SAUL YOU are right! M.M.T. Suso >From: Saul Mbenga <[log in to unmask]> >Reply-To: The Gambia and related-issues mailing list ><[log in to unmask]> >To: [log in to unmask] >Subject: Re: THE CORONER'S INQUEST AND COMMISSION OF INQUIRY >Date: Fri, 16 Jun 2000 10:32:04 EDT > >Brother Ansumana, the personal attacks on your second paragraph was really >unnecessary. This kind of statements only gives clowns like Edi Sidibeh, >Tombong and Ambassador-in-hiatus Essa Sey, ammunition to sidetrack and >hijack >the real debate on Gambia and which way forward; Under the tutelage of >Yahya >Jammeh, the old Jawara nomenclature, or a new Gambia, where the populace >are >participants not onlookers, the latter being the norm since time >immemorial. >The overwhelming philosophy of political participation in Gambia is one >where >the system [rulers/commissary class] perpetrates a notion that 'The average >man/woman is so stupid, that, whatever they [the despots] say goes', hence >the electoral process would call upon the massive poor and disillusioned >every five years to vote for one or more of the myth makers, therefore, >continuation of the same crap is guaranteed through the voting scheme. My >question to you and other members of the L is: apart from PDOIS and Halifa >Sallah [in his personal capacity], could you name me one person, political >party or otherwise, that engaged the Gambian population in such >sociopoliticoeconomic education or 'edutainment' as you might refer to it >from your statements. I will be frank with you, my philosophy toward >reading >and learning anything that comes my way, started during my second semester >in >university. An Indian professor of political science asked me to write a >paper on Cheikh Anta Diop, for those of us who don't know, the most >respected >African historian/archeaologist/philosopher/engineer, and being the >smart-a-- >fool that I was, went into the negative aspect of the nonsense diatribes >attributed to him by some Senegalese politicians and citizenry.... he's a >fool, baldheaded [the same nonsense Abdou Diouf tried on Abdoulaye Wade; >"NIT >KU YORRUL PEPE KAWAR CHI BHOPAMBI, NAKA LAI YOREH NGUUR"] and that he must >be >from planet Mars, because his historical approach that Africans were here >before Adam and eve, understandably offensive to Muslims and Christians. >This >guy took me all the way to Philadelphia to the Lincoln Museum and lend me >some of Cheikh Anta's books, which I profess change the way I think and >respect others, even though have different perspectives. Guess who was >named >after Dakar University after Cheikh Anta died? CHEIKH ANTA DIOP UNIVERSITY, >hence, it is truly said, "the stone that the builder refused, shall be the >head corner stone and that the rejected one, always end up be ing >celebrated. >I will also confess that, I never followed Halifa's writing seriously, but >discussing with levelheaded people that are more versed in comparative >political history on the Gambia, Halifa is one person that Jawara really >respected because of the well respected nature of his personality, research >capability and grassroots approach. >I'm not saying that Halifa is perfect and I don't think he ever professes >to >be such, but the guy is engaged in spheres of interests, such as the >constitution, political process, economic development/priority issues etc. >that most Gambians, including myself, paid little or no attention to. What >I'm saying is that, we have to start agreeing to disagree and that even >Jawara or Yahya Jammeh has a right to be heard, then challenge >constructively. the moment we start getting personal, we turnoff a lot of >symphatizers to our cause of changing gambia once and for all. > >---------------------------------------------------------------------------- > >To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L >Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html > >---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.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 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------