Jabou,
I share the same feelings the notion that "if He can do it I can do it too"
One thing we have to remember The President as a young person taking over
power by force has send the wrong message to the youths at home that
"Anybody can be a president as far as you have access to the guns", as well
as taking over by force is patriotic, there is nothing political,social and
morally wrong with that." This is really a sad notion and it needs to be
condemed, the last thing we want is another bloody coup where the only
casualities are the innocent people. I believe people need to learn that
you cannot take over power just because you have access to guns.
But then the question that remains to asked is what to do with our military
with sophisticated weapons, undemocractic structures and unalloyed
ambitions? Gambia's continuing political and economic crisis calls for a
serious rethink of the role of the military.
For me to put it simply, Gambia does not need and cannot afford the huge
expenditure that a standing army requires, Secondly, the Gambian Army is
been used mostly for internal controls, not defence against external
enemies. Gambia can comfortably disban the army and no one would feel a
ripple.
It is unacceptable and unrealistic to expect women in a place like the
Gambia to work extremely hard to produce rice and other foodstuffs while
able bodied men sit around the barracks waiting for a war that will not
happen.
The future of Gambia and Africa as a whole is tied to the military and how
we respond to this continuing threat of the military will shape the
redemption through coups, the problems of the 1980s and 1990s have shown
that the military cannot be expected to protect democracy. THey can only
usurp democracy, and in the process, create crisis that inevitably,lead to a
complete collapse of society.
Democracy can only be redeemed if people elect a government of their own
choice, and take part in the decision making process at all levels. The
military is cannot guarantee this type of government. In reality, the
military can only implement a democracy of the few.
I hope that Dr Sainea's position paper and letter will be taken seriously
and the demands be implemented.
The Struggle Continues!!!!
Ndey Jobarteh
-----Original Message-----
From: Jabou Joh <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
Date: 15 January 2000 22:16
Subject: Re: FOILED CONSPIRACY AND ATTEMPT TO OVERTHROW THE GAMBIA
GOVERNMENT
>In a message dated 1/15/00 10:20:00 AM Central Standard Time, [log in to unmask]
>writes:
>
><< A military takeover usually results in
> years of other coups and counter coups. And the future of The Gambia will
be
> no different from all the other ill fated African countries that have been
> destroyed by years of military involvement in government. >>
>*************************
>Yus,
>l agree. Once this sort of agenda is set, the notion is always " if he can
do
>it, then so can l" and things are never the same again for a long time if
>ever. Like Prince Coker said regarding this supposed coup foil, "we just
have
>to digest this one for a while".
>The harrassment of people at the Denton bridge was quite a while ago, and
>arose out of the sudden decision to extract D25 from the people to pay for
a
>national identity card. The allegations were made, but like everything
else,
>not a single response or explanation came from the government. Suddenly,
this
>dead soldier is being blamed for instigating that harrassment.
>Forgive my apprehension, but that is just a bit too convenient.After all,
>dead soldiers cannot talk, can they?
> How do we know that this is not just another attempt to clean up the
>government's image by blaming someone else for that unwarranted behaviour?
>One thing is for sure, this will definitely take the heat off the oil
>scandal for now.
>Surely the government could have dispatched officers to the scene at Denton
>Bridge to arrest whatever soldier was ordering the people to do this, and
>conduct the investigation then, instead of waiting until the same soldier
who
>supposedly instigated it, supposedly attempted to overthrow the
>govermennt.Let us pray that this is not the begining in a series of
attempts
>to do what the Wollof call "using the carcass of one wolf to bury another".
>But as the same Wollof saying also continues, the last carcass will surely
be
>exposed because there will be nothing there to cover it
>
>Jabou Joh,
>
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