President Yahya Jammeh has sent out a clear message to the European Union and the outside world, declaring that he will never be blackmailed by a group with "chicken change" to accept what is not in the interest of the Gambian people.
President Jammeh, who was speaking yesterday during a cabinet meeting at State House, said Gambia "will never be colonized twice".
His comments were in response to a 17-point set of demands by the European Union to be discussed with the Gambia government during a meeting slated for Friday 11th January 2013.
Among the demands by the European Union are the upholding of moratorium on the death penalty with immediate effect, revision of laws on freedom of expression and media regulations within 24 months, provision of information regarding the recent executions, including location of burial to the families.
"I will not compromise with evil, I will not compromise with anything that will question our independence as a country, and I will not compromise with any institution that thinks that we are not fit to rule our country, no matter what they have," Jammeh declared.
Speaking at the meeting with members of his cabinet, President Jammeh said he will not compromise on being told by any outside force how this country should be run, what laws should be passed, how we should deal with our people.
"That is not their business, it is not even up for discussion!" he said.
According to the Gambian leader, no entity should tell this country what laws should prevail in this country.
He added: "They cannot define themselves and define us. We are an independent sovereign state; being small does not mean that we are not human. We are as human as they are, and may be even better because we are true Muslims and true Christians in this country."
"So if anybody thinks that Gambia is poor, and you dangle chicken change and say, 'Yahya Jammeh, dance on broken bottles and I will give you this', go to hell, I will not! whether it's any institution, any bloc or any power outside this country, because I believe in the power of the Almighty Allah," Jammeh stated.
"Gambia will not be colonized twice. Colonialism can take different forms; it may not mean direct occupation of a country as they did before, because if anybody attempts that now, we will all die than be colonized again; they will find this country too hot for them to handle.
"With the Almighty Allah, anybody who attempts that will fail badly. That being the case, if all of us are sincere to our country, we must all work together because, in any society, there will always be a leader," he added.
"Let me make it very clear again.
"When we have the so-called partners who still believe that Africa should be colonized in one way or the other, and they hoodwink us into what they call a partnership; partnerships are not bad. There is nothing wrong in talking to evil people, if you believe that talking to them will make them change and become good people. There is nothing wrong with a partnership as long as the partnership is based on mutual respect and respect for your independence and sovereignty."
Still on the demands made by the European Union, the Gambian leader further stated that there is no need to meet with the European Union because, as he put it, "none of their demands is subject for discussion".
"It is unacceptable, and if that is the dialogue they are talking about, the dialogue is dead and buried!" he added.
"If we had known that the dialogue they are talking about was not a dialogue, but a lecture, we were not going to sign for it. Now it seems that all the dialogue with the EU is about them telling us what we should do; one accusation after the other. If that is the dialogue, then it ends today because that is not a dialogue, and we will not be lectured. After all, what are they going to give us? Are they going to give us oxygen or prolong our lives; it is only the Almighty Allah who decides how you live, and not the EU."
Jammeh further emphasized that as a sovereign state, Gambia's laws would not be amended because the EU wanted that to happen, further stating that Gambia is not a colony of the European Union or any international body.
Meanwhile, below are the demands made by the European Union, as announced during the Cabinet meeting by President Jammeh himself:
1. Commitment of Government of the Gambia to allow the free operation of independent media in The Gambia within a deadline of one month;
2. Removal of restrictive barriers/monetary/regulatory to registration and licensing of the media;
3. Removal of restriction on accessing and sharing information electronically within one month;
4. Revision of provision in the criminal code that allow for prosecution on the charges of sedition, libel, false publication to a public servant within 6 months,
5. Revision of laws on freedom of expression and media regulations within 24 months
6. Upholding of moratorium on death penalty with immediate effect
7. Provision of information regarding the recent executions, and including location of burial to families within one month
8. Review of the death penalty by the National Assembly within 12 months
9. Review of the death penalty by the National Assembly and to propose to introduce a de jure moratorium within 24 months
10. Review of the provision of the death penalty in the element of the criminal code and other laws for most serious crimes within six months
11. That the Government signed and ratified the second optional protocol to the international covenant on civil and political rights within 18 months
12. Conclusion of an MOU with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to allow them access to prison facilities on regular basis within 3 months
13. Provision of regular and timely access for diplomatic corps within one month
14. Presentation of costed proposals to improve prison detention facility condition within 12 months
15. Provision of information on the UN Convention against torture ratified on June 6th 2006 within 3 months
16. Signing of the optional protocols to the convention against torture within 6 months
17. Establishment of the Human Rights Commission proposed by the Commonwealth secretariat
VP Njie-Saidy, Njogu Bah, Fatou Lamin Faye, Kebba Touray, Aki Bayo, Lamin Jobarteh, Balla Garba Jahumpa, Francis Litti Mboge, Minister of Presidential Affairs Mustapha Camara, all expressed solidarity with Jammeh on the position he has taken in these issues.
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THIS BROTHER IS COMPLETELY RIGHT!!!. HWERE DOES THE EU HAVE SAY IN SOVEREIGN NATIONS???? THEY DO NOT. WE SAW THIS IN COTEd'IVOIRE WHERE THEY OVERTHREW A LEGAL SOVEREIGN STATE OVERRULING ITS CONSTITUTIONAL COURT' DECIDING THAT AFRICA WAS NTO READY TO ACQUIRE SUCH HIGH STANDARDS OF RECOGNISIING WHAT IN FACT IS MEANT BY A CONSTITUTIONAL COURT".. EUROPE STILL REGARDS BLACK PEOPLE AND THIS COMMON UTETRANCES OF SUB CONTINENT STILL IMPLIES WHAT IT MEANT WHEN THEY USED THESE WRDSIN REFERENCE TO A BACKWARDS PLACE WHERE BLACKS COME FROM. WE KNOW THIS SHGOWS THIER STUPIDITY WHEN WE LOOK AT WHERE THE SAHARA BEGINS AT THE TIP OF THE MEDITERANEAN!!! OS IF THSI IS SUB AFRICA IT STARTS WHERE THE MED BEGINS !!!!!!!!! " I FIND THAT WHEN LISTENINGTO THIS BROTHER WHAT HE IS SAYING IS THAT THERE WILL BE NO DICTATES TO GAMBIA' THERE WILL BE NO SUBTLE UNDERMINING OF THE STURCTURE THATS IN PLACE. WE SEE THIS HYPOCRISY PLAYING OUT IN SYRIA WHERE THEY REFUSE TO HAVE DIALOGUE WITH ASSAD INSTEAD INSISTING THAT HE STEPS DOWN??????? WHERE DOES THAT RIGHT COME FROM; WHERE ANOTHER STATE CAN DECIDE THAT A LEADER OF A NATION SHOULD STPE DOWN OR ELSE THE SOVEREIGNTY OF THE NATION WILL BE TESTED UNTILL TOTALCOLLAPSE OR THE LIVES OF THE PEOIPLE ARE NO LONGER ISGNIFICANT!!!!.. THIS IS CRUEL BARBARITY INHUMANE UNCIVILIZED PAGANIST IGNOBLEUNGODLY IN ALL WAYS FORMS METHODS FEELINGS. FOR THOSE WHOM ARE SAYING THEY ARE JIHADIST THEY KNOW NOT OF ALLAH' THIER LIVES ARE DEVOTED TO SATAN... WHEN THEY PRACTICE AND ADAPTHTE SAME STANCE OF WESTERN GOVERNMENTS TO UPHOLD A PRINCIPLE BASED ON BLOOD LUST THE IDEA THAT RIGHETOUSNESS IS AT HAND IS A FALACY AND A GUISE TO CONTINUE THE LUST FOR BLOOD!!!!!!!. WHAT WE ARE SEEING IN AFRICA IS IMPERIALISM RAISING ITS HEAD ALL OVER AGAINNOT IS IT JUST IN GAMBIA BUT THRUOUT AFRICA. SINCE THE MURDER OF GADAFFI AND THE OVERTHROW OF GBAGBOTHEY HAVE BEEN UNDERMINING DIFFERNT GOVERNMENTS IN AFRICA BY ENTERING THROUGH THE BACK DOOR WITH SPECIAL FORCES AND DRONES . WHAT AMAZES ME IS THEY GO TO THE AMERICAN CONGRESS TO DECIDE IF THEY SHOULD SEND TROOPS INTO UGANDA TO SEARCH FOR KONY; THEY MADE BIG TALK ABOUT THEY WOULD HAVE FOUND KONY BEFORE THE YEAR ENDED ????? YET KONY IS STILL FREE AND THEY ARE STILL IN AFRICA. THEY USE THIER HEADS WITH PROPOGANDA MEDIA BUZZ CASES THEY SELECT. THEY USE WHAT WE KNOW AS SUBTERFUGE ,TO FORM EMOTIIONAL SENSITIVE OPINIONS THEN THEY REACT WITH GRAND STATEMENT BUT IN REALITY ITS TO IMPLIMENT WHAT THEY COULD NOT DO OVERTLY WITH SOVEREIGNTY AS PRINCIPLE OF THE UNITED NATIONS. WHEN WE SEE AFRICANS INVOLVING THE USE OF DRONES WHICH ARE ILLEGAL THEY CONTRAVENE AIR SPACE INTERNATIONAL TREATIES' AND WHEN WEAPONS ARE FIRED WITH THE LOSS OF LIFE IT IS ESSENTAILLY WAGING WAR ON THAT NATION!!!1. AFRICANS ARE GETTING SUCKERED INTO THIS SECTARIAN WAR WITH CHRISTIANS VERSES ISLAM WHERE ISLAM IS NOW TERRORRIST' THE BUZZ WORD TERRORIST!!!,. AFRICANS ARE NOW FIGHTING AIANST WHAT WAS THE PRIMARY RELIGION OF ALL AFRICA PRIOR TO COLONISATION. "NO MATTER HOW YOU VIEW IT 99.9% OF ALL AFRICA WERE MONOTHEIST!! THE BELIEF THAT "THERE IS ONLY ONE GOD" AND HE IS THE SUPERIOR POWER' ON THIS PLANET AND THROUGH HIM ALONE 'CAN MAN RECEIVE SALVATION" THIS WAS THE PRIMARY BELIEF OF ALL AFRICA. IT IS ONLY SINCE THE ROMANISATION OF RELIGIONAND THE COLONISATION OF AFRICA WE WERE COERCED FORCED TO ACCEPT JESUS AS THE HEIR TO THE KINGDOM!!!. MANY STILL WANTS TO KNOW WHY WOULD HE WHO IS THE CREATOR NEED A HEIR!! DOES HE AGE ??? ABSOLOUITELY NOT; DOES HE STOP REINFORCINMG HIS POWERS??ABSOLOUTELY NOT. "THE ALLMIGHTY GOD" IS EVER SURE EVERSTRONG EVER FAITHFUL PERPETUATING HIS GLORY ETERNALY" THERE IS NONE GREATER THAN HE; WE ARE ALL SONS OF HIS GREAT CREATION' WE ARE ALL EQUAL IN HIS SIGHT!. WHEN HE CREATED ADAAM HE MADE ALL MAN EQUAL', THERE WOULD BE NO MAN BORN OF FLESH TO RULE OVER HUMANITY IN HIS STEAD- NO MAN" THE CREATION OF MAN WAS THE MODEL THE TEMPLATE ADAAM WAS CREATED PERFECTLY";' IT WAS MAN THAT CHOSE TO DERAIL WHAT IT WAS THAT HE IS DESTINED FOR!!!!." GRETAER THAN GOD THERE IS NONE 'EQUAL TO GOD THERE IS NONE!!!!!!!!!
this is one area i see eye to eye with president jammy,he is right,they can not call for dialogue, when what they really want is to lecture us about how we should govern ourselves i think that is unacceptable.
Of course Jammeh is not right. The EU is not threatening to invade the country or anything like that. They only set the terms under which they want to invest in our country, and they have every right to do so. If we don't want to agree to those terms, no problem, we just don't get the money anymore. They won't invade us or anything. They just want to invest money in a free, democratic, safe country, which is good for their people. And that, for now, is not the Gambia.