Hamjatta aning Kejau,
Mbang, allye mengfo Mang song. Fitino mang beng. Nsing khakilootu. Taakaboo mang beng. Ning a Gambia teenya omu albadaaleti
Muhammad Bai Drammeh Bin Alhagie Sheihu Muhammad Lamin Drammeh Bin Muhammad Kanday Drammeh bin Muhammad Kissima Drammeh bin Foday Drammeh
--- On Fri, 21/8/09, Kejau Touray <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
From: Kejau Touray <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: RE: [>-<] No to Direct violent Confrontation
To: "gambia post" <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Friday, 21 August, 2009, 9:42 PM
#yiv1596016173 .hmmessage P
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Thanks Hamjata,
Kind Regards,
Kejau Touray
Date: Fri, 21 Aug 2009 13:40:18 +0100
Subject: Re: [>-<] No to Direct violent Confrontation
From: [log in to unmask]
To: [log in to unmask]
"If you think the way forward is "giving milk" to Jammeh then you might as well thow in the cow.”
Only George Sarr simultaneously can manage crackling humour and moral seriousness in a sentence – and with such characteristic with such briliance.
If I may steal the show for a brief second: I would like to add two related thoughts.
The problem with those who tediously churn out this "no to direct violent confrontation" shtick is not simply that they, sotto voce, are arguing for a kind Quaker pacifism that is absurd beyond parody - though that is at the heart of the matter. Nay, the problem here is that they naively assume that when violent confrontation does occur - and it almost certainly would occur - it is within the divine gifts of sane and rational members of the high-minded opposition to micro-manage it, as it were. Which is to say that violence when it does come would be thus because the opposition consented or affirmed it – however that may have been communicated.
Of course, this is a perversion of reality: it is premised on the naive and unquestioned faith that the Dictatorship in the Gambia is a garden variety autocracy that can be successfully challenged by writing op-eds, sit-ins, vigils, distributing civic discourse leaflets to citizens, etc. This is the same sort of naive faith on the part of some Gambians in their delusion that July 22nd (or a military government, come to think of it) was capable of turning the Gambia into some sort of democratic Shangri-La.
I would hazard a guess that it is same Shangri-La enthusiasts of the July 22nd military coup – clearly jaded and disillusioned with the old faith – who now embrace the equally perverse faith that it only takes an inspirational ‘kumbaya’ leaf from Gandhi to change the vile Dictatorship in the Gambia. This is, of course, nonsense on the stilts of faith.
I take it that a prerequisite of political maturity is the ability to not only confront reality with our eyes wide open but equally (perhaps more importantly) the disposition to consistently study the world around us with our eyes wide open – unfazed or seduced by Shangri-La sentiments to think that the purity and beauty of our moral sentiments and imaginations are sufficient (in and of themselves) to change the ugliness of the real world we happen to inhabit.
This sort of way of thinking and doing politics, that is to say, political realism, would have made it easily palpable and uncontroversial that - then as now - the Dictatorship in the Gambia is impervious to both reason and moderation. If confrontation does ensue from the present dispensation, this is not because the opposition ordained it - nay, it is simply because basic moral precepts like rationality and moderation are not something you will readily find if you were to leaf through the moral vocabulary of the Dictatorship. The practical everyday upshot of this, of course, is to almost asphyxiate all avenues that would make it meaningful to hold civic dialogues that would help towards dampening, or even rendering civil, the present crises.
Second, insofar as the primary objective of these latter-day Gambian Quakers is to stand athwart attempts to drag the Gambia into a civil war, one might add that they may have missed the bus. This is contentious and needs unpacking. It is true that, thus far, the Gambia has not descended into the sort of conflict that gripped the likes of Liberia and Sierra Leone in the 1990s. That much is self-evident and not a matter of dispute. And in that sense it is absurd to say that there is a civil war in the Gambia. However, if you were to crutch on a constitutional understanding of civil war, the Gambia is already experiencing the primitive stages of a civil war. In the constitutional understanding of a civil war, the perennial conflict all societies have to cope with, and negotiate, on an almost daily basis are made bearable because of constitutional moorings. This relatively benign status of social conflict in a relatively normal society transmogrifies into a
civil war when the institutional and constitutional moorings that frame the conflicts in the society ceases to be so because the warring parties lose complete faith in the therapeutic effects of the constitution and its arrangements. That is, the ways in which they frame the social conflict is extraneous to the constitution that is supposed to govern their exchanges.
Ex hypothesi, a self-enforcing constitution, that is a constitution that works relatively well, does so because it institutionalises the conflicts in a given society and retains the confidence of the vast or overwhelming majority of the polity. When a constitution ceases to be self-enforcing and alienates a significant majority, especially with the other side not relying on norms of legitimacy or persuasion but crude and brute force, constitutionally a civil war exists because those being terrorised no longer are confident that the existing institutions protects them and their interests. They therefore start to look outside the confines of the constitution to protect themselves and their legitimate interests. They need not pronounce this over this over the radio: they simply need to think so and act so – however hesitant the initial moves
Of course, formally none of the antagonistic groups in the Gambia have formally estranged themselves from the present constitution and the institutional arrangements it has conferred; but, as I say, it is not the formal announcement of constitutional estrangement that augurs the onset of a civil war.. Like the National Bureau of Economic Research’s Business Cycle Dating Committee (America) dating of recessions, the dating of a civil war, as a matter of historical record, is almost after the event is in full swing and not exactly when it has started. So that, for instance, the NBER dates the onset of the current recession sometime in December 2007; but it took it almost a year to declare that fact. Civil wars have a similar dynamic – mutatatis mutandis, of course. And it is in this respect that the Gambia is in the early stages of a civil war. It may be unpronounced, but it is latent nonetheless.
How this will play out is anyone’s guess. But if we are really serious about a prophylactic solution, we need more than Gandhi-style preaching for peace. In fact, counter-intuitively, the more we ignore the reality that we are in the early stages of a civil war, however muted or unpronounced, we make it more likely that when the pronouncement comes in the form of intense and bloody violence it will be a decades-long civil war we have witnessed in horror in places like Sierra Leone, Somalia or Liberia. Partly because we have not psychologically and materially prepared ourselves for that eventuality. Counter-intuitively, therefore, openly acknowledging that there is already a civil war in the Gambia helps far better to truncate, even mitigate, the violence when it does eventually come – contra the Quaker pacificism that would have us believe that peace is contingent on reciting hallelujahs. This sort of honesty helps because it helps to properly
communicate the existential threat the Gambia currently faces to all and sundry, especially those with the wherewithal to decisively intervene and change the course of our history for the better.
Hamjatta
On 17/08/2009, George Sarr <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
If you think the way forward is "giving milk" to Jammeh then you might as well thow in the cow. Didn't Pape Saine gave Jammeh 'Sukarr Ndogu' to Jammeh not long ago? Did that stop Jammeh from abusing this man and putting him jail as I write? To make matters worst I heard Samsudeen Sarr asked Jammeh for 'Sabarry' (Mercy Plea!) as if Capt. Ebou's 'Sukal Neko Baalal Ma' that fell on Jammeh's deaf ears has not taught him anything. Are you people OK? For God sake give us a break.
Sent from my iPhone
On Aug 16, 2009, at 5:54 PM, Muhammed Drammeh <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
Hi Joe,
While I have been agreeing with you before but this my occassion I cannot support any means of violent confrontation. We cannot destroy The Gambia as we have our homes and families there. Thus we will engage Jammeh but with knowledge and diplomacy. Leke i say we will not transform The Gambia to a Liberia or Sierra Leone. The purpose of Sierra Leone and Liberia is for us to learn the lessons thereof. My father teaches me to give milk to the one who give me blood. This I will pass on to all Gambians. I know we may be exasperated but we must not loose our heads. What benefit will there be if we destroy The Gambia while people die and we in Europe are sitting here and drinking tea and juice while our relatives are suffering. Will we be able to sleep well.
Therefore no no no to violent confrontation. We need to tackle Jammeh with knowledge and wisdom so as to win the moral debate. Our behaviour must be such that Jammeh will be forced to show us respect. Our dealings with him must be more mature. This is the way forward
Muhammad Bai Drammeh Bin Alhagie Sheihu Muhammad Lamin Drammeh Bin Muhammad Kanday Drammeh bin Muhammad Kissima Drammeh bin Foday Drammeh
--- On Sun, 16/8/09, Joe Sambou <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
From: Joe Sambou <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: RE: [>-<] Direct Confrontation is the only way out of this mess
To: "Gambia Post" <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Sunday, 16 August, 2009, 9:08 PM
Coach I cannot agree more. Folks, if you support any politician or rather if any politician wants to lead and be supported by Gambians, that politician must have a backbone to stand up to stop the madness of Yaya. If any politician is not willing to do that, please do not waste your time and our time. To be considered as a leader in this struggle, one has to be willing to stand up. None is doing Gambians a favor for being a politician. If a politician feels that they just need to ignore Yaya until the last week to the Presidential elections, then you are advised to step aside. You do not choose yourself a leader, it is the people that choose you. Folks, we are yet again at crossroads. If we stay mute because we are conflicted at demanding more from the party or leader we support, then we will continue to get more of the same.
Chi Jaama
Joe
From: [log in to unmask]
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [>-<] Direct Confrontation is the only way out of this mess
Date: Sat, 15 Aug 2009 23:04:33 +0000
Direct Confrontation is the only way out of this mess
By Pasamba Jow
The conviction and sentencing of the innocent GPU Six by a corrupt mercenary judge, acting on the orders of an arrogantly vindictive tyrant, Yahya A. J. J Jammeh, is neither shocking nor surprising to those who have followed the actions of this notorious government. In fact, it is not by any stretch the most atrocious crime committed by Jammeh against the Gambian people since usurping power in 1994. Unless we are suffering from amnesia, this unjust conviction does not equal the numerous political murders committed by Jammeh. If anything, it confirms the extent to which the Gambian cowardly tyrant is willing to go to cling onto power.
There is a lot of justifiable anger and frustration on how we the Gambian people have stood nonchalantly by while our nation is being highjacked, our rights abrogated, our limited resources pillaged, and our very ideals bastardized by an innate liar and fraud in Yahya Jammeh.
We are yet again confronted with same question: what are we going to do about it? Are we just going to moan and cry about how bad Jammeh is, or are we going to write, intellectualize, and hope that some international community will come to our aid? Are we yet again setting ourselves up to go the same old route of legitimizing this barbaric regime by participating in elections we know are never going to be free and fair, expecting to go to the courts for redress, the same courts that have sent the GPU Six to Mile 2? Courts that are under the whims and control of the dictator? Alternatively, we can explore and take a more practical and proactive role in challenging and exposing this regime through civil disobedience. The reality is that Jammeh will not go quietly, and no matter how long we postpone the inevitable, confrontation is the only one way we can take back our country and begin the arduous task of rebuilding.
The politicians on the ground must realize that Yahya Jammeh’s presidency and government are illegitimate and must be seen and dealt with as such. He came to power illegally and has been running that country for the past 15 years illegally. Jammeh ceased to be the legitimate president of the Gambia the moment he violated the oath he took to defend and protect the constitution of the Gambia. Jammeh is a criminal who belongs in Jail not the GPU Six. He cannot be treated as a legitimate leader by any serious entity looking to bring about change. It will be futile to take the approach that this is a situation to be treated with respect and legality, hoping to contest an election that will be stolen and can never be free and fair. To go that route is tantamount to enabling the tyrant’s hand. Jammeh’s crimes for the past fifteen years have made it impossible to accord him any respect, and he has none for anybody but his quest for power. Yahya Jammeh
embodies the worst among us, and any attempt to play along and expect the international community to come to our aid will only be a pipe dream.
The only viable way of dealing with such a notorious regime is through direct confrontation and total civil disobedience. We must bear in mind Dr. King’s counsel that “Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed.”
To all of us living in the Diaspora, the armchair revolutionary tactic we have utilized in the past in dealing with Jammeh must cease. We must become the architects of change in the Gambia by becoming active agitators. It is not enough to analyze every action and/or perceived inaction by the politicians on the ground, and characterize it as their problem and responsibility to fix. The opposition must be seen as partners in the struggle, not as sole owners of it. We will all have to win together or lose together. We have as much responsibility in ending Jammeh’s tyrannical rule as they do. We must not play secondary fiddle to anyone and still expect to choreograph the show. In addition, there is a limit to what the international community is going to do. Their help will come in handy if we take the lead. We will never bring change if we continue to stay in the comfort of our own homes, or try to manage the risk we are willing to take. Again, Jammeh is a
criminal and we have to go after him like a criminal.
The overwhelming majority of us claim to fear no one but GOD. But that comes with the responsibility to stand up for what is right regardless of the consequences, or abdicate that responsibility and be judge harshly by history. Jammeh’s rule is grossly unjust and must be confronted by any means necessary. The time is ripe for people power to retake our country from this criminal gang. This is not just the responsibility of the politicians, Imams, Bar Association, GPU and other civic organizations. It is the responsibility of all Gambians who believe in justice and freedom.
We must not rest as long as Sarata Jabbi’s son continues to live in an orphanage; we must not rest as long as the families of the massacred students, Deyda Hydara, Koro Ceesay, the murdered soldiers, Chief Manneh, Kanyiba Kanyi, and all those murdered by Jammeh and the innocent people languishing in jail get the justice they deserve. We must not rest until Jammeh and his partners in crime are brought to justice. Then and only then can we join the community of people who, when confronted with tyranny, stood up for justice in spite of peril
"True peace is not merely the absence of tension; it is the presence of justice." Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
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Hamjatta
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