Gambia-L:

The unedited e-mail below came from a source in the Gambia.

For those of you who wrote to me privately, I can promise you that I'll
never lose my temper for "Alieu S Keita" even if he was insulting my late
mother. I, like my earlier source, believe that he should not be discouraged
from participating in our discussions. It would be really interesting to
hear his side of the story.

Ebrima Ceesay

_______________________________________________________________________

>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: "Baron" Alieu S. Keita and "The Fist of Fury".
>Date: Wed, 31 Jan 2001
>
>Dear "Baron" Keita,
>
>Your threats are now familiar, not only to the Gambia-L and Ebrima but to
>Gambians everywhere. We have been hearing these same threats since 1994: so
>what's new.
>
>Why defend the position of PDOIS on the outcome of the Commission of
>Inquiry's Report and their proposed National Reconciliation when Halifa and
>members of his Party can defend themselves better than you ever can.  I
>would suggest that you stick with your own APRC which cannot muster a solid
>grass roots support since its inception despite being the ruling Party with
>all the State apparatus, including the millions of blood money behind it.
>
>National reconciliation is a thing of the past. You refused to reconcile
>the Nation at the opportune moment because you were power drunk at the
>time; and you still are. You could have proposed National Reconciliation
>even as late as April 10-11 2000.  But no! You thought you could carry on
>trampling on the rights, liberties and lives of ordinary Gambians
>indefinitely; counting on the peaceful nature that characterise Gambians in
>general.  Now you realise that Gambians can only take so much and then you
>start to talk about National reconciliation.  If what you have written in
>defense of PDOIS is a disguised form of appeasement or a real proposal for
>National reconciliation, we say, No THANK YOU, BARON ALIEU.  You started
>the fight, we Gambians will see it through to the end.
>
>Why use the example of East Timor where according to you " we saw people
>chopping each other and mutilated bodies being dumped into and abandoned
>wells! but today they are yearning for reconciliation." Two things Baron
>Alieu -
>
>1. East Timor was fighting for the liberation of its people from Indonesia
>and those "chopped and mutilated" bodies were carried out by the oppressors
>of the East Timorese. Your "boys" in East Timor can confirm this to you.
>Besides, Gambia has had its own fair share of chopped and mutilated bodies
>dumped in wells, shallow graveyards at Yundum Barracks, Alh. Tabora
>Manneh's Garden in Niumi, Nyambayai Forest and Lord knows where else in The
>Gambia. As far as I know, no East Timorese political leader (equivalent to
>the rank of a cabinet Minister) has been tortured, his/her body mutilated
>and then burned to ashes.  "Baron Alieu", you have done that to Korro
>Ceesay, your own Finance Minister.  We, as Gambians, have suffered more in
>the hands of "Baron Alieu's" Government than the East Timorese have
>suffered in the hands of its oppressors.  Now you are telling us that we
>should be thankful for the humiliation, the torture, the murder, the rape,
>the corruption that you have brought upon us as a people? Now, I am
>convinced that you have gone completely mad. Remember, I have a copy of
>your psychiatric profile done by a competent agency immediately after
>siezing power.
>
>2. Black South Africans suffered in the hands of the Afrikaans and not from
>their own black brothers and sisters, except the few turn-coats that were
>used by white South Africa (just as you have used the 22 July Movement
>against their own blood brothers and sisters, fathers, mothers, grand
>fathers, grand mothers etc. etc.)"Baron Alieu" using Gambians against
>Gambians and the Africaans using blacks against blacks. That's where the
>similarity ends.  Otherwise your comparision is invalid. Well, we expect
>that from a High School drop-out like yourself. Kunf-fu, Bruce Lee, chopped
>and mutilated bodies, abandoned wells,"dark feelings" reconciliation is
>islamic, reconciliation is biblical and all that jive sounds very much like
>the language of the "Baron" and also consistent with psychiatic profile-a
>deranged/twisted mind.
>
>Concerning the "uztazzes", you were the one who commanded them to go on the
>offensive particularly when the Catholic/Christian community expressed
>concern about your determination to introduce Sharia. You even threatened
>Bishop Cleary with deportation. Religion has never been part of Gambian
>politics until "Baron Alieu" came to the scene. Your attempt to polarise
>the peaceful co-existence of the various religions in The Gambia will not
>be allowed to succeed.
>
>You wondered as to the type of politics we are playing when we mentioned
>the fact that some of the Oustass in Banjul were seen yesterday scrambling
>for Hajj ticket allocation.  We are not playing any politics.  We were only
>reporting the facts. They have been allocating themselves more than their
>fair share and then "scalping" (by submitting the names of the highest
>bidders). Some body offered to submit the name of a family member of mine
>for D 16,000 ( sixteen thousand). He assured me that that's the going rate
>as of yesterday.  With the dalasi depreciating at a rate faster than ever
>recorded before in the moterary history of The Gambia, thanks to your
>incompetent leadership, who knows what would be the asking price of the
>"uztazzes" today.  "Baron" Alieu, we are only reporting facts here on the
>Gambia-L.  If the truth is causing you to lose sleep, we sincerely
>apologise for disturbing the "Baron" from his slumber. We mean this in both
>the literal and figurative sense.
>
>If you will allow us, Sir, we would like to turn our attention to what is
>obviously an important issue to you i.e. Bruce Lee's films. This "Fist of
>Fury" film obviously has some intellectual/educational value to you and
>your likes, but I do not think that the Kebba Damphas and the Ebrima
>Ceesays of the Gambia-L have time for these types of films or maybe even
>films, period. You see, "Baron" these are serious people; they are not your
>run-of-the-mill type who spend their valuable time watching "kung-fu
>chops", smoking Burmese hemp and drinking "attaya".  You should take your
>very important job seriously and stop wasting your time and the time of The
>Gambia and tend to the affairs of State. Get up early, go to the office on
>time and honour your appointments.  This is just an advise from some one
>who knows you very well...and please cut down on the "Tataya" and "Affra"
>sessions at the expense of the State.
>
>Finally, regarding your threats to Ebrima and others, we have seen you try
>this stunt before on Ebou Jallow a few years back, heeping insults at him
>and his parentage etc. It did not work then, it will not work now.
>Besides, as in the case of Ebou Jallow, Ebrima's family and educational
>background is very well known to Gambians. If Ebrima Ceesay were a horse,
>he would be classified as a "thorougbred". We know that he works like a
>horse though.  We wish we could say the same about you.  Thank you for your
>time and have a good day.
>

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