Laye, Good to hear you again.

Allow me to chime in for a minute.

I totally understand your sentiments vis-a-vis Halifa Sallah and I share
some of those sentiments. I also understand Suntou's oped and I share some of
 his views. I am of equal opportunity grace. What I see is that we risk 
taking this conversation to the sentimental and ecumenical realm as is usually
 the case when we speak about Halifa, a man who aspires to lead Gambia
through  the political party PDOIS. I advise that we bear on sobriety.

I take Suntou's oped as a fact-finding query given the fact that  Gambians
have a cynical view of politicking. Perhaps Suntou can yield greater
perspective on politics in this query. He is not to be dismissed for sentimental
reasons however. It is natural for a PDOISard to be up in arms when their
party  leader is questioned but consider that with the requisite temerity and
discernments, the questioning, even if disdainful, can strengthen the
leader as well as improve our lot as a people.

I commend Halifa for embarking on a fact-finding mission into the
witch-hunting saga as a human being. Witch-hunting is the veritable insult to  our
collective consciences and acumen, especially one sanctioned by Yahya, whose
faculties are not readily discernible. You have posited, and appropriately,
that  the onus of fact-finding in such egregious matter is not the reserve
of Halifa  alone; to wit: "Halifa Sallah is not and should not be the only
person of  dignified conscience amongst the leaders or those who claim to be
opposition  leaders in Gambia. What he has done and gone through
demonstrates to all and  sundry that you, I and every human Gambian must not stand
aside and look while  your fellow Gambian and human is being humiliated in the
most degrading  manner."
Laye, you will therefore agree with Suntou that all Gambians have been
equally incensed by the saga, but that Halifa being the leader of PDOIS had
wished to capitalize on common disdain to yield PDOIS greater fortune. I am
reminded that there are others in PDOIS like Sam, Sidia, Amadou, Samba, 
Suleyman, who could have embarked on the same fact-finding, but were they to
have been arrested, they do not stand an equal chance of relief as Halifa had.
 To whom much is given, much more is expected. You will see that Halifa 
himself has shared in his defense of the erroneous charges levelled against
him  by an uncouth and clueless prosecutor, that he derived his rights from
our  common constitution and the fact that he is a leader of a political
party. Any  journalist can embark on the fact-finding mission and by dint of
Halifa's  association with the PDOIS party organ Foroyaa, he has added umph!
These are  some of the reasons you feel comfortable in comparing Halifa to
Gambia's other  politicians who in your own words and disdainfully "claim to be
opposition  leaders in Gambia." You know what happens to journalists who
embark on  fact-finding missions including Foroyaa journalists. Politics
therefore was a  major factor in both enabling Halifa to embark on a fact-finding
mission. Were  he not leader of PDOIS, proprietor of Foroyaa, a respectable
contributor to the  pan-African parliament, he may have or may not have
entertained the risks  associated with fact-finding in Gambia.

The broader picture therefore is that even though many Gambians are
incensed with the witch-hunting grafignette, our political leaders, opposition  or
incumbent, are the ones most empowered to prosecute our collective
disdains and anxieties. This means that politics is our legislative life.  Whether
Halifa engaged with ulterior political motives or not, is therefore
immaterial to me. However, ordinary citizens are free to query his motives as  much
as they are free to express repulsion at Yahya's motives and pantomime. It
is in the explanation and general disposition of PDOIS and Halifa that will
 yield attenuated fortunes.

It is unwise to compare Halifa to our other opposition political leaders
from both a human standpoint and from a colegial view. That I think will be
the  height of conceit and an insult to our collective intelligence. And it
unfortunately furthers the strictly political motive of Halifa and  PDOIS.
You will realize that we did not get to the point of Yahya embarking  on
repulsive witch-hunting exercises in a vacuum. Life is ever so dynamic. Yahya
was enabled somehow and I suppose that has escaped us. That is the schematics
of  politics that erodes most future and "pure" goodwill.

What Suntou is trying to figure out, is whether there is salvage value in
the preliminary steps taken by Halifa and whether Halifa can be instrumental
in  yielding that salvage value for commoner good. I submit that the best
way to  achieve that is by all of us enabling our other political leaders in
APRC, UDP/NRP (NDP), PPP, GPP, and GDP to coordinate the prosecution of our
 legislative life as Gambians. The days of bunker politics are waning and
there  are signs everywhere for the astute. We did not see any amalgam of
forces by our  political leaders when Taf-Taf Yahya bereft of Gardens stole
Brufut Lands and  dispossessed Brufutians, nor did we see the same when
Halfdiens were  unscrupulously dispossessed of their homes in the name of port
expansion.  Witch-hunting and circumstance is tantalizing and a gross violation
of human  rights. But so are the myriad precursor trespasses that enabled
it. You  will realize that Halifa is not easily amenable to coordination of
effort with  other opposition parties. Glaring. The witch-hunting fact-finding
could yield  more tangible results if it were actively coordinated. But
PDOIS is on a mission  that does not seem to be common relief. It was when the
onerous exercise  threatened PDOIS electoral fortunes that Halifa engaged in
fact-finding, the  numerous reports and eye-witness accounts of it
not-withstanding. Halifa's  initial statements on the saga betrays ignorance to
warrant a  fact-finding.

That is all for now. - Haruna. Allez-y!!




In a message dated 4/14/2009 3:43:39 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time,
[log in to unmask] writes:

Suntu:

Halifa Sallah is not and should not be the only person of  dignified
conscience amongst the leaders or those who claim to be  opposition
leaders in Gambia. What he has done and gone through  demonstrates to
all and sundry that you, I and every human Gambian must not  stand
aside and look while your fellow Gambian and human is being  humiliated
in the most degrading manner. We should be thankful that we know  in
Halifa, ONE Gambian that will stand up to the brutalities of  the
regime and would rather die or languish in jail than to sit and  see
his fellow beings dehumanized in broad day light. To insinuate  that
Halifa was looking for personal or political gain in the exercise  of
liberating his conscience and dignifying the value of human  life,
smirks of debilitating ignorance and an insult to his and  our
conscience...God forbid!

-Laye

On Tue, Apr 14, 2009 at  4:08 AM,  <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> An interesting oped  to ponder Suntou. Discerner-in-Chief!!! I think Yahya
> shot himself in  the foot. And I'm worried about our two bad left-eyes.
New
>  Kambians!!!! Haruna. You pamplemousse!!!
>
> In a message dated  4/13/2009 6:29:40 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time,
> [log in to unmask]  writes:
>
> Monday, 13 April 2009
>
> Halifa Factor In  Gambia's Witch Hunt debacle
>
> By Suntou Touray
> With the  dust almost settled even though facts about the Gambia’s witch
> hunting  episode may all not be known, there is occasion to reflect over
the
>  whole encounter. Men dressed in red raided settlements in search of
witches.
> They captured people of decent background and made them  consume lethal
> concoctions in the name of ridding them off witch craft  spirits. Some of
the
> captives died. Large numbers still remain in  biting pains, mostly deep in
> their stomach.
> Former Serrekunda  East parliamentary member and sociologist Halifa Sallah
> was last month  arrested and detained at mile 2 prisons for over a week.
This
> was due  to his decision to visit two villages over a witch hunting
> incidence.  Halifa after his release commented that he went on a fact
finding
>  mission to the two villages. More accurately put he tried to proof
whether
> the witch hunting story was actually true or false.
>  Halifa was arrested afterward because the government felt that, he as  an
> ordinary citizen of the Gambia who seeking to impersonate the work  of the
> police or state security agents.
> No doubt Halifa by all  regards played brave by what he did. Why he did so
> remains a question  on wet lips.
> Some people considered it a genuine move by Halifa to  prove what others
> thought a mere rumour. To others Halifa was in a  publicity campaign for
> himself and certainly scored political points  whether he preferred using
> that or not.
> From what came out of  the encounter Halifa made us all to know that the
> witch hunting story  is real and the actions are sanctioned by Gambia
> government.
>  What next after knowing the true story still a valid question for
curious
> onlookers. Will there be any lawsuit against the government  for the
unlawful
> conduct of humiliating and harassing innocent  Gambians?
> The witch hunting episode ended up projecting Halifa’s  political profile
at
> higher levels. He was a victim of arbitrary  arrest but that by itself
> arrested the tormenting witch hunt at least  until matters settled over
> Halifa’s own arrest and brief detention.  The whole saga eventually
shifted
> from the witch hunting focusing on  Halifa. That earned him a high profile
> victim of the unjust government  crime of witch hunting.
> Halifa made noise about the remote control  Gambian constitution loud
enough.
> He defended his action by quoting  various sections of the Gambian
> constitution, a document he knows  about inside out. Halifa knows too well
> also that document is serving  one man and one man only, Yahya Jammeh the
> current Gambian head of  state. Since many Gambians know for a fact that
> document is not  protecting their human rights for a number reasons one
> wonders if  there was any need for Halifa to labour over constitutionality
> this  fragrant government encounter with innocent citizens.
> The gains of  Halifa’s intervention can double if he was to help the
victims
> pursue  claims of damage resulting from such inhuman treatment. The
victims
>  deserve good compensation.
> The good efforts of Halifa placed him  beyond the single position of flag
> bearer PDOIS /NADD to the lofty  point of standing tall for Gambian
people in
> times of need. This is  enough wakeup call for Gambians over length and
> breadth of the country  to resist the advances of witch hunters. Halifa
can
> draft a  comprehensive law suit against the government as seen truly
standing
>  up for the people. The point of departure would be the constitution, a
book
> fully in Halifa’s firm grips. Impeachment proceedings against the
president
> can be initiated, thus demonstrating severity human rights  violations.
> The law suits may not bear quicker results but to make the  government pay
> victims. Through that citizens will go long way in  exposing the severity
of
> state organized crimes.
> We await  Halifa’s future actions concerning the witch hunting debacle.
> Halifa’s  political profile is undoubtedly boosted. Other gains exceed
>  individual political scores. Yahya should not have arrested Halifa in
the
> first place. The only reason one would think he ordered his arrest  was to
> cause wider divide among the ranks of the opposition.
>  Halifa’s followers have a talking point- our only saviour they would
say.  He
> emerged hero of the hour. His arrest has potential to change  something.
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