>From: arona john <[log in to unmask]>
>Reply-To: The Gambia and related-issues mailing list
><[log in to unmask]>
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Re: Another Dubious Coup Plot in The Gambia
>Date: Tue, 25 Jan 2000 01:59:59 PST
Buharry,
> I sincerely agreed with you that tribalism has no place in The
>Gambia.The Gambia is a very mixed society,where all are related either one
>way or the other.For I in particular my mother is a Mandinka and my father
>is an Hausa.Thus the concept of tribalism should NOT be encouraged in our
>mother
>land.(This is a CORRECTION)
> History is not static process but a dynamic phenomenon.It is our
>actions that creates history and help it to develop.Hence every human being
>should ensure that whatever he or she did will lead to peace,liberty and
>prosperity of the society he or she belongs to.If a human being,the most
>creative being on earth,fails to fulfill this task then he or she has fails
>to meet his or her social responsibilities.The issues surfacing in The
>Gambia needs our urgent attention.But one should be very sober and
>objective
>in handling the tribalism issue.Emotional comments would not help to
>address
>our problem.
> I sum up with this quotation of Benjamin Frankin: "Those who would
>give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve
>neither liberty nor safety." Liberty,peace,prosperity and dignity do not
>come by chance and are also not gift.They are to be secured through our own
>sweat and sober actions.
>
>ARONA JOHN
>
>International Islamic University,Malaysia
>
>>From: Haruna Farage <[log in to unmask]>
>>Reply-To: The Gambia and related-issues mailing list
>><[log in to unmask]>
>>To: [log in to unmask]
>>Subject: Re: Another Dubious Coup Plot in The Gambia
>>Date: Tue, 25 Jan 2000 10:07:27 -0500
>>
>> Hi Mr. Buharry,
>>
>> I wholly and solely concur with your arguments as put forward to the
>> whole members of the L and The Gambia in general, on issues
>>pertaining
>> to tribalism.
>>
>> I cannot but wonder if there are elements agitating for tribalism in
>> order to change the system in The Gambia without regards to its
>> repercussions on the general populace.
>>
>> Having been working with the International Criminal Tribunal for
>> Rwanda, prosecuting genocide suspects, I always hope and pray such a
>> situation never prevail again in any given nation given the
>> testimonies of the survivors.Genocide in short means the elimination
>> of a certain ethnic group by another with the aim of wiping out the
>> targetted ethnic group. The elements of genocide includes
>>incitement,
>> encouragement etc of a certain group to wipe out the other. This is
>> due too tribal differences. One tribe aiming to eliminate the other
>> for political reasons are in most cases the occurrence of genocide.
>>
>> In the tribunal, survivors revealed their ordeals, expressing how
>>they
>> loose all members of their families due to ethnic differences.
>>Before
>> the genocide Hutus and Tutsis were living side by side in peace but
>> immediately when the genocide began all such relationships ceased to
>> exist due to tribal differences. For in a tribal war one is not only
>> aiming at political opponents but ethnic differences which would
>>spare
>> nobody, women and children, yound and old are all targets.
>>
>> PS. Note that the definition above is not quoted but mine to
>>simplify
>> my explanations.
>>
>> Bravo Buharry for a well thought out article.
>>
>>
>>______________________________ Reply Separator
>>_________________________________
>>Subject: Re: Another Dubious Coup Plot in The Gambia
>>Author: The Gambia and related-issues mailing list
>><[log in to unmask]> at Internet
>>Date: 1/23/00 5:33 PM
>>
>>
>>Hi!
>> The issue of underlining the tribalist undertones of Ebou Colley's
>>posting has nothing to do with the "keep it safe business". It is neither
>>a
>>run for cover nor an attempt to use "code words" to run away from
>>tribalist
>>realities back home. The issues raised by Ebou if true, given that his
>>information sounds real "insider", are issues that should concern us all.
>> My beef with the posting is that it sounds like an incitement with
>>the
>>intention of rallying tribalist sentiment against the Jola people most of
>>whom have nothing to show for Yaya Jammeh being in power. This is wrong
>>and
>>very dangerous for our country. What does Ebou want? Does he want Wollofs,
>>Mandinkas, Fulas etc. to kill enough Jolas to even the numbers? Would this
>>solve the problem? No, it would rather plunge The Gambia into a deeper
>>abyss of endless violence and retribution. Is that what we want? I, for
>>one,
>>don't want that.
>> We have to be analytical and not sentimental when issues such as
>>tribalism are mentioned. Nobody is denying the fact that tribalism exists
>>in
>>The Gambia. Gambians wouldn't be normal human beings if no trace of
>>tribalism is found in The Gambia. There is tribalism all over the world.
>>It
>>is therefore not unique to The Gambia and Africa. All over Asia, Europe,
>>America, Australia etc. some tribes (though they are tagged otherwise) are
>>marginalised because of their ethnicity. This is wrong and has to be
>>tackled
>>and remedied, but not through incitement.
>> We have to avoid being sentimental when dealing with tribalism to
>>avoid
>>being victims of those with divisive and destructive ulterior motives.
>>Isn't
>>it quite interesting that Ebou "Colley" would incite people to react
>>against
>>the Jolas, knowing fully well that his kith and kin back home would be at
>>the recieving end of the stick?
>> It is very easy to be armchair revolutionaries, keyboard Rambos and
>>the
>>like living in some far away land knowing fully well that we are far
>>removed
>>from the repercussions of what we preach. What we however have to remember
>>is that we have parents, brothers, sisters, uncles, aunties etc. back home
>>who may not be spared the turmoil if there is violence back home. We
>>therefore have to be sober and realistic in our prescriptions. If there is
>>a
>>tribal problem back home, we should try to find ways and means of dealing
>>with it without jeopardising the stability of the country and turning
>>tribe
>>against tribe.
>> I came across a publication in England around 1994/1995 that was
>>being
>>distributed by a group calling itself the Movement for the Restoration of
>>Democracy in The Gambia (can't remember the exact name but it runs along
>>those
>>lines). The publication, like Ebou Colley's, highlights tribal and
>>religious
>>differences. It supplied the names of members of the armed forces with
>>Jola
>>surnames and talked about how Christians were being promoted to this and
>>that
>>position because Yaya Jammeh was one of Bishop Cleary's "boys". I was as
>>wary
>>of that publication then as I am of Ebou Colley's now. Why? Because the
>>same
>>tactics are reminiscent of those employed in the PALIPEHUTU communiqué of
>>May
>>1988 in Burundi in which an incitement to deal with the ethnic issue in
>>violent terms was propagated. They are the same as those employed by
>>Interahamwe and other groups in Rwanda. Maybe the Gambian publications
>>have
>>fallen short of directly telling people to take arms and attack the Jolas
>>but
>>who knows what will happen if such views are not challenged. I would
>>challenge
>>the democratic intentions of anyone or any group that tries to highlight
>>and
>>play the various tribes against each other.
>> To cut the story short, The Gambia is a very tiny country where I am
>>yet
>>to find anyone who can tell me that he/she doesn't have a relative who is
>>from another tribe. We therefore have to be careful with what we
>>propagate.
>>If Yaya Jammeh is using tribe as a basis for employment and promotion,
>>then
>>he is violating the very spirit of the Constitution for chapter IV,
>>section
>>33, subsection 3 states: "... no person shall be treated in a
>>discriminatory
>>manner by any person acting by virtue of any law or in the performance of
>>the functions of any public office or any public authority". Subsection 4
>>states: "In this section, the expression "discrimination" means affording
>>different treatment to different persons attributable wholly or mainly to
>>their respective descriptions by ...colour, ...language, religion,
>>...social
>>origin ... whereby persons of one such description are subjected to
>>disabilities or restrictions to which persons of another such description
>>are not made subject, or are accorded privileges or advantages which are
>>not
>>accorded to persons of another such description". If Yaya Jammeh is
>>violating this part of our Constitution with a few of his tribesmen
>>benefitting, why should the Jola tribe pay for it? Yaya and those who are
>>benefitting are the ones who should be brought to book for that and not
>>the
>>average Jola whose living condition hasn't improved an iota since Yaya
>>took
>>power.
>> I therefore strongly stand by my conviction that tribalism has no
>>place
>>in The Gambia. We should all be fighting very hard to discourage it. We
>>should also take a stance against all forms of incitement or the playing
>>of
>>one tribe against the other because if we don't, the ultimate losers will
>>be
>>Gambia and Gambians. Thanks.
>>
>>Buharry.
>>--------------------------------------Original
>>Message---------------------------------------------------------------------
>>--------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>From: Ousman Bojang <[log in to unmask]>
>>To: <[log in to unmask]>
>>Sent: Saturday, January 22, 2000 1:00 AM
>>Subject: Re: Another Dubious Coup Plot in The Gambia
>>
>>
>> > Ebou,
>> > This is such a powerful piece. Just as Buharry said a lot of it might
>>be
>>a
>> > revelation to some and to some it might be like an initiation of a
>>tribal
>> > differential. However, you seem to got the facts and said it as it is
>>and
>> > naturally Gambians like the "Keep it safe" business. In fact that is
>>one
>> > reason why it is going to take some a lot of bite to swallow and why
>>Jammeh
>> > continuos to act like this.
>> > And to some you might just tell them it is not for them to agree, but
>>there
>> > is a lot of sense in what you said. Jammeh has succeeded in eliminating
>>his
>> > loyalties very well. And to confirm to you and everyone that it is
>>among
>> > tribal lines, wait to see the 33 people they accused as the coup
>>plotters.
>>So
>> > far 30 of them are behind the bar as we talk and some will be stunt to
>>hear
>> > the list.
>> > And as I always say, sooner or later the final day and the revelations
>>shall
>> > come and Jammeh will be the victim. Gambians have been the victims of
>>these
>> > brutal killings and harassment and I am sure God is not sleeping. God
>>Bless
>> > the Gambia.
>> >
>> > Ousman J. Bojang.
>> >
>> >
>>--------------------------------------------------------------------------
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>> >
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>>Gambia-L
>> > Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html
>> >
>> >
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