Good Morning:

it's sunday morning and a rarity for me of late to peruse through G-L
posting.

Base on the postings I read this morning and after listening to Mr. Halifa
Sallah's blow by blow account and rendition of April 10-11 events in The
Gambia, I reached a conclusion that The Gambia has failed as a State. There
are litany of reasons I can give to substantiate my assertion, but, because
of time constraint, I can delve into that in a greater detail next time.

Jammeh's regime has caused irreparable damage to the Gambia as a nation
and it'll take decades to bring the country to pre '94 levels. There are
every indication and reasons that he ... Jammeh, is cornered by his own
terror machine in Kanilai and, any move to oust him must be peaceful and
rational. The man is armed and dangerous and it would not cost him a monkey
to wipe out the entire population of his subjects if you will, to clinch on
to power. He has a proven tack record.

President Clinton's letter in my view is a move in the right direction, but,
one must not get too exuberant by it.If anything, Rhuwanda and Sierra-Leone
should stand out as poignant reminders regarding the attitude of the US
government toward that part of the World. As much as the rush to sending the
letter to The Gambian press for publication is a good propaganda move, the
overall effectiveness the letter might have against Jammeh may be blown out
of proportion by the masses. The reason being that the country is inundated
with despair and hopelessness. Any morale booster such as the clinton letter
could be interpreted as biblical verses and a Magna Charta. Let us hope that
it helps.

Friends, Jammeh's regime is an aberration. The Gambian problem is a local
one and ought to be solved locally. If the civil society should retreat from
personal aggrandisement and lay down their pens in the interest of future
generations, then and only then, could we smell the end of this monstrosity.
There are thorny issues out there and even if Jammeh should  vacate the sin
in the most ideal circumstances, there will be trail of carnage in every
nook and cranny of the country.

The pandora's box is wide open in The Gambia and there could be an opened
season for the politics of vendetta. Let us avoid that.

I don't consider any opinion expressed here as sacrosanct this is just a
thought to toss out there for a healthy civil discourse.

Let peace and justice prevail in The Gambia.

MUSA BASSADI JAWARA
MARYLAND.


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