Indeed, a nice one and still fresh! Hardly, any modifications to make,
except the fact that, I would now use a "harsh" wording.
Thanks LJD....
little yj
On Fri, Jul 24, 2009 at 5:48 AM, Haruna Darbo <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> JDAM, this was the first time I see and read this. In my opinion, it was
> your warrugal at the time and I commend you for it. Indeed you were speaking
> for me then. And the concentric rings of life continue to form. Haruna.
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Lamin Darbo <[log in to unmask]>
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Sent: Fri, Jul 24, 2009 5:35 am
> Subject: A PERSPECTIVE FROM 1994; THE REVOLUTION THAT LEFT THE TRACKS
>
> An acquantance from a European country kindly sent my article below
> and suggested it be reposted as published in the Daily Observer fifteen
> years ago, if only as a reminder of our justified dissapointment with the
> 1994 'revolution' of His Excellency, Sheikh Professor Alhaji Dr Yahya
> Jammeh.
> It remains my contention that July 22 represents a valid continuation of
> our national conversation, and that a forceful change of government is not
> *per se* unconstitutional. I do not think many are likely to mourn the
> passing of our current regime regardless how it came about.
> Please read on
> ...................................................................................................................................
> ** ** ** ** ** ** ** *DAILY OBSERVER, MONDAY, AUGUST 1,
> 1994 *
> C*OMMENTARY* * * *We salute
> you! Albeit Cautiously *
> * * * * *Dear members of the provisional council: *
> As an international media blitz focused world attention on the tragedy
> of a million Rwandan refugees in camps in Zaire over the weekend of July 22,
> Gambians at home and abroad were captivated by the unfolding of the most
> profound event in our national affairs: the declaration of a military
> takeover July 23. Even for those Gambians who foresaw military government in
> our public life, the crisis that started Friday and culminated in a takeover
> Saturday may have come as a surprise.
> As the sketchy details of conditions in The Gambia were taking shapes in
> the media, some of us t ook informal polls of Gambians in the United States,
> Canada, and the Western Europe, eliciting their views on the overthrow of
> the fraudulent 鈥渄emocratic鈥�tyranny of Dawda Jawara. I even made a few calls
> to The Gambia for the domestic perspective. To a person, the verdict was
> unanimous: we are happy and grateful, but??? Without doubt, you are the men
> of the hour, symbols of heroism to at least 90 percent of all Gambians. The
> question mark is over the future. And the future is what we must address
> because therein lies our collective destiny. In light of the track
> record of military regimes in other African countries, the near unanimous
> but qualified support is understandable. We would hate to see our parents,
> families, friends, and any Gambians for that matter flee the country in fear
> for their lives. Death would be preferable to countenancing such a
> spectacle. To solidify your position and keep the country together, you must
> avoid the adoption of the *modus operandi *of military governments in
> Africa. More fundamentally, you cannot afford to create martyrs. And
> vindictiveness must not be a part of the new order of national affairs.
> Memories last forever, and if bitter,=2 0they become a factor in the
> calculus of daily events, escalating the potential for tragedy on a constant
> basis. Ordinary Gambians, especially the unlettered bulk whose support for
> Jawara鈥檚 government had no rational basis, must be left alone. Only those
> public servants whose conduct clearly triggers the response of our laws may
> be fair targets for investigation. Dawda Jawara was a captain who lost
> his bearings, and the ship of state he disastrously piloted was destined to
> run aground. He finally arrived at the ultimate destiny of his nepotic,
> corrupt, and incompetent administration: the trash-hip of history. Dawda
> Jawara鈥檚 absolute control over the reins of power made him more feared than
> respected. You have the right to expect loyalty from your closet advisers,
> but they must not be fearful to the extent of endorsing all your policies
> regardless of their merits. You must be open-minded and receptive to ideas
> different from yours. We are not nostalgic for an era and a government
> that visited executive vandalism on the Gambian people. But we also refuse
> to be sentimental and complacent about the present. Your place in history
> will entirely depend on how you utilise the awe-inspiring instruments of
> government at your disposal.
> After a fraud lasting three decades, the populace may be prone to the
> syndrome of unrealistic expectations that are almost always integral to
> forceful government transitions in Africa. Your task is to communicate in
> effective but realistic terms, and to refuse to feed the frenzy of utopian
> sentimentalism during your honeymoon with the Gambian people. This, however,
> is not to suggest that you shy away from engaging the practical challenge of
> nation building. And nation building necessarily involves national
> reconciliation. In light of the manner you ascended power, certain
> constituencies may feel alienated. Your task is to reassure everyone, and
> not make anyone desperate through fear for personal safety. And even if
> private property is seized pending further investigation, I strongly
> recommend that a final determination of forfeiture be ad judicated before
> the tribunals of justice in The Gambia. In similar vein, and notwithstanding
> the suspension of the Constitution, the Cabinet members of the overthrown
> government must be accorded due process commensurate with the basic tenets
> of justice. The families of those former cabinet members, whether among
> the Jawara asylum party in Senegal, or other parts of the world, must not be
> used as bargaining chips. They are not even vicariously responsible for the
> untoward conduct of their spouses and/or parents. Although our first
> successful national encounter with a forceful displacement of government,
> the experience of other countries should provide cogent instruction in our
> attempt to fashion a strategy of national unity in the aftermath of such an
> earthshaking event. The overthrow of the Jawara government was bloodless and
> we challenge you to keep your administration bloodless. This means no
> hostages, no summary trials, and absolutely no executions.
> Lieutenant Jammeh鈥檚 interview with the BBC and his comments regarding
> the plight of the 鈥渓ittle man on the street鈥� coupled with his statement
> concerning civilian involvement in the council, are encouraging. As you
> make appointments to the cabinet and other policy-level positions, you are
> well advised to draw from a talent pool untainted with the cancerous
> corruption and indiscipline of the Jawara government. This should
> effectively exclude all the past and recent high-level officials in that
> administration who involuntary left office. Certainly no cabinet member as
> of July 22 should be included in your government, although reports reaching
> us indicate otherwise. From a national security perspective, such an
> appointment may be unwise considering the person鈥檚 key role in the Jawara
> government for over a decade. A watcher of the Gambian political scene
> said that we should approach events in our homeland with 鈥渃autions
> optimism鈥� For now, we salute you, albeit cautiously, for ending a
> three-decade fraud that emasculated the Gambia. Everyone I contacted
> simultaneously endorsed the overthrow of the Jawara government, and
> expressed uneasiness with a permanent military regime in The Gambia. I
> strongly recommend that you seriously consider and communicate to the
> Gambian people a timetable for a return to civilian rule in the country. Excuse
> my concern but my civic duties dictate that I express my thoughts on a
> condition of first impression in my country. The stakes are too high, and
> sink or swim, we are in it together as Gambians. For 17 years, I have
> followed every major political event in Africa and the world. I have seen
> governments, civilian and military, engineer and nurture atrocities of
> mind-boggling dimensions on the people whose welfare they are supposed to
> protect. I have also seen the silent killers, the governmental equivalents
> of high blood pressure, arrest the hopes, and drown the dreams, of
> generations of their youthful citizens. Jawara belongs in the lat ter.
> Governmental crime has different formulations, but after the enervating
> trials of the Jawara fraud, Gambians may have no patience left to tolerate
> an assault on their material and spiritual heritage. May God bless The
> Gambia and Gambians in this hour of trial! Lamin J Darbo The University
> of Tennessee College of law 3700 Sutherland Avenue,
> Knoxville, TN 379191, U.S.A. (Tel: 615558 7034)
>
>
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--
yj
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