Suntou, I think this is a valuable exercise. I will sit by the side and listen to be further educated. In parallel, I will discuss this idea of the rule of LAW and how you gauge a politician's commitment to it since my dear friend Lamin has been most interested in that area. I must say here that I am of similar dispensation as Lamin (JDAM) for I believe that the basic tenets of democracy is governance without fear or favour. The only way you can accomplish that in a heterogeneous society (Gambia is a heterogeneous society), is to 
train on the common constitution.
                                                                                              Haruna Darbo (09/09/07)
   
   
  Make no  mistake, we do not have a constitutional government in Gambia presently. What I  share here is that in the pursuit of the rule of law, all citizens are equally  committed to it. Any insinuation or declaration otherwise is vainglory and  disingenuity.
                                                                                             Haruna Darbo (09/09/07)

   
  At this early juncture, I wish to thank you Lamin for the notes from 2005 that you so generously forwarded to me. I have reviewed it carefully and I continue to draw inspiration from it. I must share with you though that there were two premises that are fatally-flawed. Otherwise, it was sincere, appropriate, and with more benign delivery of your intent, you could have been successful. The tone was adversarial from my understanding. I ask for your 
forgiveness in advance but I will share ideas on it with you in private as the note was 
privately forwarded to me. My conversations here will also review them without assignment.
                                                                                       Haruna Darbo (current)
   
   
   
  Haruna:
   
  The context of your above deals with the issue of who among the so-called opposition presidential aspirants should be entrusted with the mantle of flag bearer for the original five-party NADD. Based on my understanding of the objective evidence as then available in the public domain, and in consideration of the Gambia I would like to live in post-Jammeh, I was in no doubt that of the potential aspirants, Halifa was far and away the most credible candidate for NADD flag bearer if only for his constant willingness to share his vision with fellow nationals. As a convinced and confirmed institutionalist, he is essentially a devotee of the rule of law.
   
  Having arrived at Halifa as most suitable presidential candidate for a coalition against the APRC, I simply played the role of advocate in communicating my considered choice with opposition Gambia and the wider national electorate. Even when NADD was collapsing before our collective eyes, Halifa demonstrated his mastery of the political process by spinning those catastrophic developments in his favour. 
   
  To state, as you did, that "all citizens are equally  committed" to the "pursuit of the rule of law" is to contend for an indefensible proposition in that not everyone understands, much less accept the fundamental prerequisites of that doctrine of governance. 
   
  Unlike you, I think we should develop the ability of unambiguous communication with those who aspire to lead us. You appear not to have done that with the camp you supported in the disastrous events leading to the catastrophe of September 2006.
   
  I reemphasise that when I communicated my views with fellow Gambians in "Honourable Halifa Sallah for NADD Flag Bearer" - the "notes" you alluded to - I was simply acting as an advocate for that proposition. I was not acting in the role of a teacher dilating on the niceties of constitutionalism, and, or, the rule of law. 
   
   
   
   
  LJDarbo
   
  

Haruna Darbo <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
  Barring any supposition otherwise, and for the rule of constitutional law in 
any nation, the state government must be independent of any of its religions.

Additionally, barring variance in opinion, and for the rule of 
constitutional law, any politician who aspires to lead a nation must necessarily belong to 
one of her constitutive tribes, ethnicities, religions, and or cultures.

At this early juncture, I wish to thank you Lamin for the notes from 2005 
that you so generously forwarded to me. I have reviewed it carefully and I 
continue to draw inspiration from it. I must share with you though that there 
were two premises that are fatally-flawed. Otherwise, it was sincere, 
appropriate, and with more benign delivery of your intent, you could have been 
successful. The tone was adversarial from my understanding. I ask for your 
forgiveness in advance but I will share ideas on it with you in private as the note was 
privately forwarded to me. My conversations here will also review them 
without assignment.

The constitution of Gambia can be viewed therefore as an open subsystem of 
of the system that is Gambia. The other open subsystems are Citizens, Health, 
Education, and Industry. The boundary that describes the entire system is a 
beltline or ceinture called The rule of law. This is no different from 
Senegal, Ghana, SierraLeone, US, England, Wales, Canada, Hungary, or the Fjords that 
make up Finland. In 1994, Yahya and his group of marauding bandits broke the 
ceinture and the system was laid bare to uncontrolled entropy and displaced 
priorities. I am cognisant of the fact that change from the PPP government 
was long overdue and most desired, but the AFPRC and later APRC was not the 
desired or proper change. Of course Gambians were to later learn that. 
Furthermore, any other coup to replace Yahya and Edward, if inspired by greed and 
self-interest as opposed to the commoner Gambian interest, is doomed for failure 
either prior to success or immediately after success. This is a topic for 
another time perhaps before we retire from this conversation series.

The decade of Yahya and Edwards' rule has witnessed enormous advancement in 
the areas of communication, and general properity throughout the world. This 
prosperity has passed Rwanda, Serbia, Bosnia, Croatia, Montenegro, 
SierraLeone, and Gambia by unnoticed. Other countries by reason of ethnic and religious 
strife, and Gambia by clueless banditry. Development in many areas of human 
endeavour is now accessible thanks to diminution in informational barriers. A 
young lad in India could handle process for the US from Lahore. Similarly, 
an entrepreneur in Accra could manufacture and shipping of his/her product 
from South Africa. A researcher in Rufisque could benefit from real-time 
collaboration with a counterpart in Tel-Aviv or Damascus, and a Doctor in Ethipia 
can benefit from innovations in surgical technology in Oslo. All of this 
advancement can only be harnessed by willing, ready, and able agents. Their mere 
existence is not of much value to anyone. The old adage "Opportunity knocks but 
once" ought to have been changed to a more appropriate paradigm 
"Opportunities lays dormant to be harnessed by the best prepared". Opportunity has never 
knocked on anyone's door, not even once. If you wait for it to knock, you are 
bound to die waiting.

Demographers have shared with us that (Joel Cohen) the decade that has 2005 
as its mid-point has witnessed trransitions for mankind that are of epochal 
proportion.
In 2005 the World's population doubled.
From 2000 onward, the population of elderly folk surpassed that of the youth.
In 2007, the urban populations surpassed rural populations.
All these events occurred under the clueless watch of Yahya and Edward. I am 
confident prior to this conversation they were ignorant of these important 
facts.

Dynamic subsystem components like these are what keep the ceinture of the 
rule of law snugly around the Gambia if it were there. They are also the 
self-regenerating components of constitutional government. My coleagues can begin 
to appreciate this conversation when you realize that Epochs in human life are 
best unguided, unled, and uncoerced. Just harnessed and celebrated. An 
illegal act cannot by definition be epochal. An epoch is a natural phenomenon or a 
constitutionally desirable human event. Yahya and Edward are advised to seek 
appropriate help for governance of Gambia and to train on commoner good. 
Otherwise they will be removed by an epochal event and it may not be pretty for 
them. Make use of the remaining goodwill of Gambians and stop prostituting us 
for Taiwan and other uncouth nations. Lures abound.

Thank you for your audience and I look forward to being with you soon for 
another installment of this conversation series. I will share thoughts on 
UDP/NRP, PDOIS, and APRC. I do not consider PPP or NDAM to be significant 
political parties. No offense party members. I will also share ideas on why we must 
abandon the quest for NADD or its reconstitution. That is foolhardy and highly 
temperamental. I will though share a better way forward as I develop the 
concept with a fellow citizen who suggested the idea in the first place.

Haruna Masoud MQDT Darbo. 



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