Absjorn,
Thank you for sharing this wonderful ideal.
However, while reconcilliation may be a noble and desirable thing, the
problem we have in the Gambia is that we are not dealing with people who have
a conscience, and who can be moved to do the right thing.In order to have an
atmosphere where dialogue and ultimately reconciliation occurs, you have to
be dealing with people who are motivated by things other than what this
regime is motivated by.
Instead, it is documented by the actions of this regime that we are dealing
with robbers and people of very bad character who have one aim. They see
their positions as positions of proviledge from where they can enrich
themselves and live extravagant lifestyles at the expense of the people, and
which priviledge they will do anything to maintain, including killing.
Therefore, the questions becomes, how does one appeal to a person without
conscience or the smallest iota of desire to do the right thing? How do you
bring such people who see positions of leadership as a ticket for highway
robbery to a position where they see their roles as servants of the people
which they are supposed to be?
Absjorn, you do bring forward some interesting points, but we are dealing
with a completely different animal where this regime is concerned, and I am
afraid that some of these approaches is the last thing we can utilize to
bring about changes in our country.
These are common criminals who never should have been in any positions of
responsibility, and who need to be prosecuted to the fullest, and the
evidence is mounting against these people from day to day. The sooner we can
get them out of there, the better for the Gambian people. One does not
bargain with criminals, you just put them where they belong forthe good of
society as a whole.
Jabou Joh
In a message dated 7/29/2001 3:47:42 PM Central Daylight Time,
[log in to unmask] writes:
>
> Friends,
> In early may I visited Dublin, Ireland. FYI: In St. Patrickīs Cathedral,
> Dublin you can see the rest of "the door of reconciliation".
> In 1492, public attention in Dublin was focused on the rivalry of two
> powerful Anglo-Norman families, the Butlers and Fitzgeralds. In order to
> counter the political dominance of Gerald Fitzgerald, Earl of Kildare, King
> Henry VII gave his support to Fitzgeraldīs rival, Thomas Butler, Earl of
> Ormond. Matters came to a head when Butlerīs nephew, Black James, arrived
> in Dublin with an army. Supporters of the rival factions fought a battle
> inside the cathedral. During the battle, Black James was forced to retreat
> into the chapter house. Despite Fitzgeraldīs feelings towards the Butler
> family, the Earl of Kildare could not be seen to stand aside while a royal
> servant was murdered in a cathedral. Suspecting treachery, Black James could
> only be induced to leave the chapter house when Fitzgerald cut a hole in the
> door and thrust his arm through to offer his hand in peace.
> It has been claimed that the idiom "to chance your arm" derives from this
> episode in the cathedral.
> A note in the Cathedral said, that there is a lesson for all of us engaged
> in feuds, whether brother to brother, nation to nation. If one of us would
> dare to "chance his arm", perhaps that would be the first crucial step to
> reconciliation we all seek.
>
> When I stood there and read the story of this door, I come to think of this
> whole idea of reconciliation once again.
>
> Just a comment on the situation in The Gambia inspired from a tour to
> Dublin, Ireland.
>
> Asbjørn Nordam
>
>
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