Abdoulaye,

The Independent has a point, and supporting their view does not for one
minute assume that the majority of folks on this forum engage in such
immaturity, even in the face of having these personal attacks directed at
us.You are quite right in pointing this out, and some of us who commended the
Indepedent should definitely have also made this clarification, instead of
just asuming that it was understood without saying. Thank you for making this
statement.

Jabou Joh

In a message dated 2/1/00 3:44:18 PM Central Standard Time, [log in to unmask]
writes:

<< To The Editor, The Independent:

 Well Said!  The criticisms leveled against Gambia-L by The Independent
 are appropriate and well taken.  It is always good to have both
 internal/external criticism. It should also be said, however, that many
 members of Gambia-L have raised the same issue over and over again.  And
 that, it is a very small minority on Gambia-L that engage in such abuse.
 For The Independent or the author to give the impression that Gambia-L
 is a forum for emotional outbursts and insults, without looking at the
 healthy debates and in particular,the GAMBIA-L POSITION PAPER to
 President Jammeh and others, is to blow the "insults" out of proportion.

 While The Independent can make room for an article on "insults" in
 GAMBIA-L, it has not to my knowledge, made room to cover the Gambia-L
 Position Paper or to interview President Jammeh and other political
 leaders on their reactions to the recommendations.  I believe Gambians
 would be better served by a serious discussion of national issues( which
 I am sure you do) on The Independent, than the "insults" a minority of
 us are engaged in.  Gambia-L, in spite of the "insults," remains a forum
 of free speech and an exercise in democracy.  More important, it is a
 microcosm of The Gambia in both its positive and contradictory
 attributes.  Surely, the maturity of a minority who engage in "insults"
 is disturbing to all those who know better.  Yet, to focus on the
 "insults" as if this was the dominant feature on GAMBIA-L, is to
 misrepresent what the L is all about.

 In conclusion, GAMBIA-L, in my humble opinion, is an effective and
 valuable forum whose members include intelligent, thoughtful and mature
 individuals, not the loud and foul-mouthed individuals your article
 purports.  Thank You.

  (I hope you publish this as a follow-up to your article).

 Abdoulaye Saine
 Oxford, Ohio, USA.

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