Halifa,
I have your noticed your attempts in upping the ante on your low risk
critique of the 1997 Constitution as opposed to stridently unmasking the
doctoring and engineering that was done to the 1997 Constitution by the AFPRC
that we all anticipated. Yes, I've read your booklets ages ago when they
probably first came out. Again it struck me odd that you who passionately
exposed the shortcomings of the 1970 Constitution and the Jawara era, would
resort to only low risk rhetorical questions as your critique of such a
fundamentally flawed constitution. Perhaps you would explain why you resorted
to such low risk critique, when you the fearless campaigner, who had tasted
virtually everything save death, would balk at saying it the way you were
saying it when Jawara was there. Another classic case of your dumping of your
principles for blind pragmatism? Or another of your many adopted strategies?
Just a conjecture. Fill us in, Halifa. Fill us in. I am sure members are
dying to know why the double standards for the Jammeh and Jawara experiences.
On your memorandum to the Constitutional Review Commission, at any rate,
I cannot claim to have read it in it's entirety; only snippets of it in your
paper and the endless letters you wrote during the transition and it's
aftermath. And also having listened to you on Radio 1FM, I can imagine and
speculate what it entails.
Really when I came online, I was hoping to see you tore to shreds my
contentions on the Indemnity Provisions and why you claim I've boxed myself
in a corner and need assistance from Lawyers. Instead procrastination,
procrastination, procrastination, to mimic New Labour speak. I hope this
weekend we'll end this once and for all.
Ah! You've not given up on the straw poll. Well. I have posed a question
in my last posting to you, but you did the classic Halifa thing and danced
your way out of it by asking questions instead of answering mine posed
earlier. Not surprised from this end. Indeed what did irk me was your
insinuation that those who prefer not to have their names splashed on the
Internet because the faceless wonders of the NIA are monitoring this forum,
are spineless. Try telling that to some 75% of the 629 members [a guesstimate
entirely mine] who never participate in any online debate about the present
state of the Gambia. Tell them that they are also 'spineless' for not raising
their voices online. Anyone who cares for the truth knows that the Jammeh
administration doesn't play according to the rules. And in this process has
destroyed the civil service of the Gambia by expunging it of those they feel
are not sympathetic to their cause or those who don't want to be their
poodles/functionaries. Many of those online here are students who wish to go
back after graduation and some of whom are on gov't scholarships with the
intention of joining the civil service or some public corporation all of whom
this gov't monitors vigorously to weed out what they call 'undesirables'. Are
you going to chide them being 'spineless' for their political quietism?
Patiently, I have told you that political quietism is as much of a virtue as
political activism. Those who keep their silence in public do not tantamount
to being labelled 'spineless'. I hope you get the point.
In any case, if you are worried about your poll rating, then why not do
the obvious: do your own poll. Oh you could also exercise patience. Soon
elections would be here again. There is no better poll than real elections
where real people decide. What of the grapevine talk that you are being
touted as a possible PDOIS contender for the Chairmanship of the KMC. Surely
you would know how your reputation has fared since your last election. For
someone who claims he is not interested in public/political office, you
beggar logic when it comes to your standing in public opinion. Here you are
indifferent to political office, standing for political office and watching
your back when it comes how you are rated in opinion polls? Perhaps you will
explain the inconsistency in standing for elections whilst not desiring to
win an election.
As usual I will be anticipating your usual wiseacres.
Hamjatta Kanteh
hkanteh
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