Joe Sambou,
You cannot prescribe the oust of Jammeh better. Let's exhaust democratic
means first. It might take us long to achieve our purpose but it might
happen sooner than we think.Violence creates violence. We do not want
another colonel prop up his head and take the Gambia hostage.I side with
your democratic call and i hope Hamjatta will let me finish this sentence. I
very much enjoy you and Ebou Jallow's postings on your different paths to
freedom.Ebou, if you want to be our next President please come in as His
excellency Ebou Jallow not as another digruntled colonel except if you want
to be a NINJA in which case you might have to lobby your friend Saul Khan.
He is from Jarra and they are experts on cutlasses.
Please try and keep the discourse on Gambian issues positive.We are all
crying for the same thing.
Keep up the good work L-ers
May GOD bless us all.
Fatou Jaw Manneh

>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: THE END OF THE ROAD
>Date: Wed, 9 Aug 2000 15:27:00 -0400
>
>      Hello Mr. Sambou,
>
>      Thank you very much for your well thought out article. I hope all
>      those yearning for change would heed with your opinion in bringing
>      about change.
>
>      Any illegal or violent means to bring about change without the
>consent
>      of the people is as criminal and illegal as subjecting one peoples as
>      prisoners of conscience.
>
>
>      Your second, third and fourth paragraphs do analysed the concerns of
>      those agitating for change by "whatever means necessary". This phrase
>      is not only inhumane but destructive for human decency and living.
>
>      Being one working with an International Tribunal prosecuting genocide
>      suspects, will never condone any such violent means to bring about
>      change. The consequences of such a change will lead to the lost of
>      innocent and poor lives.
>
>
>      I therefore concur with your humble opinion in totality.
>
>      However harsh the truth may be shall always remain the truth.
>
>
>      Haruna Farage
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>______________________________ Reply Separator
>_________________________________
>Subject: THE END OF THE ROAD
>Author:  The Gambia and related-issues mailing list
><[log in to unmask]> at Internet
>Date:    8/8/00 5:15 PM
>
>
>Thanks to all that are in the struggle to free The Gambia from the Jaws of
>the Beast.  As we set out in search of this freedom, through various means,
>we should think not only about how to end Jammeh?s tenure, but also the
>future of our nation after Jammeh.  Our situation is desperate and it is
>natural and healthy to call for various means to get him out.  Get him out
>we must, but that we also have a responsibility to not repeat our mistake
>which brought us Yahya.
>
>Some people are in favor of  ?Using Any Means necessary? to bring a change.
>   However, isn?t that what we did that brought us Jammeh?  Have we not
>learned from Jammeh and countless other military thugs in our continent.
>Do
>we even know these very people we are relying on for our salvation?  It is
>also interesting that most if not all the people calling for another coup
>are not in the Gambia.  So, who do you expect to fight your war?  The kids,
>again?  Let us be careful of what we are asking for, for we may just get.
>
>There are also those that call for civil disobedience to force the
>government to react.  The rationale is that they believe that Jammeh will
>rig the ballots or that he will not allow elections to take place.  To this
>group, I understand your frustration, but I think if we go this rout, we
>will just end up like Peru.  The US and the international community
>understood the plight of the opposition in Peru, but did not say much
>because they also believe the opposition should have participated in the
>election contest.  Thus Fugimori is in for another term.  The only thing
>they could say is that the election was not seen as fair, because they did
>not want to infringe on the wishes of those who voted for the president.
>So, let?s win the elections to legitimize our claim in the event he refuses
>to step down.
>
>Calling for mass demonstrations should have been done way back before we
>even had the last elections, when he started killing people and capped it
>off with banning of most political parties.  We cannot afford him an easy
>way out - staying in power for as long as he wants.  We should put all our
>energies to having a free and fair election.  We are too close to the end
>of
>the line to squander it.  All the opposition parties should magnify their
>efforts to galvanize the electorate and also bring international attention
>to the political situation in the Gambia.  When we have the elections, we
>will know the choice of the people.  If Jammeh refuses to step down, then
>we
>can apply civil unrest because we have a clear winner to take up leadership
>after the dust settles, breaking the chain of murder, torture, and thuggry
>that was levied on our people.  This will also strengthen our cause in the
>eyes of the international community.  The international community is
>showing
>a lukewarm response to our plight because while most do not like Jammeh,
>however, they fell the people voted him in, in the last elections.  Senegal
>is a perfect example.  Wade made sure the electorate was galvanized and the
>international community was sensitized of the political temperature in
>Senegal.  He made it clear that business is not going to be as usual and
>that any attempts to manipulate the ballots will invite violence.  He also
>understood that, as much as he wanted a showdown with the government, he
>needed to do it from a position of strength, by showing that he is the
>mandate of the people through the ballot.
>
>This, my friends, is our first option.  Let us not put the cart before the
>horse.  We have waited too long to do what we were supposed to do in the
>beginning ? civil disobedience and mass sit-ins.  Our last chance prior to
>the elections (baring another mass killing) to call for mass demonstrations
>or sit-ins was the April 10 Massacre, which would have elevated our cause
>in
>the eyes of the international community.  Now is not the time to give Yahya
>an opportunity to institute Marshall Law or turn himself King.  This way he
>could postpone the elections indefinitely.  I would not even rule out him,
>suspending the constitution to attain his goal.  If the majority of our
>people want a free and fair election, not even Yahya and his troops can
>stop
>us.  Yahya has as much power as we give him.  We have to win first before
>we
>can claim our prize.  We condoned his ways for six years and counting, why
>are we then impatient to strategize in the next four months for a sure win
>come 2001.  Are we suspicious of our own convictions, that our rhetoric
>does
>not equal our belief that the overwhelming majority of the citizens want
>him
>out?  Flash backs of the PPP era when most complained for five years, only
>to vote Fafa in for another term.  We may have many options, but we have to
>choose wisely.
>
>My Humble Opinion
>
>Joe Sambou
>
>
>
>________________________________________________________________________
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