Haruna

Why is there a need for you to use high sounding words which are quite very boring and vague? Why not use 'is and was English' and be understood? This forum is not a school boy debating centre to impress just for the sake of it. Can you please re write your contribution in 'is and was' English.? Look at Baba Galleh Jallow he writes in 'is and was' and yet he remain our own version of Charles Dickens.

Please teach this man how to write Baba Galleh.

Muhammad Bai Drammeh Bin Alhagie Sheihu Muhammad Lamin Drammeh Bin Muhammad Kanday Drammeh bin Muhammad Kissima Drammeh bin Foday Drammeh

--- On Tue, 14/4/09, [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

From: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: The Halifa Factor, what next?
To: [log in to unmask]
Date: Tuesday, 14 April, 2009, 3:21 PM

Laye, Good to hear you again.

Allow me to chime in for a minute.

I totally understand your sentiments vis-a-vis Halifa Sallah and I share some of those sentiments. I also understand Suntou's oped and I share some of his views. I am of equal opportunity grace. What I see is that we risk taking this conversation to the sentimental and ecumenical realm as is usually the case when we speak about Halifa, a man who aspires to lead Gambia through the political party PDOIS. I advise that we bear on sobriety.

I take Suntou's oped as a fact-finding query given the fact that Gambians have a cynical view of politicking. Perhaps Suntou can yield greater perspective on politics in this query. He is not to be dismissed for sentimental reasons however. It is natural for a PDOISard to be up in arms when their party leader is questioned but consider that with the requisite temerity and discernments, the questioning, even if disdainful, can strengthen the leader as well as improve our lot as a people.

I commend Halifa for embarking on a fact-finding mission into the witch-hunting saga as a human being. Witch-hunting is the veritable insult to our collective consciences and acumen, especially one sanctioned by Yahya, whose faculties are not readily discernible. You have posited, and appropriately, that the onus of fact-finding in such egregious matter is not the reserve of Halifa alone; to wit: "Halifa Sallah is not and should not be the only person of dignified conscience amongst the leaders or those who claim to be opposition leaders in Gambia. What he has done and gone through demonstrates to all and sundry that you, I and every human Gambian must not stand aside and look while your fellow Gambian and human is being humiliated in the most degrading manner."

Laye, you will therefore agree with Suntou that all Gambians have been equally incensed by the saga, but that Halifa being the leader of PDOIS had wished to capitalize on common disdain to yield PDOIS greater fortune. I am reminded that there are others in PDOIS like Sam, Sidia, Amadou, Samba, Suleyman, who could have embarked on the same fact-finding, but were they to have been arrested, they do not stand an equal chance of relief as Halifa had. To whom much is given, much more is expected. You will see that Halifa himself has shared in his defense of the erroneous charges levelled against him by an uncouth and clueless prosecutor, that he derived his rights from our common constitution and the fact that he is a leader of a political party. Any journalist can embark on the fact-finding mission and by dint of Halifa's association with the PDOIS party organ Foroyaa, he has added umph! These are some of the reasons you feel comfortable in comparing Halifa to Gambia's other politicians who in your own words and disdainfully "claim to be opposition leaders in Gambia." You know what happens to journalists who embark on fact-finding missions including Foroyaa journalists. Politics therefore was a major factor in both enabling Halifa to embark on a fact-finding mission. Were he not leader of PDOIS, proprietor of Foroyaa, a respectable contributor to the pan-African parliament, he may have or may not have entertained the risks associated with fact-finding in Gambia.

The broader picture therefore is that even though many Gambians are incensed with the witch-hunting grafignette, our political leaders, opposition or incumbent, are the ones most empowered to prosecute our collective disdains and anxieties. This means that politics is our legislative life. Whether Halifa engaged with ulterior political motives or not, is therefore immaterial to me. However, ordinary citizens are free to query his motives as much as they are free to express repulsion at Yahya's motives and pantomime. It is in the explanation and general disposition of PDOIS and Halifa that will yield attenuated fortunes.

It is unwise to compare Halifa to our other opposition political leaders from both a human standpoint and from a colegial view. That I think will be the height of conceit and an insult to our collective intelligence. And it unfortunately furthers the strictly political motive of Halifa and PDOIS. You will realize that we did not get to the point of Yahya embarking on repulsive witch-hunting exercises in a vacuum. Life is ever so dynamic. Yahya was enabled somehow and I suppose that has escaped us. That is the schematics of politics that erodes most future and "pure" goodwill.

What Suntou is trying to figure out, is whether there is salvage value in the preliminary steps taken by Halifa and whether Halifa can be instrumental in yielding that salvage value for commoner good. I submit that the best way to achieve that is by all of us enabling our other political leaders in APRC, UDP/NRP (NDP), PPP, GPP, and GDP to coordinate the prosecution of our legislative life as Gambians. The days of bunker politics are waning and there are signs everywhere for the astute. We did not see any amalgam of forces by our political leaders when Taf-Taf Yahya bereft of Gardens stole Brufut Lands and dispossessed Brufutians, nor did we see the same when Halfdiens were unscrupulously dispossessed of their homes in the name of port expansion. Witch-hunting and circumstance is tantalizing and a gross violation of human rights. But so are the myriad precursor trespasses that enabled it. You will realize that Halifa is not easily amenable to coordination of effort with other opposition parties. Glaring. The witch-hunting fact-finding could yield more tangible results if it were actively coordinated. But PDOIS is on a mission that does not seem to be common relief. It was when the onerous exercise threatened PDOIS electoral fortunes that Halifa engaged in fact-finding, the numerous reports and eye-witness accounts of it not-withstanding. Halifa's initial statements on the saga betrays ignorance to warrant a fact-finding.

That is all for now. - Haruna. Allez-y!!

In a message dated 4/14/2009 3:43:39 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time, [log in to unmask] writes:

Suntu:

Halifa Sallah is not and should not be the only person of dignified
conscience amongst the leaders or those who claim to be opposition
leaders in Gambia. What he has done and gone through demonstrates to
all and sundry that you, I and every human Gambian must not stand
aside and look while your fellow Gambian and human is being humiliated
in the most degrading manner. We should be thankful that we know in
Halifa, ONE Gambian that will stand up to the brutalities of the
regime and would rather die or languish in jail than to sit and see
his fellow beings dehumanized in broad day light. To insinuate that
Halifa was looking for personal or political gain in the exercise of
liberating his conscience and dignifying the value of human life,
smirks of debilitating ignorance and an insult to his and our
conscience...God forbid!

-Laye

On Tue, Apr 14, 2009 at 4:08 AM, <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> An interesting oped to ponder Suntou. Discerner-in-Chief!!! I think Yahya
> shot himself in the foot. And I'm worried about our two bad left-eyes. New
> Kambians!!!! Haruna. You pamplemousse!!!
>
> In a message dated 4/13/2009 6:29:40 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time,
> [log in to unmask] writes:
>
> Monday, 13 April 2009
>
> Halifa Factor In Gambia's Witch Hunt debacle
>
> By Suntou Touray
> With the dust almost settled even though facts about the Gambiaﾃ｢竄ｬ邃｢s witch
> hunting episode may all not be known, there is occasion to reflect over the
> whole encounter. Men dressed in red raided settlements in search of witches.
> They captured people of decent background and made them consume lethal
> concoctions in the name of ridding them off witch craft spirits. Some of the
> captives died. Large numbers still remain in biting pains, mostly deep in
> their stomach.
> Former Serrekunda East parliamentary member and sociologist Halifa Sallah
> was last month arrested and detained at mile 2 prisons for over a week. This
> was due to his decision to visit two villages over a witch hunting
> incidence. Halifa after his release commented that he went on a fact finding
> mission to the two villages. More accurately put he tried to proof whether
> the witch hunting story was actually true or false.
> Halifa was arrested afterward because the government felt that, he as an
> ordinary citizen of the Gambia who seeking to impersonate the work of the
> police or state security agents.
> No doubt Halifa by all regards played brave by what he did. Why he did so
> remains a question on wet lips.
> Some people considered it a genuine move by Halifa to prove what others
> thought a mere rumour. To others Halifa was in a publicity campaign for
> himself and certainly scored political points whether he preferred using
> that or not.
> From what came out of the encounter Halifa made us all to know that the
> witch hunting story is real and the actions are sanctioned by Gambia
> government.
> What next after knowing the true story still a valid question for curious
> onlookers. Will there be any lawsuit against the government for the unlawful
> conduct of humiliating and harassing innocent Gambians?
> The witch hunting episode ended up projecting Halifaﾃ｢竄ｬ邃｢s political profile at
> higher levels. He was a victim of arbitrary arrest but that by itself
> arrested the tormenting witch hunt at least until matters settled over
> Halifaﾃ｢竄ｬ邃｢s own arrest and brief detention. The whole saga eventually shifted
> from the witch hunting focusing on Halifa. That earned him a high profile
> victim of the unjust government crime of witch hunting.
> Halifa made noise about the remote control Gambian constitution loud enough.
> He defended his action by quoting various sections of the Gambian
> constitution, a document he knows about inside out. Halifa knows too well
> also that document is serving one man and one man only, Yahya Jammeh the
> current Gambian head of state. Since many Gambians know for a fact that
> document is not protecting their human rights for a number reasons one
> wonders if there was any need for Halifa to labour over constitutionality
> this fragrant government encounter with innocent citizens.
> The gains of Halifaﾃ｢竄ｬ邃｢s intervention can double if he was to help the victims
> pursue claims of damage resulting from such inhuman treatment. The victims
> deserve good compensation.
> The good efforts of Halifa placed him beyond the single position of flag
> bearer PDOIS /NADD to the lofty point of standing tall for Gambian people in
> times of need. This is enough wakeup call for Gambians over length and
> breadth of the country to resist the advances of witch hunters. Halifa can
> draft a comprehensive law suit against the government as seen truly standing
> up for the people. The point of departure would be the constitution, a book
> fully in Halifaﾃ｢竄ｬ邃｢s firm grips. Impeachment proceedings against the president
> can be initiated, thus demonstrating severity human rights violations.
> The law suits may not bear quicker results but to make the government pay
> victims. Through that citizens will go long way in exposing the severity of
> state organized crimes.
> We await Halifaﾃ｢竄ｬ邃｢s future actions concerning the witch hunting debacle.
> Halifaﾃ｢竄ｬ邃｢s political profile is undoubtedly boosted. Other gains exceed
> individual political scores. Yahya should not have arrested Halifa in the
> first place. The only reason one would think he ordered his arrest was to
> cause wider divide among the ranks of the opposition.
> Halifaﾃ｢竄ｬ邃｢s followers have a talking point- our only saviour they would say. He
> emerged hero of the hour. His arrest has potential to change something.
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