Yus,
Very original and a breath of fresh air!
For The Gambia, Hasatou

>From: Yusupha C Jow <[log in to unmask]>
>Reply-To: The Gambia and related-issues mailing list
><[log in to unmask]>
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Re: Gambian Opposition, Elections and Related Issues
>Date: Tue, 15 May 2001 14:33:42 EDT
>
>Dampha:
>
>I would like to start by conclusively stating that my opposition to the
>overall manner in which the anti-APRC campaign has been orchestrated by
>certain factions on the L did not originate from misplaced sycophancy, as
>you
>subtly alluded to in your post, or rebellion.  I am not very good at
>calling
>people names or engaging in personal attacks.  This you probably know by
>now.
>  So, again, let us deal with the issues and by all means try to avoid
>unnecessary name calling as subtle as they might be.
>
>First, I sincerely believe that you did not understand my point about Joke.
>If my language was unclear or too winded, I apologize.  But let me make
>things clear once again in the hopes that, this time, my statements will
>not
>be taken out of context.
>
>I simply do not understand why you seem to think that Joke's support for
>the
>APRC is not a conflicted one.  In your paragraph on this issue, I could not
>help but notice the use of  "Yahya" and the 'APRC" in an interchangeable
>manner.  I believe Joke stated that Yahya should not be blamed solely for
>the
>atrocities which have happened of late, but the APRC as a political party
>should be collectively held responsible.  His acceptance of the party's
>wrongs makes his support for them a conflicted one in my opinion.  He has
>flip flopped on the issue several times since then but this does not change
>the fact that he did put the blame for the recent atrocities on his party's
>doorstep.  I was going to use some examples to support my point, but I do
>not
>think this is necessary at this point.  Mind you, calling his relationship
>with the APRC a conflicted one was not meant to justify his legitimacy in
>any
>way whatsoever.  He has views which conflict with ours.  But so do many
>other
>Gambians and Africans who are willing to deal with supposedly legitimate
>regimes who violate human rights at every corner while, at the same time,
>performing some governmental function.  Again, I figured this would be a
>point worth noting!   Why? Because there will always be people like Joke
>and
>attacking him mercilessly while neglecting more pertinent issues will not
>change this fact.  Is there a danger that the one you called Joke will
>change
>the minds of the masses? I think not.  So what does the overall purpose of
>lambasting the man mercilessly while other more important issues are
>neglected serve?  Answer is it not only serves nothing but this can be
>equated to a misuse of the incredible platform we have for the discussion
>of
>more pertinent issues.  Anyway, I do hope you do have a better
>understanding
>of my point about Joke.  He is irrelevant in the grand scheme of things, a
>diversion.  KB, how does one deal with a diversion?
>
>
>Now that the subject of Joke has been dealt with once and for all, lets
>move
>on to more pressing issues.  Let's talk about political strategy for a
>moment.  You claim to be doing work in the background with movements which
>have not come out with a solid agenda for months on end.  I do not intend
>to
>criticize these groups but the proof is in the pudding, as they say.
>Please
>let us know about your collective agendas in respect to the fast
>approaching
>elections soon.  The elections are only six months away and this secret
>strategy will serve no purpose unless it is revealed very quickly.  In
>other
>words, plans need to be put into action as soon as possible to allow them
>to
>materialize.  But you say that attacking Joke will help the election fund
>drive?  Let me ask you a question!  How much of a change have you seen in
>your coffers since this attacking of the man started?  Don't you think that
>a
>more worthwhile endeavor would be perhaps trying to figure out how and
>where
>these funds will come from?  In the past, letters were drafted on the L in
>an
>attempt to sensitize the outside World of the plight of our country.
>Hopefully, we shall return to these types of strategies soon as opposed to
>attacking dissenting views in the hopes of raising funds.
>
>Finally, I will touch on the UDP and move on simply because I do not have
>the
>time to write rolling and endless narratives about every single thing which
>comes to my mind regarding this issue.  You say staunch opposition
>supporters
>should be discrete and constructive, perhaps in reference to my stinging
>criticism of the opposition.  Well to this Dampha, I say: "Welcome to the
>real World, and the truth as much as it hurts must be told."  I do not say
>these things simply out of being a sycophant or because I am a rebel, but
>because they were derived out of a genuine process of extended thought.
>What
>do you think I do after work, or on the occasions when I am chilling on my
>porch drinking a cold one?  One cannot help but hark back to the motherland
>and think of what has become of it and why?  My criticism of the UDP was a
>result of these 'aimless' moments of wondering and thinking.
>
>Let me reiterate my points once again.  Again, while I believe that
>anything
>but the APRC will suffice after the next elections, I am not satisfied with
>the way the UDP has conducted its affairs.  I do not think there is
>anything
>wrong with raising this grave concern, especially when the elections are
>right around the corner.  My discretion in raising these points would be to
>assume that this is not an open secret.  In other words, everyone with an
>inkling of common sense should know the UDP is headed for an election loss
>if
>things don't change very quickly.  Only the UDP and her supporters can
>change
>this possibly catastrophe, and I figured highlighting the issue for all to
>see would help bring some of the following issues to the fore:
>
>As I stated in my reply to Sanusi Owens, I think this cross-carpeting issue
>is very serious.  You guys tend to attribute the problem solely to
>enticements in the form of money from the APRC.  I refuse to be so
>simplistic
>and instead look for other reasons for such an occurrence.  One which jumps
>to my mind immediately is the party's message.  People also defect because
>they do not subscribe to a party or state's philosophy.  But you attribute
>this type of thinking to sycophancy!  Go figure!  I hope the UDP looks into
>this issue.  I have already apologized to Pesseh and family for using him
>as
>an example to make a point.
>
>My next point is related to the above in that a clear message in the form
>of
>literature must be extensively distributed by the UDP.  Unlike Burning
>Issues
>distributed by Foroya, the UDP does not have a publication to my knowledge
>which deals with issues people need to hear about.  This is probably tied
>to
>the defection problem in that the message is not just being stated strongly
>enough, or perhaps the platform is not strong enough.  Either way, these
>two
>problems (defection + message) need to be taken up by none other than the
>UDP
>and you saying that we should blame the individuals is absolutely
>ridiculous.
>  In the same vein, blaming the recent election losses solely on vote
>buying
>is simply not being objective enough.  Again, as I stressed , there is much
>more to the loss than a simplistic explantion like vote buying.  I think
>that
>assumption too is a misguided one borne out of foolish overconfidence.  We
>need to view the issue more objectively.  Vote buying solely does not do it
>for me.  I hope the UDP deals with this issue.
>
>Waa Juwara (apologies for butchering your name previously) made the wrong
>move in my opinion.  By making statements against people working for the
>feminist movements.  Contrary to my previous assertion, I do not think he
>is
>an anti-feminist.  But, lets put it this way, his statements did not help
>his
>party's position from the viewpoint of women who make up the majority of
>the
>voting population.  He did not get asked to explain UDP's position towards
>the upliftment of women, but he should have been savvy enough to realize
>that
>his statements would be interpreted from this perspective.  It's just the
>nature of the beast.  In this light, his statements were misguided and
>politically naïve.  The party regardless of spokesmans should speak
>responsibly in one voice.  On the APRC's  record on women, I could give
>less
>of a hoot.  I am more interested in the opposition maintaining a decent
>standard.  As the old saying goes, two wrongs do not make a right.
>
>To conclude,  Dampha, there is nothing wrong with thinking alike.  But once
>this modus operandi becomes such that the truth is being obscured/ignored
>in
>the name of thinking in unison, then there is a problem which needs to be
>addressed .  On solutions, I really don't have many but I do hope that my
>criticism is not seen as detrimental but instead as a chance for
>reevaluation, improvement and hopefully movement in the right direction.
>
>Note: KB: One objection.  I simply despise being used in the same paragraph
>as Joke. (laugh)
>
>Have a nice day!
>
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