Dear List managers,
On April 6, an exchange took place on the List involving allegations of Joe
Sambou being an agent for the regime among the Gambian community in the U.S.
These allegations were levelled by Conteh, followed by myself and Elhadj Fye
adding information we had to the same effect.
During the course of this exchange, Joe Sambou sent a series of emails to the
list in which he singled me out for some very gender specific profanity. He
did not once level the same kind of profanity at the other two individuals who
were men like him.
The >Gambia-L Rules which were implemented after a recurrence of problems
involving the use of profanity by some members.
The G-L Rules read thus:
------------ REVISED RULES FROM 2002 -----------------
These are the >Gambia-L revised rules.
1. Postings on >Gambia-L should not contain extreme insulting or offensive
language; pornographic material; notices of virus hoaxes; and chain letters.
2. We´re a diverse, worldwide group of several hundred people. Our
emphasis is on sharing information. Flaming and personal insults (including
name calling, libellous statements) are out of place here.
3. List Managers will, without warning, delist members who constantly engage
in name calling and insults.
4. A List Manager can remove a subscriber for violating any of the rules
after having informed other Managers and waiting for a response within a period of
24 hours from other managers.
5. Requests for subscriptions/unsubscriptions should be sent privately to >
Gambia-L managers at >[log in to unmask]>, or through the
St.John´s web interface at >http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html>
.
6. Personal mail should be sent privately, and not to the List .
7. Any subscriber who feels that his/her parent has been abused has to send
evidence to the List management that someone abused his/her parents before
responding in kind on the L because this might result in the delisting of both the
offender and the person offended.
8. Complaints about conduct of other subscribers must be sent directly to
the Managers and not to the entire List. Management will then write to the
accused subscriber in private with a copy of the mail to the complainant.
8a. The accused subscriber must, within 72 hours, respond to the complaint
with an apology and promise not to repeat the offence, or refute the
allegations against him or her.
8b. In that there is a disagreement about the gravity of the allegation, >
Gambia-L List Managers will vote on whether the accused is guilty or not.
8c. If the offender is found by the majority of List Managers to be guilty
of the allegations, he or she must apologize to the person offended by his or
her posting within 72 hours.
8d. Failure to respond to an alleged offence or apologize after 3 working
days will result in removal from the List.
9. Forwarding responses or emails by someone who was delisted will result in
the delisting of the person who forwarded the mail, especially if it is to
insult or castigate others.
10. All those who threaten the existence of this List or otherwise
impersonate others by means of "spoofing" e-mail headers including addresses of other
subscribers, will be banned from resubscribing to >Gambia-L.
11. An expelled subscriber may apply to rejoin the list three months after
his or her expulsion.
12. Applications to rejoin the list must be approved by a simple majority of
the management team.
>Gambia-L Management
Consequently, I sent the complaint below to the list management, namely:
Soffie Ceesay
Ndey Jobarteh
Momodou Camara
Momodou Sidibeh
Dr.Malanding Jaiteh
Subj:Complaint
Date:4/8/04 8:37:40 AM Central Daylight Time
From:Gunjur
Dear List Managers,
On reviewing the >Gambia-L rules again, I realized that I had sent a
complaint
against Joe Sambou and a request to delist him to the list at large instead
of to the
list management as specified in the >G-L rules.
I am hereby tendering a formal complaint against Joe Sambou for sending a
number
of emails to the list in which he used extremely profane language against me
during
the course of an exchange. I am hereby formally requesting that the situation
be
dealt with according to the list rules.
7 samples of offensive emails in question follows:
1)
In a message dated 4/6/04 11:54:30 AM Central Daylight Time,
[log in to unmask] writes:
"To Jabou, Elhajj, Conteh, et al, you'll are slime. The worst form of
humans."
2)
In a message dated 4/6/04 5:27:13 PM Central Daylight Time,
[log in to unmask] writes
"You have sunk into a new low and I ain't going to help you out of it, but
will hound
your tired ass till you expose me."
May be I should from now on refer to you as the "Black Widow" for lack of a
better description. You're approaching 60, but I bet you new comers on this
list will not know that by your behavior. I leave you to battle your conscience.
Filth, I'm here to stay."
3)
In a message dated 4/6/04 5:33:34 PM Central Daylight Time,
[log in to unmask] writes:
"If calling you a tired ass is profanity, then you will get a lot of it
coming
to ya. I am going to hound your old ass till you cough it up. That is a
promise I
shall keep."
4)
In a message dated 4/6/04 6:43:21 PM Central Daylight Time,
[log in to unmask] writes:
"Jabou, still, your tired ass is going to substantiate your lie. You are
embarassed,
that's why. Heck, you could not produce one iota of evidence and you trying
to
change the topic for some baseless shit. May someone with time can help me
for
now, while I come after your behind. Do I look like someone who
differentiates
between the five of you? Bitch!"
5)
In a message dated 4/6/04 6:51:22 PM Central Daylight Time,
[log in to unmask] writes:
"Bitch you better come up with the juice."
6)
Date: Tue, 6 Apr 2004 23:23:38
From: Joe Sambou :[log in to unmask]
Hey, I did not lie about you, you did. You are not going to wiggle out of
this one hag.
7)Date: Tue, 6 Apr 2004 17:55:02
From: Joe Sambou :[log in to unmask]
They gheeza is a control freak and she knows that I am one fellow that does
not entertain her craziness........ A grandmother and a liar. Most folks would
shape their lives to age gracefully, but not this gheezer. However, I am here
to stay, so bring it on. Just pathethic and shameful.
############################
On April 16, after not having heard anything from the list Management, I
wrote to make enquiries regarding my complaint.
There was a response that they were having technical problems as earlier
specified by Ndey Jobarteh when she acknowledged receipt of my complaint.
On the same day, Momodou Camara wrote to Joe Sambou on behalf of the list
management and copied me as follows:
"Dear Joe,
A complaint has been lounged against you for swearing and the use of vulgar
language directed at Jabou. According to Gambia-L regulations, you are required
to send in an apology within 72 hours without which you risk being delisted
from the Bantaba. We hope that things do not get that far as it our desire to
keep the forum accessible to all.
We hope that you will take this opportunity and apologise to Jabou.
We hope that we can all learn from each other and argue in a professional
manner without resorting to vulgar languages. We should be able to demonstrate
and show intellectual maturity and complete honesty and not anger and the use of
coarse language.
Unbehalf of the >Gambia-L managers,
Momodou Camara"
###########
On April 21 or 22, 5 days or so later when it was well beyond the 72 hours
mentioned in the letter from the list management to Joe Sambou and the same 72
hours stipulated by the G-L Rules, I wrote to the list management again since
no mail pertaining to this issue had been received from them or from Joe
Sambou.
Momodou Camara replied and said that they had now heard from Joe Sambou and
were discussing the matter and will respond to me as soon as possible.
On May 10, I received the below email from the list management written by
Soffie Ceesay:
"Dear Ms. Joh,
It's been nearly a month since your request to de-list Joe Sambou from
Gambia-L for insulting you. After an extensive and deliberate examination of what
transpired, the management has decided to suspend Mr. Sambou's subscription
for 4 weeks, not to de-list him. Whilst Joe's choice of words were offensive to
all of us, and none condoned his use of profanity against you, we have agreed
to accept Joe's explanation that it was a "heat of the moment" reaction to
the accusations you levied against him.
Sincerely,
>Gambia-L Management"
##############
While I was apalled by this decision by the List management, I was even more
amazed when I found out the details of the so-called delisting from a message
that was written by Dr Malanding Jaiteh in response to a question about this
issue.
In that email, I learned that thsi was infact not only a temporary delisting,
but it was nto really a delisting since Joe Sambou was still subscribed to
the list and can receive all emails from the list, and his only restriction was
that he could not send emails to the list. The List Management did not find it
necessary to inform me of these details.
MY OPINION OF THIS DECISION
My opinion of this decision is that it is a decision that is clearly not a
decision that was based on the List Rules, but is rather a doctored up version
of the rules, a "new decree" that was adopted by the list management so that
they can arrive at a decision that could not have been arrived at had they
based their ruling on what is stipulated by the rules for the offence in question
and which offense they had ample evidence on.
From other postings by Momodou Sidibeh and Momodou Camara respectively, and
which were also responses to questions raised regarding this issue, I further
learned that the list management had made this decision to "creatively
unsubscribe" Joe Sambou based on an argument from Joe Sambou that his use fo
profanity toward me was a result of his having "snapped", a spur of the moment
reaction to the allegations that were levelled at him.
Now, I am sure that the list management will agree that there are no
provisions in the rules for their position to be that of judge and jury whose role it
is to decide the truth or lack thereof of allegations levelled between list
members.
Therefore, their role in this instance was to decide this case based on what
is being alleged as it pertains to what is written in the rules.
However, since the decison was made based on an argument from Joe Sambou that
he had "snapped" , basing their decision on this argument is also without
merit for the following reasons.
A) There were two other people who made the same or even more grave
allegations regardign Joe Sambou being an agent for the regime, and although Joe said
his having "snapped" was the reason he directed these profanities at me, It is
very interesting that this state of mind was at the same time very controlled
indeed since he never once used the same gender specific and foul profanities
towards the other people who levelled the same allegations at him.
I think there are two reasons for this.
1. Joe Sambou did not do that because these two were men like him and perhaps
he feared using similar foul language towards them.
2. Joe Sambou used these profanities towards me because I am a woman and he
thinks he can do this and get away with it, and he also has abusive tendencies
which could not help manifest themselves. But let Joe Sambou please note that
I am a woman but I have uncles, I have brothers, I have nephews, I have
in-laws, I have sons and I have friends and they span the globe.
B) On the same day that Joe Sambou directed all these profanities at me, he
also made the following statements on th open forum:
1)
Date: Wed, 7 Apr 2004
Sender: Joe Sambou :[log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: List managers,Request to delist Joe Sambou!!
Chei Ignorance. Being delisted was and is not an issue with me and I had
taken full responsibility and stand by every word I said about you and the Fab
Five. No regrets there. My only regret is the readers.
2)
Date: Wed, 7 Apr 2004
From: Joe Sambou <[log in to unmask]
Sidebeh, thanks for your counsel. I would like to take this opportunity to
apologize to the readers for putting them through this nonsense, especially the
women. I hope folks understand why I had to react to these frauds. While I
apologize to the readers, I however, meant every word I used to describe the
knuckleheads that form this malicious conduct and I shall continue to fight their
ignorance. I will also understand if the list managers should agree to delist
me in the interest of equity for for my choice of words. Mine was precise and
deliberate and the only regret I have is that the readers had to endure given
the structure.
3)
Date: Tue, 6 Apr 2004
From: Joe Sambou <[log in to unmask]
Sidebeh, while I understand your caution, but this is no time for me to
regard these scum with dignity. This is one of those times that, while I will
vegorously defend my integrity, I shall tell these scum what I really think of them
in the process. It's better than war, ain't it? They will think twice to come
here and spread such a stinker again. I stand accused for my choice of words
but this event shall be folled to its end. Sorry to disappoint. Now, if the
mangers find it within their powers to delist me, I do understand their
responsibilities.
Chi Jaama
Joe Sambou
4)
Date: Wed, 7 Apr 2004
From: Joe Sambou <[log in to unmask]
If someone is reading this mail and is connected to the L, kindly forward it
for me. I believe effort was underway to delist me and I totally accept that
situation.
###############
Joe Sambou also took time to call my telephone number the evening of the same
day he spent spewing out profanities at me and left the following message on
my voicemail
"Jabou, Please call me when you get this message. This is just politics and
these things do happen, so just call me."
I sent an email to the list asking him why he called to leave this message
the next day and he never responded to it.
In their email to me, the list management wrote:
"After an extensive and deliberate examination of what transpired, the
management has decided to suspend Mr. Sambou's subscription for 4 weeks, not to
de-list him."
I find it hard to believe that the decision by the list management was based
on an extensive and deliberate examination of what transpired as indicated.
Since this decision that was rendered after supposedly "extensive and
deliberate examination" is not based on the rules, and some maneuvering has been done
here to accomodate Joe Sambou's excuse which he himself refuted in several
emails as quoted above and which are alive and well in the archives, it would
appear that the list rules have been rendered meaningless and trust in their
application as relates to offences stipulated therein compromised.
In view of this, I have the following suggestions:
1. Scrap the rules and let the forum be a free for all so that all the foul
mouthed people can spew out as much profanity as they wish and there does nto
have to be any pretense at delisting them.
2. Change the rules into "non-permananet draft rules" to be ammended
according to the particular issue to be decided at hand. This way, the ammendments can
be tailored made for the desired results and then discarded after the desired
result is achieved.
3. Let us add permanent decrees to indemnify should a decision that
contravenes the rules be adopted, ala Yaya Jammeh and the Gambian constitution each
time a new issue to be decided comes up. This way, we can mirror what is
happening in our country even as some of us proclaim to be bearers of banners for the
peoples' rights.
MAY GOD ALMIGHTY HELP US!
Jabou Joh
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