Well said Gassa,

I may like to add the fact that a meeting place of idea like this,there
should be agendas regarding the ways and means of changing the clock around
for the people of the Gambia who were long since suffering from the failures
of our so called intellectual leaders. we should try to be patient and put
some positive items forward at the early stage as well as more concrete
proposals. These proposals could have then be discussed and if necessary a
compromise could probably have been found more easily, negative attitutes
alone will never win.

In this way, we are giving them "the government" some initiatives then
engage them to real issues that we think are not right for the future of our
nation and her people. To get what you want, you most give-up something for
a change, Therefore, the government cannot be totally wrong at-least there
should be some positive things during their time in office. I believed the
internation community will pay some interest if only our approaches towards
the issue are strategical to better Gambia in heart thinking not radical and
offensive thinking of some of our friends. Once again Mr Gassa, thank for
you contributioon.
Edi

>From: Jungle Sunrise <[log in to unmask]>
>Reply-To: The Gambia and related-issues mailing list
><[log in to unmask]>
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Re: Olly Mboge - This government is moving in the right direction!
>Date: Mon, 10 Dec 2001 12:43:15 +0000
>
>Mr. Kanteh,
>
>Whereas I agree with you that human rights is an important pillar in any
>democracy, it is equally important to remember how some of our
>actions/behaviours are shaped by our upbringing/environment. Whereas in
>certain countries in the west one can tell someone older that he/she is
>lying, in The Gambia that is not the case. Our etiquettes are different.
>Our
>behaviouers, situations and circumstances are not the same and it is very
>important to remember that.
>
>The right of the child, as defined earliar, forbade the use of children for
>chores such as the fetching of firewood, fetching of water, selling titbits
>such as roasted peanuts, weaving carpets, sewing football etc, etc. However
>I can vividly remember a few years ago when the Indian government refused
>to
>ratify the convenant on the rights of the child as it was originally
>drafted
>sighting the hypocrisy of some of the western governments behind the draft
>treaty. The Minister of Agriculture, a lady Doctor and mother of three, at
>the time explained, in an interview with the BBC, that the Indian
>government
>will not ratify the treaty as was drafted because India is too poor to
>allow
>itself to be bound by such a treaty. She highlighted the hypocrisy of the
>UK, in particular, for using children as chimney sweepers as late as the
>60s
>and wanting to admonish India for using children for weaving carpets. Now
>that the UK has developed robots that can sweep their chimneys, has the
>resources, together with the rest of the EU to subsidize agriculture, build
>up their milk lakes, butter mountains and the rest of it, while people in
>the third world are starving, they want to take the moral high ground and
>dictate to the rest of the world how to behave. They have no moral
>authority
>to dictate to the third world how we are supposed to live as we will not
>listen.
>
>Civil rights, human rights and the rest of it become important only when
>the
>people whose rights are trampled on are not seen to be looking for it. In
>my
>opinion, sometimes people fail to realise that confrontation can never
>solve
>anything. People respect treaties that are not forced on them more than
>those forced on them and the success of the truth and reconcialiation
>commission of South Africa attests to that.
>
>It is also important for people to realise that government is not about
>right or wrong; it is about stability. Those wishing to destabilize or
>confront a government must be fully prepared to pay whatever price it
>demands. Any state will use all the force at its disposal to squash any
>challenge to its authority and The Gambia is no exception. Those who
>believe
>otherwise must be prepared to bear the full brunt of 'the law'.
>
>Kanteh, whether you believe it or not, we have had so called journalists,
>uncouth and untrained, using the profession to unnecessarily confront the
>government just to help them get exit visas and claim political assylum
>abroad. We have also witnessed the barbaric treatment of individuals by the
>security forces for less crimes, again The Gambia being no exception. The
>way to stop this cycle is not through confrontation but through dialogue.
>Those who are calling the government all sorts of names cannot expect to
>have any influence on them. The government will simply ignore them or just
>turn around and say, we run things.
>
>Mr. Kanteh, nobody can force change. Change must be discussed, understood
>and agreed upon for it to successfully happen. You cannot keep calling a
>legitimately elected government all sorts of names and expect that
>government to listen to you. It will not happen with this or any other
>government. Those of you who believe that you can force the government to
>conform to your expectations while at the same time plotting and working
>for
>its demise, must be seriously out of touch with reality. This or any other
>government will not allow its enemies to influence it.
>
>It is high time that some of you relise that, this government is recognized
>and accepted by all governments, including where most of you live. Having
>already done your worst the only leverage you now have is to constructively
>engage the government while recognising the fact that it is their
>prerogative to listen, accept or disregard what you tell them. This is my
>own opinion.
>
>Finally, you can take it from me that the majority of Gambians do not care
>about this human rights issue that some of you are happing on. People are
>more pre-occupied with trying to secure their daily bread. Sad, but true.
>People are trying to survive and if others cannot understand that but
>instead want to martyr themselves, they can go right ahead. We may remember
>them some day!
>
>Have a good day, Gassa.
>
>
>
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