Please allow me to copy this in my reply to Museni if...

Best regards,

Nyar'Onyango

*************


----- Original Message -----
From: <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Friday, October 03, 2003 4:06 AM
Subject: Letter to the President


> Note: It is a hypothetical response to a job that was never offered to me.
>
>
>
> October 2, 2003
>
> The Gambia State House
> Attn: President Yaya Jammeh
> Banjul, The Gambia
>
> Dear Sir :
> It is one of the highest compliments for any citizen to be reached out,
and asked to serve as a Secretary of State. I personally thank you and your
government for offering me the job of the Secretary of State for Economic
affairs. This is of course one of the most difficult decision I have ever
made in my life time, and I think it is important for me to give a serious
thought, and also catalogue how I ended up with this decision.
> This particular explanation may not seem to be relevant, but it is
important to put in perspective where I am coming from. I am presently
employed with a great company that pays reasonably well, not to mention a
very challenging job indeed. It is also a reality that I happen to work in a
country with a racial history, and being a foreigner is always a challenge
in all aspects of our lives. However, it is also a country where the rule of
law is the bedrock of the society. My bosses may not like my skin color,
they may not even be crazy with my foreign accent, but my right is protected
and my civil liberties cannot be trample upon. In the final analysis, what I
bring to the job on a day to day basis becomes an important determinant of
my success in the company.
> Sir, if you are looking for a Gambia who would sincerely work with you as
an advisor, and would help you honestly implement your policies and defend
them at all cost, I am your man. As long as the aforementioned policies are
in the interest of the Gambia, I will work with you to bring about the
economic development we all yearn for. Although, it is important to say if
for any reason in the future you decide to terminate my employment, I would
like you to tell the rest of my employers----the Gambia people, the reason
for the separation.
> Sir if the only reason I am offered this job is the reason stated below,
then unfortunately, I am the wrong person for the job.
> A. A secretary who is committed to your individual political survival
> B. A secretary of state who is going to be a party to the violation of the
constitution.
> C. A secretary of state who does not care to keep heed to the rule of law,
and only accountable to you, and not to the Gambian people
> D. A secretary of state who would be a partner in crime, as long as it is
deemed politically viable.
> E.  A secretary of state who is only a token, and irrelevant to the real
decisions that are going to be made in the future.
>
> I would like to add that, I would not work with political opponents, or
people who disagree with your policies to undermine your policies or the
success of the programs. I will go the extra mile to defend your policies,
and would fight with you against your political opponents in the interest of
your government, our policies and what is ultimately in the interest of the
country. We will fight these fights without sacrificing the democratic
ideals or at the expense of the rights of the Gambian people.
> Sir, finally, with what I have witnessed these past ten years, I am not
sure I can make a significant difference in accepting this job as Secretary
of economic affairs. It is evident that the economy is on a slippery slope,
and I am sure there is not much I can do to reverse or halt this trend. You
have indicated in one of your speeches that there are million Gambians for
you to choose from to your cabinet, and you have been playing the musical
chairs very well. Maybe, there is one change that the country really needs
and that is the job for the President of the Gambia.  I thank you again for
the consideration.
> Sincerely
>
>
>
> Musa Jeng
>
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