Ebrima, Did your source say his only reason for working with the government is to know secrets and leak them to the international community and to all gambians? I just want to get it right! Fatou Harona Drammeh Detriot Michigan. >From: Ebrima Ceesay <[log in to unmask]> >Reply-To: The Gambia and related-issues mailing list ><[log in to unmask]> >To: [log in to unmask] >Subject: Re: Some reflections from a source >Date: Fri, 14 Jul 2000 19:03:53 GMT > >Gambia-L: > >The e-mail below is a commentary from one of my sources in the heart of >Government. > >Ebrima > >___________________________________________________________________ > >Hello Ebrima, > >When I decided to join in the struggle to dislodge Yahya Jammeh's >despotic regime from power, I did so out of conviction and good conscience. >That conviction, Ebrima, is still there and unshakened for that matter, >despite the occasional distractions (some deliberate, others not) from >members of the L. I want to assure the List members that I will continue to >dedicate myself to the cause with the truth. I will not, under any >circumstances, provide information to the L which I do not have full >confidence in. I am in the know and, because I am in a suitable position to >know what is going on in the Government, I shall continue to provide you >with the information without fear or favour. For me, this is a mission that >I am doing not only for myself and fellow country men and women, but for >posterity as well. The information I'll continue to give you would remain >accurate and without malaise; and which information can always be verified. >So far, I have been able to exactly do that. In cases where members have >requested clarification, I have always tried to provide it under the most >difficult of circumstances and of course at a great risk. But in my honest >opinion, it is a risk worth taking given the physical, psychological and >human destruction brought onto the Gambia by Yahya Jammeh and his brutal >regime. I would have left this Government long time ago, but I am only >working, in order to be in a position to know all the government secrets >and >then expose them to Gambians and the International Community. Ebrima, this >regime has killed innocent students in broad daylight whose only crime was >to peacefully demonstrate to air their "grievances" to Government. Also, >military and security personnel have been arrested, kidnapped, killed and >buried in unmarked graves all around this once peaceful country. Individual >private citizens, who have chosen to return home from Europe, so as to set >up organisations which they hope would make a difference in the lives of >the >ordinary Gambian, have been kidnapped >and tortured in the name of State Security. School girls have been >undressed in Police stations, humiliated, taunted and in some instances, >raped in the name of retaining the current status quo. Our >elders have been summoned to State House, including the Imams and >Clergymen, and insulted by none other than Yahya Jammeh who, barely >six years ago, was an army officer living in a single dormitory with >only two pairs of underpants to his name. He was seen every day walking >along the Atlantic Road chewing on a stick of carrot to fill his empty >stomach. He was also seen in Night Clubs as far as Cassamance, Senegal, >following prostitutes. Tell me, what right does Yahya have to call in our >elders, our parents, only to insult them? A Yahya Jammeh who would preach >the virtues of hard work, going back to the land when he, as the president, >has never put in a day's work. That is the truth. I worked with him. A >Yahya >Jammeh who would rather sleep until afternoon before getting up to attend >to >the affairs of the State. A Yahya Jammeh who would steal from the Gambian >people's funds: funds he signed for in the name of the Gambian people and >yet he ends up putting the money in his pockets. Ebrima, Yahya Jammeh's >hypocrisy, his dishonesty, his brutality, his hatred for Gambians and >anything Gambian, his laziness, his lack of intelligence, his total >disregard for human life and, more importantly, his determination to hold >the Gambia hostage come what may, have led me to take the risk of exposing >his brutality, his "inhumaneness", his corruptness, his dislike for >anything >Gambian. Maybe, I should have entitled this piece: "An appeal for Gambian >solidarity", because I now see a trend developing on the L which must be >arrested immediately if we want to defeat Yahya successfully. We must stop >lambasting people or being at each other's throat simply because one has >expressed a differential view (no matter how different from the views of >the "majority"). Humiliating Gambia-L contributors because they hold >unpopular views should be stopped. Knitting here and picking there over >tangential and peripheral issues should not also continue on the L. We, >Gambians, in the Gambia see the L as a very vital tool in our struggle to >defeat Yahya Jammeh and, as such, we must continue to use the L very >effectively and efficiently so that we can achieve our goal of defeating >the >Kanilai butcher. That is how we - who are on the ground - see it. >Therefore, >something must be done to re-focus the L on the most important task before >all Gambians be they in Basse, Kuloro, Kerr Cherno or the diaspora. AND >THAT >TASK IS TO MAKE SURE THAT YAHYA IS VOTED OUT OF OFFICE, ARRESTED AND THEN >BE >TRIED BEFORE A COURT OF LAW FOR THEFT AND MURDER. THIS COMMON OBJECTIVE >SHOULD BRING US ALL >TOGETHER. So please I am appealing to all List members to set aside our >differences and work toward this common goal. By the way, I share Buharry's >view that Haddy Njie's X-rated posting was not deliberate. I want to >believe >that it was a case of pushing the wrong reply button. But don't get me >wrong: I am not, for a minute, tolerating her behaviour. All the same, if >the victim of this posting, Sigga, had replied just once and requested for >an apology from Ms. Haddy Njie, then we should just live at that and move >on. Let us bury the hatchet and move on. I have also observed that Ebou >Colly's excellent contributions are becoming less frequent and I suspect >that the ranting and raving over some insignificant issues may contribute, >in part, to this. No evidence whatsoever; just a hunch. Kebba Dampha's >contributions continue to be inspirational to me and those of us in the >Gambia. Ebrima, you'll recall that at some point, I told you that I was >considering channelling my efforts elsewhere where I think holds promise in >getting the butcher of Kanilai out, because of some of the attacks that >were >seen on the L. You then prevailed upon me to press on with the task of >exposing the Jammeh regime; anyway, I am glad that I stayed because being >in >the Gambia, I know the impact that the L is now having on shaping public >opinion here. Besides, for me, the risks are too high, but they are worth >it. However, the personal attacks must cease. By the way, I believe that >the >experiences of people like Ebou Colly, Ebou Jallow, KB, Jabou, "Aunty" >Soffie, Kabir, Buharry, Jassey-Conteh and others will certainly help direct >our cause. So please keep it up. Lastly, Ebrima, what can I say to you >except to thank you for the confidentiality and discretion in treating the >materials I and your other sources provide. Perhaps my identity would have >been known by now, if you were not handling my postings with greater care. >Ebrima, how many times I myself sent postings to you without even realising >that there were certain aspects of my e-mails that could have clearly >indicated to the Government who you source was? But you have always used >your timely judgement to delete anything in my e-mails that could reveal my >identity. My message to The Independent, Daily Observer and The Point >newspapers: You guys must also demonstrate vigilance in pursuit of tips >provided. When ex-Commissioner Alagie Kanteh revealed the approximate site >of the remains of Foday Makalo, you people should have been the first one >there as suggested by the wise Ebou Colly and reiterated by KB. You cannot >just sit in your offices and expect the evidence to be brought to you. >Please folks, some investigative journalism. The longer we wait, the more >likely the chances are that the body of Makalo is exhumed and transferred >elsewhere or dumped in the "bottom of the sea" to borrow Fatoumatta >Jahumpa's phrase. FINALLY, IT IS TIME WE GOT OUR ACT TOGETHER AND MOVE >FORWARD. THE GAMBIA EXPECTS A LOT FROM THE L. Thanks, Ebrima for giving me >the opportunity to take this thing off my chest. HAVE A GOOD WEEK END, >FOLKS > > >________________________________________________________________________ >Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail 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 E-mail from MSN Hotmail 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 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------