THIS WEEK IN THE STRUGGLE (A look at topics, issues and personalities in the struggle) VOL. #14, OCTOBER 29TH TO NOVEMBER 6TH 2014: At all times in history people have been flabbergasted when what looks like the impossible happens. Once it becomes a problem, there is a solution for it and some people searching will come out with it. That means politically nothing is impossible and the more change is resisted, the more dramatic the way it happens , eventually. BLAISE CAMPAORE OF BURKINA FASO IS OVERTHROWN BY THE MASSES: Blaise Campaore of Burkina Faso, removed from power by military counter coup, Africas most endeared military leader Thomas Sankara in 1987. Perhaps after learning from his predecessors short lived rule he held the country under an iron fist for twenty seven long years. All attempts to overthrow him by the military were foiled and when he eventually reintroduce civilian politics with himself retiring from the army and running for the office of President as a civilian, he always dealt with his opponents ruthless. Many of them had to go into exile for fear of loosing their lives. When the rights movement emerged, he crushed it with an iron fist. Our Pan Africanist brother and comrade Pandare lives in Dakar Senegal, and is living testament to dictator Campaores reign of terror against rights activists. Thus, the vast majority of analysts and commentators were flabbergasted this week when his regime collapsed like a sand castle. Even more so was the speed in which it went down. Like others before him he was tinkering with the idea of changing the constitution to extend his stay in power. Thousands of unemployed and angry youths and political activists filled the streets in the capital Ougadougou, initially to make him back off and finally to insist that he must go immediately. Within 48 hours, he was smuggled out of the country through the help of France, to face an unclear future in exile, presently in neighboring Ivory Coast. Dictator Blaise Campaores regime has totally collapsed, but Burkina Faso due to lack of authentic leadership to the masses whose protestations have forced him out, has descended into a chaos, which we will preferably call a flux. There is every justification for this preference because there are determined positive forces on the ground trying to ensure that stability is brought back as soon as possible. Everyone of those forces have rejected any format of protracted military rule. It is hoped that sanity will prevail, and 90 days after the collapse of the Campaore dictatorship, free and fair elections would be held to put in place a civilian democratic government. Meanwhile in this challenging moments, we express assurances of our solidarity to the fraternal prople of Burkina Faso. THE CHIEF IMAM OF THE STATE HOUSE MOSQUE IN BANJUL THE GAMBIA, IMAM ABDOULIE FATTY, HAS BEEN SACKED. While it is not clear to us how his sacking has been effected, it is now official that Abdoulie Fatty is no longer the chief Imam or even an Imam at The State House Mosque in Banjul. The backdrop to his sacking is characterized by a public call he made through a newspaper interview for The Ahmaddiyya Muslim sect to be expelled from The Gambia. This is not the first time the sacked chief Imam is on record for publicly making statements that pose threats to the interests of this particular Muslim sect. It has to be noted that both the current and previous constitutions of the country envisage tolerance and nondiscrimination as regard all religions, creeds or sects. Thus the sacked chief Imams attacks on The Ahmaddiyya sect have all the time been unconstitutional. But he had always got away with it in the past. One is therefore tempted to question that as the ultimate reason for his sacking. But at the moment we do not have an alternative reason to render and we would rather desist from speculation. However, based on what we know about Abdoulie Fattys former employer dictator Yaya Jammeh, this eventuality is not at all surprising. The dictator has a high propensity for indulging in opportunistic relationships, and is known to hire and sack according to the dividens accruing to him personally. Though we know the sacked Imam personally, and share family, friends and community with him, we have always been opposed to his politics of alliance with the dictatorship. We sympathize with his family, just like we have always done with the families of other supporters of the regime when they fell out with it.. As persons of dignity, we will continue to share with you the other things we have always shared with you: that is family, community and the Deen. That aside, THE STRUGGLE CONTINUES! We continue to oppose the use of religion for the political self perpetuation of the dictator in Banjul. And seriously detest and protest, some of our Muslim leaders uncanningly allowing themselves to be used as puppets of a brutal dictatorship, which has the blood of our own brothers and sisters on its hands. We warn the the new chief Imam, Alhagie Muhammad Lamin Touray, that it is impossible to build a relationship between Truth and Lies. Therefore watch your words and steps, because you will end up the same way like Alhagie Abdoulie Fatty.
Posted on: Thu, 06 Nov 2014 07:09:04 +0000
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