Halifa,

With respect to your comments and or interpretations of what you perceive to
be Brother Ebou Colly's subjective and prejudice-laden reportage of your
positions vis-a-vis a united opposition and the socialist-capitalist
dichotomy, i believe, after going back to what  both you and Colly has
written, you have sloppily misconstrued what the Brother was trying to say.

First things first: As usual with Colly's narratives, each weekend's slot of
his memoirs of the so-called 22nd. July Coup kicks off with
observations-cum-responses to his readership's comments, suggestions, queries
and enquiries that ensued from the previous weekend's narrative. It is within
this context, that Colly made his  current observations about the New York
meeting and the shrewd judgements that: there are many people who profess to
be PDOIS supporters who are in fact closet APRC apologists who use the PDOIS
cover to launch unjustified attacks on the Opposition - especially the UDP.
This is a very fair remark; one which i have always said privately. The
reason for this is quite simple. Since PDOIS' rhetoric is still tilted
against both the old order and the party most likely to unseat the APRC in
free and fair elections - as it happens the UDP - and also PDOIS rhetoric is
relatively sparing of the AFPRC/APRC record, it becomes an almost perfect
alibi for closet and undercover APRC supporters and agents to put on the garb
of PDOIS. Neither Colly nor i are suggesting or inferring that this is your
fault. It is merely a point that ought to be pointed out. And i believe Colly
has done it without being or sounding "tragicomical" - to use a very inept
word from you.

On your economic programme vis-a-vis its potential to shackle any future
coalescing of opposition efforts, i don't think Colly misrepresented your
position - again this is gauged by revisiting what you claim to be a "newer"
version of what you herald as the panacea for the country's economic woes.
What Colly was pointing out was not so much the potentialities or the
crankiness of the socialist ideology; or  give a historical account of the
repudiation of socialism. He was merely stating a very fair comment that
insofar as one sticks to a classical socialist position and another takes up
a laissez faire one, it is virtually impossible to bring about a consensus on
this issue if the coalition between the parties will take a whole
parliamentary/presidential term to expire. This is a very fair comment. Colly
never sought to philosophically repudiate socialism - as if in this age that
were needed anymore. Rather, he merely pointed out what could later hamstring
any future attempt to coalesce the resources of three parties that espouse
two diametrically opposed political, economic and social philosophies. Are
you  trying to intimate here that in the event you go ahead with a coalition
with the two other parties - that espouse laissez faire economics - were they
to privatise GPTC, you will have no problems adding your imprint to such a
development? This is Colly's point.

I was, however, dismayed that you could mischieviously use such inept words
like "tragicomical" to subtly cast aspersion and doubt on Colly's narrations
of how the so-called 22nd July Coup chanced. This is very unbecoming of you.
If the intention is to give allure to those who want Colly discredited -
especially his version of what occurred on July 22nd and its aftermath - then
you shall fail miserably.  If  one has any quarrels with what Colly has said
or has got to say, then the most honourable thing to do is to contest him
DIRECTLY with the facts and Gambia-L audience will choose what to go along
with. After all Gambia-L is not GRTS; where only one version of any event is
allowed an audience.

Admittedly, not everything you wrote in your piece was mischievious. I was,
for instance, bemused to read you rehash a "new" for socialism as a credible
form of economic management. Bemused because, socialism no matter how one
adroitly rehashes, repackages, regurgigates or try to tidy its internal
incoherences, will remain a discredited form of economic management. I will
save my overall judgements of this "new" version of your socialism until i
get to read your manifesto and or your polemical exchanges with Dr Taal. I
wouldn't, however, be surprised if it turns out to be the "old" thing being
smartly dresssed up as "new".

Your expositions on PDOIS' position on a future coalition with the other
opposition are very encouraging and enlightening. It is a pity that your
"new" stance on a coalition was always not as crystal clear as you now
expounded. Most of our misunderstandings were largely a making of your
earlier and oft vacillating tone in the debates you had people on this issue.
I will come back to you on this.

Best wishes,

Hamjatta Kanteh

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