Bakary, I intentionally held off replying to your last posting until the student massacre observation ended.
To continue, I am glad you understood the point I was trying to make. Accepting President Jammeh's regime is the right thing to do and the first step towards understanding what is really happening in the Gambia. But before I go further, let me state here for the UPTEENTH time that I am not a Jammeh apologist nor am I an APRC member. I do not condone the killings of anybody in the Gambia, and I have yet to find a Gambian that does.
Now back to the foreign voter subject. I have on numerous occasions mentioned that foreign voting in the Gambia is nothing new. What needs to be done now is to find ways to minimize it, thus eradicate it totally. As you indicated, there is a serious lack of awareness among the majority of voters, but instead of educating them, you the other oppositions are arguing on a personal level. Once again, the results are in, and Jammeh is the winner. Every opposition needs to get over that and start positioning a better strategy to improve, hopefully win the coming elections. Rather than taking things personally and being petty, I suggest we all act maturely and do our part towards building our country.
On the student massacre, suggestions like Mr. Sanyang's are what we need to continue the student's passion. Momodou Buharry's song is one of the brightest examples of how to remember the April 10 & 11 incident. Like most of those students, I had a near experience of what some of them went through during the 1986 Armitage High School strike. I was among the few that stood up to the Field Forces when most of the ringleaders some of whom make the most noise on this list today caved in.
Finally I don't continuously defend Jammeh, what I am trying to do is for us to respect the people's wish regardless. Now is the time to find out why Gambians voted the way they did and what can be done to change the current trend. I bet we will not hear anything about foreign voters the next time around, now that everyone knows about that. What needs to be looked into are other way that might be used to tip the scale in favor of one party. Again, there are many ways to solve a problem, and it is sometimes smart to listen to the people you are fighting for. You know the good old saying, "actions speaks louder than words". We have written too much, it is time we act. Let us challenge each other in a positive way, if our ego will not allow us to support our elected officials.
Bakary, nothing personal, but do you think we Gambians can ever debate or do anything without personally attacking each other or taking things personally? I suggest we deal with the issues and avoid the name-calling and the cheap shots that initiate all this argument. You know our current behaviors can hunt us for a long time. The last thing one should be know for is being negative or hard to get along with. I am confident that we are all in this for the good of our country, The Gambia.
Sleep well my friend.
Mr. Krubally
Bakary Kanteh <[log in to unmask]> wrote: Dear Mr Krubally,
The fact remains that inspite of our respective political party affiliations
and the significant number of foreign votes that contributed to President
Jammeh's re-election, that all of us as well as the international community
recognise and accept Yahya Jammeh as the head of state of the Gambia.
However there could be a massive difference between having voted for Jammeh
and being an apologist to his regime. Likewise, it would be wrong to
conclude that all those who voted for him are not concerned about the poor
human right records of his regime. In fact, i dare say that the majority of
those who voted for the APRC are as concerned about the blantant abuse of
individual rights and the criminal justice system of the country by the APRC
as those who totally opposed to the regime. Unfortunately, the leadership of
the APRC reasons draw the same wrong conclusions as some of their supporters
are fond of reminding members of this forum, which is : Had Gambians been
really concerned about the violations of freedoms and killings committed by
the APRC regime, they (the) APRC would have lost the previous elections.
Unfortunately, the dynamics of political choice-making among voters in the
Gambia would reveal that a significant proportion of the electorate will
support an incumbent government until its demise is beyond salvation. I
think the lack of awareness among the majority of voters about the mandatory
role of government which is manifested by the politics of patronage is the
single most important factor which accounted for the PPP's over thirty year
rule and the political status-quo in the Gambia.
My understanding of an apologist is a person who tasks himself or herself
with continously trying to defend or justify the indefensible acts or
ommisions of another person or group of persons. The majority who genuinely
support the APRC cannot therefore be classified under this category.
I entirely agree with you that
>The youths of Africa should give peace a chance
but can there be lasting peace anywhere without justice as its foundation?
The answer is a categorical NO.
The yoke of oppression must be shattered!
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