In Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice, we witness the chilling intersection of legislation and vengeance, personified by Shylock, a personality who calls for a pound of flesh from his debtor within the identify of justice, although what he really seeks is retribution.
Shakespeare’s play, whereas framed by the stark realities of anti-Semitism, explores a broader theme: using legislation as a mechanism for private and political destruction.
It is a story of authorized brutality disguised as righteousness, the place the formalities of legislation masks the pursuit of energy. In modern-day Gambia, we see echoes of this very dynamic within the conduct of Ida Drammeh & Associates, who, like Shylock, have taken the function of enforcers of state repression, wielding the authorized system as a cudgel in opposition to the press.
In their fervent defence of President Barrow in opposition to The Voice newspaper, Ida Drammeh & Associates will not be merely representing a consumer—they’re taking part within the systematic dismantling of free speech. Their strategy is chilly, calculated, and grotesquely harking back to Shylock’s inflexible insistence on his bond. Shylock’s insistence on his pound of flesh is commonly interpreted as a metaphor for the risks of decoding the legislation devoid of humanity.
In The Merchant of Venice, Shylock’s authorized declare, whereas technically legitimate, is morally indefensible, hinging on the perverse satisfaction of watching one other man endure underneath the burden of an unyielding contract. Likewise, Ida Drammeh & Associates have pursued their very own model of Shylock’s notorious pound of flesh, searching for to crush The Voice not out of any honest curiosity within the rule of legislation, however as a part of a broader effort to fortify the state’s management over public discourse.
Their case shouldn’t be one which rests on the deserves of justice or equity. Instead, it’s rooted within the uncooked pursuit of political favour, the agency itself a authorized mercenary in service of a authorities that views vital journalism as a risk to its existence.
Much like Shylock, who was blind to the implications of his authorized vengeance, Ida Drammeh & Associates seem detached to the broader impression of their actions on democracy. Their focus, it appears, shouldn’t be on the rightness of their trigger, however on the facility they will accrue by aligning themselves with those that wield probably the most affect.
The techniques employed by Ida Drammeh & Associates on this case are disturbingly harking back to the authorized excesses of McCarthyism, a darkish chapter in American historical past when the legislation was bent to serve the paranoid delusions of the state.
During the Fifties within the United States, attorneys, pushed by concern and ambition, prosecuted suspected Communists with little regard for due course of or fact. The Rosenberg trial, specifically, stands as a chilling reminder of what occurs when the legislation is distorted to serve the political wants of the highly effective.
Julius and Ethel Rosenberg weren’t afforded a good trial; they had been condemned in a courtroom the place the decision was predetermined, and the legislation was merely a façade for state-sponsored persecution.
Ida Drammeh & Associates now stand within the shadow of this legacy. By pursuing a authorized case that’s clearly designed to intimidate and silence, reasonably than to hunt justice, they’re repeating the errors of McCarthy’s authorized enablers.
The arguments they current—skinny, hole, and cynical—will not be about justice however about making certain that the Gambian press learns its place: beneath the heel of the state. In this, they aren’t attorneys defending the legislation; they’re actors in a political theatre, performing the function of Shylock, intent on exacting their pound of flesh from a press that dares to withstand.
In this contemporary retelling of The Merchant of Venice, the press takes the place of Antonio, certain not by debt, however by the burden of authorized threats and political intimidation. The Voice newspaper, very similar to Antonio, stands accused not of any actual crime, however of difficult the improper particular person, of daring to talk fact to energy in a panorama that punishes dissent.
Ida Drammeh & Associates, of their pursuit of the case, are Shylock’s proxies, wielding the legislation with a singular, chilling function: to silence, to punish, and to extract retribution for the audacity of difficult authority.
The grotesque irony is that the authorized techniques employed right here, whereas couched within the language of justice, are nothing greater than a veneer for oppression.
Just as Shylock’s bond was a pretext for revenge, so too is that this case a pretext for crushing The Voice. The aim is to not resolve a authorized dispute—it’s to make sure that nobody else in The Gambia’s media panorama dares to step out of line. The legislation, within the fingers of Ida Drammeh & Associates, has develop into a blunt instrument of concern.
Contrast this sordid spectacle with figures like lawyer Hawa Sesay Sabally, a reputation that stands in stark opposition to the authorized opportunism of Ida Drammeh & Associates. Sabally was by no means the sort to twist the legislation into one thing grotesque for the sake of revenue or energy. Her defence of the press in the course of the Jammeh period is the stuff of legend, a real testomony to what the authorized career should be—a defender of the general public good, not a servant of the regime.
Lawyer Hawa Sesay Sabally, alongside well-known jurists such as lawyer Borry Touray, lawyer Assan Martin, lawyer Neneh Cham, lawyer Lamin Camara, and lawyer Antoumana Gaye—these are the names that ought to resonate within the halls of Gambian authorized historical past. They have persistently risen to the event, understanding {that a} thriving democracy necessitates a sturdy and unyielding press.
In stark distinction to the avarice displayed by their contemporaries in Ida Drammeh & Associates, these attorneys have repeatedly positioned their skilled lives on the road for the sake of fact and transparency, recognising that when the state seeks to imprison the reality, it’s the function of the lawyer to tear down the partitions that might suffocate it.
They have embraced the notion that the lawyer’s responsibility shouldn’t be merely to prop up the highly effective however to face resolutely between the individuals and the forces searching for to oppress them, advocating tirelessly for a society through which freedom of expression can flourish unencumbered.
But what of Ida Drammeh & Associates? Rather than comply with within the footsteps of lawyer Sabally and her ilk, they’ve chosen the trail of Shylock, searching for their pound of flesh from The Voice with all of the chilly calculation of a moneylender gone mad with energy.
They will not be defending the legislation; they’re distorting it, utilizing their abilities to not defend the general public however to function the federal government’s assault canine, able to pounce on any journalist who dares step out of line.
In The Merchant of Venice, Shylock’s inflexible adherence to the letter of the legislation finally results in his downfall, his lack of ability to point out mercy exposing him as extra monster than man. Ida Drammeh & Associates, of their relentless pursuit of The Voice, are treading that very same path, blind to the ethical penalties of their actions, desirous to please their highly effective purchasers whereas forsaking the very rules they swore to uphold.
While Lawyer Awa Sesay Sabally and her friends have etched their names into the annals of historical past as defenders of free speech and champions of the oppressed, Ida Drammeh & Associates will likely be remembered for fairly the other. Their authorized assault on The Voice will likely be considered not as a pursuit of justice, however as a nakedly political act, an try and silence critics and reinforce the state’s grip on the media.
By standing in opposition to The Voice, they’re standing in opposition to the very basis of a free society, and in doing so, they’re betraying the legacy of the good Gambian attorneys who got here earlier than them.
The true tragedy right here is not only what Ida Drammeh & Associates are doing to The Voice; it’s what they’re doing to the legislation itself. Like Shylock, they’ve develop into obsessive about the contract, with the letter of the legislation, all whereas ignoring the spirit of justice. But, as Shakespeare reminds us, those that search to wield the legislation as a weapon typically discover themselves undone by its sharp edges.
Shakespeare, in his knowledge, didn’t permit Shylock’s cruelty to go unpunished. While Shylock might have been inside his rights to demand his pound of flesh, the implications of his unrelenting pursuit of vengeance finally led to his undoing. Stripped of his wealth, his dignity, and his place in society, Shylock’s downfall was a direct results of his lack of ability to mood his authorized rights with mercy.
Ida Drammeh & Associates, very similar to Shylock, are heading towards an analogous destiny. By selecting to serve the state’s need for management reasonably than the rules of justice, they’re setting themselves up for a fall. Their actions, whereas legally permissible, are morally bankrupt, and historical past will bear in mind them not as defenders of the legislation, however as enforcers of tyranny. They might win their case, however in doing so, they are going to lose their integrity, their skilled standing, and their place within the authorized neighborhood.
Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice teaches us that the legislation, when used with out regard for humanity or mercy, turns into a instrument of oppression reasonably than safety. Ida Drammeh & Associates, of their pursuit of The Voice, have deserted the upper calling of the authorized career. They have develop into, like Shylock, obsessive about extracting their pound of flesh, detached to the implications of their actions on society as a complete.
It can be remiss to debate this case with out acknowledging the brave function that The Voice newspaper continues to play in defending press freedom in The Gambia. Despite the authorized threats posed by Ida Drammeh & Associates, The Voice has stood agency in its reporting, refusing to be intimidated by the looming lawsuit. This isn’t any small feat, notably in a rustic the place the media panorama stays fragile and vulnerable to authorities interference.
Analysis and conclusion
The function of attorneys in society is to uphold justice, present sound authorized recommendation, and act in the most effective pursuits of their purchasers whereas respecting the broader rules of equity and equality. In the case of Ida Drammeh & Associates, they’ve failed on all counts.
A reliable authorized agency would have recognised the broader implications of attacking the press in a fledgling democracy. They would have suggested President Barrow that such actions solely serve to focus on the fragility of his administration’s relationship with the general public and forged doubt on his dedication to transparency.
Instead, Ida Drammeh & Associates have pushed ahead with a heavy-handed strategy, which means that their main concern is monetary achieve reasonably than offering sound authorized counsel.
This behaviour is harking back to a few of the most notorious authorized misadventures in historical past.
In the nineteenth century, William “Boss” Tweed, the notoriously corrupt politician who ran New York City’s political machine, was defended by a cadre of attorneys who suggested him to proceed his unlawful schemes till his eventual arrest and downfall.
Similarly, within the case of Ida Drammeh & Associates’ dealing with of this case is a textbook instance of how authorized actors can perpetuate injustice by unhealthy authorized recommendation and misguided methods. Their willingness to focus on a newspaper reasonably than supply President Barrow a extra considerate answer solely reinforces the notion that they aren’t within the enterprise of justice, however within the enterprise of energy.
By concentrating on The Voice on this method, Ida Drammeh & Associates are setting themselves aside from the long-standing custom of the authorized fraternity supporting the Fourth Estate. Throughout Gambian historical past, the media and the authorized career have shared a cooperative and mutually respectful relationship.
Many journalists who coated courtroom proceedings through the years have later transitioned into authorized careers, changing into attorneys and authorized officers themselves. This symbiotic relationship has all the time fostered a way of solidarity between the press and authorized practitioners.
In reality, as beforehand highlighted, in the course of the darkest days of Yahya Jammeh’s dictatorship, the authorized fraternity stood firmly behind the press, offering essential help when unbiased journalists confronted arrests, intimidation, and censorship. The likes of Ousman Sillah, Lawyer Hawa Sisay Sabally, Borry Touray, Lamin Camara, Assan Martin, Neneh Cham, and Antoumana Gaye had been identified for his or her steadfast help of journalists and media shops, even when doing so put their very own lives in danger. These courageous women and men ensured that the Fourth Estate continued to perform with out being fully silenced, regardless of the regime’s brutal repression.
A first-rate instance of this camaraderie was when Hawa Sisay Sabally represented the Gambia Press Union (GPU) of their landmark lawsuit in opposition to the Jammeh authorities over the draconian Media Commission Act. The Act sought to regulate the press and impose harsh rules that might have crippled unbiased journalism within the nation.
Sabally’s authorized prowess and braveness in difficult Jammeh’s oppressive laws had been instrumental in defending press freedom at a time when mere affiliation with the media may land somebody in deep trouble. Her efforts, together with these of different devoted authorized professionals, helped defend the press from the worst excesses of the regime.
Yet, right now, we’re witnessing an unlucky reversal of this custom, as non-public attorneys, who ought to stand in defence of the press, at the moment are complicit in makes an attempt to suppress it. If President Barrow had been relying solely on state attorneys to advance this case, it might be considerably comprehensible, as public authorized officers are usually inclined to help authorities pursuits.
However, it’s nothing in need of preposterous to see non-public legislation corporations, who ought to cherish the independence of the media, actively working to undermine it. This betrayal by Ida Drammeh & Associates is not only an affront to The Voice however to your entire legacy of cooperation between the press and the authorized fraternity that has safeguarded democracy in The Gambia.
However, this isn’t the primary time in historical past {that a} legislation agency has chosen revenue over precept, and it’ll not be the final. But the actions of Ida Drammeh & Associates on this case ought to function a wake-up name to the Gambian authorized career. If attorneys proceed to take advantage of a corrupt system for private achieve, the very foundations of democracy and justice will likely be in danger. In the tip, the actual losers on this case will not be simply The Voice newspaper and its reporters, however the Gambian individuals, who deserve a authorized system that protects their rights, not one that’s used to suppress them.
By Arfang Madi Sillah, Washington DC
Disclaimer
The views expressed on this article are completely these of the writer and don’t essentially replicate the official coverage or place of any affiliated establishments or organizations. The writer takes full duty for the opinions and evaluation introduced herein. The writer holds a number of educational levels, together with an undergraduate diploma in English literature and literary principle.
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