Hello Mr. Gassama,
             I want to thank you for your postings on the challenge for those
advocating violence to change the system. Just curious what challenge you
have for those advocating peace would be, because in my view the consequences
in the latter are death, torture, etc..
             Your Fears are very genuine because you are in your own rights
underestimating the power of the people. You state in your positing that
"those who advocate peace and violence to change the system are living a
fallacy;" What in your view is the right approach to free our people from
this oppressive government.
              I hate to quote another people in our struggle to liberate our
people because of my sincere believe that power belongs to the people and
change is brought about when people feel the need to change their
circumstances. Given that position, I have tried to post my feelings and
foresight for a better Gambia. To call that kind of conviction a fallacy
without a definition undermines the survival and success of our struggle to
move forward.
             Benjamin Franklin once stated that "those who give up essential
liberty, to preserve a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor
safety." Being a man of great wisdom and foresight, I believe that you can
understand that for our country to be liberated, it must be stripped from the
vicious circle of human degradation, intimidation and oppression. To do
anything less would be unpatriotic.
              Now let me clarify why I advocate the use of force to rid our
system of these Bandits.
The only form of discipline that a criminal understands is the use of force.
I know that some social scientists on this list will differ with my
statement. The reason why we build prisons and rehabilitation centers is to
first capture these social rejects and reorient them to humanity. You cannot
have rehabilitation without conviction. The country that we call home is
being ruled being sociopaths and the only way you can send these kinds of
bullies a message is by capturing and convicting them.
              By your own admission, your stated that violence has some
severe consequences. I share the same believe, because if these idiots find
it necessary to blow up people to secure their position then why can't we do
the same to them and regain our country. If they feel the need to torture our
people why can't we send them to the electric chair. If they can arrest
citizens and question their citizenship then why can't we tell them that they
are wrong.
              You cannot say damn the war and damn the peace while
maintaining that you are patriotic and express genuine interest for the
people of your country. If you hate the war then you must join and fight for
peace. If you hate piece then you must join the bandits and wage war. You
cannot have it both ways.
             One thing that is very clear is that present situation in the
Gambia is a timing bomb ready to explode. Humans cannot live in circumstances
that restricts their lives to decency and the pursuit of happiness. If a
position to defend our sovereignty is not taken, then we can go ahead and
sign it over to some guy name Foday Sonko who took is people to the dark evil
of indiscriminate vengeance. If we do not act now then we will be selling our
country to a man name Charles Taylor who took is people to worthless victory.
             What we need is to strike a compromise with our conviction and
make a sacrifice for our country. We can do so by rallying behind the
opposition. I can see that a lot of that is being written about. If UDP is
the vehicle through which we can eradicate these vermin from our land, then
lets provide them with a structure to guarantee their survival. UDP likewise
must come out and tell us what their position is in the struggle is. If they
want to recreate the same oppressive government as Jammeh and the defunct
Jawara Government then we must forge an alliance with a minority party and
muscle them up with a framework for success.
              I hope that you understand my frustration and conviction for an
immediate resolution for change. People of your intellect and experience can
help stir us further by being firm and direct. We can all disagree in our
political paradigms but if our goal is the same then lets explore all
possibilities. Lets not take the "Yalla bahna" approach. Lets build a
phenomenon that will ultimately help us realize our goal for lasting
democracy.
               Lastly, I want to thank you for your postings to the net. I
want to remind you that Matarr is willing to join and die for the Gambia.
Fear of the unknown should not be a retardant for a peaceful ending for our
people. Ones conviction for ones country is not a measure of distance but in
my view the dedication one has to put words into actions and actions into
reality and reality into prosperity for the common person. If ones position
is to serve his master then he should be proud to say "sir yes sir."
              I will leave you with the following song
  Although it is an American liberty song, i think it serves some
significance for our struggle

               Come Join hand in hand
                Brave Americans all
                And rouse your brave hearts
                At fair liberty call
                No tyrannous acts
                Shall suppress your just claim
                Or stain with dishonor
                America's name.
                In freedom we're born
                And in freedom we'll live....

Till next time have a great day.

Sincerely,
Matarr Sajaw.
Live free or die.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L
Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html

----------------------------------------------------------------------------