Buharry,

Always appreciate your insight and input and hope you will keep it 
coming.
Having said that,  I must say that the commentary by LJ Darboe in 
response to your article expresses exactly my sentiments on the points 
you raised in your article.

The fact is that tyranny is tyranny by any definition and good 
governance is good governance and pacifying tyrants by "masla" or 
creating and living in our own fantasy shell of ignoring facts and 
accepting fantasy explanations that we know are blatant lies such as 
when fellow Gambians were clearly murdered as in the case of Daba 
Marenah and co. will not move us forward. While we may understand that 
those who are closer in proximity to the tyrant government of Yaya 
Jammeh are less free to express themselves for fear of reprisal, we 
cannot afford to have divided camps in how we view tyranny and why it 
has to take all of us, in and outside of The Gambia being on the same 
page to defeat it.

I am also of the firm belief that those of us who are able to speak  
without fear have a responsibility to do so and yes indeed, we speak 
for those who cannot or are too timid to do so, or even out of sheer 
ignorance and even if they do not recognize or appreciate this.

The late Malcolm X used to say of those Black folks who were too afraid 
to be identified with the Black Power movement and eventually teh civil 
rights movement that20" we will set you free, even if we have to stuff 
freedom down your throats".  Those same Black folks out of fear, 
isolated self interest and pure ignorance even went as far as speaking 
out against and labeling people like Malcolm X as trouble makers even 
though all they were engaged in was having the courage to speak out 
against an injustice and humiliation that those same people opposing 
them were living on a daily basis. Today, how Black folks appreciate 
and revel in that freedom for which Malcolm X and co., the so-called 
trouble makers of that time were the pioneers fought and died to 
accomplish and that they were motivated by nothing more than a love for 
their people and a desire to see them accorded equal rights. Those of 
us who speak out want the same for our people and although it may not 
be realized and appreciated, it is a duty that those who are able must 
undertake and we represent the interest of even those who think that we 
do not.

People chose to "masla" only for two reasons, selfish personal gain 
while disregarding the suffering of their neighbors or lack of 
knowledge as to what constitutes good governance and the fact that we 
cannot consider ourselves to have prospered if we are only concerned 
about our own individual well being.
Those who choose to "masla" must be enlightened about the fact that 
there is a better way that will benefit all and that it takes the 
recogn
ition and acceptance of the reality of our collective situation 
under Yaya Jammeh's tyrannical regime to liberate our country from 
tyranny and that all will  truly benefit only when that happens. All of 
our people must be educated to the fact that although those on the 
ground must undertake their daily survival, they do not have to like 
the conditions that take away their dignity and must do whatever they 
can, even if not outwardly, then internally and clandestinely if 
possible so that we are all on the same page because that is the only 
way we can move forward to accomplish any meaningful change.
I will also add that even those of us outside the country are affected 
profoundly because we are separated from our loved ones and extended 
families and have no idea when we will see them and will undoubtedly 
loose and have lost loved ones before we are able to set eyes on them 
again.
Jabou Joh
LJ Darboe wrote:

"On first impression, your observation appears not to embody any 
controversy, but its orchestral harmony may collapse on further 
examination. Are we right in assuming that the average "Samba or Demba" 
is unconcerned about the human rights violations that are fixtures of 
Gambian public life, that he believes Daba Marena and others escaped 
whilst being transferred from Mile 2 Central Prisons to wherever, 
notwithstanding being completely shackled? I take the view that human 
beings are generally endowed with t
he ability to distinguish right from 
wrong, and this may be the only explanation for murderous dictators 
engaging in generous displays of affection toward their children and 
spouses, even as they subject the children and spouses of others to 
great trauma through all manner of gratuitous brutality. I contend for 
the proposition that the average "Samba or Demba" embraces the view 
that Daba Marena's whereabouts is a responsibility properly assigned to 
the Professor and his government.

Although there may be an argument for expediency in particular 
circumstances, it should be rejected as a general philosophy of life. 
The "average Samba or Demba" hustled what he could out of Jawara, and 
he is now wilfully partaking in the excesses of the Professor. I am 
unsure as to what "average" denotes, but urge that you examine Barmy 
Jagne's declaration on the Mighty that the Professor is the preeminent 
propounder of of Pan Africanism among the current coterie of African 
leaders. This kind of pronouncement by a resident of the United States 
of America is more akin to wilful disregard than cluelessness. Barmy's 
deliberate mis-analysis places him in the same category with your 
"average Samba and Demba" who, with faculties intact, is fully aware of 
the unacceptable human rights situation that obtains in the Professor's 
Gambia.

Transiting to what Yusupha said on return from a Gambian visit some 
years ago, the concern was less with the veracit
y of his factual 
narration, and more with the prognosis he suggested for the opposition 
segment of Diaspora Gambia. Yusupha's central contention was that  in 
the battle for the hearts and minds of the Gambian electorate, the 
opposition should embark on some community development efforts to 
counter the strides mad by the Professor, especially on visible 
infrastructure such as roads. If the opposition cannot fund serious 
election campaigns, I do not see how it could come up with the 
humongous amounts necessary to challenge on development projects 
properly the responsibility of the State. Even if such funds are 
source-able, we must remember that with a totalitarian system, the 
opposition would be prevented, with force, if need be, from embarking 
on any independent development initiative. The police power resides 
with the State, and the Professor is not known for his timid projection 
of national power.

At the time, and in eloquent support of Yusupha's prognosis, Ousman 
Gagigo argued that all of the Professor's victims were in The Gambia. 
Even after the intervention of some three years worth of weeks and 
months, Ousman's contention stays with me for the simple reason that 
the Professor's policies are draining the country of capacity for 
development. Those who are staying out of the country because they have 
to are as much victims as  anyone within territorial Gambia. I accept 
there is a difference in so far as bodily integr
ity is concerned, but a 
wasted pool of talent is a tragedy on both the personal and national 
levels

Moving The Gambia forward means nothing less that dislodging the 
Professor's government from power. Our national struggle is about the 
political values we want at the core of our governance system. On the 
one hand are governmental minimalism, and constitutionalism within the 
broader context of the rule of law in a democratic society. On the 
other hand is totalitarianism that rejects, any, and all restraint on 
its power. As far as the Professor is concerned, there is no middle 
ground"

-----Original Message-----
From: [log in to unmask]
To: [log in to unmask]
Sent: Sat, 14 Mar 2009 9:38 am
Subject: Re: [>-<] Of Militants, Cowards and Fence-sitters: Disaporan 
Gambians and the Political Situation in Gambia

Buharry
 

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