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From: [log in to unmask]
Full-name: Ousjb
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Date: Sat, 9 Dec 2000 00:06:05 EST
Subject: Conteh..
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Conteh,
It is nice to hear you in your usual mood again. I am glad you are back in
good spirit. I WILL never endorse the killing of our school kids. I will
never endorse even the random arrest of the opposition and that is why
whenever it happens my voice is well heard. I am tired of people who think
that all they could do to affect changes is coming to the Gambia L and buy
cheap popularity. These are the same people who will not join you and I to
demonstrate against some of the ills this government does to our people. I am
sick of people who all that they think of is themselves when it comes to
national development.
Conteh, if we all mean that we need our people to go fwd., why marginalize
anyone, and even Jammeh? You just said all the reasons why I also WILL never
endorse Jawara. Yes, he might not have killed tens of students, but he denied
some of us our basic rights to even a court date. He fired some of our
parents for they were alleged oppositions. My dear comrade, Jawara jailed +60
year old uncles and dads of some of us and they died in prison without
trials. Jawara jailed our fathers for three consecutive times or more without
trials and even denying us family visitations. Conteh, Imagine going for an
interview with the government for a job and have Kebba Ceesay, NIA director
now, Pa Jallow and Munir Darboe all of NIA then NSS to tell you that you
cannot work for the government because your father is an opposition to
Jawara. Conteh, imagine as a student in Form Three at high school and have
the CID kidnap you from school campus without even letting your school
teacher know more over your parents at home because your father is an
opposition.
Please, do not let me continue. I say it now and always will. To hell with
anyone who will suppress my people like that. I do not care for ANY one who
will treat me like that.
A lot of us here keep saying that the "dictator" must go and sit on the side
line and will not do a damn thing about it, but just to shout on the L. We
could cry for democracy forever if we are not free in our own minds. Jawara
sat on our heads by denying us the simple education to better ourselves, and
here come Jammeh playing with the few we had. And here in cyber space, we
have some of us who failed to achieve any of our personal goals calling for
national goals. Why don't we all face the reality and know that the Jawara
days are gone, we are in the Jammeh era? And look for ways to make a better
future for our people as a nation and one Gambia.
I see your desperateness calling for prayers. It is always the case. We say,
God will help us. Why don't we help ourselves first?
You know as much as I do that the Jammeh government is illegal, but we still
have the opposition taking salaries from him, sharing the same house of
chambers with him and blankly endorsing him. If they think the guy leads such
an illegal government, why be part of the House who passes bills? If they had
all listen to the calls some of us made to them NOT to contest for the
elections if they knew they were going to be reaped anyway? They failed to
yield to the reality thinking that they were going to fill the gap Jawara
left.
Conteh our house had been destroyed already by Jawara years ago. Calling him
back to Gambia will certainly be a good gesture. The guy certainly did some
good things and just like Jammeh. However, he owe the whole nation an
apology. If he failed to do that, he also deserves to be in exile just as
some of us here choose to be.

Ousman Bojang.