"My second and I believe the more important issue is the lack of credibility 
in the eldership within the religious, social and Legal communities because 
of their inability to stand and be counted with the poor masses. The fact 
that they continue toto take Yaya Jammeh's hand-outs of monies to go on 
pilgrimage knowing he could with all honesty leg! intimately have  the 
means."

Omar, these are the gatekeepers that form the glue to our marginalization.  
And they are the ones that folks look up to, to do right.  Our biggest 
weapon against Yaya is the truth.  For when one is brave to call the cards 
as they are dealt, then one is never afraid of criminals like Yaya.  
Leadership is earned, it is not usurped by virtue of age or how much time 
one spends reciting verses.  Yaya insulted them when they went to him hat in 
hand on Koriteh day, and not a cough was uttered.  He massacred their 
children, they pray for his longevity.  He threatened Gambians with mass 
graves, this bunch praised his religiosity.  He jailed the opposition 
leaders and they thanked him for sending them or their parents to Mecca or 
giving them fish money.  Funny thing is, they believe they are righteous and 
are leading their congregation in the right direction.  The same bunch that 
prayed for Jawara to continue to preside over Gambians is the same bunch 
that pray for Yaya to preside over Gambians, even as he continues to murder 
and torture Gambians.  How can their conscience lend them to pray for a 
barbarian even as he issued threats to kill 20,000 among them, how?

May be there are other Pa Dacosta's out there, but I have not seen or heard 
them.  I would be happy to know of them for God knows they are an endangered 
species in that country .  Pa Dacosta witnessed ugliness and he stood up and 
was heard and was not afraid to be the voice of conscience when those 
students were mowed down.  I don't know him personally, but he has a special 
place in my heart for speaking up.  Where were the elders that form 
delegations to Yaya, from Banjul to Basse?  Where were the Imams, Priests, 
and the pious?  Where was our Bar Association?  Where was our Labor Unions?  
Where were our politicians?  Most if not all of them were busy calculating 
and worrying about property damages and to hell with the blood of those 
innocent youths that was spilled.  How can a country advanced with such 
human capacity as we see in these so-called leaders/elders/men of the cloth, 
etc.?  They not only do not have the guts to stand up, but they take it 
further by using undue influence on their off-springs and those that trust 
them.  "Bulma Yahal Suma Taranga".  Because of that ticket to Mecca, their 
sons and daughters that want to speak up are muzzled.  Because of job 
inducements, trinkets here and there, they claim Yaya as "Sun Boss La".  
Those that used to speak up fall under the radar, lest some opposing view 
will call them out.  So, we need to deal with this category of our society 
in other to liberate ourselves.

If our best friends, parents, brothers, sisters, religious teachers, 
mentors, etc., support this murderous and criminal regime, please do not let 
them force you to the sidelines to gain their approval.  When they are long 
and gone, you will find that you are left with your conscience.  It is much 
much easier to confront Yaya, however, it is those that we seek approval 
from that are the cancer in this rot.  So, we cannot get rid of this monster 
and at the same time accommodate his gatekeepers.  How can Yaya threaten to 
kill 20,000 humans in the Gambia and the religious establishment kept mute?  
Where is their advocacy?  As long as folks keep thinking about what they can 
get from Yaya and his surrogates, then ours will be a long drawn out one, 
for we will literally have to fight through all these gatekeepers both 
physically and mentally to get to the dix.  Thanks for reminding us of the 
other actors in the Crime against Gambia.

Chi Jaama

Joe


>From: panderry mbai <[log in to unmask]>
>Reply-To: [log in to unmask]
>To: [log in to unmask], [log in to unmask]
>Subject: [>-<] MY GAMBIA: A SAD STORY FROM OMAR SAIDY-KHAN
>Date: Wed, 11 Jan 2006 19:33:45 +0000 (GMT)
>
>                                             BY:OMAR S. SAIDY-KHAN
>
>   It is with a great amount consternation that I write to my fellow 
>country men.To start, let us give a little historical perspective to this 
>endeavour . I remember as a young student at Yundum College in the late 
>1960s,  when men full of fire for justice, energy and favour like Ebou 
>Janha, Saja TAAL, Bai Mass Taal and many others I do not remember now met 
>to decry the injustices and neocolonial tendencies that prevailed. We 
>swallowed every word this young firebrands uttered.They exposed and 
>excoriated nepotism, government. corruptions in the interest of the people.
>
>    It is the greatest betrayal,  I can imagine that they have taken a 180 
>degrees turn to support a government. and be a part of an undemocratic 
>regime, that has tortured, maimed and killed Gambian citizens.To hear  that 
>they are virtually in bed with a  callous ,ignorant brutal dictator is 
>unfathomable for me . It is no surprise that big brother,  Ebou, whose 
>tendency to be a lap dog to any and all power in place, but to hear that 
>Saja or Bai Mass have stooped this low is a slap in the face,  I believe to 
>my generation.I am at a loss why? To me,  the only answer got to be greed 
>pure and simple.
>
>   My second and I believe the more important issue is the lack of 
>credibility in the eldership within the religious, social and Legal 
>communities because of their inability to stand and be counted with the 
>poor masses. The fact that they continue toto take Yaya Jammeh's hand-outs 
>of monies to go on pilgrimage knowing he could with all honesty 
>legitimately have  the means.
>
>   To do this with clean hands is sinful..They will be accountable to their 
>God one day. For they know or ought have known that Yaya,  has stolen this 
>monies form somewhere.I have yet to hear  any one besides Imam Baba Leigh,  
>who can claim his rightful calling as Iman of God,  standing up the 
>injustices  and the plunder that is being perpetrated on my people.
>
>   Thirdly,I have no personal axe to grind, but the gull that the Jahumpa 
>kids are the blabber-mouth that attack honest Gambians for opposing the 
>undemocratic ways of the regime makes me sick.May be the young may not 
>know,  but this empty cymbals were raised and sustained by the corrupt PPP 
>government. I have known FJC  at Yundum college and Bala as new employee at 
>the Banjul court house unless he denies it now we used to hang ,for a lack 
>of a better phrase.There is no personal animosity here,  but to hear Alhagi 
>  Ibrahima 's children in a regime so despotic is very ironic indeed. But  
>I should not wonder they sucked the milk of corruption thus they are being 
>themselves only.My first experience with the famly was in the early 60s,  
>when their father sent Gambian youth to Ghana to become young pioneers and 
>left many stranded among them was my brother.He was at times generous for 
>he sheltered some provincial students who attended secondary school in 
>Banjul; one such was my cous!
>in. But I
>  cannot imagine that his children would be sleeping with the junta that 
>overthrew his government. There is no doubt in my mind that he pulled so 
>many strings for this blabber-mouths while he was in the PPP government. 
>Have they apologized yet?
>
>   Yaya,  has castrated many people morally,  but so many have sold their 
>soul to find favor and privilege it is pathetic. My visit in 2002,  
>confirmed this sorry situation in the country. Persons,  I looked up to 
>growing and placed a great amount  of respect and honor have betrayed every 
>of bit of  trust I had for them.This is very sad for me. It is apparent 
>people have lost hope. There is acute dispair  throughout the country.The 
>lack of elderly counsel to effect temperance has sipped out to the ocean.It 
>seems the growth of beggarliness is glaring.Religiousity is exploding,not 
>because of spirituality but a lack of hope.Young teenagers continuously 
>pray so much scarred foreheads and a religious buildings are sprouting out 
>of every corner.The elderly have surrendered to the arrogant young and 
>people of disrepute, who have no inkling of what responsible power is.
>
>   Another fallacy that the supporters of the regime claim is that the 
>regime has brought great development to the country, under the 
>dictatorship. I totally disagree. Case in point;I found the condition at 
>the RVH to be criminal. The patients where in everywhere they could lay 
>down. I visited the hospital with a friend,  who is a doctor,as  we climbed 
>the steps, I noticed the Metal rails had holes which could cut you  if you 
>do not take extra care. This had jagged edges sticking out. I found my 
>great niece who was admitted two days ago sharing a bed with another 
>patient .The mattress was dirty and stained with what looked like urine. I 
>dreaded falling sick in The Gambia seeing this condition; but as ill-luck 
>would have it , I needed an x-ray.
>
>   But when I went to get it the technician told me you are better off 
>going to the Westfield because your dentist would not be able to read our 
>x-ray, our machine is too old.My MD friend told me that the rest of 
>hospitals in the country are in worse shape.One could imagine how I felt 
>knowing the dictator sends his mother to the US with an entourage for 
>medical checkup and treatment at least once a year.
>
>   I took notice of the many white-elephant projects like the new  
>Serekunda hospital,new Ministry of infor. Airport; the fur furnishings 
>upkeep of which were wanting ,Brikama-Soma road,the slum-like conditions in 
>Serekunda to cap it all the total disregard for our main stay agriculture.
>
>   What about the psychological castration of the civil service who are 
>subjected summary dismissal culminating in instability of govt .services 
>and this leaves no option but to conclude that the only thing stable is 
>irrationality of the dictator. This is why many like me wonder whats 
>happened to the souls of the TAALs,NSZ Njies and people of their ilk? Yaya 
>is continually pillaging and prostituting our dear country with aid and 
>acquiescing of the people who are supposedly in the know.I wish to say to 
>you all the day of reconing is fast approaching beware.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>---------------------------------
>Yahoo! Messenger  NEW - crystal clear PC to PC calling worldwide with 
>voicemail

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