Mr. Kah wrote:

"Well Gassa as an opened minded person I like to give the benefit of the
doubt, eventhough in the past such rhetoric as you have echoed has been
made. I feel that it is about time we draw the line somewhere and
engage in positive criticism which will reflect our maturity as a people and
a nation. But then we can only achieve such with the good will participation
of Jammeh and his compatriots, after all they are the ones calling the tune.
They hold the rope that wields the NIA and fundamental to any recocilliation
is the reconstitution of that nefarious institution, that is despised even
by the judiciary let alone the ordinary people. I hope this time round
Jammehs pronouncements will be translated into action. If this happens and
democracy allowed to thrive, it can only bring good, but otherwise it will
only generate hatred and distrust amongst ourselves. I hope as you and
Jammeh make the clarion call for us to work together you also shall play
your part, after all this is not about making fanciful statements to impress
the international media it is about the lives of a people. such commitments
should not be undertaken lightly, because failure to execute what one
promise will only breed contempt and distrust. I hope this is a new chapter
in which we shall all see the changes for real. I do not expect
arbritrary arrests and detentions, for I expect that instructions from
hence, would be to apply the rule of law".

Mr. Kah, thank you very much for your observations and comments. I wish I
could have reproduced your entire post again as it makes a lot of sense I
agree with most of what you written entirely.

I have always believed that nobody has a monopoly of ideas. We may be
standing on the same spot and yet we may be looking at different views. I am
sure you will agree with me that standing at a door looking in presents a
different view to standing at the same door looking out. It is therefore
absolute madness to just jump and call someone a lier because that person,
standing at a door, tells you that he/she has seen a lion, because you did
not see the lion and you are also standing at the same door. It makes more
sense to either rationalize by turning around to see if you would see it or
ask him/her where the lion is. It is unfortunate however that there are
people who seem to assume that they are the only ones who what is best for
all or they are the only ones who can use their brains, which is of course
absolute rubbish if you ask me.

Going back to the theme of your post, I strongly believe that it takes two
to tango. Whereas jammeh overthrew a constitutionally elected government in
1994, he subsequently got the approval of the majority of Gambians to lead
us. This mandate ought to be respected.

Secondly, after all the stagnation and misrule of the former government
dating as far back as the mid 70s, and witnessed by all Gambians, how can
some of us honestly say that all that the present government is doing are
not a priority for Gambians. Some even call these developments white
elephant projects as if they have no value or they not a priority for those
of us living here. When you challenge them as what they would have done had
they been leading us they cannot tell you zilch. How can you take any body
seriously if whenever you want to talk some sense into that person he
pretends that he knows everything better than you? I strongly believe that
sometimes showing a little bit of appreciation or approval achieves a lot
more than persistent criticism. You cannot be criticising someone constantly
and trying to undermind him and yet expect him to have any respect for you
or care about you. No way! Human relations require us to respect each other
and treat each other like human beings. However unpalatable it may be to any
body, fact of the matter is that the electoral process we now have has never
been this good in this country. It is also a fact that the level of
awareness of government's programmes and the freedom of the media have never
been higher in this country. If however some decides to abuse this freedom
and constantly seek confrontation with the government, they may go right
ahead. The observation that if a child lives with critism, he learns to
condemn, if he lives with hostility, he learns to fight and if he lives with
tolerance, he learns to be patient is as true today as it has ever been. I
am who happens to believe that change is a complex and sometimes difficult
process that one needs to manage with care, tact and determination. It
cannot be forced on people.

Finally, I hope that recent pronouncements of the government would be given
a chance to take hold. The constant bickering and hostility will not take us
anywhere. The NIA, National Army and any branch of the security forces are
all Gambians and as such whatever they do, they would be doing to their own
kith and kin. However we all know that while some of these people are
professionals and would not treat their fellow Gambians inhumanely, others
may not be so. It is for this reason that we should all find ways of
respectfully and peacefully dealing with each other to solve our problems. I
also hope that those who have campaigned tirelessly for the isolation of
this government, having done their worst, would have a re-think of their
strategy and engage the government possitively.

Have a good day, Gassa.


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