Halifa, I would first of all like to apologize for the tardiness of my
reponse to the second question your posed.  Also I read your last
commentaries on my first rejoinder; I was tempted to make comments but
decided to proceed to the next topic hoping to generate more issues and
substance to our discussions.
Your second question posed two moral structures-duty and responsibility,
with respect to the Senegalese government and the Gambian people
respectively.  Duty is act-oriented, and is consumated at execution.  So
does Senegal have a moral duty to promote and instigate the "SOPI"
philosophy in the Gambia...? I will sure answer in the affirmative- a very
strong yes.  This will be justified by  the moral suasion of humanitarianism
and the "law of neighbourhood", professed in 18th century diplomatic history
by the English statesman Edmund Burke.  Burke's arguments were based on a
prospective legal concept of "damnum nondum factum" , that is a damage
justly aprehended, but not actually done. This concept is applicable in
civil law between individuals.  In international society where there is no
judge, the vicinage of two neighbouring countries itself is the natural
judge.  Burke further argued that what in civil society is a ground for
action, in international politics it is a ground for war. Burke concluded
that the choice to act is a matter of moral prudence.
Again the concept of humanitarian intervention can be traced  to to J. S.
Mill's argument that states have not only a duty but a right to intervene in
the affairs of another government to prevent tyranny and systematic abuse of
human rights of citizens.  To Mill again the legitimacy of a government and
its right to rule can be challenged because of its non-representative
character: because it was imposed rather than willingly accepted by the
citizens.
Now international law consists of not only treaties and convenants, but also
diplomatic traditions and preponderant political/moral suasion.  Although
states have sovereign rights, the human rights of the citizens in a state
are sacrosanct and infact transcends sovereign rights in contemporary
international politics.  Burke's and Mill's arguments have withstood the
test of time and practice- they manifested in the US invasion of Panama,
Haiti, the Senegalese intervention in the Gambia in 1981, Nato in Kosovo and
even your Socialist colleague Julius Nyerere's intervention in Uganda during
Idi Amin's tyranny.
So Senegal's does have a moral obligation being a neighbour and an
impeccable democracy to promote change in the Gambia.  The current Gambia is
a garrison state, with a brutalitarian regime that turns its own weapons and
security forces on unarmed school children, even slaying a Senegalese
toddler.  This is an established fact.  Again the Gambia government is
engaged in an illegal and immoral enterprise of encouraging instability in
Southern Senegal by supplying arms and a sanctuary for the criminal Jola
"rebel" groups in Cassamance.  I personally have a direct knowledge of this
fact and President Wade made an unequivocal statement to that effect.
Now to the second part of your question, again I would say yes, the Gambian
citizenry does have a responsibility to effect changes in Gambia.  Moral
responsibility is outcome/result oriented and this is different from a moral
duty which is act oriented.  It is the moral responsibility of all Gambians
to see that the rule of law, respect for human rights/dignity, and justice
all prevail in their country. I may even quote the proverbial saying that
one can take a horse to river but one cannot force it to drink as a fitting
contrast between duties and responsilities.
Finally to conclude my answers and respond to your final speculations as to
the "status" of the Gambia with respect to Senegal, I would like to state
that the outcome of the collective responsibility of all Gambians shall
determine any "status" relationship with Senegal or any other country for
that matter.


Greetings

Ebou Jallow






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