Ebrima, Initially I wanted to wait until you finish documenting Yahya's lies and move on to Yahya, the president and his government before engaging you on matters of more relevance than his person. Unfortunately it is virtually impossible to extricate the person's individuality (I mean Yahya as a person) from the government. However much it will be difficult to the extricate the two or the two from the government. My stance is to give the "other side of the story" whenever I feel that your account of events is not factual. Please allow me to, first of all, ask whether you still believe that I am Sarjo Jallow, S.O.S. Strictly speaking it will not affect our debate one way or the other. It is just that I want you to focus more on the issues that we shall be discussing rather than thinking that you are dealing with Sarjo Jallow, who betrayed his comrades etc., etc. Secondly, I wish to re-iterate that all views that I express on this forum are mine and mine alone. Thirdly, it is very important for all and sundry to realise that I am not speaking for Yahya or the APRC. You wrote: "Gambians should be interested in politics: it is a vital part of all our lives, and is what governs us. Gambians really do have to seriously attend to what politicians say and do, since they are the ones assigned by us to run our affairs and look after our best interests. We should be monitoring our politicians to discover those who are competent and sincere, and those who leave a lot to be desired. The situation in The Gambia is critical, and Gambians themselves have to take the bull by the horns and aim for change for the better in our small country. We should not allow ourselves to be hoodwinked by those politicians who are only keen to line their own pockets". This is exactly the reason why we should engage each other possitively and with decorum. Your analysis of Yahya Jammeh so far cannot and will not be refuted by me, as most of what you've said I have also heard. For the rest you have provided references which I can check if the need arises. However that is not the case yet. Now, if you cast your mind back to yesterday, someone, I guess it was Saul, who informed us about the government's intension to ammend the imdemnity clause, that will prevent the prosecution of anyone implicated in the April 10 & 11 killings of last year. The ammendment will also allow the president to imdemnify any individual or groups of individuals for any acts or ommissions during riot situations or croud control, that may result in the demise of any person or persons. I haven't read the full text but I'm just trying to recall, from memory, what I heard on the radio by one of the local language GRTS announcers. On the face of it, it may seem to be preventing the future prosecution of any of those who may have been found to be responsible of the deaths of those innocent kids. But if such a VERY VERY BAD piece of legislation is passed, do we need any court? Do we need that clause in the constitution that allow the president to exercise a preorogative of mercy? Now take a guess; who do you think formulated this piece of legislation? Is it Yahya Jammeh alone or the entire cabinet, which incidentally include mothers of very high education and national standing? Cabinet having reviewe it has now presented it to the national assembly for ratification and possible enactment. I hope it is thrown out. But and a big but for that matter, if it is not thrown out, most probably it will pass on a partisan basis. Such is the calibre of people that we choose as our representatives in this august body. My contention is that the government is not Yahya Jammeh alone. If you recall the trial and execution of Ken Sara Wiwa, you will realise that Ken sara Wiwa was tried and executed under a law that would have found him guilty and sentence him to nothing other than to hang, even in the UK, Sweden or the US. This decree, under which he was tried and executed, was passed during Yakubu Gowan's rule over Nigeria during the Biafara war. Successive governments, civilian and military alike, simply pretended it did not exist. Each of those subsequent governments wouldn't have hasitated to use it against any opponent who threatened them. Back to The Gambia. The 1997 constitution is very clear about the role of our national assembly members and how cabinet will be appointed. In this constitution it states very clearly that no cabinet minister will be appointed from the national assembly. The rationale was to discourage the cross-carpet phenomena that was so rampant during the Jawara era and was extensively used to break up any effective opposition political party. Good idea wont'you agree? Unfortunately, our present national assembly members don't know or value their independence from the executive. The same constitution guarantees them their salaries, immunity from all forms of arrest or harassment that mere mortals like us can be subjected to. But do our national assembly members know this or are their minds really independent? As far as I am concerned, the 3 NAMs that I really respect are Churchil Falaye Baldeh, Hamat Bah and Kemeseng Jammeh. Very odd stance for a Jammehist, isn't it? This my opinion of our NAMs and what I find even more baffling is the fact that most of them have been secondary school. The tragic events of April 2000. Do you know that those people who were shooting life bullets at the unarmed student demonstators were 100% Gambians? They are people born and bred in Banjul, Kaur, Brikama, Serekunda, Fass, kuntair etc, etc. They attended the Gambia high schools, armitage high schools, Bansang secondary schools, Sibanor secondary technical schools, etc, etc. We attend the same funerals, naming ceremonies, drink ataya together and marry between our families. Now would you still hold Yahya and Yahya alone responsible of this dastardly act? Who, in his right mind, will aim life bullets at a croud of demonstrating students who may include a a very relation considering our extended family setup? I hereby submit that the brutality of some members of our security forces is inherent in them and has nothing to do with Yahya giving the order. Those of you who recall the 1981 attempted coupe syppressed by the Senegalese will recall the brutality of our the field force. he metted more havoc on their own people than the Senegalese ever did. Those of us who had relations incaserated, especially those who were detained in the Depot hangers, vividly remember the brutality of the likes of the late Tex Khan. The tragic stampede of two weeks ago in which 5 students were trampled to death is another case in point. Interschool sports like I can recall, used to be an event of immense pleasure for all and sundry. For those who went to Armitage school, it allowed us to come to Banjul and also to be close to our girls, which was very difficult in those days. Unfortunately, these students went to this event armed with knives, matchetes, tear gas and mosquito sprays. Who is to blame? My contention is that Yahya Jammeh is not the alpha and omega of the ills in our country. Our actions now and before helped create this ungodly situation in our country and we are all to blame. We need to instill discipline, decorum and tolerance in our society. The way some of us have been engaging each other even on this forum leaves a lot to be desired. Imagine the UDP leader saying, at a rally in Sukuta recently that Yahya is saying he is a drunkard when he, Yahya, knows that jolas were the worst drunkards. He again urged the Mandinkas to unite as Yahya has successfully united his jola folks and is placing his own kindred in all strategic possitions in government. Diabolical, if you ask me. I would end this contribution by quoting T. S Eliot, who wrote in Burn't Norton :I "Time present and time past are both perhaps present in time future, and time future contained in time past. And if all time is eternally present all time is unredeemable". Have a good day and bye 4Now, KB Jobe. _________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com.