Mr. Gassama:

I am indeed supportive of any movement that seeks constructive criticism and laying foundations for strategic alliance.  It makes sense to argue with maturity.

I hope fellow comrades on the L will come forth with tangible solutions to the media bill.  We can serve our audience well if we are fair  and sincere.

Naphiyo,
Comrade ML Jassey-Conteh
Greensboro, NC/Kombo East Constituency

On Sun, 26 May 2002 17:47:07 +0000 Jungle Sunrise <[log in to unmask]> wrote:



Mr. Conteh,

Having replied to your comentary earlier I later realised that the reply was sent to you privately rather than to the list. For this, I apologise and also for the many typos and gramatical errors in my original post. I'm sure yours truly wouldn't mind the occasional blunders from time to time.

You wrote:

" It is very unfortunate that the average Gambian does not want to seek elected public office because of all the risks that go with it. As such we mostly tend to end up with people who might not have been the best for our representation."

Mr. Conteh, this is precisely why we need to further discuss this issue with a view to offering some alternative solutions and strategies to make sure that we end up having a media commission Bill that serves the interest of all Gambians concerned. It is not just enough to criticise it without offering a way forward.

Secondly, we need to overcome some of the phobia most Gambians seem to have with politics. I am sure it wouldn't be a big exaggeration on my part when I say that most Gambians are not willing to go into politics for fear of all the risks it entails. This is quite understandable especially if you consider how politics has ruined the lives of many decent folks and their families. That should not however deter all of us from actively seeking elected office to contibute what we can for the further enhancement of democracy in our country as well as improve on governance. This might be easier said than done but that should not deter us.

Finally, a forum like Gambia-L can help us a lot in consolidating some of the gains that have been registered over the years in terms of public awareness and critical thinking especially when it concerns how we are governed. This would only be achieved however if people are willing to listen and discuss issues with decorous behavior. We must also be prepared to offer alternative solutions and/or strategies in the event we disagree with what others propose. Criticising without offering solutions do not help much. I also believe that all is not lost yet. The GPU, coalition of human rights activists as well as other members of civic society can still search for alternatives at their disposal in order to help bring the media commission bill into conformity with what prevails in most other countries as well as our constitution. This does not however mean that we have to import all aspects of a media commission bill from another country and cannot adapt it to our specific situation. These, in my opinion, are some of the challenges that we may have to face and deal with.
Have a good day, Gassa.



There is a time in the life of every problem when it is big enough to see, yet small enough to solve. -Mike- Levitt-




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