Gambia-L,
I received this mail from Saul Khan about a week ago. I did not reply
promptly because of two reasons. First, I thought I should wait for
sometime, because the mail contains some serious contentions which might
have diverted our attention from the more urgent issues we were
addressing at that time.  Secondly, I was very busy with work and could
hardly find time to respond to it.

Let me start by saying that Saul sent me a private mail, the reason for
that he surely knows better. I have, however, decided to reply on the
forum for the simple reason that I do not consider this matter a private
one. Besides, responding here openly will once and for all clarify my
stand should there be any other list member who may not be sure of what
I stand for. Let me first  restate what I stated in my mail on national
unity:

"Another area where we can certainly find common ground is on national
unity. The days before the last elections in 1994 (should have been
1996) were unfortunately characterised by dangerous ethnic political
propaganda. It is no secret that some politicians tried to use their
ethnic origin to muster support by propagating the idea that Gambia must
be ruled by this or that ethnic group. Recent events have shown that
this ugly demon is still with us. Ethnic politics as we know, looking
back at experiences from Liberia, Sierra Leone, Burundi etc. can benefit
no one. It amounts to a group of very unscrupulous people using the
ignorance of the people to secure their own selfish interest only to run
away and seek refuge when things get out of control and especially when
their own lives are threatened; indeed they run, scream and crawl to ask
for pardon after bringing ruin to their own people including those from
the same ethnic group. So here too we can identify a common ground. Any
action by any group of people, be they a political grouping or not, be
they the party ruling the country or not, should be unanimously
condemned with a united uncompromising voice."

Clearly, I would have thought that there was nothing pinning anything on
any ethnic group or any individuals. Saul however took this as an attack
on the Mandikas, The UDP group and Ousainou Darboe.

My position is that The Gambia does not belong to any ethnic group. The
constitution of The Gambia made it clear that every Gambian has a right
to be elected to any public office. Nowhere have I ever read that only
one group of people qualifies to be elected to a given office. Nowhere
have I read that tax money collected from the people is used based on
ethnic considerations. Under Jawara as under Jammeh Mandikas, Fulas,
Wollofs etc.; the vast majority of our people are either living in huts
or under terrible conditions, lacking the most basic necessities such as
health facilities, proper nutrition, clean water etc. Under Jawara as
well as under Jammeh Gambians are leaving the country to search for
greener pastures elsewhere because they see no prospects for a decent
life at home, again it is not only one ethnic group but all. Here in
Germany I have known many Gambians who took up indecent means to earn a
living; Mandinkas, Fulas, Wollofs, Sereres, Manjagos, Akus, you name it,
they are all here. In my heart I believe that given a better, more
dignified alternative they would not have left The Gambia in the first
place, not to talk of having to risk their lives and staining the image
of Gambians. What concerns me therefore is not who the greatest Gambian
opposition leader is, but rather how we can transform this situation
into one where all Gambians will be able to earn a dignified living in
The Gambia regardless of which language they speak to their parents and
extended family members; a Gambia which can boast of its great people.
What I would like to see is a Gambia where each will pride him/herself
of speaking as many Gambian languages as possible.  Hence I stated: "Any
action by any group of people, be they a political grouping or not, be
they the party ruling the country or not, should be unanimously
condemned with a united uncompromising voice."

Ironically, Saul Kann stated "Given Gambia's high rate of illiteracy,
it's understandable that the majority of the people voted along ethnic
lines. On all sides. Over 90% of Jola people voted for Yaya Jammeh in
96...."  Even "The most famous Mandingo in Gambian history", Dawda
Jawara, (quotes are mine) according to him, was reported to have
"expressed dismay at what he considered to be the rise of tribalism in
The Gambia and appealed for an end to it" as stated by Dr. Amadou Janneh
on his report about the Atlanta "reception" (see Jawara speaks (part
2)). Now, if this is the case, are we not all the more obliged to make
it clear to our people that what we all should look for are leaders who
have genuine interests in leading us all to peace, prosperity and
dignity. Should we not make it clear that there are Gambians from all
ethnic groups who contribute to the wealth of the nation? Should we not
tell our people who have been kept in the dark for so long that there
have been and are to this very day Gambians who grew up in different
ethnical set-ups and are contributing meaningfully to national
consciousness and awareness? Should we not emphasise the need to look
for substance rather than ethnicity when choosing our leaders?

On a final note, let us remember that today there are hardly Gambians
who can claim to have only relatives from one ethnic group. History has
brought us together in so many ways. My own grandmother is Wollof, but
she certainly spoke better Mandinka than many Mandikas. So let us drop
any chauvinism and promote awareness and tolerance. By the way, I am
half Aku half Wollof and my wife is half Mandinka and half Fula. So now
you know of at least one Aku/Wollof whose wife is Mandinka/Fula, though
I should quickly add that I'm not a big shot.

Alpha Robinson

Below is Saul Khan's mail.