Many other African countries suffered similar fates. The likes of Mali with Gen Moussa Troure overthrowing Modibo Keita and leading landlocked Mali with brutality thus sending all political opponents fleeing for their dear lives until he too was overthrown by Genaral Amadou Tumani Touray
Gen. Nyassembe Eyadema overthrowing a civilian government in Togo, In Beni soglo comes to power through a coup.
Between January 1956 and the end of 1985 there were sixty successful coups in Africa, that is, an average of two every year (Hutchful 1991, 183). In 1966 alone there were eight military coup d'etat and by 1986, out of some 50 African states, only 18 were under civilian rule (Nyong'o 1998, 78). Behind virtually every coup was the hand of one or the other imperial power, and, more often than not, the US. Overthrowing nationalist regimes and installing tyrannical dictatorships was, then, a "fair game" for today's champions of democracy and "good governance"!
Yahya Jammeh like any military coupist promised Gambians the very garden Adam was living in before he was sent down to earth little did Gambian knew this one too is a total different type of Marxist Nkrumahist. His ideology stems from the late Libyan despotic dictator Late Mohmar Gaddafi's school of taught coupled with Mabutu Seseseko's ideology of leadership. Jammeh rules with an iron fist thus inclogating fear into his fellow citizens and like Mabutu in his early days are Zairian leader, does not hesitate to show his anger when ever provoked. Many political prisoners and Journalist jailed while those who can, fled out of the country and at onetime he was considering to declaring himself King something most countries are trying to abolish. He had his only son's birthday declared a public holiday for the whole country his true intentions of Gadhafi style of Nkrumahist ideology. But for now he had placed such Royal intentions in the bag waiting for the best opportunity to surface it in the open.
Jammeh with pace and manipulation, managed to become the richest man in the entire country almost owning everything including the state national Television and more land than Gambia itself. He with two schools of thought built in him is now like a superman ready to develop iron wings. His attitude of trusting no one stems from Colonel Mabutu thus his assumptions of the title colonel before retirement. His culture of brutality from Gaddafi who fries his opponents. No wonder when Jammeh touches you, and you are released, you no long talks to no one about your experience inside not even your own wife.
His style of pan Africanism unfortunately come from the Nkrumahist ideology absorbing all of it but with a cobra style of outward hate of the West while inwardly pressuring his aides(ministers and Ambassadors) to kneel for Western aid. He wants to be portrayed as a patriot who cares by absorbing all the state has and handing it out to individuals in grand style as gifts from the chosen one and God sent savior. That's why Jammeh never gives in secret, GRTS must be there, and media must announce it for my people to know how I cared for them.
There is overwhelming evidence to show that the one-man, one-party state has been a total failure in Africa over the past one-half century. Under these dictatorships, African countries have faced civil and border wars and ethnic and religious strife. Famine, malnutrition and insufficient food production have caused the deaths of millions of Africans. The poverty and unemployment rates continue to rise despite billions in foreign aid and loans. Infant mortality is nearly 100 per thousand (compared to 5 in the United States). Africans have the lowest life expectancies in the world. After fifty years of independence per capita income in much of Africa had declined so much that President Obama had to artfully remind Africans in his speech in Ghana: "Countries like Kenya, which had a per capita economy larger than South Korea's when I was born, have been badly outpaced." Politically, the one-man, one-party dictatorships have brought neither ethnic harmony nor good governance; and they have failed to forge a common national identity for their people.
Today we still hear the same rubbish about a democracy before democracy recycled by a "new breed" of silver-tongued African leaders. Meles Zenawi, the chief architect of the one-man, one-party state in Ethiopia says:
Establishing democracy in Africa is bound to take a long time and that elections alone will not produce democracy and do not necessarily bring about democratic culture or guarantee a democratic exercise of rule. Creating a democracy in poverty-ridden and illiterate societies that have not yet fully embraced democratic values and are not yet familiar with democratic concepts, rules and procedures is bound to take a long time and to exact huge costs.
Similar arguments are made by Yuweri Mussaveni of Uganda, Paul Kagame of Rwanda; and even the wily old coyote, Robert Mugabe, pulls the same stunt at age 85 to justify clinging to power.
The "new breed" dictators are trying to sell the same old snake oil in a new bottle to Africans. But no one is fooled by the sweet-talking, iron-fisted new breed dictators who try to put a kinder and gentler face on their dictatorship, brutality and corruption. They should spare us their empty promises and hypocritical moral pontifications. For one-half century, Africans have been told democracy requires sacrifices and pain; and they must look inwards to their village communities, traditional elders and consensus dialogue to find the answers. Africans don't want to hear that "democracy" takes time and they must wait, and wait and wait as the new breed of dictators pick the continent clean right down to the bare bones. Africans want Africa to no longer be the world's cesspool of corruption, criminality and cruelty.
The fact of the matter is that there is no such thing as democracy before democracy. There could be either democracy or none-party dictatorships in Africa. We all know exactly what the latter means. The only question is how best to implement constitutional multiparty systems in Africa. On this question, there may be an ironic twist of history.
Longevity is not the only factor discrediting incumbent African regimes with their citizens, particularly the youth. But it is certainly one feature that makes a highly visible target for the unwelcomed military to step in thus ushering in a new dawn of brutality.
.As of March 2012, in 18 of 54 African countries, incumbent rulers (or, in five cases, their family dynasties) has been in power for more than 15 years.
The number decreased by three with the departures of Hosni Mubarak of Egypt after 30 years and Zine Ben Ali of Tunisia after 27. Muammar al-Gaddafi removed and killed after 42 years in power.
Reproduced by
Justice Sarpong
(CARDINAL of TRUTH
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