"Rene, I was not going to respond to you because you can't think for yourself. Nonetheless, can you kindly tell me when this so-called propaganda stage of Gambian politics started, when did it end and what was it all about??? . Your response will be highly appreciated as it will help me understand the heck you are on about"

 

Daffeh, if you want to accuse me of not thinking for myself, I don't think you are in a better position either. I haven't read anything that you have thought for yourself. I haven't read any concept you have developed about the Gambian economy; any strategy you have formulated to resolve the contending issues of the Gambian political situation.

 

I haven't read any original postulation you have made on any issue, more so issues that are relevant to the Gambian political discourse. Even the political party that you represent, I haven't read anything substantive that you have contributed to raise its political profile, neither is there anything substantive in terms of building the party's platform that can be attributed to you. So, saying that I do not think for myself is the classical case of the kettle calling the pot back.

 

Now, when it comes to knowledge: there is a subjective knowledge base and there is an objective knowledge base. And there are fundamental principles that govern  the whole concept of knowledge. You find these principles in all disciplines and in all areas of knowledge. You do not have to be knowledgable about a discipline, but once you understand the principles that govern that dicipline you should be able to discourse in that dicipline. You can also conceptualize new ideas and formulate new thought processess. This is how people think for themselves.

 

Propaganda has always been a phenomenal aspect of Gambian politics. And it is a tendency whereby politcians or their surrogates spread ideas or information to either further a cause or damage a cause. They can also spread ideas and allegations for the same purpose. The distingushing factors are whether the information spread is true or false and the cause damaged is genuine or not.

 

Therefore propaganda can be used negatively to spread unfounded allegations; to tell lies repeatedly so that by telling it the more it will become the truth. It can be used negatively to assasinate someone's character or consistently deride someone's noble ideas in order to make it ignoble. Conversely, propaganda can be used positively to refute a lie; to challenge a postulation that is false and deceiving; and to advance a cause that is noble and genuine. The latter is the propaganda stage that is the genesis of the Gambian political struggle that started in the late eighties.  

 

 You wouldn't understand all these, if you are fixated on one thing and one thing only. This is all part of a larger dynamics and an evolving reality that move from one stage to another. We have to understand and respond to each of these stages as it moves through the evolutionary process.

 

Rene