Over the past three months so many allegations of massive
corruption has been propounded many of which has been shown to hold water.
What is Halifa's precious constitution doing about it? Why are we not having
our impeachment hearings? If the executive is as weakened as Halifa would
like us to believe why didn't the new non-partisan vocal National Assembly
members speak for the People and start the proceedings against Jammeh? The
questions are many. I could go on and on. The fact of the matter is this:
Halifa has virtually nothing to show for this vacuous aggrandised theme of
'Democratic Space' that he keeps telling us he had helped to create. But
Hamjatta:
I have been following your debate wih Halifa and Saul, and both of you have elevated the discussion and the G-L is definitely the winner.But
looking at the above statements, do you honesly believe that a flawless constitution would have made a difference to this administration, or
havee they even attempted to rule by this constitution you deemed to be flawed. Are you suggesting that Halifa contributed to the political
situation we are presently facing. It is rather convenient to engage in Monday Morning Quarter Backing, and lay everything on Halifa's heels.
Most of us supported this administration and saw them has an alternative to a corrupted status quo, and it would be rather disingenuous to
blame Halifa who decided not to sit on the perriphery but be part of finding a democratic path for our country. To even suggest that Halifa
has any role to play to the political situation you are describing is ludicrous. And I am not in anyway against raising issues with Halifa,
but let us direct blame to the right individuals(Jammeh's Admisintration), the Sheriff Dibbas, Hassan Musa, and other politicians that opted
to run rather than fight for their believes
Musa Jeng
Hamjatta Kanteh wrote:
> Foroyaa wrote:
> "in our view, if a person's term in office can only be sustained by
> uncovering coup plots after coup plot leading to killings after killings,
> then it is best for a person to call it a day than to leave such a historical
> record."
> Clearly Halifa and CO are calling for Jammeh to call it a day.
> Interesting days these are. I never thought my learned friends at Foroyaa
> would realise that there can be no 'Way Forwards' or the vacuous aggrandised
> theme 'Democratic Space' [that Halifa said spurred him to sacrifice
> principles for the bogus transition; call it blind pragmatism]. So long as
> Jammeh is in power. The long and short of it is that Jammeh doesn't give a
> fig for democracy. He had said it to the point of ad nauseaum. He had seized
> every grand occasion to pour scorn on democracy and those who stand for it.
> So why would anyone entrust a person like that to lead us unto the new
> millennium and Second Republic? Why did Halifa espouse so shamelessly
> Jammeh's candidature and find nothing wrong with or any conflict of interest
> in Jammeh being anti-democracy at the same time being referee intent on being
> player at the same time? Why did Halifa help usher in a fundamentally flawed
> document like the 1997 that could never help us reconcile with it's monstrous
> travesties of justice after the trauma of the transition that most Gambian
> Families had to endure? Why did Halifa help usher in a fundamentally flawed
> document like the 1997 which clearly takes us back to the days of Jawara or
> even worse; for we had Term and Age Limits of the Presidency expunged by
> Jammeh for selfish and personal reasons, a toothless and muscleless
> semi-autonomous Electoral Commission that still reeks of Jawara's past, the
> monarchical dispositions like the absolute freedom of the executive to hire
> and fire on spurious grounds without explaining actions, a constitution in
> which the executive still rides roughshod over the other arms of the Sate,
> etc, etc. Folks I could fill a page with the downsides of the 1997
> constitution. What made Halifa to do it when now clearly he had nothing to
> show for it? Was the sacrifice worth it, for we are back to the Jawara days
> and worse? Over the past three months so many allegations of massive
> corruption has been propounded many of which has been shown to hold water.
> What is Halifa's precious constitution doing about it? Why are we not having
> our impeachment hearings? If the executive is as weakened as Halifa would
> like us to believe why didn't the new non-partisan vocal National Assembly
> members speak for the People and start the proceedings against Jammeh? The
> questions are many. I could go on and on. The fact of the matter is this:
> Halifa has virtually nothing to show for this vacuous aggrandised theme of
> 'Democratic Space' that he keeps telling us he had helped to create. But by
> espousing political expediency, misplaced enthusiasm and blind pragmatism
> that has led to a retrogressive of inversion of priorities during the
> transition that is clearly leading to a tragic climax, Halifa and CO has
> little or nothing to show for it.
> I have over the past two months or so bored you with my ravings and
> rantings on Halifa, the 1997 constitution and the so-called transition. In
> the process I might and has indeed stepped over the feet of others. Oft times
> knowingly. Oft times oblivious to it. To the innocent I say, "please accept
> my unconditional and profound apologies." I make no apologies to toe curling
> hypocrites. To them I say, "in your faces." I hope we will all move on.
> For I decided to call it a day. I'm throwing in my towel after the bout
> with my good friend Halifa. For I have made up my mind. Now there is no point
> in stretching this exercise to embarrassing levels. On what remains of the
> sticking points, Halifa can address us with his side of the story, I will let
> it pass without comments. But will safe keep for another convenient time.
> Throughout all this debate, I have maintained that with a Term Limit, we
> could peacefully change gov'ts without resorting to violence. Today Ghanaian
> don't need to wage civil wars against Rawlings for at the end of his two
> terms, there is a constitutional provision that disqualifies him for a third
> term. Zambia has it, Nigeria, South Africa et al. In today's African
> democracy, it is safe to contend that without the term limits there would be
> some sort of upheaval where the ruling clique holds the angle and oppresses
> it's People. Term Limits are now a prerequisite for any democracy. People can
> put up with Jammeh's treachery so long as they know he is not there
> indefinitely but only for a two term presidency after which he will vacate
> office. They will patiently wait in peace until the day he has to go without
> resorting to violence. With an indefinite term in office, the People agitated
> and in the extreme might resort to unsavoury methods to alleviate their
> sufferings. Today [assuming there was really a coup], some junior officers
> has thought it would go down well if they get rid of Jammeh because of the
> prevalent corruption, abuse of office and betrayal of the People. The vicious
> cycle continues. On the other hand, South Africa, Nigeria, Zambia, Tanzania,
> Ghana, et al., has their term limits. They won't be agitated to the point of
> taking up arms against their corrupt leaders for they know there is a
> specific time frame within which they [leaders] would step down.
> Interestingly enough Rawlings is apologising to the Ghanaian people for the
> wrong he has done to them whilst he was in power, for finally, thanks largely
> to the term limit, Ghanaians don't have to put up with him. They don't need
> guns to humble Rawlings this way; only their term limit would suffice.
> Contrast this with our situation. The People demanded a term limit to the
> presidency in the draft constitution but was expunged from our midst by the
> AFPRC. Halifa thought nothing wrong with this on the grounds that Jawara had
> his indefinite term limit so what's the big deal? Good gracious. Another
> naive reason he gave then was that when Jammeh's two term are over, Gambians
> should just vote for another candidate even if Jammeh stands. How naive and
> simplistic. Elections are not that simple. What has happened in 1996 is a
> pointer to my argument that even against the wishes of the People Jammeh
> could still install himself as president. What will the People do about it?
> Pick up arms? Another military take over? The Gambian another hell on earth?
> Any historical disquisition of July 22nd. And it's aftermath wouldn't
> look kindly on Halifa and CO. They have contributed unwittingly in no small
> means to this abysmal state of affairs. Of course it would be wholly unfair
> to contend that it was Halifa and CO's who should take blame for Jammeh's
> treachery. This is unfair. Of course unlike Jammeh, Halifa has no standing
> army, has no dipping pot to splash cash for his chosen cause or a militia to
> carry machetes to carry out his orders. However, I'm under no illusion as to
> how the powerful nature of the pen of an academic/scholar like Halifa can
> sometimes hold sway in public opinion. My contention runs thus: if any
> individual voice in the public realm bears a measure of responsibility for
> the tragic inversion of priorities as The Gambia slid towards into the abyss,
> it would be Halifa's and his colleagues. This is highly contentious. The
> realism rooted in it however, goes that, events that Halifa gave and lend
> credence to during the transition has a direct and indirect bearing on recent
> events. The long and short of it is that Halifa should bear/should part
> responsibility for the retrogressive nature of our State of affairs.
> As my good sister Jabou Joh would put it, the public is the jury; they
> would make the final assessment. I have as a life principle, never to
> invade/intrude no individual's democratic extension. We all shall make up our
> minds about what has happened. The most important thing is to stay true to
> the truth and our consciences.
> What is unfolding in the Gambia doesn't surprise me. I have attached here
> a copy of an essay I wrote for the Daily Observer on the commemoration of the
> fifth anniversary of July 22nd. I hope it would be useful for your perusal.
> I salute you all and wish you all well. May peace continue to reign in the
> Gambia.
> Hamjatta Kanteh
>
> hkanteh
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Name: historical inevitability.wps
> historical inevitability.wps Type: Microsoft Works 4.0 Word Processor (application/x-unknown-content-type-MSWorks4WordProcessor)
> Encoding: base64
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