirit to resist was extinguished. The little work that they had to do was to eliminate those who understood the full meaning of the term independence and are determined to achieve it at all cost.
Unfortunately for us, with that work done, those that were now in position of leadership in our countries were those who accepted to be tools of the master exploiter. In this way the master exploiter got whatever she/he wanted from the exploited behind the scene. Most of the oppressed and exploited thought that the mere appearance of their own kind in such position meant freedom and independence.
What must be realised by all of us is that the struggle launched by our fathers against oppression and exploitation is far from over. One can rightly say that it is just the first phase of that struggle which has ended. The second phase of that struggle is in progress and history has entrusted the responsibility of it's prosecution upon the shoulders of our present generation. The earlier we realize this, the better for us and our children. Our fathers have accomplished what could achieve in their time and circumstances, by ending colonialism but even after they are long gone, they still continue to perpetuate it behind the scene in close collaboration with those we consider to be our own. It is therefore the responsibility of our generation not to betray succeeding generations by failing to effect change. If we do, by that act, we are either accepting to be slaves or the biggest fools that ever existed on the face of the earth.
We must ask ourselves why is it that after decades of independent existence, we are still unable to feed our selves and provide shelter and clothings for ourselves? Why is it that we are becoming more and more hopeless about our future instead of being hopeful? Would this be the case if we were really free and independent? No, this is our situation because those in positions of leadership are truly wolves in the sheep's clothing.
Up to this day truly we are being dictated to by the master exploiter (our former colonial masters) through their financial institutions in the form of World Bank and the IMF (International Monetary Fund). By taking lessons from these institution which are solely owned by the master exploiter on how to run our economy, whatelse do we expect other than to be broken and exploited, and the consequent underdevelopment, poverty and hardship. Infact to accept to be dictated by these institutions tantamount to accepting to be either a slave or the biggest fool ever.
Division Budhoo, who worked for the IMF for 12 years, resigned after making a critical appraisal of the IMF's role in the third world. In an open letter to the IMF bureaucrats, he accused them of "hawking your medicine and your bag of tricks to peoples of the world. Devalue! Tax the poor! Remove all subsidies to the underprivileged! Fire the people! Cut out social services! Let the children starve! Let malnutrition in all the shanty towns be our performance criteria! Increase prices of bread, yams, soap and water! Negate all constitutions! Kill all hope and aspiration from the heart of the down trodden! Go back again to saying your prayers in the mosque, and begging in the streets and dancing in the jungle! Turn back the clock to two hundred years and let us again be the masters and you be the slaves!.. lie prostrate, i.e obediently as our heaviest stream roller ploughs through you for the glorification of our founding fathers and for the pique and career development of our present day staff". How can a society entrust its future development to such insensitive, callous and sometimes downright incompetent officials with the primitive attitude and understanding of Africa and its problems of the one-time colonial officials? he asked.
Muhammed Babu, veteran commentator on African politics described the situation under the kind of misleaders who accepts to be dictated by the master exploiter. "Injustice in this state is seen as an ever present element rather than a shocking intrusion in the people's existence. Those in power demand from the people only unilateral, in place of mutual respect: the respect of inferiors for superiors, rather than respect between equals. To such leaders the people are only part of their estate and in such an estate the masters are insensitive to appeals for justice; to them justice is whatever is useful to maintain themselves in power. Their ideal is to govern with the minimum of perspiration and the maximum of domination. They are obsessed with the lust for power and regard themselves demi-gods. Anybody honest enough to refuse to acknowledge them, as such is a criminal and punished accordingly, mostly through the PFCs. The country in the meantime moves by desultory stages nearer and nearer disaster. They reduce the entire population to the economic level of beggars and at the political level of convicts".
Marcus Garvey in his article entitled Negro Leadership and What It Means, wrote about the kind of leaders we have at the helm of our affairs in these words. "I would not exchange two five-cents cigars-even though not a smoker-for all the colored or Negro political leaders, or rather mis-leaders, of our time. The fraternity is heartless, crafty and corrupt. They exist for themselves only, and give no honest thought to the future, nor the condition of the people, except to exploit the said condition to their political benefit.
"The leaders of the race are visionless and selfish. They think of none but themselves.
"Among the whites, we have a few political charlatans and crooks, but that race can well afford, under the circumstances, to tolerate them, because they are surrounded and circumvented by statesmen and race patriots who are ever vigilant and on guard in protecting the rights of their people. Among us Negroes, there is no relief from such a class, because they monopolize our politics and obstruct our outlook..
"To use our present political leaders there must be a conversion and reformation in head and heart. I believe it to be impossible with the inviting system of graft, therefore I suggest that leadership be assumed by our uncorrupted youth, with a program leader, positive and determined, counting well the cost of opposition and persecution,. Which generally leads to the Bastile and the Guillotine"
Now as Garvey has rightly stated those very people we regard as leaders have turned to be hypocrites, sycophants and deceptors employing all their skills to entrench and strengthen oppression and exploitation for their selfish interests. They are the ones who have been deafening the ears of our people with talks of development and revolution even though the farming community which constitute a large percentage of the populace are frustrated; even though the youth who are the future of the country are being driven to risk their lives at the sea because of lack of hope about their future at home; even though people are virtually starving because of our inability to afford a nutritious diet for our families with the rising prices of basic commodities coupled with the violations of fundamental human rights. It is clear that we did not have people whom we can rely on for the evil system which have taken us hostage. Therefore as Garvey has suggested it is our uncorrupted youth, with a program clear, positive and determined, counting well the cost of opposition and persecution, which generally leads to the Bastile and Guillotine who must assume the leadership of the struggle against oppression and exploitation in our society. Unless and until the youth, and women especially, take an informed and firm position on matters that affect their country and life, then national affairs will be hijacked by fellow citizens who lack the patriotism, commitment and vision which are required to develop the nation. In such a situation therefore the country stands to lose not only the gains already made, but the very existence of our society would be threatened by instability and impunity.
All Gambians particularly the youth are urged to engage in politics in full force because politics is the only means by which we can determine our destiny; control our resources; promote and protect our human rights and the rule of law; ensure democracy, accountability and good governance; and achieve our development objectives in peace and stability. The solution to all the needs and concerns of society lies in politics.
The executive are the decision and policy makers in any county. The national assembly (Parliament) are the law makers of almost any country. Since that is the case, the people must therefore get involved in politics to choose the right individuals as their president, national assembly members, councilors, chairpersons, and mayors so that the right policies, decisions and laws will be made for the benefit of each and every citizen. Let us stand for a future that will place our country fully in our sovereign hands with a government that is entrusted with public power and committed to the exercise of power that belongs to the people to safeguard their liberty, dignity and prosperity. May God awaken the people from their slumber!
Fabakary Trawally
Baddibou Salikenni.
Source: Foroyaa Newspaper Burning Issue
Issue No. 97/2007, 22 - 23 August, 2007
|
A clear conscience fears no accusation - proverb from Sierra Leone |
|
|
toubab1020
12314 Posts |
Posted - 07 Sep 2007 : 22:29:18
|
| Gambia has been self governing for how long? |
"Simple is good" & I strongly dislike politics. You cannot defend the indefensible.
|
 |
|
|
Janyanfara
Tanzania
1350 Posts |
Posted - 07 Sep 2007 : 22:57:59
|
| I think we are neither slaves nor fools.We could probably not been able to face realities. |
Edited by - Janyanfara on 07 Sep 2007 22:58:32 |
|
|
| |
Topic |
|
|
|
| Bantaba in Cyberspace |
© 2005-2024 Nijii |
|
|
|
Topic Locked
