>From: arona john <[log in to unmask]> >Reply-To: The Gambia and related-issues mailing list ><[log in to unmask]> >To: [log in to unmask] >Subject: Re: Another Dubious Coup Plot in The Gambia >Date: Tue, 25 Jan 2000 01:59:59 PST Buharry, > I sincerely agreed with you that tribalism has no place in The >Gambia.The Gambia is a very mixed society,where all are related either one >way or the other.For I in particular my mother is a Mandinka and my father >is an Hausa.Thus the concept of tribalism should NOT be encouraged in our >mother >land.(This is a CORRECTION) > History is not static process but a dynamic phenomenon.It is our >actions that creates history and help it to develop.Hence every human being >should ensure that whatever he or she did will lead to peace,liberty and >prosperity of the society he or she belongs to.If a human being,the most >creative being on earth,fails to fulfill this task then he or she has fails >to meet his or her social responsibilities.The issues surfacing in The >Gambia needs our urgent attention.But one should be very sober and >objective >in handling the tribalism issue.Emotional comments would not help to >address >our problem. > I sum up with this quotation of Benjamin Frankin: "Those who would >give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve >neither liberty nor safety." Liberty,peace,prosperity and dignity do not >come by chance and are also not gift.They are to be secured through our own >sweat and sober actions. > >ARONA JOHN > >International Islamic University,Malaysia > >>From: Haruna Farage <[log in to unmask]> >>Reply-To: The Gambia and related-issues mailing list >><[log in to unmask]> >>To: [log in to unmask] >>Subject: Re: Another Dubious Coup Plot in The Gambia >>Date: Tue, 25 Jan 2000 10:07:27 -0500 >> >> Hi Mr. Buharry, >> >> I wholly and solely concur with your arguments as put forward to the >> whole members of the L and The Gambia in general, on issues >>pertaining >> to tribalism. >> >> I cannot but wonder if there are elements agitating for tribalism in >> order to change the system in The Gambia without regards to its >> repercussions on the general populace. >> >> Having been working with the International Criminal Tribunal for >> Rwanda, prosecuting genocide suspects, I always hope and pray such a >> situation never prevail again in any given nation given the >> testimonies of the survivors.Genocide in short means the elimination >> of a certain ethnic group by another with the aim of wiping out the >> targetted ethnic group. The elements of genocide includes >>incitement, >> encouragement etc of a certain group to wipe out the other. This is >> due too tribal differences. One tribe aiming to eliminate the other >> for political reasons are in most cases the occurrence of genocide. >> >> In the tribunal, survivors revealed their ordeals, expressing how >>they >> loose all members of their families due to ethnic differences. >>Before >> the genocide Hutus and Tutsis were living side by side in peace but >> immediately when the genocide began all such relationships ceased to >> exist due to tribal differences. For in a tribal war one is not only >> aiming at political opponents but ethnic differences which would >>spare >> nobody, women and children, yound and old are all targets. >> >> PS. Note that the definition above is not quoted but mine to >>simplify >> my explanations. >> >> Bravo Buharry for a well thought out article. >> >> >>______________________________ Reply Separator >>_________________________________ >>Subject: Re: Another Dubious Coup Plot in The Gambia >>Author: The Gambia and related-issues mailing list >><[log in to unmask]> at Internet >>Date: 1/23/00 5:33 PM >> >> >>Hi! >> The issue of underlining the tribalist undertones of Ebou Colley's >>posting has nothing to do with the "keep it safe business". It is neither >>a >>run for cover nor an attempt to use "code words" to run away from >>tribalist >>realities back home. The issues raised by Ebou if true, given that his >>information sounds real "insider", are issues that should concern us all. >> My beef with the posting is that it sounds like an incitement with >>the >>intention of rallying tribalist sentiment against the Jola people most of >>whom have nothing to show for Yaya Jammeh being in power. This is wrong >>and >>very dangerous for our country. What does Ebou want? Does he want Wollofs, >>Mandinkas, Fulas etc. to kill enough Jolas to even the numbers? Would this >>solve the problem? No, it would rather plunge The Gambia into a deeper >>abyss of endless violence and retribution. Is that what we want? I, for >>one, >>don't want that. >> We have to be analytical and not sentimental when issues such as >>tribalism are mentioned. Nobody is denying the fact that tribalism exists >>in >>The Gambia. Gambians wouldn't be normal human beings if no trace of >>tribalism is found in The Gambia. There is tribalism all over the world. >>It >>is therefore not unique to The Gambia and Africa. All over Asia, Europe, >>America, Australia etc. some tribes (though they are tagged otherwise) are >>marginalised because of their ethnicity. This is wrong and has to be >>tackled >>and remedied, but not through incitement. >> We have to avoid being sentimental when dealing with tribalism to >>avoid >>being victims of those with divisive and destructive ulterior motives. >>Isn't >>it quite interesting that Ebou "Colley" would incite people to react >>against >>the Jolas, knowing fully well that his kith and kin back home would be at >>the recieving end of the stick? >> It is very easy to be armchair revolutionaries, keyboard Rambos and >>the >>like living in some far away land knowing fully well that we are far >>removed >>from the repercussions of what we preach. What we however have to remember >>is that we have parents, brothers, sisters, uncles, aunties etc. back home >>who may not be spared the turmoil if there is violence back home. We >>therefore have to be sober and realistic in our prescriptions. If there is >>a >>tribal problem back home, we should try to find ways and means of dealing >>with it without jeopardising the stability of the country and turning >>tribe >>against tribe. >> I came across a publication in England around 1994/1995 that was >>being >>distributed by a group calling itself the Movement for the Restoration of >>Democracy in The Gambia (can't remember the exact name but it runs along >>those >>lines). The publication, like Ebou Colley's, highlights tribal and >>religious >>differences. It supplied the names of members of the armed forces with >>Jola >>surnames and talked about how Christians were being promoted to this and >>that >>position because Yaya Jammeh was one of Bishop Cleary's "boys". I was as >>wary >>of that publication then as I am of Ebou Colley's now. Why? Because the >>same >>tactics are reminiscent of those employed in the PALIPEHUTU communiqué of >>May >>1988 in Burundi in which an incitement to deal with the ethnic issue in >>violent terms was propagated. They are the same as those employed by >>Interahamwe and other groups in Rwanda. Maybe the Gambian publications >>have >>fallen short of directly telling people to take arms and attack the Jolas >>but >>who knows what will happen if such views are not challenged. I would >>challenge >>the democratic intentions of anyone or any group that tries to highlight >>and >>play the various tribes against each other. >> To cut the story short, The Gambia is a very tiny country where I am >>yet >>to find anyone who can tell me that he/she doesn't have a relative who is >>from another tribe. We therefore have to be careful with what we >>propagate. >>If Yaya Jammeh is using tribe as a basis for employment and promotion, >>then >>he is violating the very spirit of the Constitution for chapter IV, >>section >>33, subsection 3 states: "... no person shall be treated in a >>discriminatory >>manner by any person acting by virtue of any law or in the performance of >>the functions of any public office or any public authority". Subsection 4 >>states: "In this section, the expression "discrimination" means affording >>different treatment to different persons attributable wholly or mainly to >>their respective descriptions by ...colour, ...language, religion, >>...social >>origin ... whereby persons of one such description are subjected to >>disabilities or restrictions to which persons of another such description >>are not made subject, or are accorded privileges or advantages which are >>not >>accorded to persons of another such description". If Yaya Jammeh is >>violating this part of our Constitution with a few of his tribesmen >>benefitting, why should the Jola tribe pay for it? Yaya and those who are >>benefitting are the ones who should be brought to book for that and not >>the >>average Jola whose living condition hasn't improved an iota since Yaya >>took >>power. >> I therefore strongly stand by my conviction that tribalism has no >>place >>in The Gambia. We should all be fighting very hard to discourage it. We >>should also take a stance against all forms of incitement or the playing >>of >>one tribe against the other because if we don't, the ultimate losers will >>be >>Gambia and Gambians. Thanks. >> >>Buharry. >>--------------------------------------Original >>Message--------------------------------------------------------------------- >>-------------------------------------------------------------------------- >>From: Ousman Bojang <[log in to unmask]> >>To: <[log in to unmask]> >>Sent: Saturday, January 22, 2000 1:00 AM >>Subject: Re: Another Dubious Coup Plot in The Gambia >> >> >> > Ebou, >> > This is such a powerful piece. Just as Buharry said a lot of it might >>be >>a >> > revelation to some and to some it might be like an initiation of a >>tribal >> > differential. However, you seem to got the facts and said it as it is >>and >> > naturally Gambians like the "Keep it safe" business. In fact that is >>one >> > reason why it is going to take some a lot of bite to swallow and why >>Jammeh >> > continuos to act like this. >> > And to some you might just tell them it is not for them to agree, but >>there >> > is a lot of sense in what you said. Jammeh has succeeded in eliminating >>his >> > loyalties very well. And to confirm to you and everyone that it is >>among >> > tribal lines, wait to see the 33 people they accused as the coup >>plotters. >>So >> > far 30 of them are behind the bar as we talk and some will be stunt to >>hear >> > the list. >> > And as I always say, sooner or later the final day and the revelations >>shall >> > come and Jammeh will be the victim. Gambians have been the victims of >>these >> > brutal killings and harassment and I am sure God is not sleeping. God >>Bless >> > the Gambia. >> > >> > Ousman J. Bojang. >> > >> > >>-------------------------------------------------------------------------- >>-- >> > >> > To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the >>Gambia-L >> > Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html >> > >> > >>-------------------------------------------------------------------------- >>-- >> >>---------------------------------------------------------------------------- >> >>To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L >>Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html >> >>---------------------------------------------------------------------------- >> >> >>---------------------------------------------------------------------------- >> >>To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L >>Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html >> >>---------------------------------------------------------------------------- > >______________________________________________________ >Get Your Private, Free Email 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 > >---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email 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 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------