Blood is thicker than water, but Mohamed Jabbie does not deserve this
“Blood is thicker than water” is a German proverb (originally: Blut ist dicker als Wasser.), which is also common in English speaking countries. It generally means that the bonds of family and common ancestry are stronger than those bonds between unrelated people (such as friendship). (Photo: Sitta Turay)
This very old saying means that, ultimately, family ties are more important than anything else. “Family” here means blood or genetic relatives, not in-law or even husbands and wives; certainly not friends, however much loved. The idea is that, in the last analysis, the only people you can really rely on, and the people to whom you always have a duty no matter what, are those with whom you share a genetic inheritance. Today the saying is still in use, although in many ways we probably think less in terms of blood relationship than we used to, and more in terms of what role a person has played in our lives. To give one example, it is quite common for children to regard a stepfather, if he has lived with them for most of their lives, as more their “real” father than their biological one.
I have chosen this saying in this piece because there is a relationship that has gone bad between two people that are my brothers and my friend. Mohamed Jabbie has been my friend for a very long time. He has been my friend in the struggle to restore peace and democracy in my country Sierra Leone. He has been the man that I worked with to do all the dirty jobs in the fight to restore democracy in Sierra Leone. He is the man that sacrificed his life for the sake of peace and democracy in that country.
I remember when we were in Conakry, Guinea at one time and the AFRC junta were said to have been doing business with Osman Conteh, the son of Late President Lansana Conteh, it was me and Mohamed Jabbie that volunteered to go on the espionage to see if it were true. It was a life risking task but fearlessly Mohamed Jabbie and I voluntarily offered ourselves to do the job and we nearly lost our lives in so doing. Jabbie; as he is called is the most dedicated Sierra Leone People’s Party member I have ever come across in my life. He will do anything and everything for his party – SLPP. Jabbie has been the only person that suppresses the trauma of homelessness for the sake of his party. As I said earlier he can do anything and everything for his party. He is hot-tempered but stands for the truth and always protects his integrity.
Jabbie has been in politics for a very long time. He is one of the key players in making Harold Hanciles and late Sam-Kpakra members of parliament in the early 80s. He will never change his decision in support of someone he has promised to support. I remember when his uncle Dr. Kelfala Turay contested against late Sam-Kpakra; Jabbie refused to support his uncle because he had already given his word to Sam-Kpakra for support. That is the nature of Jabbie. He will never return to his words whenever he has already made his mind. Jabbie is living in poverty right now because of his forthrightness and his refusal to be corrupt. He is the kind of person that can be trusted with millions of dollars and left with it for several years and nothing will be missing. He will not even use it to do business and make profit so that he will return the rest of the money in its place. NO HE WILL CERTAINLY NOT DO THAT!
When I first heard that my brother Kanja Sesay and Mohamed Jabbie are at each other’s throat, I felt so bad that I became sick and for several days could not go to my job. I have been following the whole thing that is being posted in the media from both of them and that makes the situation worse. I would have loved to talk to both of them but I am refusing because I believe Mohamed Jabbie has been treated the wrong way. Jabbie does not deserve what is happening to him right now and that is for the simple fact that he has been sacrificing himself for the good of his party and the people he supports within the party including my brother; Ibrahim Kanja Sesay. In actual fact the two of them are cousins and the flow of fraternity should have superseded their political differences. I am blaming my brother for the whole episode. I am saying that because he ought to have known better. He should have known that he is not older than Jabbie but Jabbie has treated himself like a “house-boy” for him all these while. Jabbie has created several enemies for the support he rendered to Kanja Sesay. My brother should have also known that he was sitting in an an air conditioned office when Jabbie and others were chased by vicious human beings like Leather Boot and other junta officials. Sacrificing one life for the benefit of others is not easy to do but Jabbie has done that since the early days of his political career. SLPP will not boast of doing anything to compensate the sacrifices Jabbie has done for both his country and his SLPP. My brother has the potential to bring Jabbie down to the level he wants it not in a confrontational pattern. This is the truth and it must be said. I will stake my neck for the sake of the truth. This time the wrong thing has been done to Jabbie.
My brother should have maintained the respect that has been accorded him throughout these times. He has been in very good books of both the media and politicians in that country. Nothing should have lead him to water that down. He should not have been confrontational with Mohamed Jabbie. Hell No! The reason for this is because Jabbie is the type that has gone through the struggle without benefiting from the struggle. I am sure I will be misconstrued for this piece but I will not lay asleep if I do not write this words coming from deep my heart. I nearly wept when I saw Mohamed Jabbie’s picture being molested in the hands of a system he fought hard to put in place.
Please leave Jabbie alone and make an apology my brother. This time you are wrong.
Umaru Sitta Turay, Journalist/Human Rights Activist, New York, USA
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