Buharry,
Always appreciate your insight and input and hope you will keep it
coming.
Having said that, I must say that the commentary by LJ Darboe in
response to your article expresses exactly my sentiments on the points
you raised in your article.
The fact is that tyranny is tyranny by any definition and good
governance is good governance and pacifying tyrants by "masla" or
creating and living in our own fantasy shell of ignoring facts and
accepting fantasy explanations that we know are blatant lies such as
when fellow Gambians were clearly murdered as in the case of Daba
Marenah and co. will not move us forward. While we may understand that
those who are closer in proximity to the tyrant government of Yaya
Jammeh are less free to express themselves for fear of reprisal, we
cannot afford to have divided camps in how we view tyranny and why it
has to take all of us, in and outside of The Gambia being on the same
page to defeat it.
I am also of the firm belief that those of us who are able to speak
without fear have a responsibility to do so and yes indeed, we speak
for those who cannot or are too timid to do so, or even out of sheer
ignorance and even if they do not recognize or appreciate this.
The late Malcolm X used to say of those Black folks who were too afraid
to be identified with the Black Power movement and eventually teh civil
rights movement that20" we will set you free, even if we have to stuff
freedom down your throats". Those same Black folks out of fear,
isolated self interest and pure ignorance even went as far as speaking
out against and labeling people like Malcolm X as trouble makers even
though all they were engaged in was having the courage to speak out
against an injustice and humiliation that those same people opposing
them were living on a daily basis. Today, how Black folks appreciate
and revel in that freedom for which Malcolm X and co., the so-called
trouble makers of that time were the pioneers fought and died to
accomplish and that they were motivated by nothing more than a love for
their people and a desire to see them accorded equal rights. Those of
us who speak out want the same for our people and although it may not
be realized and appreciated, it is a duty that those who are able must
undertake and we represent the interest of even those who think that we
do not.
People chose to "masla" only for two reasons, selfish personal gain
while disregarding the suffering of their neighbors or lack of
knowledge as to what constitutes good governance and the fact that we
cannot consider ourselves to have prospered if we are only concerned
about our own individual well being.
Those who choose to "masla" must be enlightened about the fact that
there is a better way that will benefit all and that it takes the
recogn
ition and acceptance of the reality of our collective situation
under Yaya Jammeh's tyrannical regime to liberate our country from
tyranny and that all will truly benefit only when that happens. All of
our people must be educated to the fact that although those on the
ground must undertake their daily survival, they do not have to like
the conditions that take away their dignity and must do whatever they
can, even if not outwardly, then internally and clandestinely if
possible so that we are all on the same page because that is the only
way we can move forward to accomplish any meaningful change.
I will also add that even those of us outside the country are affected
profoundly because we are separated from our loved ones and extended
families and have no idea when we will see them and will undoubtedly
loose and have lost loved ones before we are able to set eyes on them
again.
Jabou Joh
LJ Darboe wrote:
"On first impression, your observation appears not to embody any
controversy, but its orchestral harmony may collapse on further
examination. Are we right in assuming that the average "Samba or Demba"
is unconcerned about the human rights violations that are fixtures of
Gambian public life, that he believes Daba Marena and others escaped
whilst being transferred from Mile 2 Central Prisons to wherever,
notwithstanding being completely shackled? I take the view that human
beings are generally endowed with t
he ability to distinguish right from
wrong, and this may be the only explanation for murderous dictators
engaging in generous displays of affection toward their children and
spouses, even as they subject the children and spouses of others to
great trauma through all manner of gratuitous brutality. I contend for
the proposition that the average "Samba or Demba" embraces the view
that Daba Marena's whereabouts is a responsibility properly assigned to
the Professor and his government.
Although there may be an argument for expediency in particular
circumstances, it should be rejected as a general philosophy of life.
The "average Samba or Demba" hustled what he could out of Jawara, and
he is now wilfully partaking in the excesses of the Professor. I am
unsure as to what "average" denotes, but urge that you examine Barmy
Jagne's declaration on the Mighty that the Professor is the preeminent
propounder of of Pan Africanism among the current coterie of African
leaders. This kind of pronouncement by a resident of the United States
of America is more akin to wilful disregard than cluelessness. Barmy's
deliberate mis-analysis places him in the same category with your
"average Samba and Demba" who, with faculties intact, is fully aware of
the unacceptable human rights situation that obtains in the Professor's
Gambia.
Transiting to what Yusupha said on return from a Gambian visit some
years ago, the concern was less with the veracit
y of his factual
narration, and more with the prognosis he suggested for the opposition
segment of Diaspora Gambia. Yusupha's central contention was that in
the battle for the hearts and minds of the Gambian electorate, the
opposition should embark on some community development efforts to
counter the strides mad by the Professor, especially on visible
infrastructure such as roads. If the opposition cannot fund serious
election campaigns, I do not see how it could come up with the
humongous amounts necessary to challenge on development projects
properly the responsibility of the State. Even if such funds are
source-able, we must remember that with a totalitarian system, the
opposition would be prevented, with force, if need be, from embarking
on any independent development initiative. The police power resides
with the State, and the Professor is not known for his timid projection
of national power.
At the time, and in eloquent support of Yusupha's prognosis, Ousman
Gagigo argued that all of the Professor's victims were in The Gambia.
Even after the intervention of some three years worth of weeks and
months, Ousman's contention stays with me for the simple reason that
the Professor's policies are draining the country of capacity for
development. Those who are staying out of the country because they have
to are as much victims as anyone within territorial Gambia. I accept
there is a difference in so far as bodily integr
ity is concerned, but a
wasted pool of talent is a tragedy on both the personal and national
levels
Moving The Gambia forward means nothing less that dislodging the
Professor's government from power. Our national struggle is about the
political values we want at the core of our governance system. On the
one hand are governmental minimalism, and constitutionalism within the
broader context of the rule of law in a democratic society. On the
other hand is totalitarianism that rejects, any, and all restraint on
its power. As far as the Professor is concerned, there is no middle
ground"
-----Original Message-----
From: [log in to unmask]
To: [log in to unmask]
Sent: Sat, 14 Mar 2009 9:38 am
Subject: Re: [>-<] Of Militants, Cowards and Fence-sitters: Disaporan
Gambians and the Political Situation in Gambia
Buharry
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