Dampha,
Many thanks for your invaluable contributions to the debates.
I had figured out awhile ago from Gassa when he casually hinted that Katim
is in BJL, and should give us the 411 on the 'new' realities of the Gambia,
that we should be bracing ourselves for another volte face from 'one of our
own'. So Katim 'outing' himself is, well, rather something of an open
secret; or, rather, an expected one. More to the point: i've never
appreciated his patronising, lukewarm, smarmy and mild mannered opposition
to Yaya. I've long suspected that he is ambivalent as par the question of
Yaya. Another hunch i had was always that Katim's 'neither here nor there'
take on Yaya is a manifestation of one flying a kite to guage where the
political winds of the Gambia. All these - it seems to me, and given Katim's
recant - have a modicum truth in them.
To be sure, people should be free to recant earlier held views: it is the
hallmark of open-mindedness, self-criticality and maturity to change an
opinion in the wake of vast swathes of empirical evidence that refute
earlier held convictions. I should know better: having started my mid- teens
flirting with some form of moderate socialism, i gave it up by the time i
turned twenty when by sheer luck i came across the works of Popper, Berlin
et al. The problem is not in people changing their minds; rather, what forms
the basis for people changing their minds on earlier held convictions. As
the Indian economist, Jagdish Bhagwatti, eloquently puts this recently in a
Financial Times op-ed, "Putting politics before principles is understandable
if the principles are unimportant and the political payoffs are likely."
Can similar judgements be expressed of Katim's apparent volte face? I'm
afraid not. Let's consider the most dishonet passages in his correspondence:
<<After being away for so many years, you can imagine how much change i've
found in the country. On the whole, the changes have been positive, and very
encourging.>>
Changes? Very positive? And very encouraging? Is this Jali Gassa fessing up?
It get's even better... in a more brazen tenor, Katim fesses up on his love
affair with this new Gambia he has just discovered after being away for 11
years:
<<Again, I will hasten to add that we should not discount the contributions
of the some actions and policies that have been taken by the government, and
our development partners. The new roads, the TV station, the new airport
terminal, and similar ventures were certainly not built with proceeds from
the sale of bread and "akara", but because of deliberate decisions by the
government. For that they have to be given credit, and commended.>>
Let Katim trying rehearsing this self-serving garbage to the poor rustic
farmer owed millions by the gov't but is forced to pay his children's
exorbitant school fees and mercilessly taxed out of his meagre wages, and
expected to feed his family at the same time.
At the end of the day, Katim should be free - as indeed should be all
constiuents in the Gambian polity - to recant earlier held views. What is
intolerable is candyflossed excuses like 'i've been away from BJL for the
past 11 years, and ignorant of Gambian realities under Yaya' - that is
simply taking the piss. Nay, it is simply akin to insulting people's
intelligence.
"His flight was madness: when our actions do not, our fears make us
traitors." Macbeth, act 4, sc. 2, 1.3
>From: Dampha Kebba <[log in to unmask]>
>Reply-To: The Gambia and related-issues mailing list
><[log in to unmask]>
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Re: It wasn't me
>Date: Mon, 29 Apr 2002 12:02:16 -0400
>
>
_________________________________________________________________
Chat with friends online, try MSN Messenger: http://messenger.msn.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface
at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html
To contact the List Management, please send an e-mail to:
[log in to unmask]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
|
