Saul Khan,

I saw the piece you sent to Alpha Robinson in private, and I don't think I
can even find the right words to describe how disappointed I was when I read
your material.

Actually, your piece reminded me of what a leading African political
scientist remarked to me, during a seminar I attended, just last week, in
Bristol, UK.

Having heard me speak with lucidity and enthusiasm about my vision for
Africa in the 21st century, the political scientist remarked to me, during
lunch break as follows: "Mr Ceesay, I enjoyed your talk...but I am no longer
moved by good speeches. Why? Because many of us who are fortunate to be
articulate in speaking and eloquent in writing are the very ones who put
Africa in the mess in which it finds itself today"...

He continued: "rather than help clarify complex issues for our people, so
that they can make the right choices, many of us who are bright are only
good at confusing our people, by injecting into their minds, very backward
ideas such tribalism etc, ideas that do no good anyone, except harm to a
whole Nation"...

Now, having read Saul Khan's private e-mail to Alpha Robinson, I am
convinced, more than before, that what the political scientist told me the
other day, in Bristol, does hold water, or some truth.

Gambia L, I am afraid to say this, but if Saul's private e-mail to Alpha is
anything to go by, then Saul could be a fitting example of one of those
bright Africans - mentioned by the political scientist - who, instead of
clarifying complex issues for their people, are bringing out to the fore,
irrelevant issues that would only create more havoc and chaos on the African
Continent.

No one who has been reading Saul's contributions to the L can deny the fact
that the guy is bright and very eloquent. In fact, I must say here that I,
for one, did enjoy reading most of his postings; and, needlessly to say, I
also did learn a lot from his contributions.

But having said that I must say I was very disappointed when I read the
content of the private e-mail he sent to Alpha Robinson. I would never have
expected a brilliant guy like Saul to have come up with such an unfortunate
e-mail, a mail whose content, in my view, was irresponsible, retrogressing
and, above all, more likely to divide our people, instead of uniting them.

And, besides, as my able sister, Jabou Joh pointed out yesterday, some of
the issues raised by Saul "have no bearing on the subject raised by Alpha."

Frankly speaking, I would have expected a guy like Saul - given his wit and
acuity - to have taken the lead in warning against tribalism in Africa in
general, and the Gambia in particular, instead of coming of with
remarks/sentiments that could, in fact, stir up trouble in our society.

Sincerely, some of the sentiments expressed by Saul in his e-mail to Alpha
are, to say the least, very worrying and disappointing. But I, for one, have
found consolation in the fact that Gambians have now become more politically
mature and more critically minded.

Henceforth, no one can take the majority of the Gambian people for a ride.
Many Gambians can now distinguish between what is sincere and what is not
sincere; what is truthful and what is unreal; what is progressive and what
is retrogressive; what brings peace and harmony and what stirs up trouble.

I am sure all right thinking Gambians on the L, and outside the L, will
never entertain some of the views expressed by Saul in his private mail to
Alpha.

The economic and political problem facing our Nation, on the eve of the new
millennium, are quite enormous; and, really, what we need to do, or occupy
our minds with, is to try and come up with concrete ideas on how we can
build a much more better Gambia, for all of us, in the 21st century.

I am in for a debate, but it has to be a very healthy one, which is
conducted with respect, maturity, decency, clarity, sincerity and
truthfulness.

In my view, a healthy debate among ourselves is very necessary, so that with
all the ideas and suggestions being brought forward, we might finally
succeed in devising the right blue print that would help build a better
Gambia, in the 21st century; a Gambia where the people's needs and
aspirations would, at long last, be addressed.

I must, however, say that, nowadays, the debate on the L is very healthy and
encouraging. Consequently, it is in the interest of all of us to make sure
that such a trend continues.

Let us continue to engage in serious and responsible debates so that what
needs rectification in our country would be rectified, and what is already
right would be protected and preserved.

Building a genuine democracy is not an easy task, but it is not
insurmountable. It only requires the right mix of enlightened leaders, an
active civil society, institutions that work and, of course, time.

Anyway, the signs of the time are very encouraging; and, for me, they signal
a bright future for our motherland. The days when the Gambia has had a
docile civil society had long gone. Henceforth, let us vigorously scrutinise
all our politicians, be they in government or in opposition, so that those
who are sincere and committed to the cause can be discerned from those who
are not genuine.

Hamjatta and Saul have started scrutinising PDOIS' role during the
transition period and beyond, and it would be very healthy if such a
scrutiny, as insinuated by Jabou and a few others, is also extended to other
politicians and political parties in the country, as well the media,
including my own role during the transition period if you will.

I am confident that this scrutiny, if conducted fairly and objectively, the
Gambia, as a country, would be the only WINNER. It would enable us to
identify those politicians who are genuinely committed to the principles of
transparency and accountability and those who are not.

In my view, the era when our politicians regard the people as mere
supplicants who must beg them (the politicians) for favours is about to fade
away in Gambian politics.

I may sound over optimistic here, but I am of the view that sooner rather
later, our politicians must wake up to the reality that they either have
deliver the goods, or risk being voted out of office by their electors.

Let us, therefore, continue to be on our toes, probing, listening and asking
vital questions, especially with regard to how our country is being
governed, so that we can help build a much more developed and prosperous
Gambia in the 21st century.

Having said so, let me now return to the main issue, which is Saul's private
e-mail to Alpha Robinson. Saul, let me make it very clear to you that I
don't know Alpha well, but I could sense/feel that the brother was genuine,
and had no hidden agenda whatsoever, except a love for his country and her
people, when he sent his proposals to the L.

By the way, Saul, I was in the Gambia during the 1996 elections; and I can
tell you, in all honesty, that Alpha's comment regarding tribal politics
during the 1996 election was a fair/legitimate comment. Indeed, there was
evidence that there were A VERY FEW politicians who, on their own will,
tried to urge some of the voters to vote along tribal lines.

But the important thing here is that the leaders of all the political
parties in the Gambia, as far as I know, had, at the time, openly encouraged
the voters to elect their leaders, based on their programmes and policies,
and nothing else.

In my view, it would be very unfair and irresponsible for that matter, to
accuse the leaders of the political parties of having a tribal agenda.
However, having said that it was also a valid comment for Alpha to have
suggested that there were certain politicians (although not any of the party
leaders I must add here) who tried to inject tribal sentiments during the
1996 elections.

The other day deposed president Jawara accused Mr Jammeh of injecting
tribalism in some parts of his government, but if you really observe
Jammeh's appointments very clearly, it becomes clear as a sunny day that two
KEY factors come into play, when he considers people for appointments; and
these two factors are loyalty and trust.

I may wrong here, but, in my eyes, what Mr Jammeh looks for when appointing
officials is someone who would be trusted and loyal to him. And needless to
say that Mr Jammeh can find such a person in any of the tribes in the
Gambia.

As for Ousainou Darboe, a BBC colleague of mine, Mick Slatter, who came to
cover the 1996 presidential election, had asked him during a press
conference, held by the UDP, a few days before the election, whether his
party had a tribal agenda, or whether it was formed along tribal lines.

And, in reply, not only did Mr Darboe dismiss such claims as nonsense, but
he also cited the fact that the deputy leader of his party, Yahya Jallow, is
Fula, while Ebou Manneh, a senior figure of the party is Wollof.

Furthermore, Lawyer Darboe also revealed that one of his wives is Wollof and
that many of the friends were, in fact, Wollofs, Fulas, Jolas etc. So
brother Saul, let's be very careful with this talk of tribalism in the
Gambia. Let's bury the word under the carpet once and for all, because it is
like playing with fire.

I'll take this opportunity to call on you, to use your NOUS in a positive
manner, so that we can save beautiful Gambia from the mayhem and destruction
tribalism has brought in other parts of Africa.

By the way, it is very encouraging to note that, in actual fact, tribal
politics is already fading away in some African countries.

Let me also take the opportunity to report on some of the positive
developments taking place on the African Continent, on the eve of new
millennium.

It was refreshing to hear at the Bristol seminar that some of the leaders in
Africa have now woken up to the reality that African development will become
a reality if and only when they are able tap the continent's rich human
resources overseas.

Consequently, a few African leaders, who aware of the fact that the return
of such human resources will serve as a leverage for accelerated
development, have begun attracting their citizens abroad back home. And
already the dividend is paying.

There are now a few African countries that have started doing very well in
economic terms; and, for me, all these developments signal a bright future
for the Continent in the 21st century.

I am sure if the Harold Macmillan, the British Prime Minister who accurately
predicted the end of colonial rule in a speech to the Parliament of South
Africa could be resurrected, he would repeat in clearer terms his historic
statement that a more devastating wind of change was blowing in today's
Africa.

This wind will dismantle the pillars of repression and tyranny in Africa,
following which an Africa which will accord all her citizens a very decent
and dignified living would be built once and for all.

In fact, an unnoticeable renaissance has already started transforming our
continent, although I must be quick to add that the transformation is very
slow. An Africa in which governments are becoming accountable to their
citizens; in which real progress is being made to reduce poverty is already
under way.

Take Mali, for example. Under president Alpha Oumar Conare's leadership,
economic growth has been restored and, most remarkably, the country has
sprouted over 1,000 radio stations, making it one of the most "tune in"
countries on the globe.

Another good example is Botswana. At independence in 1966, Botswana was one
of the world's poorest countries; but today, it boasts of a vibrant economy
with 15 consecutive years of budgetary surplus and substantial foreign
exchange reserves. The life expectancy of its citizens has risen from 49 to
65 years.

Ghana is also reported to be doing well in economic terms. The inflation
rate which remained 60 per cent from the mid 1970s to the mid 1980s, had
dropped to 10 per cent. Economic growth is now chugging along at a healthy 5
per cent.

Also Ghana's fledgling stock exchange has burst onto the international scene
and, presently, it boasts of a capitalization almost $2 billion dollars.

By the way, there are now over 15 African stock markets, and Afica is also
reported to possess 54 per cent of the world's cobalt; 32 per cent of its
bauxite; 52 per cent of its manganese; 81 per cent of its chromium stocks.
South Africa alone is said to have 84 per cent of the world's reserve of
platinum.

Also, 20 per cent of US oil imports now come from Africa; and American
investors are finding Africa highly profitable. In fact, the average annual
return on the book value of US investments in Africa in the 1990s was over
25 per cent, compared to less than 10 per cent worldwide.

Still talking positively about Africa, let me also inform some of you who do
not know, that African infant mortality rates have also declined from 165 to
per 1,000 - 30 years ago to 97 per 1,000 today.

Also, average life expectancy has risen from 40.1 years to 51.3 years. The
aggregate African growth rates in 1995 and 1996 averaged twice that of the
previous decade, and in 21 African countries, the economic growth rate is at
least double the rate of population growth.

Furthermore, in 1996 and 1997, 26 African countries conducted multi- party
elections. It is true that many Africa countries still remain under military
dictatorship, but, at the same time, there is also a good number of African
States that are making headways both in political and economic terms.

I'll conclude with these remarks, but I forgot who uttered them: "when we
want to rise, we will. When we are ready to grow, we can. The only thing
holding us in place right now, are the things we do."

Ebrima Ceesay,
Birmingham, UK.

PS: D.A Jawo, welcome on board, and I hope you'll find Gambia L useful. I am
sure if time permits you, you will do some good writing for the L. By the
way, how is the Gambai Press Union doing? Hope things are okay. My warmest
regards to Pap Saine, Deyda Hydara, Yorro Jallow, Alieu Badara Sowe (borom
Jasigui) and all the rest of the crew down there.

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