Bamba Laye, The phenomenon of political prostitution ascribed to African intellectuals has been tirelessly examined by political and social scientists. The eminent Ghanaian lecturer George B.N. Ayittey succintly deals with the issue in his book, 'Africa in Chaos'. To buttress your points, I was recently amused to see on a tape so-called educated people being made to repeat: 'Dr. Alhagie Yahya A. J.J. Jameeeeeeh' during the APRC victory celebration at the McCarthy/22nd July Square. This line became Yankuba Touray's mantra throughout the celebration. And President Jammeh holding a white handkerchief, prayer beads, and a copy of the Holy Qur'an swearing, "Billaahi, Wallaahi, Tallaahi", over and over again. Oh, I even forgot about the Jihadist sword he perpetually carries around with him. I thought about Mobutu with his totemic leopard hat, Sekou Toure with his white handkerchief, and some other fool of a president that always carried a carved stick with him. What in heaven's name is wrong with such African leaders? Surprisingly, their common denominator is their lust for power, intimidation, and violence. Above all, what is wrong with the people, especially the intellectuals, who worship such infantile presidents? Maybe, some psycho-analyst could look at these behavioral patterns in an attempt to understand the factors that trigger such mental behavior. Africa's gloom and doom have been hastened by no other people than her own children. The advent of a free society in The Gambia and other parts of Africa will be a dream until our people cease to worship their leaders. Hamadi. _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp <<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>> To view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html To contact the List Management, please send an e-mail to: [log in to unmask] <<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>>