http://www.foroyaa.gm/modules/news/article.php?storyid=3057

Bro Rene,

I read the article after a brief search on foroyaa and excuse me for
forwarding the links here before you settle your scores with Foroyaa. While
I followed just a little part of your writings due to my age online, I think
your honesty weighs in more than anything, that is to say, it is enough to
go by your words. Besides the fact that I attended a cross section of
the events in Atlanta, and I honestly didn't see any Rene there. I concluded
thus this is not written by you.

On a note, I want to say that the part below (paste of the reportage from
the links above) is accurately reported by the author, so the author must
have been in attendance in those programs. I didn't witness the second part
of events narated in this piece. I think the author would have better taken
such a mighty credit for him or herself. But I hope you get to the bottom of
matters. The piece itself is very analytical, but using someone's name (if
there is no other Rene Badjan other than you ) is wrong. I think Foroyaa are
very humble and ethical, and it should be easy to resolve it with them. With
the internet age, pen names are a common tale. If the person wants to be
sharp like Rene, or another Rene jnr;, they should add "junior" so we
differentiate them from the other Rene. In any way, you caught it right on
spot! And you made noise about it, and that's what people with true
conscience do.

Kind regards,
yj







"  By *Publisher* <http://www.foroyaa.gm/userinfo.php?uid=31> on 07-08-09 (44
reads) *News by the same
author*<http://www.foroyaa.gm/modules/news/newsbythisauthor.php?uid=31>

By Rene Badjan

AGERA, the Atlanta Emergency Relief Association organised a series of
activities during its annual July 4th Re-Union of the Gambian community
which is a day set aside to commemorate the Independence of the US. The
programmes ranged from the holding of a symposium, a cultural evening,
football marches to a family re-union at a park.
The symposium and Book Review, signing programme took place on 3rd July
2009.It was supposed to be Chaired by Dr Sulayman Nyang, Chair, Political
Science Department, Howard University. He is reported to have expressed his
regrets for being unable to come because of a clash of programmes. Mr.
Sainey Faye, an elder in the Gambian community, therefore chaired the
program.

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An Immigration Lawyer, Mrs. Neera Bahl, LLC gave a lecture on “US
Immigration Reforms”
The Authors
Dr Donald R Wright, Professor of History Emeritus, State University of New
York Cortland, Cortland launched the books: “The world and a small place in
Africa “ and “oral Gambian Traditions”
Dr Abdoulie Saine, Professor of Political Science launched his book “The
Paradox of Third Wave Democratization in Africa “
Mr. Yankuba Mamburay launched his book: “The Search for a Lost Brother.”
Halifa Sallah launched his book “Treatise on Founding a Federation of
African Republics -The Road to African Unity, Democracy and Development-The
Third Phase of Pan- Africanism”
The people who witnessed the event appeared to have been overwhelmed by the
depth of profundity of the presentations. The organizers did conclude that
the presentations had made AGERA proud to have been behind such a
rapprochement of brilliant minds. It could be gathered from the enthusiasm
engendered by Halifa Sallah’s Presentation and the deep interest developed
in his book by the audience that the presentation on Pan Africanism has won
new advocates.

Symposium by STGDP
STGDP, Save the Gambia Democracy Project also organised a symposium on July
4 regarding the question of Unity among opposition forces. Their aim was to
brainstorm and gather concrete ideas from political activists in the
Diaspora. The STGDP intended to build a consensus from the diverse analyses
and proposals and come up with a proposal for the opposition parties in the
Gambia to consider.
The moderator of the Program was Ms. Siga Jagne. Mr. Banka Manneh, the
Chairperson of STGDP, opened the program.
The speakers were Pa Samba Jow, Dr Abdoulie Saine, Mr. Pa Sallah Jeng, Mr.
Amadou Lowe, Mr. Karamba Touray and Mr. Demba Baldeh. They spoke in their
personal capacities.
At the end of the program, a request was made for some political figures
i.e. Kemeseng Jammeh, Ebou Manneh and Halifa Sallah who witnessed the
symposium to say few words. Mr. Kemeseng Jammeh and Mr. Ebou Manneh did
indicate the difficulties opposition parties are having and their preference
for a party led alliance rather than forming something similar to NADD.
Halifa Sallah in his turn informed the gathering that he came to Atlanta to
launch a book, and was at the symposium as an observer and did not expect to
be called upon to speak.
He urged all participants and reporters to record his views correctly. He
reiterated that Gambia could only change through the ballot box if all
Gambians who want a new start for the country by 2011 agree on an agenda to
put an end to self-perpetuating rule which is strengthened by the exercise
of power by the executive without restraint or control by institutions,
civil society and the public at large.
He emphasised that the best way to put an end to the culture of presidency
for life is to commit the next President after Jammeh to preside over a
transitional government, which would last only for a period of five years or
less. The aim of such a transitional government would be to build a
democratic Constitution which should lay a solid foundation for establishing
democratic state institutions, strong civil society pressure groups and a
sovereign people who would build a way of life under which freedom of
expression and respect for fundamental rights and freedoms would be assured
and Public trustees fully scrutinized and restrained, so that no autocratic
government would ever emerge on our soil.
Halifa Sallah conveyed to the audience that even though he is a potential
Presidential candidate for 2011 he will be willing to support any candidate,
with or without party affiliation, who is a choice of the people who has the
capability to convince the people that he or she could unify the Gambian
nation irrespective of party affiliation, religion, tribe and language and
guide them through a political transition just to give the Gambia a new
start.
He emphasised that he has no interest in sitting down to discuss or forge
alliance with anybody who is not committed to the assertion and
consolidation of the sovereignty of the people which is the only way of up
rooting the foundation of the politics of patronage which provides a fertile
ground for self perpetuating rule and autocracy. This Sallah posited, must
start with limiting the tenure of the next president after Jammeh to one
term with the mandate to restore the sovereignty of the people and build the
democratic Instruments, Institutions and Culture necessary to ensure
transparency and accountability and a vibrant civil society and population
and give the country a new start.

ON NADD
He said that some people do give the impression that NADD was created in the
US. Halifa indicated that this is a misconception. He said that since he was
given only few minutes to make observations he would not want to go too
deeply into the issue of NADD. He called on STGDP to explore the idea of a
National Conference as proposed by Dr Saine and invite all political leaders
to come and address them on the realities of the past and the way forward.
He said that that would enable him to clarify matters satisfactorily. He
however indicated that NADD was born out of unanimous decision by all the
parties to the alliance. He said that after many sessions by the leaders
without breakthrough he made two proposals to them to enable them to attain
consensus. According to him, he asked the leaders in 2004, either to allow
the individual parties to continue with their campaigns and come to the
negotiating table within six months before the holding of Presidential
elections to decide which party and party leader would be allowed to be the
flag bearer or put the operation of all their individual parties on ice and
form an umbrella party, which could start operation with immediacy. He said
that after prolonged indecisiveness among the party leaders in making their
option known he had to tell them that he could not continue to waste his
time as coordinator attending meetings, which could not take decisions. He
said that the leaders chose to form an umbrella Party. He observed that he
still could not understand why the leaders chose to establish an umbrella
party instead of continuing their party activities and forge a party led
alliance close to elections.
He said that it is after the leaders chose to establish an umbrella party
that a decision was made to prepare a memorandum of understanding to give
structure to the agreement. He sad the memorandum provided for the selection
of a presidential candidate by unanimous decision of the leaders or through
a primary. He indicated that he still could not understand why the leaders
did not resort to a primary when they failed to reach consensus. He said
that he had a lot to say but that was not the place to be polemical. "


On Fri, Aug 7, 2009 at 6:20 PM, Y Jallow <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> Bro Rene,
>
> It is very painful when someone uses your identity.
>
> Can you forward the links to the article as time permits?
>
> I couldn't see it on foroyaa.
>
> thanks,
>
> yj
>
>
>
> On Fri, Aug 7, 2009 at 3:00 PM, <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
>>      Today is a very sad day for me. My trust and my integrity has been
>> abused and violated in the most insensitive and selfish way I could ever
>> imagined. Without going into the details of what happens, I want to draw
>> attention to EVERYONE that I am not the author of the said report in the
>> Foroyaa newspaper. I was not in Atlanta, neither do I have knowledge of all
>> the things that were raised in the report.
>>
>>      It is also important for me to note, that most of the people in the
>> forums are familiar with my way of writing, and it should become obvious to
>> everyone that I did not write that report. Foroyaa has been made aware of my
>> utter surprise and disappointment in using my name in the report, and hereby
>> call on them to remove my name from the report forthwith and issue an
>> apology to me.
>>
>>    RENE BADJAN
>>
>> ------------------------------
>> ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤ To
>> unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web
>> interface at: http://listserv.icors.org/archives/gambia-l.html
>>
>> To Search in the Gambia-L archives, go to:
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>>
>
>
>
> --
> yj
>
> There is no god but Allah and Muhammad is His messenger.
>



-- 
yj

There is no god but Allah and Muhammad is His messenger.

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