Mr. Bah,

Thank you for that analysis.

You said and I quote : " In those the days peasants were threatened in
political rallies not to 'throw away a parliamentary seat in the bush.'The
bush meaning the opposition. The Jammeh regime is using the same tactics but
they are using it better."

Better in what way? Hopefully not with the use of arms, killing of innocent
children, illegal incarceration of innocent, hardworking people....the list
goes on and on. I hope and pray that this is not what you mean by BETTER. We
have a lot of teaching to do Gambia!

Good day.

Babou


>From: [log in to unmask]
>Reply-To: The Gambia and related-issues mailing list
><[log in to unmask]>
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Looking At The Jammeh Phenomenon
>Date: Mon, 6 Aug 2001 13:52:40 EDT
>
>I think it was Peter Enahoro of New African magazine who,refering to the
>late
>Samuel Doe of Liberia said that, once you are in power you learn quickly,
>as
>Doe had learnt quickly.Jammeh too has indeed learnt quickly.
>    He has bought enough time to put in place an elitist middle class
>machinery he needs rely on and stay as president of The Gambia for quite a
>time. In enriching himself he has also enriched quite a number of Gambians,
>made them powerful and prestigious. Some of these were, as Jammeh himself,
>nothing and had nothing before he (Jammeh) came came to power. They are the
>neuveux riches created by Jammeh.They have settled down comfortably.
>     It is through this logic that we can see the rationale for the repeal
>of
>decree 89. Over the years I have learnt that politics is about power and
>nothing else. And he who says power also says wealth. This was true
>yesterday
>and it was true today. It is true with the capitalists, it is also true
>with
>the socialists.
>       For those of us who have now experienced both the West and our
>so-called third world nations' political realities (not systems) we should
>know better. Just think of campaign finance in the US; without the backing
>of
>the corporate dollars you cannot be president in the United
>States,period!When the realities of the defunct Soviet Union were exposed
>the
>same constante was revealed.
>      In my student days I naively thought that politics and power was
>about
>helping to better the fate of the downtrodden. I listened to people who I
>thought were genuine about this but today they rub shoulders with Jammeh
>and
>really not much has changed since Jawara.
>      I was listening to one of Boris Yeltsin's cronies in an interview on
>the
>CBS program 60 Minutes, he was asked about some corrupt deals he had helped
>carry out with Yelstin.In response he said he was going to be honnest,that
>every body in power is there for himself first before anyone else and this
>includes the president and those who help him rule.
>      Jammeh has learnt this quickly, very quickly. Being at the helm is
>not
>about being    a Ph.D. or bagging the best academic credentials of the
>world,
>it is about power. about wealth, about prestige and most people look for
>these every day.
>       This is what the PPP had for 30 years. Some of us in our delusions
>of
>intellectual delinquency were very bitter as we watched the squander. Many
>factions emerged to take their part of the national cake whiles the naive
>and
>uninitiated shouted foul in the midst misery. I remember the group refereed
>to then as the Mafia  who were virtual king makers!
>      Those in the PPP who are about to reenter the political scene know
>about
>this. In those the days peasants were threatened in political rallies not
>to
>'throw away a parliamentary seat in the bush.'The bush meaning the
>opposition. The Jammeh regime is using the same tactics but they are using
>it
>better.
>      Jammeh has indeed learnt how to be in power in this short time. He
>came
>to power almost classless but today he has carved out an enriched and
>powerful elite that has settled down comfortably and to unseat them through
>the ballot box is dinner party....
>
>                      Gibril Gelajo Bah.
>
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