Soffie,
I agree with you entirely. To charaterize Gambia's problem as a Jola or tribal problem is simplistic and naive. What we have in the Gambia is an individual who will do whatever it takes to stay in power and unfortunately he has members of all ethnic groups in The Gambia helping him. The same sycophancy and self interest that chararacterize the Jawara years is what is going on in The Gambia. The legislature is dominated by mandingoes yet Yaya is able to push through obnoxious legislation like the indemnity bill and the bill that outlaws second round balloting among others. Yaya recently came up with the socalled operation clean the nation which requires local authorities to furnish his office the names of individuals who refused to participate in the exercise. And guess what some local authorities will enforce that even though the issue was never discussed in the legislature. Some legislators may infact defend it. Our legislators and many others are just interested in their
paychecks and whatever they can get and to hell with The Gambia. We even have Gambians who will come to the US or elsewhere, use the sorry state of affairs in The Gambia to get asylum and citizeship and then go back to Gambia to serve the Jammeh administration. Yaya knows this and is exploiting it.
I urge all those who were involved in the debate about ethnicity to instead focus on the real issue i.e how all Gambians irrespective of ethnicity can come together to vote Yaya out of office.
"Ceesay, Soffie" <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
Brothers and sisters -
The grey on my head is multiplying (no kidding), thanks to the daily grind of life in the US and the struggle we have to wage for Gambia's liberation. And, thanks also to dialogue that has only helped to fan the flames of mis-understanding between those of us who are fighting the same fight. I hate to go against what my elders say and so I apologize before hand but, what pertains in the Gambia is not a JOLA problem, but Gambia's problem. That Yaya is a tribalist we all agree on. A tribalist for whom and against whom, very hard for me to say and I will dis-agree with anyone who singles out anyone tribe. The Jola's are as much at the receiving end of his tyranny as everyone else. Those who've helped prop him up come from every strata of Gambian society and to allow ourselves to miss this point sends shivers up my spine.
At our last demonstration in New York, when reporter Ebou Waggeh asked a question (I do not recall what it was), this lady pushed forward and began to spew spittle about the Jolas this and the Jolas that. I was frightened - frightened because she was speaking from her heart and frightened that she has allowed herself to be manipulated into segmenting our society by the shenanigans of a loony. If I were to turn around and ask her what any Jola has done to her or her family before Jammeh or now, she would have pointed only to Jammeh. My response to that comment, to Waggeh, was this - Yaya was born a Jola and that is as far as he can claim. Those who benefited from and supported him run the tribal gamut.
Some of us are lucky and can claim to be a bonafide Wollof, Mandinka, Jola, Sarahuleh, Manjaago, or whatever. So what? At the end of the day, what does that bring you? I will suggest that many Gambians are like me who cannot claim to be a bonafide anytribe even if I grew up speaking only Wollof. I will also suggest that it is people in our families and tribes who will put the screws to you without a second thought and Yaya is no different. For political expediency, he uses whatever he can and if tribalism is readily available and he's proved that it can polarize the opposition, why not use it. My sincerest apologies to all as well as my regards. I now go back to the plantation grind.
Soffie Ceesay
A Gambian
-----Original Message-----
From: Jabou Joh [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Tuesday, April 06, 2004 9:24 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Joe Sambou & Tribalism/ Conteh
In a message dated 4/6/04 6:09:09 AM Central Daylight Time,
[log in to unmask] writes:
>
> Joe:
>
> I don't see anything wrong with Mr. Fye. In fact, I think what he evokes
> should
> be commended. What is wrong with someone intimating that yahya is using
> Jolas to be indifferent? Tell me if a single Jola who has been accused of
> corruption ever was arrested.
>
> While I commend you for your numerous contributions, I am really concern
> that
> you get upset when one mentions the word "Jola." What is wrong with that?
> It
> is true that a lot of Jolas and other tribes benefited from Jammeh's
> trabilim.
>
> We should conclude that this tribal sentiment has to stop. May be you
> should be
> the first person to condemn tribalism. By the way, why did you visit Tejan
> Ceesay at the Gambian Embassy in DC. Should this not be a concern to
> Gambians?
> Can we trust you? Are you sleeping with the enemy?
>
> Naphiyo,
> Comrade ML Jassey-Conteh
>
> Conteh,
I have always found it interesting that Joe Sambou has taken it upon himself
to keep people from discussing certain issues, Jammeh's Jola tribalism being
foremost among those issues even as he claims to be a champion of the people's
rights. The contradictions are obvious because there is no conflict with one
calling attention to Jammehs' tribalistic tendencies and favouritism and for
the life of me, I cannot see how anyone who opposes this man can at the same
time wage a campaign to silence people from talking about that. I should think
that part of the process of opposing and exposing Jammeh would be to talk about
this issue of tribal favouritism and its' possible repercussions especially if
one is Jola.
I have asked Joe Sambou before to tell us whose side he was on when he has
waged canpaigns to silence people about certain subjects, and he never takes me
up on those even as he has much to say about everything else. The information
I have is that the visits with Tejan Ceesay at the Gambian embassy in DC were
not restricted to one, but were regular.
One thing i do know is that Gambians are easy to infiltrate. All one has to
do is beat your breast and repeat what the people are saying.
Jabou Joh
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Elhajj Mustapha Fye
> Sent: Apr 5, 2004 2:55 PM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: AN APPEAL TO ALL GAMBIA L SUBSCRIBERS
>
> Joe,
> Welcome back! Yaya Jammeh is a tribalist, armed murderer, Armed thief, Tony
> Daabaa and Armuumin. He killed our brothers, children and countinue to
> harass,
> Torture, intimidate, exile and punishing a whole nation. Am I now an
> ignorant and no more a fool? Can you forward the mail I said that the first
> rebuplic harassed me? Where did Ebou Jallow send his mail? Can you answer to
> these questions? Nothing can change my stance that Yaya is a tribalist!
>
> Elhajj
>
>
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Joe Sambou"
> To:
> Sent: Monday, April 05, 2004 7:54 PM
> Subject: Re: AN APPEAL TO ALL GAMBIA L SUBSCRIBERS
>
>
> > Elhajj, you are one ignorant person. Keep foaming, the more you talk, the
> > more folks know who you are. Like I said before, when it comes to
> > tribalism, you are no different from Yaya with your ignorance. You can
> > carry on with your few backers, but folks would just relegate you for what
> > you are. Keep up the ignorance.
> >
> > Chi Jaama
> >
> > Joe Sambou
> >
> >
> > >From: Elhajj Mustapha Fye
> > >Reply-To: The Gambia and related-issues mailing list
> > >
> > >To: [log in to unmask]
> > >Subject: Re: AN APPEAL TO ALL GAMBIA L SUBSCRIBERS
> > >Date: Sun, 4 Apr 2004 04:59:09 +0200
> > >
> > >Mose,
> > >Yaya and his supporters are up to no good for Gambia. How can you believe
> > >that Jammeh cares less about the Jolas as a tribe? The guy is surrounded
> > >all
> > >over Kanilai with Jolas ready to act on anything he tells them. Do you
> > >believe these lies his double standard supporters are peddling here?
> > >Pls.find out properly!
> > >
> > >Elhadj.
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >----- Original Message -----
> > >From:
> > >To:
> > >Sent: Sunday, April 04, 2004 2:39 AM
> > >Subject: Re: AN APPEAL TO ALL GAMBIA L SUBSCRIBERS
> > >
> > >
> > > > JAbou,
> > > >
> > > > You are absolutely right that it is important to talk about tribal
> > >issues,
> > >not only to avoid a Rwanda type of a situation, but to think that
> tribalism
> > >does not shape our politics is utter nonsense. Personally, I do not think
> > >we
> > >have a tribal animosity like the Hutus and the Tutsi. In fact, I am
> willing
> > >to make a stretch that JAmmeh cares less about the Jolas as a tribe. This
> > >is
> > >not about the Jolas, but moreso about Jammeh the person and what he has
> to
> > >do to maintain the status quo. He will exploit all avenues of
> sensitivities
> > >to maintian power and his political survival. For anyone to thing think
> > >that
> > >all these have anything to do with the establishment of a Jola empire is
> > >ridiculous. As for the suggestion that moving the "Capital" to Kanilai is
> a
> > >clear indication of this dream of a Jola empire, is just that. This is
> all
> > >about Jammeh the egomaniac, and "Jola this or Jola that" has nothing to
> do
> > >with anything. Although, like any other dishonest political survivor he
> > >will
> > >conti
> > > > nue manipulate and will use all the tribes for his own political end.
> > > >
> > > > Musa Jeng
> > > > > From: Jabou Joh
> > > > > Date: 2004/04/03 Sat PM 01:10:02 EST
> > > > > To: [log in to unmask]
> > > > > Subject: Re: AN APPEAL TO ALL GAMBIA L SUBSCRIBERS
> > > > >
> > > > > In a message dated 4/3/04 11:20:49 AM Central Standard Time,
> > > > > [log in to unmask] writes:
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > > "we have two options either to let history take a
> > > > > > disastrous path or shape the course of history towards
> > > > > > the right path."
> > > > > > ."The purpose of history is to learn the lessons of
> > > > > the past and we let history repeat itself in vice then
> > > > > we might be very sorry for ourself. We will then let
> > > > > both ourself and our future children down."
> > > > > "The Gambia is country of tolerance and is not divided
> > > > > by tribal demarcations and tribal values or allegiance
> > > > > have no place in The Gambia."
> > > > >
> > > > > Brother,
> > > > >
> > > > > I think we need to be very clear before we label people that are
> > >commenting
> > > > > on tribal issues as tribalists.
> > > > > I am making a comment on the issue of tribalism for the reasons you
> > >have
> > > > > stated and which I have quoted above. There are some indications
> that
> > >Jammeh is
> > > > > playing a tribal card and the very reason that such things have led
> to
> > >genocide
> > > > > and other horrible things in places like Rwanda is because no one
> > >wanted
> > >to
> > > > > talk about it. I think we have to discuss these issues so that we
> can
> > >let it be
> > > > > known that the people are very much aware of any attempts to engage
> in
> > >such
> > > > > things and thereby avoid the possible consequences in our own
> country.
> > > > > We as Gambians have a tendency to not talk about things until they
> get
> > >out of
> > > > > hand and we cannot affort to do that in this. case.
> > > > > Rather, I think the issue to how do we get across to Jammeh that
> > >tribalism
> > > > > will not be tolerated, as opposed to trying to put a gag order on
> the
> > >discussion
> > > > > of tribalism even when there are certain tendencies that will cause
> > >divisions
> > > > > along tribal lines being implemented by Yaya Jammeh. For example,
> why
> > >is it
> > > > > that Gambians have never asked the question why Jammeh moved our
> > >capital
> > >to
> > > > > Kanilai? Is there a plausible explanation for this action?
> > > > >
> > > > > Jabou Joh
> > > > >
> > > > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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