To me it seems when a person steals from the people or is a party to killings whether they directly or indirectly participated in it, the situation becomes personal. I just wonder how the two things can be separated? Cynthia Jabou Joh <[log in to unmask]> wrote:Matarr, Thanks, and i agree. Ebou has done his share of attacking people, and he started the attack on Halifa. I hope that all of us will stick to the issues and lay off the personal attacks. Jabou Joh In a message dated 10/10/03 10:17:17 AM Central Daylight Time, [log in to unmask] writes:> > > Sister Jabou > I quite agree with you that we should by all means try to keep away from > personal attacks. > It was Ebou who started the whole thing by attacking Halifa inorder to > defend his boss (jammeh). > Halifa did not attack Or say nasty things about Ebous mother, he was just > trying to warn Ebou that he should be the last person to attack him an > dthis has been blown out of proportion. > Ebou, now you are crying foul but what about the times when you were > literary insulting people on the Gambia post and L. You see when you live in > a glass house you shouldnt throw stones. > > No hard feelings. > Matarr > > > >From: Jabou Joh > >Reply-To: The Gambia and related-issues mailing list > > > >To: [log in to unmask] > >Subject: On the issue of Ebou Jallow's late mom > >Date: Thu, 9 Oct 2003 10:22:43 EDT > > > >In a message dated 10/7/03 5:05:45 PM Central Daylight Time, > >[log in to unmask] writes: > > > > > > > Don't tell me you do not > > > want to visit your mothers grave (rest in peace)? > > > >At the risk of being labelled with all sorts of labels, this needs to be > >said > >and I am going to say it because we have to be able to step back and view > >situations with a clear head and address the issues that need to be > >addressed > >just because that is the right thing to do; and because we cannot afford to > >loose > >sight of the real issues in any discussion or we will not get anywhere. > > > >People, I would like to appeal to all of you who have made mention of the > >above topic to please not include this topic in the discussions anymore. I > >should > >think that a topic like this has no place in our discussions regarding the > >situation at home. Every time I hear this mentioned, my heart bleeds, why? > >because I would like to believe that we are a people driven by decency and > >the > >conviction to institute a system of government that ensures the protection > >of > >rights, and that is why we are out here registering our protest. Therefore, > >there > >is no place in such an endeavour to taunt people regarding the death of a > >loved one, otherwise, we are no better than the brutal regime that is > >making life > >miserable for our people. > > > >All of us have lost loved ones who have absolutely nothing to do with this > >regime or the crimes perpetrated by their offspring or relatives. They > >deserve > >to be accorded the respect due to them even in death regardless of what > >their > >relatives may be accused of. > >If we cannot separate the issue of an individual's guilt or innocence and > >the > >protection of rights under a just system, then we have missed the point > >entirely. > > > >The constitution of the Unied States surpasses any other in the protection > >of > >the human rights of the individual and those who fight to protect it, be > >they > >individuals, lawyers or judges are the reason it stays intact for the > >benefit > >of all. Under this system, the issue between the persons' guilt or > >innocence > >and his rights under the system are never compromised no matter what they > >are > >accused of or even sharged with, and that is why it can continue to be a > >viable system. The guardians of the system know that they cannot afford to > >loose > >sight of the fact that if a person's guilt or innocence becomes > >personalized by > >the guardians of the system, then that can compromises not only the > >accused > >person's rights but that of the entire citizenry under teh same system. > >It is fine line to walk, but walk it we must so that we do not ourselves > >turn > >into the dictators we are supposedly fighting. We cannot afford to be > >selective in the administration of justice and the protection of the human > >rights of > >the individual at any point in time, no matter how angry we are at that > >person. > > > >We have to remember that as citizens who stand up for justice and who > >purport > >to speak on behalf of the people, we have to be clear headed enough so that > >our fight does not become personal, but rather an attempt to insitute a > >just > >system. A just system ensures the rights of all people, and it is the laws > >we > >institute in such a system, and not individuals that determines the > >appropriate > >punishment for all crimes against the state or any member of the society, > >and > >a court of law is the venue for such decisions. Therefore, even the > >utterance > >of words that imply the violation of the rights of the individual is > >irresponsible and dangerous. > >One of the main issues we have with the APRC regime is that they are not > >operating within the law, and a society where people threaten to take the > >law into > >their own hands becomes a promise of another dictatorship. > > > >In the U.S, even the most despicable criminals are accorded their day in > >court, and all the rights guaranteed to them under the constitution. If > >they > >cannot afford a lawyer, one is appointed for them and paid for by the > >state. The > >courts then decide the guilt and innocence of that person and the > >appropriate > >punishment is handed down. Even if someone kills your family member, you > >cannot > >shoot him or even threaten ot do so in public. This is so that individuals > >do > >not take the law into their one hands and thereby compromise the protection > >it > >accords to all. > > > >This system of laws that protect our rights is what is being compromised > >by > >the APRC regime, and this is what we are fighting against. In our fight to > >istitute a fair and just system, we must never forget that at no point in > >time > >can we threaten to abbrogate the rights of even someone who is alleged to > >have > >committed crimes against us. We simply cannot afford such short > >sightedness. > > > >If we start sounding like the APRC regime who think they are a law unto > >themselves, this is a frightening prospect because then one is likely to > >believe > >that given the opportunity to hold positions of power, such persons will > >see > >themselves as a law unto themselves, and this is the direct opposite of > >what I > >assume we are working to accomplish. > > > >Let us take the issue of Ebou Jallow not being able to go home and disect > >that point. Why is he not able to go home? Supposedly because the APRC > >regime > >will arrest or kill him, or do any number of things to him. Why? perhaps > >because > >he allegedly took three million dollars, but the money was alleged to be > >put > >into an illegal account for the regime. If all of that should prove true, > >then > >is it not a case of one of them trying to outsmart the other in an attempt > >to > >defraud the Gambian people? If we taunt one of them for not being able to > >go > >home, are we not cheering the others in their attempt to silence someone > >who > >may be guilty of the same crime as those hunting for him are? > > > >Let us also take the issue of people not being able to go home. I put it to > >you that there are many others whom the APRC regime would like to lay their > >hands on, and their only crime is that they have consistently spoken out > >against > >the injustices metted out to our people by this regime. If any outspoken > >person goes home, they will probably meet the same fate Ebou Jallow would > >at the > >hands of the regime. > >If we have a country where any citizen fears going home, that is a problem > >for all of us. > > > >Therefore people, these are points that should make it abundantly clear to > >all of us that we cannot afford to be selective when it comes to the > >protection > >of the rights of any Gambian, be they alleged criminals or otherwise. > >Again, I repeat that what we need to focus on is the establishment of a > >constitution that protects the rights of all so that our own will never be > >compromised, and to have people in positions of leadership who will not > >loose sight of > >the important issue of never personalizing any issues such that we > >jeopadize > >that very system. > > > >Jabou Joh > > > >~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > >To Search in the Gambia-L archives, go to: > >http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/CGI/wa.exe?S1=gambia-l > >To contact the List Management, please send an e-mail to: > >[log in to unmask] > > > >To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L > >Web interface > >at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html > > > >~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > > _________________________________________________________________ > Hotmail snakker ditt språk! > http://www.hotmail.msn.com/cgi-bin/sbox?rru=dasp/lang.asp - Få Hotmail på > norsk i dag > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > To Search in the Gambia-L archives, go to: > http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/CGI/wa.exe?S1=gambia-l > To contact the List Management, please send an e-mail to: > [log in to unmask] > > To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L > Web interface > at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ To Search in the Gambia-L archives, go to: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/CGI/wa.exe?S1=gambia-l To contact the List Management, please send an e-mail to: [log in to unmask] To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ --------------------------------- Do you Yahoo!? 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