In this one-on-one interview with Mansa Banko Online’s Publisher and Managing Editor, Mr. Mamadou Edrisa Njie, the former Presidential Affairs Minister, ex-National Budget Director, Writer and Motivational Speaker Mr. Momodou Sabally, spoke on various issues in the country such as the slow response of the Gambia government to reach out to Gambians in the diaspora amid the novel Coronavirus Disease (Covid-19) pandemic.
Below is the full content of the interview:
Mansa Banko Online: Could you introduce yourself?
Momodou Sabally: I am Momodou Sabally, former Minister of Presidential Affairs and Budget Director under former President Yahya A.J.J Jammeh’s regime.
Mansa Banko Online: Ok. Sabally, you have been writing a lot on the need for the Gambian government to offer support to Gambians in the diaspora and any time you write, the government reacts; only recently government made a media dispatch to support diasporan Gambians.
How can you analyze that linking it to your write ups as it seems whenever you write government responds?
Momodou Sabally: Well, thank you Mr. Njie, you know COVID-19 is a global issue. It has affected everyone either directly or indirectly, and within that framework, we have seen all serious governments are reaching out to their citizens all over the world.
We know that certain countries like United States of America dispatched airplanes to pick up their stranded citizens in the Gambia back to America, even whereas the pandemic is worst in America but it shows that those governments care about their citizens no matter [what] the circumstances are.
We all know that the Gambia is a very peculiar country, the rate of emigration; the rate at which young Gambians leave this country per capita is higher than any other country, perhaps. So, The Gambia has a huge diaspora; this has been the backbone of the country’s economy in terms of remittances, family support. So, if we have situations where the lockdowns [are] even more serious in the West, in Europe, and we know for a fact that because of illegal migration, a lot of the Gambian citizens in the West are without proper documents, and without proper documentations you can’t receive support, so you’re left alone.
So, this is why I spoke to the government of the Gambia, we have a Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Gambians Abroad in charge of Gambians abroad, and this government made a strong declaration by designating the diaspora as the eighth region of the country. So, if rhetoric is not going to part with practice on the ground this government has not only got to be heard but must be seen to be doing something about the gallant sons and daughters of this country living outside, particularly, our “back-way” boys in Libya, Agadez and other transit points.
What is this government doing for them especially Gambian students who are all over the world studying on scholarships? We all know that, studying in a foreign [country] is stressful enough even without COVID-19; and with the lockdowns, this has even slowed down money transfer services. What is this government doing for them in these difficult times? This is what I strongly emphasized on social media but also mainstream media like on newspapers.
I commend government for taking a step of sending out forms for support to students and other Gambians in the diaspora but I am questioning the method used in dispatching those forms; the process is too slow, late, cumbersome and too detailed.
Mansa Banko Online: What makes it like that in your own opinion?
Momodou Sabally: Well, we know when I made the clarion call for government to support, they reacted by sending the first set of questionnaire forms and the first person they wanted to help said the forms were too detailed and personal, that is according to the first recipient of the forms. Due to that, she declined taking part in the process. I speak to Gambian students all over the world. There was a first set of questionnaires that was sent asking Gambian embassies to process their data.
How complicated is it to establish the nationality of a Gambian, particularly a student?As far as I am concerned, you only need their student Identification Card (ID), passport, admission letters period. Why do they have to send in cumbersome questionnaires in these difficult times; are they trying to politicize this? I am asking and not drawing any conclusions. Are they using this opportunity to collect data on Gambians outside to target them for repatriations or political reasons?
These are legitimate questions I am asking but not concluding. I am actually advising these students to be careful what kind of information they give out to this government because they have collaborated with foreign governments to repatriate Gambian migrants in the past.
Mansa Banko Online: What advice would you give government in order to for them to reach out to those students since most of them rejected the first set of questionnaire forms?
Momodou Sabally: We all know that government is all about bureaucracy and red tape but we are dealing with a global pandemic emergency. And a government that has declared an emergency has no business in slowing down and complicating a whole simple process. My advice is for government to ask for students’ ID, passport or admission letters from their various institutions and release these funds, nothing more nothing less. Anything more than that, is like you are jeopardizing the lives of innocent Gambians abroad in such situations.
Mansa Banko Online: Do you think such situation that Gambians and students find themselves in the diaspora would have an impact on the economy?
Momodou Sabally: Absolutely yes. It will have an impact on the Gambia’s economy because we all know remittances play a major role in our country here. The lockdowns in the West rendered people to work lesser hours, and Gambians without proper documentations can’t get financial support from stimulus packages in the West.
Remittances will come down, students outside will find it difficult in these lockdowns as staying in foreign land alone is enough of a stress, it can have some social, psychological and emotional effects on students, that is all the more why the government should act decisively, quickly and with empathy to support young Gambians abroad.
Mansa Banko Online: Do you use social media platforms to advice government particularly the Head of State?
Momodou Sabally: Absolutely yes. Beyond social media, I have written close to a dozen open letters that are published on various newspapers, media houses to respectfully advise the president on some of the issues that are going [on] because sometimes the president does not get the accurate information to act on quickly. I believe that, President Adama Barrow is not getting the right advice but he is part of the problem too. I can’t exonerate him but I believe our president has very incompetent advisers, and not many honest or sincere technocrats.
Having served as the minister of Presidential Affairs, I know that leaders don’t always get the accurate information to act on; that is why I opened this window to address the president respectfully, so he knows what is happening and perhaps react.
Mansa Banko Online: When do you think you will stop writing?
Momodou Sabally: Whenever the president has addressed all the problems of this country, and I know that is not going to happen anytime soon.
Mansa Banko Online: Are you certain?
Momodou Sabally: Well, absolutely! I am a very persistent guy. This project of writing open letters to the President, is something I wanted to start six months ago but I was reluctant because I don’t want to start something that I can’t continue. And, I know Gambia; sometimes there is a backlash but once I made up my mind, I am not stopping; my hashtag is “#KanaSong” which means be resilient, be defiant.
Mansa Banko Online: What does that mean #KanaSong in English?
Momodou Sabally: Well, it means don’t agree, be defiant and be resolute.
Mansa Banko Online: With all your write-ups, are you considering yourself a social justice activist?
Momodou Sabally: Well, No. I don’t want to dress myself in borrowed robes; I don’t think I am an activist. I am just a concerned citizen who has defied the odds in a country where people murmur issues in “vous” but never speak their minds in the open. I have now coined a new hashtag for the Gambia as the #HushHushNation, where a lot of people are afraid to speak truth to power or are economical with the truth as most people are afraid of losing certain privileges like jobs or family and friendship ties.
Mansa Banko Online: You have hashtag #kanasong and #hushhushnation. How did you come up with these hashtags?
Momodou Sabally: Well, it comes naturally and as I say, these hashtags are not cheap slogans; they are things that ring in my heart with strong philosophical backgrounds such as you #Can’tCageMe”. These forces encouraged me to challenge a system that uprooted a dictatorship but is now trying to cage people by saying why didn’t you say that before; these are barriers that I am breaking to liberate and inspire the younger generation to speak up the truth regardless of the consequences.
Mansa Banko Online: When it comes to liberating and inspiring the young ones, do you have huge followers?
Momodou Sabally: I have a tremendous followership because what I do is I write on issues in newspapers and not only on social media, and most importantly, now I use local languages on WhatsApp groups, especially on M. Sabally UDP fans club where over 1000 followers are members. And I purely do politicking on those platforms to promote my party’s policies and agenda as I came up with a new hashtag the “#YellowNation.”
Gambians are still living in denial, we all know that the 2016 presidential victory was powered by the biggest political party UDP; but people have now started to deny that.
UDP was magnanimous enough not to put up parliamentary candidates in certain areas to give some other candidates the opportunity to win elections to become MPs at the National Assembly, people like Halifa Sallah won in Serekunda because UDP did not contest in Serekunda Constituency, otherwise Halifa Sallah wouldn’t have won that seat.
My other hash tag “#YellowNation” is to establish the fact that, UDP is the biggest and most influential party in the Gambia and we are growing.
Mansa Banko Online: Finally, to the young people?
Momodou Sabally: Remain optimistic, we are living in dark clouds, but groundnut seeds grow from the crust of the darkest earth. It is tough for all of us, but the bright rays of the morning sun will soon illuminate our horizons. As for Gambians in the diaspora we just want to assure them of our solidarity, moral support and prayers at all times.
