Of that Gambian bombshell

Editorial-October 4, 2013,

Gambia has dropped a bombshell with a few weeks to go for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Colombo. It has announced its decision to pull out of the Commonwealth unilaterally and its eccentric President Yahya Jammeh has incurred much international opprobrium for that whimsical move. He has been known for his venomous outpourings against the Commonwealth but nobody thought he would resort to a surprise withdrawal.

Jammeh has apparently taken a leaf out of Robert Mugabe’s book; Zimbabwe withdrew from the Commonwealth about ten years ago amidst allegations of human rights violations. Pakistan had done so much earlier over the Commonwealth recognition of Bangladesh but returned to the fold years later to be suspended and reinstated subsequently. The reason President Jammeh has given for Gambia’s pullout is quite interesting. He says Gambia does not want to be a member of any neo-colonial institution that represents an extension of colonialism. Cynics might say it is a case of the wrong person saying the right thing!

Jammeh is a living example of what colonialism has done to Africa. He is being castigated for his dictatorial rule and blatant human rights violations, and quite rightly so. He has also drawn heavy flak from the international media for a national campaign against ‘witches’ among other things. But, history tells us that he hasn’t been alone in carrying out such witch hunts.

In 1563, it may be recalled, the controversial Elizabethan Witch Craft Act was passed in England against 'agaynst Conjuracions Inchauntmentes and Witchecraftes'. Hundreds of old women living alone became victims of that draconian legislation as they were suspected to be witches. Not even their pets were spared; they, too, were harmed as they were thought to be associated with black magic. So, one may wonder whether Gambia has learnt from its colonial masters how to deal with suspected witches. It may also be recalled that time was when the US indulged Papa Doc of Haiti, who openly practised witchcraft to terrorise his people and went so far as to put a curse on JFK a few weeks before the latter’s assassination.

Much water has flowed under the bridge since the sun finally set on the British Empire and former colonies and their leaders cannot live in the past. Bashing neo-imperialism and the world powers won’t take the victims of colonialism anywhere. The world has changed and the time has come for them to devise new strategies to throw off the yoke of neocolonialism. The best way out is for them to develop their economies and improve their human rights records.

However, the fact remains that some former colonies in spite of gaining Independence decades ago have not yet fully recovered from the adverse impact centuries of imperialism had on them. They remain backward politically, economically and socially. They are characterised by deprivation, violence, unbridled exploitation and, above all, savage dictatorships. Their plight is the responsibility of their former colonial masters.

Democracy does not take root in poverty which has been the outcome of mindless colonial plunder of weaker nations’ wealth and the destruction of the traditional institutions which once held those societies together. No wonder conditions prevail for violent elements to grab power in some African countries. It is a supreme irony that Jammeh is now venting his spleen on colonialists who have made his ascent to power possible albeit unwittingly.

There is a pressing need for the Commonwealth to engage Gambia and try to make it mend its ways and return to the association’s fold. But, sadly, the Commonwealth has gone the same way as other international outfits including the UN used as a bludgeon by a few powerful nations to beat others who refuse to toe their line.