Ebrima:
I am thrilled that you are back to normalcy. We were
indeed very surprised at your absence, but we refuse
to draw any speculation for fear of helping the enemy.
As you can see, we are still in the struggle, and will
appreciate if you can send in your contribution to
Brother Joe Sambou on the fund raising that we have
started. We are also arranging to have a Unity
Conference in Atlanta that will coincide with the
4th of July festivities.
I again want to thank you for your continuous contribution
to the struggle. As you can see this "Mr. Kebba Jobe"
thing was initiated by Tombong Saidy. My source told me
that numerous stooges are using this name to confuse
us. He/she even told me that Tombong sarcastically said
that their strategy is to go underground with many names
to derail our efforts.
Naphiyo,
Comrade ML Jassey-Conteh
------Original Message------
From: Ebrima Ceesay <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask]
Sent: April 15, 2001 5:42:00 PM GMT
Subject: Attn: Minister Sarjo Jallow or "Kebba Jobe"
"Kebba Jobe" or Minister Sarjo Jallow:
I have noted several remarks made against me by you, and I have thus far
chosen to ignore them, because initially, I did not take you ("Kebba Jobe")
seriously.
However, I have now been informed by one of my sources in the Gambian
government, that you are indeed Sarjo Jallow, the Minister for Youth and
Sports, and the government’s official Spokesman.
I intend henceforth, to take you seriously, and I am now ready to take up
serious debate with you, now that I have some vacation time on my hands.
As you may know, I am a passionate advocate of the process of debate,
especially of debate whose outcome may result in the betterment of the lives
of Gambians at home and abroad.
I believe in the power of debate, where both parties are honest, ready to
admit their shortcomings and open to learning from each other. I support
debate based on decency, decorum and FACTS.
I am now publicly challenging you to take part in a series of debates on the
merits and demerits of the Jammeh regime, and on Jammeh’s record since
assuming power. I should expect the debates to centre on every sector of
life – on education, on health, on agriculture, on the economy, on women’s
issues, on population, on infrastructure, on human rights, on the judiciary,
on electoral issues etc. etc.
But, in order for our debates to be of use and purpose to Gambians and to
the betterment of The Gambia, both sides of the debating forum have to be
honest, and open to admitting each other’s shortcomings as well as
strengths.
I am not interested in engaging in personal attacks, and shall avoid any
discussions involving the latter. I am interested in participating in
debates which focus on issues and on facts, rather than on personalities or
inventions.
There are two debating options open to us:
The first would be a series of debates based on philosophical arguments
where our differing ideas and thoughts (although not supported by cited
sources or other references per se) could notwithstanding, convince the
general public one way or the other. It has tended to be this sort of
debate which has characterised many of the postings to Gambia-L in the past.
The second would be a series of scholarly debates based on empirical data
and facts which will be referenced and sourced. Whatever we stated in the
debates, we should back with relevant sources so that other people could
also refer to the cited sources to check the record.
For instance, if I were to say that the current Gambian debt burden has
risen to 500 million Dollars, then I should follow this by quoting the
source for this figure as the 2001 Budget Speech. Similarly, if you come up
with a claim, then you would need to substantiate it by citing the relevant
and publicly accessible source. In this way, our readers can check the
accuracy or otherwise of our statements or views.
I am not interested in engaging in debate where character assassination is
involved in any way, or where there is gossip or innuendo. The debates
would be issues-based in order for me to be a participant. I have no wish
to waste my time in debates which are less than serious and sincere.
This is a crucial period for The Gambia, and I intend to resume my series of
messages to all Gambians. However, I am willing to put these to one side
for the time being, in order to be involved in direct and enlightened debate
with you, or any of the pro-Jammeh lobby.
I am not a public figure: I hold no public office. But I am not afraid of
scrutiny. It does seem that many of you pro-Jammeh people (apart from
Tombong Saidy) who have the guns, who are in The Gambia and whose government
is in power, are the ones who are hiding their true identities under
pen-names.
If you believe in what you are saying, and are a man of conscience and
integrity, then you should not be fearful to speak on the record and
officially on behalf of your government. If a government spokesman uses a
pen name to put forward the government case, your readership may ask
themselves "why?". However, whatever name you choose to write under, I am
ready to participate in open, public and fair debate with you.
I believe that it is vital that the Gambian people have access to this sort
of debate in the pre-electoral period: without this, they are less able to
make informed and sound judgements. Let us therefore focus on the issues
affecting Gambians and The Gambia, and back up our views with credible
references and data. Both sides will need to be able to substantiate any
claims.
If the Jammeh team on the Gambia-L want to be taken seriously, let them give
factual and substantive accounts, rather than engaging in public attacks on
non-public figures (eg. Kebba Dampha, Ebou Colley, Hamjatta Kanteh, Saul
Khan, myself and many others).
If you, "Kebba Jobe", are ready for a mature and enlightening debate, I
shall be delighted to take you on, and to spend my Easter vacation on this.
If you choose not to, then allow me to spend my holiday resuming my series
of personal messages to my Fellow Gambians.
I await your reply.
Ebrima Ceesay,
Birmingham, UK.
_________________________________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L
Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html
You may also send subscription requests to [log in to unmask]
if you have problems accessing the web interface and remember to write your full name and e-mail address.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L
Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html
You may also send subscription requests to [log in to unmask]
if you have problems accessing the web interface and remember to write your full name and e-mail address.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
