X-Mozilla-Status2: 00000000
Message-ID: <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Wed, 19 Jan 2000 12:18:24 -0500
From: Abdoulaye Saine <[log in to unmask]>
Reply-To: [log in to unmask]
Organization: Miami University
X-Mailer: Mozilla 4.5 [en] (Win95; U)
X-Accept-Language: en
MIME-Version: 1.0
To: Lamin Trawally <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: Dr. Saine's Letter to President Jammeh
References: <[log in to unmask]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

Dear Lamin:
Your apology is accepted.  As a matter of fact, your name calling did
not make me angry nor did it offend me. When I raised the issues I did
on the Bantaba, I expected to be criticized, perhaps vilified.  Except
for your untempered outburst, the reactions were very positive.  It was
clear from the tone of your response that it was you who was really
angry and offended by the letter I wrote.  Once I saw from which angle
you responded, I could tell why you reacted the way you did.  The letter
challenged you to the core, but instead of taking a moment to reflect on
the issues, you acted out of fear and anger and lashed out, expecting me
to do likewise.  I will not stoop so low.

My agenda,(if you wish to call it mine)is to see a Gambia that is
stable, peaceful and governed under the rule of law.  Like all Gambians
I am very concerned about events at home, the killings, corruption etc.

Let me also say for the record that long before I contacted Sir Dawda
for an interview in March 1999, I had tried without success to interview
Yahya Jammeh in the summer of 1995 and 1996.  I made two trips home for
that purpose, and was introduced to Jammeh twice at the State House. He
never gave me the interviews he promised.  I have also since joining the
Bantaba, written to a member of this forum to help me arrange an
interview with the president.  That individual did not bother to respond
to several requests. This is someone I consider a younger brother from
the same town and taught as a student teacher.
Sir Dawda responded to my request within two months and granted me an
interview.

Also, let me once and for all put to rest the allegation of a hidden
agenda.  I have no interest in seeing anyone in office other than those
elected under free and fair elections.  If that happens to be Jammeh or
anyone else, so be it.

Allow me also for the record to say that being from Saloum, Jawara and
the PPP were not looked upon with favor.  But more important, my father,
Seman Saine,  was a strident opponent and critic of Jawara's. And as
part of the opposition in Saloum, Jawara incarcerated my father at
Georgetown for a week.  I was then a student at Armitage.  You can
probably imagine how distraught I was ,yet proud of my dad.  And were it
not for the timely intervention of the late P.S. Njie, who was a friend
of my dad's, his imprisonment at Georgetown would have been longer. Yet,
in my interviews with Jawara, I did not once raise this issue.  Thus, my
family nor I have benefited from Jawara's or Jammeh's rule.  If
anything, it is my nephew, Major Biran Saine, a colleague of Jammeh's
and who at the time of the Farafenni attack was the Commanding officer.

Finally, Lamin, I say all this for the record and to hopefully allay
your fears and those of others about my intentions. I can be very happy,
as I am, pursuing my academic career, or wallow in anger and suspicion.
The latter in my view is fruitless.  But if in the process of doing my
work, I can help illuminate the Gambian condition, and in so doing, with
others propose solutions, I feel privileged and blessed.

Jawara, whether we like it or not ruled Gambia for almost thirty years,
and we owe it to the current and future generations to provide them with
a narrative of what happened.  This is my sole agenda.  In so doing, I
serve two interests, service through my research, the country of my
birth and my own academic career.  I have been critical of both Jammeh
and Jawara and I call it as suggested by what I find and what the data
show.

This is where your potential contribution could also lie as a student of
Political Science.  Yes! writing is hard and takes a lot of time and it
can be agonizing.  What you need is the discipline to do good research
and communicate your findings to Gambians and the academic community.
And please rid yourself of the illusion that what you write will be
evaluated kindly or liked by all. I do not expect that of my work or
anybody's.  You do what you do because you want to make a difference. I
can not engage you in a debate, I just do not have the time.  I hope
this information, however, about myself should put what I do and will
continue to do in perspective.

Cheers!
Abdoulaye
No Justice, no peace!

Lamin Trawally wrote:
>
> Dear Mr. Saine,
>
> I have just read your response to the piece I wrote a couple of days ago.
> You see, I never will, as I have no right to question your fundamental right
> to whatever you may feel like saying or writing for that matter. I think I
> know, or to speak properly, I ought to know better than that.
>
> If you think I was calling you names, then I hereby apologise most
> profusely.  I used two words which mihgt have upset you, but you see, I
> don't mince my words. They were neither intended to upset you. That said,
> however, I want you to know that I never construed your so-called letter as
> belonging to any camp, because it simply doesn't, and I'll tell you why.
>
> That letter was, in my opinion, a personal undertaking that you premeditated
> to gratify your own special interest. What I was aiming at- and this is an
> opinion I stand by and always will, was to unmask, or shall I say expose
> your hiding behind public rhetoric to portray the image of a well-meaning
> and sincere "healing and reconciliation" messiah on the L.
>
> I believe that the hidden agenda behind that healing and reconciliation
> propaganda was to serve as a spingboard for the launching of the proposal
> letter I vehemently attacked. I categorically stated in my piece that you
> are in parmanent liaisons with Sir D. K. Jawara. Isn't that the fact? (That
> being no secret, obviously then you shouldn't champion the cause for
> strategic reasons, because it might affect the ends-  assuming it was free
> from the influence of special interest.)
>
> The idea was good though, the problem is that you did it to serve your own
> interest. I do not oppose any concerted effort towards the betterment of The
> Gambia. I would be foolish to do so. But I can read between the lines. I
> calculated well beforehand that there was something in the offing from
> especially you, but I never speculated that you would employ such a method.
>
> I know you are a researcher and have infact read some of your work. I got
> them from my goodfriend Ebrima Ceesay. But for my analogy on that, I'll
> reserve my judgement. As for Alhajji Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara, with all due
> respect, and to speak properly, I really don't want to interview him. I
> don't like journalism, and even if I did, I will not interview him. After
> all, I met him and shook his hands many a time, when he used to be guest of
> honour at price-giving day in my good old high school days.
>
> I hope I've made my position clear and take for granted that this case is
> closed. I hate writing. By the way I'm on my way to The Gambia for a short
> holiday, so I'm hoping and praying that things will tranquil over there.
>
> All the best.
>
> Trawally
> B'ham UK
>
> >From: Abdoulaye Saine <[log in to unmask]>
> >Reply-To: [log in to unmask]
> >To: [log in to unmask]
> >Subject: Re: Dr. Saine's Letter to President Jammeh
> >Date: Tue, 18 Jan 2000 15:45:37 -0500
> >
> >Dear Mr. Trawally:
> >I will refrain from the use of language that would cloud the issue at
> >hand.  You expressed how you felt about the letter I wrote to President
> >Jammeh on behalf of Gambia-L, that was fine. That is legitimate and to
> >be expected.  To engage in name calling, however, is unacceptable and
> >detracts from the central issues I raised in the letter, the proposals
> >and my earlier call in November, 1999 for "Healing and reconciliation."
> >
> >In the conclusion to "It is time to heal," I indicated that this was
> >"beyond partisan politics" and that it had to do "with the future
> >generation of Gambians." Also, if you looked at the position paper
> >carefully, I also indicated on page 4,  that  " ...the views expressed
> >in support of this initiative on the G-L were not unanimous...."
> >Consequently, the letter to Jammeh derived from this frame of reference.
> >Thus, the name calling was misplaced and unnecessary.
> >
> >As a Gambian and a researcher, I need not restate the obvious, which I
> >will do anyway for the record. I have a fundamental right to speak, and
> >communicate my research findings and my points of view for that matter.
> >You may not agree with them and you do not have to.  Challenge my ideas,
> >however, as a young student of political Science. I encourage my
> >students to do just that.  This would help you sharpen your analytical
> >and writing skills and you may learn something in the process.  I refuse
> >to accept your response to the letter as the best you can do. I urge you
> >to now try addressing the issues, without the name calling.  This is my
> >challenge to you!
> >
> >And if you construe my letter and what I write generally,  as belonging
> >to one camp or another, or you wish that I belong to one camp or the
> >other; not to speak to Dr. xx or the other ; you do not know the person
> >with whom you are dealing nor do you understand the rudiments of
> >research. In fact, I would suggest that you interview Sir Dawda and
> >write a paper on it.  That way you would be contributing more to
> >understanding that your reaction to the letter to Jammeh..  After all,
> >you are both in the UK. Also, avoid binary ways of thinking.  They are
> >much too simplistic.
> >
> >Address the issues at hand if you have anything compelling to say.  When
> >the issue of "Healing" was first raised to the point of the position
> >paper, you said nothing but pounced on the letter to express
> >indignation, how convenient. And if the letter does not speak for you,
> >are you opposed to what was expressed?  If so what is your alternative
> >vision for the Gambia in light of unfolding events?  Take care!
> >
> >Abdoulaye Saine
> >No justice, no peace!
> >
> >----------------------------------------------------------------------------
> >
> >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