On Dreams and Cronyism: a note to Baba Galleh Jallow

On Dreams and Cronyism: a note to Baba Galleh Jallow My Dear 'koto' Baba, I salute you once again with high Honour for indeed you are my senior in many ways. I just woke up this early morning and saw your article on Freedom Newspaper "Dare to Dream" and from the onset I knew (at some level) it had to do with my objection/petition against the shady and unjust appointment of your conflicted friend Alagie Barrow as Director of Research and Investigations at the Truth Reconciliation and Reparations Commission (TRRC); you tried quite well to hide your intentions/innuendos but I saw right through your lines that true to your sarcastic self, you did a veiled run against those who have critical views in the ongoing debate about your TTRC.

Oh Yes I told you koto I grew up reading lots of your articles; many of them you cannot even remember yourself; but am well aware of your style of writing. You could very well be decorated as the Gambia's Chief Satirist, remembering the runs you did against your former (late) boss (may his souls rest in piece) and your former junior whom you satirically labeled Mr. Brains with intent (I dare say) to ruin his dreams of outclassing you in penmanship. Yes we also know something about dreams, be it individual or collective. And that is why some of us have been labouring day and night writing and speaking to the teeming youths of this country about the need to dream to build a country of prosperity for one and all even during periods when the clouds were thickest during the past two decades. The desire to promote the ethos of collective dreaming is what led me to publish "For The Gambia: Living The National Anthem" (prose) and "To The Gambia: The Smiling Coast" (a collection of poems), pushing the ethos of collective Dreams and collective success. Look Baba, it is bad enough that you accepted the job of Executive Secretary of the TRRC even when you clearly knew that you are conflicted; it is bad enough that you chose your friend Alagie Barrow who is even more conflicted than you to head the Research and Investigations Unit of the same (now potentially) compromised TRRC. Do not play with our emotions with 'gaaruwaaleh'. Instead of responding to my formal petition against the appointment of Alagie Barrow which I hand-delivered to you in your office you whose to dig in as clearly manifested in your statements in the media; and am I surprised with your attitude on that? No, because you are taking your notes from your boss 'Minister of Digging In' who decided to defenestrate a petitioner even though he later had to dig into tax payers' money for a (temporary) replacement in the case of the conflicted commission official on whose matter a petition was forwarded to him. Oh what a 'maa tei' ethos this so called New Gambia has engendered in our officialdom! My Dear Koto, it's still too early here and I need to go take a walk at the beach for more inspiration to go and keep on with my life-long mission of inspiring Gambians and non-Gambians alike to "Dare to Dream" so I have to cut this note here lest I be distracted by your dreamy 'gaaruwaleh' essay. But let me remind you that you cannot 'gaaruwaaleh' us out of fighting for a better Gambia. 'Koto' when push came to shove you ran away across the Atlantic but some of us stayed and faced Yahya Jammeh and through myriad efforts of creative cooperation, direct confrontation and a complex mix of stratagems and subterfuges we played our own role in punching a hole in Jammeh's ship. So you don't love this country more than us. The work we have been doing here with inspiring young people to dare to dream is what you are using now to partly build your institution. From your Secretariat to the membership of the Commission itself, my fingerprint is everywhere by the Grace of Allah Subhaanahu wa ta'aalaa. In the words of leading rapper ST Brikama Boyo, 'this is my zone; duntumalango buka taamang taamang jang!' Baba, let me emphaisse once again, you cannot, and will never be able to, browbeat or 'gaaruwaleh' us into silence in this New Gambia. If you guys want to come here and hoodwink our innocent and unsuspecting new President into wrecking this nation with cronyism and a subtle revenge agenda you can go ahead but it is a battle you will never win inshaa Allah. In my Bob Marley voice I tell you Koto: "We know we shall win; as we are confident in the victory!" Wa Salam. Momodou Sabally