Ebrima: I am thrilled that you are back to normalcy. We were indeed very surprised at your absence, but we refuse to draw any speculation for fear of helping the enemy. As you can see, we are still in the struggle, and will appreciate if you can send in your contribution to Brother Joe Sambou on the fund raising that we have started. We are also arranging to have a Unity Conference in Atlanta that will coincide with the 4th of July festivities. I again want to thank you for your continuous contribution to the struggle. As you can see this "Mr. Kebba Jobe" thing was initiated by Tombong Saidy. My source told me that numerous stooges are using this name to confuse us. He/she even told me that Tombong sarcastically said that their strategy is to go underground with many names to derail our efforts. Naphiyo, Comrade ML Jassey-Conteh ------Original Message------ From: Ebrima Ceesay <[log in to unmask]> To: [log in to unmask] Sent: April 15, 2001 5:42:00 PM GMT Subject: Attn: Minister Sarjo Jallow or "Kebba Jobe" "Kebba Jobe" or Minister Sarjo Jallow: I have noted several remarks made against me by you, and I have thus far chosen to ignore them, because initially, I did not take you ("Kebba Jobe") seriously. However, I have now been informed by one of my sources in the Gambian government, that you are indeed Sarjo Jallow, the Minister for Youth and Sports, and the government’s official Spokesman. I intend henceforth, to take you seriously, and I am now ready to take up serious debate with you, now that I have some vacation time on my hands. As you may know, I am a passionate advocate of the process of debate, especially of debate whose outcome may result in the betterment of the lives of Gambians at home and abroad. I believe in the power of debate, where both parties are honest, ready to admit their shortcomings and open to learning from each other. I support debate based on decency, decorum and FACTS. I am now publicly challenging you to take part in a series of debates on the merits and demerits of the Jammeh regime, and on Jammeh’s record since assuming power. I should expect the debates to centre on every sector of life – on education, on health, on agriculture, on the economy, on women’s issues, on population, on infrastructure, on human rights, on the judiciary, on electoral issues etc. etc. But, in order for our debates to be of use and purpose to Gambians and to the betterment of The Gambia, both sides of the debating forum have to be honest, and open to admitting each other’s shortcomings as well as strengths. I am not interested in engaging in personal attacks, and shall avoid any discussions involving the latter. I am interested in participating in debates which focus on issues and on facts, rather than on personalities or inventions. There are two debating options open to us: The first would be a series of debates based on philosophical arguments where our differing ideas and thoughts (although not supported by cited sources or other references per se) could notwithstanding, convince the general public one way or the other. It has tended to be this sort of debate which has characterised many of the postings to Gambia-L in the past. The second would be a series of scholarly debates based on empirical data and facts which will be referenced and sourced. Whatever we stated in the debates, we should back with relevant sources so that other people could also refer to the cited sources to check the record. For instance, if I were to say that the current Gambian debt burden has risen to 500 million Dollars, then I should follow this by quoting the source for this figure as the 2001 Budget Speech. Similarly, if you come up with a claim, then you would need to substantiate it by citing the relevant and publicly accessible source. In this way, our readers can check the accuracy or otherwise of our statements or views. I am not interested in engaging in debate where character assassination is involved in any way, or where there is gossip or innuendo. The debates would be issues-based in order for me to be a participant. I have no wish to waste my time in debates which are less than serious and sincere. This is a crucial period for The Gambia, and I intend to resume my series of messages to all Gambians. However, I am willing to put these to one side for the time being, in order to be involved in direct and enlightened debate with you, or any of the pro-Jammeh lobby. I am not a public figure: I hold no public office. But I am not afraid of scrutiny. It does seem that many of you pro-Jammeh people (apart from Tombong Saidy) who have the guns, who are in The Gambia and whose government is in power, are the ones who are hiding their true identities under pen-names. If you believe in what you are saying, and are a man of conscience and integrity, then you should not be fearful to speak on the record and officially on behalf of your government. If a government spokesman uses a pen name to put forward the government case, your readership may ask themselves "why?". However, whatever name you choose to write under, I am ready to participate in open, public and fair debate with you. I believe that it is vital that the Gambian people have access to this sort of debate in the pre-electoral period: without this, they are less able to make informed and sound judgements. Let us therefore focus on the issues affecting Gambians and The Gambia, and back up our views with credible references and data. Both sides will need to be able to substantiate any claims. If the Jammeh team on the Gambia-L want to be taken seriously, let them give factual and substantive accounts, rather than engaging in public attacks on non-public figures (eg. Kebba Dampha, Ebou Colley, Hamjatta Kanteh, Saul Khan, myself and many others). If you, "Kebba Jobe", are ready for a mature and enlightening debate, I shall be delighted to take you on, and to spend my Easter vacation on this. If you choose not to, then allow me to spend my holiday resuming my series of personal messages to my Fellow Gambians. I await your reply. Ebrima Ceesay, Birmingham, UK. _________________________________________________________________________ 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 You may also send subscription requests to [log in to unmask] if you have problems accessing the web interface and remember to write your full name and e-mail address. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html You may also send subscription requests to [log in to unmask] if you have problems accessing the web interface and remember to write your full name and e-mail address. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------