YJ You are a man of conscience and wisdom, and I celebrate you for those qualities. Thanks for your A+ grade, and yes, I am particularly proud of this material. I personally brought the piece to the Post, and L, some three years ago on the occasion of the July 22 anniversary celebrations and I am utterly surprise at the dishonest suggestion it came from the Observer. It was sent to me by an on-line contact who has the original Observer edition in which the article was published 17 years ago. He had to retype the piece as the scan was not suitable for publication. On why the PPP government deserved to go, I merely refer you to Kairaba by DKJawara. As the PPP government collapsed, the ship of state, and the man who made them what they were as politicians operating at the highest levels of the Gambian state, were abandoned without thought. The so-called security chiefs, most of them buffoons extraordinary, were virtual illiterates in 1994. Laughable indeed that such were the people presiding over the security of that hopeless and do-nothing government. I respect your view on the forceful overthrow of the PPP, but for me it was good riddance. LJDarbo From: Y Jallow <[log in to unmask]> To: [log in to unmask] Sent: Saturday, 12 November 2011, 21:28 Subject: Re: [G_L] [>-<] GOOD ADVICE TO THE YOUNG COUP MAKERS I cannot help my naivety but I think our learned scholar LJD did an excellent work on the piece. My only reservations are that I do not support the ousting of the Jawara regime through an overthrow, because I think they were a legitimate Government versus the devil masquerades in the person of Jammeh. Be that materials or records are with respect to time, I would give my good friend an A+ on that write-up. It is indeed true that many people initially made the mistake thinking these uniformed pariahs were liberators and to the contrary, it was the beginning of a whole chapter of terror yet to be written. For example, many of us supported Waa, Rambo, and the many others when they were in the opposition camp, and as soon as they deflected to the terror regime, people took back the complements and credits they gave them. Having followed LJD's activism at Gainako, and the many other outlets, I am very convinced that he is a sincere soul who means good for our country, despite some of the current debate over the presidency. While some of us were very young at the material time, but again instead of judging a man on a time sensitive material in measurement of consistency and sincerity, how about judge him for what he currently holds –one very vocal, yearning for equal rights and justice for every citizen regardless of lineage. I understand that the politicos Nyang and his camp are still not satisfied over the fiasco of late, LJD’s harsh criticism of some of the top leaders, the latest a call to the IEC to stop Hamat Bah from contesting the presidential elections. Given the frustration, I can see any desperate attempt to corner using his previous footprints. In overall, I see fine gentlemen in all of you, more so the loveable LJD, whose legal submissions we continually crave for. Even with all the bitterness that LJD’s article sparked, he was just making his opinion for goodness sake, whether wrong or right, and I honestly unlike some who to the extent would like to openly crucify him for opinion, thinks we are certainly in the depths of politic season. Thanks Malik for digging on us, giving some of us the opportunity to read what was placed on these forums aforetime. Yero There is no god but Allah (SWT) and Muhammad (SAW) is His messenger. Fear and Worship only Allah alone! Date: Sat, 12 Nov 2011 12:16:32 -0500 Subject: Re: [>-<] GOOD ADVICE TO THE YOUNG COUP MAKERS From: [log in to unmask] To: [log in to unmask] Malick and Nyang, this is bother line pitiful. I do not see anything wrong with what LJD wrote in 1994 if put in proper context at the time during which for the first time in Gambian history the poor Gambian felt like their voice has finally been heard. When Jammeh came, the only ones taking the turns of events hard were mostly those who unjustly benefitted from Jawara's corrupt government. A lot of Gambians saw Jammeh and his boys as liberators and it is sad that Jammeh hoodwinked Gambians into thinking he is some kind of messiah coming to put things right. Typical of tyrants, he ended up leaving many of us looking back at Jawara as a leader we would have rather kept. As Modou Mboge properly articulated it not long ago, we now live in a Gambia where people like you and Nyang work extra hard to discredit others for no bloody reason. Since you, Pa Samba and Nyang are very good at digging at archives, why don't you do us a favor and share with us the letter Halifa wrote to the AFPRC dated 8th October 1994. The context is no different from LJD's. Paco On Sat, Nov 12, 2011 at 11:29 AM, Modou Nyang <[log in to unmask]> wrote: Malick, thank you for the forward. It is good for someone like me to know what our friend LJD said and did immediately after the coup since i was a very young school boy at the time whilling time away in football matches and athletic games. I had read other peoples views as part of studies of understanding the dynamics of the coup and it's aftermarth but perhaps it was because i did not know who LJD was might be the reason i did not figure it out. > >Nyang > > >From: malik kah <[log in to unmask]> >To: "[log in to unmask] dialog" <[log in to unmask]> >Sent: Saturday, November 12, 2011 11:03 AM >Subject: [>-<] GOOD ADVICE TO THE YOUNG COUP MAKERS > > > > > > > > >DAILY OBSERVER, MONDAY, AUGUST 1, 1994 > > >COMMENTARY > >We salute you! Albeit Cautiously > > >Dear members of the provisional council: > >As an international media blitz focused world attention on the tragedy of a million Rwandan refugees in camps in Zaire over the weekend of July 22, Gambians at home and abroad were captivated by the unfolding of the most profound event in our national affairs: the declaration of a military takeover July 23. Even for those Gambians who foresaw military government in our public life, the crisis that started Friday and culminated in a takeover Saturday may have come as a surprise. > >As the sketchy details of conditions in The Gambia were taking shapes in the media, some of us took informal polls of Gambians in the United States, Canada, and the Western Europe, eliciting their views on the overthrow of the fraudulent “democratic” tyranny of Dawda Jawara. I even made a few calls to The Gambia for the domestic perspective. To a person, the verdict was unanimous: we are happy and grateful, but??? Without doubt, you are the men of the hour, symbols of heroism to at least 90 percent of all Gambians. The question mark is over the future. And the future is what we must address because therein lies our collective destiny. > >In light of the track record of military regimes in other African countries, the near unanimous but qualified support is understandable. We would hate to see our parents, families, friends, and any Gambians for that matter flee the country in fear for their lives. Death would be preferable to countenancing such a spectacle. To solidify your position and keep the country together, you must avoid the adoption of the modus operandi of military governments in Africa. More fundamentally, you cannot afford to create martyrs. And vindictiveness must not be a part of the new order of national affairs. Memories last forever, and if bitter, they become a factor in the calculus of daily events, escalating the potential for tragedy on a constant basis. Ordinary Gambians, especially the unlettered bulk whose support for Jawara’s government had no rational basis, must be left alone. Only those public servants whose conduct clearly triggers the response of our laws may be fair targets for investigation. > >Dawda Jawara was a captain who lost his bearings, and the ship of state he disastrously piloted was destined to run aground. He finally arrived at the ultimate destiny of his nepotic, corrupt, and incompetent administration: the trash-hip of history. Dawda Jawara’s absolute control over the reins of power made him more feared than respected. You have the right to expect loyalty from your closet advisers, but they must not be fearful to the extent of endorsing all your policies regardless of their merits. You must be open-minded and receptive to ideas different from yours. > >We are not nostalgic for an era and a government that visited executive vandalism on the Gambian people. But we also refuse to be sentimental and complacent about the present. Your place in history will entirely depend on how you utilise the awe-inspiring instruments of government at your disposal. > >After a fraud lasting three decades, the populace may be prone to the syndrome of unrealistic expectations that are almost always integral to forceful government transitions in Africa. Your task is to communicate in effective but realistic terms, and to refuse to feed the frenzy of utopian sentimentalism during your honeymoon with the Gambian people. This, however, is not to suggest that you shy away from engaging the practical challenge of nation building. And nation building necessarily involves national reconciliation. In light of the manner you ascended power, certain constituencies may feel alienated. Your task is to reassure everyone, and not make anyone desperate through fear for personal safety. And even if private property is seized pending further investigation, I strongly recommend that a final determination of forfeiture be adjudicated before the tribunals of justice in The Gambia. In similar vein, and notwithstanding the suspension of the Constitution, the Cabinet members of the overthrown government must be accorded due process commensurate with the basic tenets of justice. > >The families of those former cabinet members, whether among the Jawara asylum party in Senegal, or other parts of the world, must not be used as bargaining chips. They are not even vicariously responsible for the untoward conduct of their spouses and/or parents. Although our first successful national encounter with a forceful displacement of government, the experience of other countries should provide cogent instruction in our attempt to fashion a strategy of national unity in the aftermath of such an earthshaking event. The overthrow of the Jawara government was bloodless and we challenge you to keep your administration bloodless. This means no hostages, no summary trials, and absolutely no executions. > >Lieutenant Jammeh’s interview with the BBC and his comments regarding the plight of the “little man on the street”, coupled with his statement concerning civilian involvement in the council, are encouraging. > >As you make appointments to the cabinet and other policy-level positions, you are well advised to draw from a talent pool untainted with the cancerous corruption and indiscipline of the Jawara government. This should effectively exclude all the past and recent high-level officials in that administration who involuntary left office. Certainly no cabinet member as of July 22 should be included in your government, although reports reaching us indicate otherwise. From a national security perspective, such an appointment may be unwise considering the person’s key role in the Jawara government for over a decade. > >A watcher of the Gambian political scene said that we should approach events in our homeland with “cautions optimism”. For now, we salute you, albeit cautiously, for ending a three-decade fraud that emasculated the Gambia. Everyone I contacted simultaneously endorsed the overthrow of the Jawara government, and expressed uneasiness with a permanent military regime in The Gambia. I strongly recommend that you seriously consider and communicate to the Gambian people a timetable for a return to civilian rule in the country. > >Excuse my concern but my civic duties dictate that I express my thoughts on a condition of first impression in my country. The stakes are too high, and sink or swim, we are in it together as Gambians. For 17 years, I have followed every major political event in Africa and the world. I have seen governments, civilian and military, engineer and nurture atrocities of mind-boggling dimensions on the people whose welfare they are supposed to protect. I have also seen the silent killers, the governmental equivalents of high blood pressure, arrest the hopes, and drown the dreams, of generations of their youthful citizens. Jawara belongs in the latter. Governmental crime has different formulations, but after the enervating trials of the Jawara fraud, Gambians may have no patience left to tolerate an assault on their material and spiritual heritage. > >May God bless The Gambia and Gambians in this hour of trial! > >Lamin J Darbo >The University of >Tennessee College of law > 3700 Sutherland > Avenue, Knoxville, >TN 379191, U.S.A. >(Tel: 615558 7034) > > >[log in to unmask]" width=642 height=465> >[log in to unmask]" width=624 height=465> > >���������������������������������������������������������� To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://listserv.icors.org/archives/gambia-l.html To Search in the Gambia-L archives, go to: http://listserv.icors.org/SCRIPTS/WA-ICORS.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://listserv.icors.org/archives/gambia-l.html To Search in the Gambia-L archives, go to: http://listserv.icors.org/SCRIPTS/WA-ICORS.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://listserv.icors.org/archives/gambia-l.html To Search in the Gambia-L archives, go to: http://listserv.icors.org/SCRIPTS/WA-ICORS.EXE?S1=gambia-l To contact the List Management, please send an e-mail to: [log in to unmask] ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤