My Good Friend Yus,

Thank you for your comments.   Please note that I am not duplicating
any theories in my last article... I did borrow some statements from
some magisterial minds to reinforce my arguement only.  I believe
this is a fair practice in the market place of ideas.  Rest assured
that my thoughts are very original.

Now coming to the issues you raised in your posting, I come to
understand two significant concerns that led you to adopt your very
commendable approach i.e.  concerns about the opposition's failure
and the "fears" of negotiating with Jammeh.  The structural problems
in any electoral process are contingent "evils" inherent in any
democracy.  You can scan the globe from Florida to Mongolia- there
will always be defects one way or other in any electoral system.
Afterall the most conspicous inherent value of a liberal political
system is the sovereignty of the people who exercise their
inalienable right to choose its leaders.  It is the duty of the
contesting political parties, especially the opposition to exercise
their maximum political influence making sure that the process is
fair and square.   Scapegoating and scavenging for "reasons"
post-elections will definitely be imprudent and unsavvy! I will
therefore conclude on this issue that any strategy to engage Jammeh
based on this inevitable happenstance and poor informational base
will be incomplete.

Now your second concern compliments the unexpected product of the
first issues I raised above.  The difference I sense in your comments
is embedded in a very sentimental matrix that engulfs all of us who
wished a totally different outcome last Thursday, October 18- that
Jammeh has genuinely and unequivocally earned a legitimate victory
over a very competent adversary.  In addition, we all still have this
hangover from this bleak picture of 1994 "Lieutenant Jammeh"- a
moronic, an uncouth ignoramus from the Army who is incapable of
stitching any simple coherent sentence in English.  This may well be
a fact then but an anachronism after 18 October 2001.  President
Jammeh today is an enigmatic political force whose presence cannot be
slighted no matter what we think of him!  I sense these subtle
sentiments in two words you used i. e "trump cards"  and
"negotiating" .  The former is somewhat euphemistic and the latter
connotes a sense of equality.  With all due respect Yus, the
connection of these two CANNOT exist in the relationship between G-L
and a democratically elected President Jammeh.  Jammeh does not have
"trump cards", he enjoys the FIDUCIARY of a sovereign people.  He can
act in any manner he dims fit with the interest of those who elected
him.  You see my drift...He can CHOOSE to listen to the SUGGESTIONS
of the G-L for there is nothing binding him to negiotate ANYTHING
with the G-L.  Afterall the G-L has very little impact on the Gambian
body politic otherwise he would not have been the President today.


So my good friend, engaging President Jammeh requires our commited
fidelity towards the common good, learning to forget our bitter
defeat in the last elections, and respecting Jammeh's legitimate
Presidency unless we want to trump the very democratic principles we
have been fighting for since 1994 in order start another revolution.



Thank you for the healthy debate.





Ebou Jallow
Georgetown University, WASH DC.

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