Ministers Designate
It is yet another week and I can hear rhythmical political tunes blaring from the radio. And you know I cannot resist dancing to such tunes. The vetting of Ministers nominated by His Excellency Nana Addo Danquah Akufo-Addo has started at the Appointments Committee of Parliament and it is a spectacle to behold. I’m encouraged by what I’ve seen so far.
The Senior Minister designate was the first to appear before the Committee. His responses were as illuminating as they were biting. I’ve never doubted the competency of Yaw Osafo Marfo, and watching him literally lecture members of the Committee re-enforced that belief. I’m sure I would be speaking for many of my compatriots if I said cutting the sharp-teethed Ablakwa to size was the highlight of his vetting.
The other nominees, who appeared before the Committee, have also proven beyond doubt that they could be trusted to deliver. Unlike many appointees of the erstwhile Ogwanfunu government who exhibited cluelessness in the ministries they were posted to, this batch of nominees have shown that they have full appreciation of their job requirements. The calmness with which they all answered the queries from members of the Committee was re-assuring, to say the least.
I, however, cannot talk about cluelessness and not mention Sampson Ahi. It is more than obvious that his presence adds nothing of substance to the Committee. One could clearly see the discomfiture on the faces of his colleagues on the minority side anytime he opened his mouth to ask a question. With such characters being deputy ministers in the last administration, is it any wonder that the Ogwanfunu government drove the Yutong Bus into an abyss?
On the international front, soldiers from our beloved country did join others from ECOWAS member states to prove to Sheikh Professor Alhaji Dr Yahya A. J.J. Jammeh (note the titles) that the regional body is not all about barking. Many of my compatriots are livid at the terms of the agreement that facilitated the exit of the power-drunk Gambian leader. Many others are even more livid at the way he was allowed to exit the political stage.
Yahya Jammeh
It was reported that he arrived at the airport with a large convoy with throng of supporters screaming and cheering. He stood on a small platform to hear a ceremonial music (perhaps for the last time) performed by the Gambian Military Band and then walked down a long red carpet surrounded by dignitaries. He majestically climbed the stairs of the aircraft, turned and kissed the Quran in his hand, and waved it at the cheering supporters before embarking the aircraft.
Unlike many of my compatriots, I’m not angry at the terms of the agreement. Neither am I angry at the manner he was allowed to show his last “krakye” powers before exiting the political stage. On the contrary, I’m very happy and proud at the actions of the mediators. Their main concern was to save innocent lives, hence the desire to go to any length to make the peaceful exit of the dictator possible. They’ve achieved that, haven’t they?
Without a doubt, the blood-thirsty Jammeh deserves to be prosecuted for all the atrocious crimes he has committed during his 22-year reign. For sure, I would be elated to see him pay for those crimes. But life is not always fair and just. The bitter truth is that not all criminals pay for their crimes in this unfair world.
There are times that we allow brutish criminals to walk free in order to avert a catastrophic consequence. The Gambian saga is one of those. Can you imagine the consequences of denying recalcitrant Jammeh the requests in the agreement? Obviously, that alternative would be deadly and more expensive than the agreement in force now.
Come to think of it, I’ve read the 14-point declaration by ECOWAS, AU and the UN on the Gambian debacle and nowhere did I see the word “amnesty”. My thinking is that it was a smart move by the mediators to ensure Jammeh’s dancing to the music still remains a possibility. Forgive my gullible deductions, for I do not have a legal mind.
My main and only lamentation on the Gambian saga is how Yahya Jammeh has continuously dragged the name of Islam into disrepute. His persistent clutching of the Quran and continuous reference to the Almighty Allah tend to corroborate the erroneous belief that Islam is a religion that supports violence. As a Muslim, I’m appalled at the rhetoric and vanity.
During such sad moments, I feel disappointed that he was not captured and made to face the music; or shot in the head to show to others that it does not pay to run a murderous regime. Alas, ours is only but an unfair world!
See you next week for another interesting konkonsa, Deo volente!