"Never does
a human being among humans so abhor a single culture or ethnicity as to form
a political platform based on derision of cultures. SInce Halifa is PDOIS and
PDOIS is Halifa, the lieutenants had no choice but to adopt that as their"
Haroon:
We have met again on the same topic, and I have to say this is one issue that anyone of us can ever ignore. Now, to the above statement, I really think you do not mean to say that, unless of course I am not getting it right. Are you suggesting that PDOIS, in this case you indicated is synonemous to Halifa abhor tribes or a single tribe so much that he created a platform(your words) against cultures?
For me I think our tribal differences are just that, and when we decided to come together and belong to one nation, it became evident that we will have to accomodate these differences and build a better country for all of us. I am of the firm belief that if we build a strong democracy whereby people ultimately have the power to decide who governs, and that they have the right to do just that after hearing from people's message, they still reserve the right to vote for their own kind. It is ok to vote for your kind, but in any open society, it will jsut be a matter of time whe we will eventually evolve to vote for our interest and tribal affiliation will be secondary. We can all take pride of our different tribes, and that is ok, but I am not sure of the poltitcal vaibilty of trying to govern different tribes by putting emphasis on our tribal differences. Finally, I can say that give me a democratic Gambia, and over time there will be no serious person who will make it to the
state house by appealing to our tribal sensitivities.
Thanks
Musa Jeng
Thanks
Musa Jeng
-------------- Original message ----------------------
From: Haruna Darbo <[log in to unmask]>
> "Malanding, please allow me to address just one point of your response to
> Mose and for you and Mose to follow the rest." Joe Sambou.
>
> Joe, sorry for my taking a crack at this. Kukeh am sure understands that it
> is for Ellen your hypocrisy notwithstanding. You don't get to decide who
> speaks on what here, otherwise you would send it to private mailboxes.
>
> "Also this thing on tribal politics in today's Gambia is a little overblown.
> The APRC by its composition is not based on tribe. Infact I would venture to
> say that the the APRC support base is broader than either NRP or UDP. Yes,
> they exploit tribal issues just like the other two I mentioned." Malanding.
>
> I tend to agree with you here Kukeh perhaps with a different understanding.
> I think what Joe and PDOIS mistake for tribalism is ethnic pride. Am sure you
> will agree with me that Gambia has far too many tribes to share a singular
> heritage. Each of these tribes are well within reason to be proud of their
> ethnicity and to make life decisions based on culture among other non-cultural
> considerations.
>
> You can go to Russia, Saudia, America, Scandinavia, Zimbabwe, Ireland,
> Jordan, Ethiopia, etcetera, and you will find the same or similar permutations
> of
> people. The trick is the capacity to harness the diversity of peoples who
> come under a common constitution. There are people whose depth of knowledge and
> or appreciation of life is found wanting in this area and should such people
> train their own lives on ruling over the ethnically proud, it becomes
> difficult to fathom the gravitasse of human decision variables and arrange them
> into
> more mouldable constructs. They will then begin a futile journey into
> mind-engineering.
>
> The first mistake Halifa made, in my opinion, is to declare non-belonging to
> any of Gambia's constitutive tribes. That was a fatal mistake. The reason why
> that is is because that can only be interpreted as "None of the tribes in
> Gambia offers a culture that Halifa likes". It is usually important for a
> politician to take variety of tribes and experiences into account when seeking
> public office. Never in my experience and travels have I heard a more conceited
> declaration. From Gandhi to Luther King to the Imam to the Pope. Never does
> a human being among humans so abhor a single culture or ethnicity as to form
> a political platform based on derision of cultures. SInce Halifa is PDOIS and
> PDOIS is Halifa, the lieutenants had no choice but to adopt that as their
> mantra. Bear with me. I hear that is changing now in PDOIS and I think they are
> on the right track. They have some more work to do. For now, the only way
> PDOIS can lord over Gambians is either by original coup or chance coup and by
> default that is if they don't adapt and grow from within. We will talk about
> the ominous prospects of that later. Besides, PDOIS already has members drawn
> from some of the tribes of Gambia.
>
> PDOIS is a communist party but they understood communism wrongly. Soviet
> communism and North Korean communism preached egalitarian concepts in the
> framework of diverse peoples. PDOIS wanted to do it in the absence of
> diversity.
> The people they wish to govern and some of their own members will not and
> should not abandon their tribes and cultures just at the risk of being labelled
> tribalist. So PDOIS will have an internal war of conscience from whence will
> sprout a healthier PDOIS. It is possible to be egalitarian and diverse. Allah
> made that possible. You may not tamper with peoples' inherent rights.
>
> Now as the lieutenants find themselves trapped in this backward way of
> thinking, they cannot break free of the mental shackles. In effect, they must
> view
> the Gambian people as the problem. You notice that a Gambian youth who is
> educated outside of the PDOIS barracks and is capable of distinctions hardly
> ever trains on PDOIS. That robs PDOIS of the leverages for growth because their
> own resources are limited. That is they cannot indoctrinate all Gambia's
> youth. That is why you hear them talk about Youth consciousness groups,
> militants, PDOIS central committee. How much more can you snuff the life out of
> an
> otherwise living entity but to deliberate around carcasses and wish for the
> death of tribes and cultures. No matter they portray it as the eradication of
> tribalism. If there is any single idea for PDOIS, it would be the idea of
> honesty to self and train on commoner good. The era of communist propaganda is
> gone and good riddance.
>
> It is worth noting that PDOIS never takes an inward look at themselves for
> enhancement. A question as simple as "Why after 20 years of yearning for
> governance of Gambia have Gambians not warmed up to PDOIS?" ought not have been
> asked of a political party in the first place. Furthermore, PDOIS militants and
> lieutenants almost always assume a bellicose posture at the mere query of
> values. It is easier to charge a fellow citizen of tribalism than to appreciate
> him. PDOIS looks down on their fellow citizens that is why they are welcome
> at my house in their present state. If you read further down into Joe's
> diatribe and frustration, you notice he has shared PDOIS' quandry. There is not
> a
> single Gambian who is not a problem because of his or her tribe, except for
> those who are PDOIS. How do you attract appreciation in this environment? They
> feed the hungry they say but they chastise them for not voting for them. They
> educate the illiterate, but they charge the illiterates are the colaborators
> of Yahya and PPP. They educate for PDOIS, yet they abhor the otherwise
> educated.
>
> I thank you for your audience. 1/2 of my family was PDOIS, now a 1/4 is. By
> next month, and with the extant conditions, I hope to make that figure
> nought, except my uncles Jattas and Tourays. I am following PDOIS' progress in
> enhancements for further review.
>
> Haruna Masoud Darbo. MQDT.
>
> To the contrary, Tribal Politics is very underestimated. You cannot use the
> incumbent party to measure its destruction and this is why. The incumbent
> has both a carrot and a big stick and both would be used across the ethnic
> spectrum. It will always work any where in the world as it did for both Jawara
> and Yaya. As you rightly stated, thus, the reason why both Yaya and Jawara
> had support willingly or unwillingly across the board. Without those three
> things, Fulas would not have voted for Yaya, nor would Mandingoes.
>
> Now, without the power of incumbency, deep pocket, and the barrel of the
> gun, tribal politics takes center stage and is lethal against the opposition,
> especially those that hail from minority groups. It is a fact that the who is
> who in the UDP as I write will only support a Mandinka candidate and no
> other, for president? I hope they surprise me me by putting up a non-mandinka
> candidate for President. You also hear Jolas, Wolofs, Fulas, etc. say they
> will
> not vote for a Mandinka. It is a fact that UDP mistakenly (1996, 2001, and
> 2006) believed that most Mandinkas will vote for them, and to their detriment
> discounted the deep pocket of the incumbent and the barrel of the gun. All
> of Hamat Bah's politics is tribal and he also relied solely on the Fula vote,
> the very reliance that made him and Darboe to make the mistake of believing
> that their ethnic percentages of the population will translate into similar
> percentages at the polls. Henry Gomez was also factored in their skewed
> outlook for the same ethnic reason. Where they mainly relied on tribal
> affiliation, Yaya Jammeh bought or clobbered the reluctant either physically or
> by
> threatening to deny public service to the unwilling community. Tribal politics
> will work against NADD, PDOIS, PPP (under OJ), because they neither have
> power, money, or a big stick to swing. We cannot continue to bury our head in
> the
> sand and as long as that is the trump card for the UDP and the NRP they will
> continue to damage the opposition to the benefit of Yaya and the APRC.
>
> Most of the opposition on-line complain about Yaya's tribalism. Just
> because Yaya has a sprinkle of non-Jolas in his cabinet does not mean he is not
> a
> tribalist. For one, even if he wanted to hire just Jolas that will not be
> possible, for the capacity is not there, just like Jawara could not have just
> hired Mandingos for the same reason. Yaya's tribalism is called out because
> he puts Jolas mostly close to him and where most power and influence reside.
>
> This tribalism is the big elephant sitting in the Opposition room and we
> cannot pretend that it does not exist. The sooner the UDP and NRP realize that
> elementary fact, the better for the opposition as a whole. It is that
> posture that has hindered the opposition for thirteen years. The opposition
> almost
> got it right leading to the last elections, but alas for that tribal
> monster. It is a fact that Gambians were energized and encouraged to stand up
> when
> they saw Ousainou, OJ, Hamat, Waa, and Halifa together and that is why they
> won more elections over the APRC during that period. When the wise guys
> decided they can go it alone and with just a few other groups, did we fall on
> our
> face. I will be on the record to state here that we can perform the same
> stunt for the next thirty years and we shall fall flat on our face for that
> duration or more.
>
> Transitioning to the on-line community, we have similar set-up with the UDP.
> No sooner did UDP bolted from NADD, the majority of the communities that
> supported the break away of UDP bolted and it was clearly on tribal basis and
> the gang tackle that followed was also tribal with the exception of a minority
> that were more interested in a liberated Gambia over ethnicity bearings.
> Don't take my word for it, just observe and stick around. As I write, that
> monster is in operation and I alluded to it earlier and other Gambians that are
> aware of this fact are here to be my witness. I am not picking on
> Mandingoes, for I would call out any, equally, had they be Jola, Wolof, or
> Fula. So,
> no, tribalism in our politics is the one munster we need to kill. The other
> lesser evil is the so-called intellectuals and their sole interest of a fat
> wallet no matter what the detriment.
>
> Chi Jaama
>
>
>
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