For crying out loud, Bojang let us try and bask (for a few days) in the
glory our brothers and sisters in Britain achieved the past few days. How
can what these people are trying to do be wrong? So Jawara was there, does
that erase the plight of our children? Does Jawara's presence at the meeting
legitimize Britain's insensitive and wrong decision to restore military aid
for the dictatorship? Does OJ's and Hamat Bah's words eradicate the
injustice in the Ebrima Barry case and the tyranny meted on our people on a
daily basis? What is your plan? Why do you always have to be negative and
try to take us back to the Jawara era in order to try and rationalize Yaya's
bizarre behavior? Let's move on and stop this nonsense about 'it happened
during the Jawara era, so no one should criticize Yaya for what he is doing
to us'. This is perverse logic. Even Jawara has a right to criticize Yaya,
let alone people that are heading MRDG(UK). Because some people did not talk
about injustice during the Jawara era does not mean that they forfeit their
right to speak out now.

How can attacking Jawara help us now to release the political prisoners we
have back home, to stop the rampant corruption, to stop the torture and
murders etc.? I have my own suspicions about PDOIS' reasons for not
attending the meeting but I will keep that to myself until I hear their
official version. However, if I were PDOIS, I will be uneasy if every time
there is a controversy, APRC supporters will be on the same side with PDOIS
against decent Gambian folks.

Hamat Bah, OJ and Peters should be commended for their courage to stand up
against the dictatorship. Talk about lies that they told (if any) and stop
this nonsense about who was present and who was praised. These people put
their lives and liberty on the line to go to Britain and speak out for the
voiceless Gambians and all they got from you is reminder of what happened
years ago. We all know what happened. Some of you talking about the former
PPP era always bring the topic up to instill some negativity in our
campaigns, but do not have the guts to state the conclusions you want to
reach. I can understand your fear, because there is no right minded Gambian
that would say that because of the Jawara presidency, it is justifiable for
Yaya to murder innocent children in broad daylight. So if you do not want to
reach that conclusion, then there is no point always bringing up Jawara.
What is the point you are trying to make? I would have more respect for
people if they state in clear language what they are thinking, rather than
being wet blankets each time Yaya is dealt a devastating blow. My own blood
brother was unjustifiably (in mind opinion) incarcerated at 'Depot' in the
aftermath of the 1981 coup. Does that mean that I should now tolerate the
injustice Yaya visits on people back home?

Let us try as members of the Opposition to encourage and commend the
participants at the Briefing, or lay low while they enjoy their glory. It is
unfair to throw these low blows at these patriotic Gambians because people
from the Jawara era showed up at the Briefing. OJ, Hamat Bah and Peters
showed more courage on February 28, than most of us have shown in this
struggle. Why knock them down if you cannot come up with better
alternatives?

It is disingenuous to pretend to be concerned about the plight of Gambians
if sanctions are imposed on them while at the same time attacking people
that want to lift Gambians up. I was not privy to the Briefing and cannot
speak authoritatively about the sanctions that were called for. From what I
could discern in Bahoum's official report, people at the Briefing were
complaining about Britain's decision to restore military aid to the
dictatorship back home. How can withdrawing that aid be bad for ordinary
Gambians? Even if economic aid was what the participants wanted to stop,
that is also a very legitimate tool to use against Yaya and his cohorts.
Maybe if he does not have stolen money to dish around some gullible Gambians
will not go around saying that Yaya is a magnanimous person. Before you go
around accusing members of the Opposition of doing something that is meant
to punish ordinary Gambians, you should study the situation closely. We are
not the enemy of the Gambian people. Yaya who will order the massacre of our
children is the enemy. Yaya who will not provide our farmers a conducive
milieu to sell their groundnuts, is the enemy.

Jawara might have been the enemy to some of you. I am not telling you to
forgive and forget. But please do not use your hatred for Jawara to
jeopardize the work some good people are trying to do for the country.
Comparing Jawara's human rights record to that of Yaya, is a mockery and an
insult to the families that lost their children on April 10 and 11, 2000. I
hold no brief for the Jawara regime. People that know me know that I was
also critical when I encountered injustice during the Jawara era. Let's move
on. If your agenda is to fight past battles and not concentrate on our
imminent plight, then come out clean and say that you can live with what
Yaya is doing to us.

Your observations would have had more credence had people like Bahoum called
for the restoration of Jawara. Even Jawara himself was not calling for that.
OJ was also not calling for that. Hamat Bah and Peters certainly were not
calling for that. So what is up with all these nonsense about 'we do not
want to go back to the Jawara era' or 'Jawara was worst than Yaya'? No one
at the Briefing even remotely implied (to my knowledge) that we want Jawara
or the Jawara era back. We want BETTER than both Jawara and Yaya. I wished
you realize that get off people's back.

To MRDG(UK), some of us sincerely appreciate your noble efforts. Some of us
that are genuinely interested, had asked around and know the real people
behind the movement. We know that you do not have hidden agendas and this is
not a ploy to restore Jawara. PPP people were at the Briefing like any
regular citizen concerned about the plight of Gambians. Because of your
modesty I understand why people are not parading before the whole world
claiming success. Keep up the good work and do not be discouraged by the
doubting Thomases. I anxiously await PDOIS' official reason for not showing
up at the meeting or sending a statement through some of their supporters in
the UK.
KB



>From: Ousman Bojang <[log in to unmask]>
>Reply-To: The Gambia and related-issues mailing list
><[log in to unmask]>
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Re: OFFICIAL REPORT OF THE LONDON DEMOCRACY MEETING.
>Date: Tue, 6 Mar 2001 15:27:52 EST
>
>Hamadi,
>Well said. You certainly shares lot of my insights. I am very surprised
>that
>Jawara was at such a meeting. And to my dismay more, I heard that he was
>very
>well praised at this same gathering by Omar Jallow, Hon Amat Bah and most
>of
>those who talked. If this is true, I can understand why a party like PDOIS
>was not there. Of course there must be more to their absence that just
>that.
>I have been very skeptical and continue to be in this struggle to bring
>democracy to our motherland when I hear people in the former regime
>struggling for the same thing. I find myself bewildered asking the same
>question all the time; Why now, and not 30 years ago?
>Anyway, I guess I might be too ignorant to realize why. I only hope and
>pray
>that we could bring a very positive change without calling for sanctions on
>our own people. History tells us that it is the people who suffer and not
>the
>leaders. Why not try to lay a simple foundation that will help us have a
>true
>ballot process? In this case we as Gambians should be able to support
>anyone
>who rightly and legally wins. be it Jammeh or any party. To accept and not
>to
>politically support I meant.
>
>Ousman Bojang.
>
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