Mr. Saidy,

I was totally confused when you mentioned in your report that "the President
practically formed GAMSU." Did you mean to say that he gave the organization
a lot of technical assistance? Because Yaya was a soldier when GAMSU actually
came into existence. The formation of Gambia Students' Union took a whole
weekend in 1991 at Gambia College, Brikama Campus. This student body replaced
the National Union of Gambian Students (NUGS). It was not an easy transition.

However, GAMSU should have never allowed to be fueled/fed by Yaya or his
government. They could have secured funds from other sources, for example,
NGOs, philanthropists and union dues (contributions by schools across the
country). Also, there are many Gambian organizations in Europe and North
America that will never be reluctant to accord the organization any
financial/technical assistance if they so request. If you live under
somebody's roof, you have a limited say in that house. However, one may also
contend that the students were wise enough to accept Yaya's offer, yet will
never tolerate to be puppets. Where did the cost of the van and computers
come from anyway? This should be an independent student organization. No
attempts should be made to politicize it. In a country like The Gambia, where
the vast majority of the populace are politically uneducated, student
organizations are very vital to literally fight for freedom and justice as
being evident in the past month and a half. So they should always safeguard
and maintain their neutrality.

S. S. Saidykhan

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