Sidebeh, you struck a chord here. The silence of Gambians these days is
bourne out of the situation that the NADD leadership or lack there of, has
placed Gambians. They have essentially held us hostage with their thousand
very poor excuses for doing nothing but to indulge Yaya in his games. I am
sorry, but this banking on an illegal journey dictated by Yaya is the worst
thing they can subject Gambians under. They said they do not want to be
part of any demonstration as if that is illegal, but decided to "ask for
permission" to hold a rally, and strange of all, they really expected to be
given the green light to meet with Gambians. When we read in history books
that certain peoples were ruled against their will for thousand years, I can
now see how that can uphold, for the very people that have the power to
liberate themselves are the very ones that emasculate their populations by
their stubbornness, wrapped in fear, which is also wrapped in the arrogance
that "they know what is best for the the people". This is a people movement
and the people want leaders that will serve them in their constitutional
demands to express their feelings. Those that are concerned for their
welfare need to stand aside and not impede the onward march of the people.
Where would South Africa be if Mandela was afraid of what the Afrikaners
will do to Africans as they revolted? What would happen to then Rhodesians
under Ian Smith? The Mau Mau? So, why do some of these people continue to
think that they will continue to go against the wishes of common sense, even
when it hit them right in the face?
Now that they denied them a permit to rally, then what, wise guys? They
deny Halifa, OJ, and Hamat bail, then what, legal luminaries? They continue
to adjourn their hearings to infinity, then what, visionaries? And so, it
is a sad day for Gambia and Gambians. Sad, because in the face of
injustice, the leaders not only refuse to lead, but dug their heels to hold
us hostage. Why? Some hide behind the veil that Yaya will shoot all.
Others say they are law abiding, as if a peaceful protest of an injustice is
illegal. Yet, others say we continue to sensitize people. In the end, the
suspense continues only to be interrupted by a request for funds to manage
their legal process, their one and only choice, a dead end at that. So, Mo,
you are in good company.
Chi Jaama
Joe
>From: Momodou S Sidibeh <[log in to unmask]>
>Reply-To: The Gambia and related-issues mailing list
><[log in to unmask]>
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: What Does NADD Want ??
>Date: Thu, 8 Dec 2005 22:26:16 +0100
>
>Folks,
>
>I must admit that I am very angry. So angry I am afraid I will not be
>able to write anything sensible. But kindly allow me to say a few things
>before you read the nobel lecture delivered by this year's nobel
>laureate in literature, Harold Pinter.
>We in Stockholm have the privelege of being around the nobel festivities
>and other media events surrounding it. There is always a round-table
>discussion with some of the world's greatest literary minds chaired by a
>great friend of Africa, Per Westberg, who is also a member of the
>Swedish Academy. Per Westberg has not only written a lot on African
>literature, he had been quite active in the anti-apartheid struggle, and
>has good friends amongst ANC leaders.
>A few years ago, he chaired such a high profile discussion in honour of
>V. S. Naipaul who was in the company of other nobel laureates Nadine
>Gordimer, Gunther Grass, and Seamus Heaney. While the entire team
>expressed the awesome cruelty of the U.S drumbeating for war against
>Iraq and its deliberate drowning of the entire world in a relentless
>misinformation and disinformation campaign demonising Saddam Hussein,
>our third-world nobel laureate was twisting in his chair admitting
>almost literally that he has no capacity to understand oppression.
>Instead of summoning an arsenal of repulsion against the imminent
>destruction of Mesopotamian civilisation, and the consequental slaughter
>of innocent Iraqis, V.S. Naipaul sat there, severely perturbed and
>wrinkled by the horrendous destruction of the Buddha statues in the
>sandstone cliffs of Bamiyan by the Taliban. The contrasting cast was
>cinematic. Gunther Grass threatend that he would become angry unless
>V.S.N opened his literary eyes to the real evil consuming the world!
>V.S.Naipaul made me so sick all my plans for christmas that winter
>simply melted into the snow. Two things that consoled me were the
>memories of Stephen Hawking's assertion that some people get the nobel
>prize for all sorts of things, and that of Edward Said labelling Naipaul
>a novelist of imperialism.
>
>Harold Pinter's lecture reminds one of the possibilites of a
>revolutionary Nicaragua, but also offers a concrete perspective of
>the struggle for democracy in Gambia. So my anger has its roots not so
>much in what the APRC government is robbing us of, (that is sufficiently
>clear to even the blind amongst us), but to how the NADD leadership has
>resolved to manage the revolutionary situation that obtains at home.
>What does Sidia Jatta mean by his reasons for not agitating for a
>nation-wide peaceful demonstration aginst the arrest of the other
>leaders? That Jammeh is luring the people to demonstrate in order to
>oblige in the opportunity to shoot them? Is NADD admitting that our
>liberation lies in the hands of Jammeh? Does empowering the people mean
>playing by Jammeh's rule book until his conscience balks? He denies NADD
>a peaceful rally(!). So we take him to court and verdict turns out in
>NADD's favour. Do we then rally or demonstrate, as he would have upheld
>his sinister plans to shoot us down? Come on folks, what is happening here?
>
>We must support NADD even more than ever before. But let us frankly and
>unequivocally and respectfully tell NADD that loyalty should not be
>equated with silence! With less anger and with a little more time, I
>will discuss these questions eventually; and I hope you also start
>thinking about where we are going.
>
>Harold Pinter's Nobel lecture:
>
>http://nobelprize.org/literature/laureates/2005/pinter-lecture.html
>
>
>Cheers,
>Momodou S Sidibeh
>
>いいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいい
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