Buharry,

I must begin by apologising for the intrusion. You have every right to
continue your exchanges with Hamjatta. It is a healthy intellectual
exercise. Moreover, Bamba Laye had cautioned me not to engage in such
intrusions.

Notwithstanding, PDOIS is a concern party and I had thought that my posture
had clarified our position. Any person is free to examine our strategies and
tactics and make a critical appraisal of what we claim against what we are
doing.

Hamjatta wants to give the impression that he is a critic and that we are
not tolerant of his criticisms. This is not a fact. Hamjatta is not only a
critic. He takes the posture of a prosecutor who indicts and a judge who
passes judgment. And what is unfortunate about this is that his indictment
of PDOIS is mostly based on fiction rather than facts. Consequently, his
judgment is largely based not on evidence adduced but his mental creations.

My fear is that if this is transformed into a pure intellectual exercise, we
will miss the essence of the whole endeavour.  The main point at issue is to
work out strategies and tactics for the liberation and development of our
people.

PDOIS' strategic objectives are very clear and they have been posted for
everyone to read. The various tactics we are willing to employ as dictated
by time and circumstances have also been elaborated. Those who agree with
this should be willing to devote their physical and mental energies, as well
as their material resources to ensure that we achieve our tactical and
strategic objectives. Those who disagree should proceed to devote their
mental and physical energies, as well as their material resources to further
other strategies and tactical objectives. The objective, therefore, should
be clarify issues and not to win an argument.

I have not read any posting yet in the L quoting what we have said regarding
our strategic and tactical objectives and subjecting them to critical
review. It is only Hamjatta who seems to have befogged the issues in his
last posting. I wish I could have received your permission to address his
posting in a short and concise manner so that the clarity of vision which we
hope has been evinced in my last posting would be maintained so that what is
to be done will be clear to all of us, at least from the perspective of
PDOIS. It is, however, your prerogative to pursue your own design.

If you subject Hamjatta's last posting into careful evaluation, all he is
saying is that all members of society must be mobilised through agitation to
remove Jammeh. To help him to understand that bringing people together is a
quantitative process leading to a qualitative state. And to fully grasp that
civil society is not only on the side of the opposition but also on the side
of the ruling party, I posed two questions in my posting on strategy and
tactics, that is, what led the students into the streets? What barred the
tens of thousands of people who voted for Darboe from marching to Basse
Police Station to ensure his release?

Hamjatta does not explain how the civil society groups could all be brought
together under the political movement. He naively believes that simple
agitation by leaders of the political movement could ensure the unity he
calls for to effect the change he dreams of. This is why I am becoming more
and more amazed by Hamjatta's demagogy.

I must conclude by adding that there is no need to try to convince Hamjatta
that you are not programmed and that you are not a fanatic. I really do not
know you personally. At least I cannot remember having a personal
relationship with you, even if it happens that we have met. However, I know
Hamjatta personally. He knows the type of people we are; that the type of
intellectual tradition that we have promoted in The Gambia is to shatter all
mystification of knowledge and knowledge givers.

Many people who are now writing in the L have never had any direct
relationship with us and we are hoping that through our website we will be
able to engage people abroad in a more constructive and elaborate manner.

It is rather strange that Hamjatta, who had once shown appreciation for the
little work we are doing would, now accuses others who show appreciation of
being programmed fanatics. We wonder who programmed them and how. We also
wonder what he is trying to achieve by dwelling on such platitudes.

Pardon me for any interruption of your own mental processes to deal with the
issues posted to you.

Greetings.

Halifa.

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