KAYJATTA
On July 21, 2011 President Jammeh returns to Banjul following a ten day "Meet-the-People" tour that took him around the country to meet with the people. The tour is a constitutional requirement, and has been practiced by his predecessor, Sir Dawda K. Jawara.
President Jammeh's return to Banjul coincides with the eve of the 17th anniverssary of the July 22, 1994 military coup that toppled the thirty-year democratic regime of Sir Dawda Jawara.
The 2011 "Meet-the-People" tour kicked off at Barra, North Bank Region (NBR). Jammeh's entourage, which included a cross section of top government officials, security officers, and APRC party officials, received a tumultous welcome in Barra by a large crowd led by Governor Edward Seckan, the Chiefs of NBR and the former Chief of Lower Niumi , Tabora Manneh a prominent victim of the "Presidential witch hunt" years ago.
From Barra (Niumi), President Jammeh proceeded to Farafenni in Baddibu, Soma in Jarra, Kiag, Basse,Wuli and Foni among other places. The theme of this year's tour is "youths and development". Jammeh recalled in every occassion the infrastructural development achieved by his government since 1994, and urged the youths to take the opportunities available at home to contribute in national development. However, Jammeh's patronage and outreach to the youths clearly underlies his preoccupation with the youth-led uprisings elsewhere on the African continent, notably Tunisia, Egypt, and Libya. Jammeh thanked the people, and sometimes demanded appreciation and loyalty for the developments his government brought to them.
The tour itself, as stated earlier, is a constitutional requirement and (should be) not a political tour as both the President and his critics insist, however at every stop President Jammeh repeatedly appealed for votes in the upcoming November elections in exchange for any further development assistance. Jammeh insisted that the November election will decide those communities who want development and those who do not want development, and often derided Baddibu (Salikene to be specific) as an example of a community that is being punished for its opposition to the APRC government. Jammeh mocked that if you see any dirty passenger at the ferry terminal in Barra, you should know that he or she is from Salikene, referring to the lack of good roads to Salikene. This is shameful though, because despite political opinion, these are tax-paying Gambians whose tax money funds all government;'s development programs. Jammeh also made it categorically clear to the people that whether they vote for him or not, he is going to win. He reminded them that he did not come to power on July 22, 1994 through elections in the first place and that he is going to rule the Gambia for as long as he wants to. Jammeh, who entertains a 99% electoral victory predited by Mayor Yankuba Colley, APRC campaign director and a campaign by the district chiefs for his coronation as the first king of the Gambia said he doesn't in fact need elections to remain in power. These statements by President Jammeh didn't help the image of the Gambia's electoral process, already tainted by registration fraud. Jammeh's political grandstanding and sometimes outright bullying also reflects the level of political consciousness in the Gambia.
The argument by the opposition that the Presidential tour should remain apolitical is a futile argument in my view, however. The presidency is a political post and whether Jammeh admits it or not, he is a politician. The issues that Jammeh deals with on a daily basis are in the public realm, and therefore political in nature. Therefore, it is impossible for the president to "dialogue with the people" while remaining apolitical, especially in an election year. I think it will be rather more appropriate to have legislation to skip the tour in an election year so as to avoid an undue advantage for the president in the political field.
The President was well received across the country for the most part. However, parts of Kiang, Jarra, and Wuli were problematic for the president's entourage. The meetings were poorly attended and less enthusiastic. President Jammeh, true to his military nature-always with the burning desire to destroy his opponents- issueed dire warnings to the people of these opposition strongholds about the suffering (of lack of development, disinvestment, and isolation) that awaits them if they remain in opposition to his government. It should be noted that these are regions that have been isolated and marginalized for years by the APRC regime, whose development plans follow political boundaries in total disregard to economic reality.
