Ebrima,

Initially I wanted to wait until you finish documenting Yahya's lies and
move on to Yahya, the president and his government before engaging you on
matters of more relevance than his person. Unfortunately it is virtually
impossible to extricate the person's individuality (I mean Yahya as a
person) from the government. However much it will be difficult to the
extricate the two or the two from the government. My stance is to give the
"other side of the story" whenever I feel that your account of events is not
factual.

Please allow me to, first of all, ask whether you still believe that I am
Sarjo Jallow, S.O.S. Strictly speaking it will not affect our debate one way
or the other. It is just that I want you to focus more on the issues that we
shall be discussing rather than thinking that you are dealing with Sarjo
Jallow, who betrayed his comrades etc., etc. Secondly, I wish to re-iterate
that all views that I express on this forum are mine and mine alone.
Thirdly, it is very important for all and sundry to realise that I am not
speaking for Yahya or the APRC.

You wrote:

"Gambians should be interested in politics: it is a vital part of all our
lives, and is what governs us. Gambians really do have to seriously attend
to what politicians say and do, since they are the ones assigned by us to
run our affairs and look after our best interests. We should be monitoring
our politicians to discover those who are competent and sincere, and those
who leave a lot to be desired.
The situation in The Gambia is critical, and Gambians themselves have to
take the bull by the horns and aim for change for the better in our small
country. We should not allow ourselves to be hoodwinked by those politicians
who are only keen to line their own pockets".

This is exactly the reason why we should engage each other possitively and
with decorum. Your analysis of Yahya Jammeh so far cannot and will not be
refuted by me, as most of what you've said I have also heard. For the rest
you have provided references which I can check if the need arises. However
that is not the case yet.

Now, if you cast your mind back to yesterday, someone, I guess it was Saul,
who informed us about the government's intension to ammend the imdemnity
clause, that will prevent the prosecution of anyone implicated in the April
10 & 11 killings of last year. The ammendment will also allow the president
to imdemnify any individual or groups of individuals for any acts or
ommissions during riot situations or croud control, that may result in the
demise of any person or persons. I haven't read the full text but I'm just
trying to recall, from memory, what I heard on the radio by one of the local
language GRTS announcers. On the face of it, it may seem to be preventing
the future prosecution of any of those who may have been found to be
responsible of the deaths of those innocent kids. But if such a VERY VERY
BAD piece of legislation is passed, do we need any court? Do we need that
clause in the constitution that allow the president to exercise a
preorogative of mercy? Now take a guess; who do you think formulated this
piece of legislation? Is it Yahya Jammeh alone or the entire cabinet, which
incidentally include mothers of very high education and national standing?
Cabinet having reviewe it has now presented it to the national assembly for
ratification and possible enactment. I hope it is thrown out. But and a big
but for that matter, if it is not thrown out, most probably it will pass on
a partisan basis. Such is the calibre of people that we choose as our
representatives in this august body.

My contention is that the government is not Yahya Jammeh alone. If you
recall the trial and execution of Ken Sara Wiwa, you will realise that Ken
sara Wiwa was tried and executed under a law that would have found him
guilty and sentence him to nothing other than to hang, even in the UK,
Sweden or the US. This decree, under which he was tried and executed, was
passed during Yakubu Gowan's rule over Nigeria during the Biafara war.
Successive governments, civilian and military alike, simply pretended it did
not exist. Each of those subsequent governments wouldn't have hasitated to
use it against any opponent who threatened them.

Back to The Gambia.

The 1997 constitution is very clear about the role of our national assembly
members and how cabinet will be appointed. In this constitution it states
very clearly that no cabinet minister will be appointed from the national
assembly. The rationale was to discourage the cross-carpet phenomena that
was so rampant during the Jawara era and was extensively used to break up
any effective opposition political party. Good idea wont'you agree?
Unfortunately, our present national assembly members don't know or value
their independence from the executive. The same constitution guarantees them
their salaries, immunity from all forms of arrest or harassment that mere
mortals like us can be subjected to. But do our national assembly members
know this or are their minds really independent? As far as I am concerned,
the 3 NAMs that I really respect are Churchil Falaye Baldeh, Hamat Bah and
Kemeseng Jammeh. Very odd stance for a Jammehist, isn't it? This my opinion
of our NAMs and what I find even more baffling is the fact that most of them
have been secondary school.

The tragic events of April 2000.

Do you know that those people who were shooting life bullets at the unarmed
student demonstators were 100% Gambians? They are people born and bred in
Banjul, Kaur, Brikama, Serekunda, Fass, kuntair etc, etc. They attended the
Gambia high schools, armitage high schools, Bansang secondary schools,
Sibanor secondary technical schools, etc, etc. We attend the same funerals,
naming ceremonies, drink ataya together and marry between our families. Now
would you still hold Yahya and Yahya alone responsible of this dastardly
act? Who, in his right mind, will aim life bullets at a croud of
demonstrating students who may include a a very relation considering our
extended family setup? I hereby submit that the brutality of some members of
our security forces is inherent in them and has nothing to do with Yahya
giving the order. Those of you who recall the 1981 attempted coupe
syppressed by the Senegalese will recall the brutality of our the field
force. he metted more havoc on their own people than the Senegalese ever
did. Those of us who had relations incaserated, especially those who were
detained in the Depot hangers, vividly remember the brutality of the likes
of the late Tex Khan.

The tragic stampede of two weeks ago in which 5 students were trampled to
death is another case in point. Interschool sports like I can recall, used
to be an event of immense pleasure for all and sundry. For those who went to
Armitage school, it allowed us to come to Banjul and also to be close to our
girls, which was very difficult in those days. Unfortunately, these students
went to this event armed with knives, matchetes, tear gas and mosquito
sprays. Who is to blame?

My contention is that Yahya Jammeh is not the alpha and omega of the ills in
our country. Our actions now and before helped create this ungodly situation
in our country and we are all to blame. We need to instill discipline,
decorum and tolerance in our society. The way some of us have been engaging
each other even on this forum leaves a lot to be desired. Imagine the UDP
leader saying, at a rally in Sukuta recently that Yahya is saying he is a
drunkard when he, Yahya, knows that jolas were the worst drunkards. He again
urged the Mandinkas to unite as Yahya has successfully united his jola folks
and is placing his own kindred in all strategic possitions in government.
Diabolical, if you ask me.

I would end this contribution by quoting T. S Eliot, who wrote in Burn't
Norton :I "Time present and time past are both perhaps present in time
future, and time future contained in time past. And if all time is eternally
present all time is unredeemable".

Have a good day and bye 4Now, KB Jobe.

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