While we sit it out at the Conference Centre in the middle of Prague with
the police busy with the demonstrators outside the perimeteres of the site,
I thought of whiling away the time with this piece , which is an excerpt
from Trevor Manuel's Opening statement this morning.
Quote
There is a story that Vaclac Havel tells of this beautiful city (Prague),
long before he was president.  A stone window ledge had fallen from a
building and killed a woman.  A local writer commented that the public
outrage that ensured was too parochial and failed to recognise humanity's
enoumous progress.  The next week, when another window ledge fell, the
public wisely ignored the writer.  To quote Vaclav Havel, the people "had
understoood that the so-called prospects of mankind are nothing but an empty
platitude if they distract us from our particular worry about who might be
killed by a third window ledge..."

Window ledges in Prague in the 1960s may be another space from, say, a
health clinic in Mozambique that is washed away by the floods, but the
lessons are the same.  The lessons then, as now, is that unless we take
account of our reality and are prepared to do something about it, nothing
changes. End quote.

There are lessons in Trevor Manuel's statement for all of us and I hope hope
that the demonstartions currently going on outside the Conference Center
will leave the rest of the window ledges in this beautiful city in tack and,
of course, that there is no bloodshed as those opposed to the workings, and
indeed, the existense of the IMF and the World Bank, exercise their
constitutional right to free expression.

Hamjatta, I received your note and I could not agree more with the view that
the left is extremely organised which is being amply demonstrated literally
and figuratively in the streets of Prague as I write this note.

Sidi Sanneh
Prague


>From: "Jeng, Beran" <[log in to unmask]>
>Reply-To: The Gambia and related-issues mailing list
><[log in to unmask]>
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: FWD:United Democratic Party Leadership Threatened With Death
>Date: Tue, 26 Sep 2000 10:01:25 -0400
>
>United Democratic Party Leadership Threatened With Death
>
>
>
>
>The Independent (Banjul)
>
>September 25, 2000
>
>Banjul
>
>Unimpeachable sources have intimated to The Independent that members of the
>APRC
>Youth Wing have threatened to attack and kill United Democratic Party top
>brass
>including Ousainou Darboe, Lamin Waa Juwara and Lamin Shyngle Nyassi to
>avenge
>the death of Alieu Njie an APRC supporter who allegedly died following
>clashes
>between opposition and ruling party supporters in Basse earlier this year.
>
>According to the sources, members of the ruling party's youth wing have
>threatened to 'attack, disrupt and kill' members of the UDP leadership and
>their
>supporters anytime they hold rallies outside the Greater Banjul Area. The
>sources also added that APRC militants have planned to attack UDP convoys
>going
>to or returning from rallies. They further suggested that those making the
>threat are 'determined to kill at least 50 UDP supporters.' The alleged
>threat
>to assassinate UDP leaders, the sources emphasised, came as some
>undisclosed
>members of the APRC youth wing reportedly incensed over the death of one of
>their supporters, wanted to 'get even'.
>
>Meanwhile, a letter dated 18th September from the UDP addressed to two
>state
>authorities suggested that its leadership has got wind of the alleged
>threat.
>The letter sent to the Secretary of State for the Interior and the
>Inspector
>General of Police, the UDP notified them of the alleged threat to carry out
>'the
>carnage'. Not only did the letter mention the alleged determination by some
>members of the APRC youth movement to assassinate UDP leaders and their
>supporters, but it also alleged a systematic programme of extermination
>starting
>with Ousainou Darboe's personal bodyguards.
>
>The letter, which was copied to the chairman of the Independent Electoral
>Commission also claimed that the reported presence of the movement's
>members at
>a rally in Farato 'was part of their scheme to cause trouble, which was
>only
>averted by the presence of the Police Intervention Unit'.
>
>The letter had also notified state authorities of a planned UDP rally in
>Brikama
>on September 23, requesting for necessary action and precaution from state
>security agencies to avoid what the party's leadership called a 'national
>catastrophe'. It also reiterated the party's commitment to the laws of the
>land
>and its readiness to co-operate with law enforcers in ensuring peace and
>stability in the country.
>
>----------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L
>Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html
>You may also send subscription requests to
>[log in to unmask]
>if you have problems accessing the web interface and remember to write your
>full name and e-mail address.
>----------------------------------------------------------------------------

_________________________________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com.

Share information about yourself, create your own public profile at
http://profiles.msn.com.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L
Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html
You may also send subscription requests to [log in to unmask]
if you have problems accessing the web interface and remember to write your full name and e-mail address.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------