Brother Karamba,
I am very much moved by your disarming candour and sincerity, and it is
abundantly clear that with the ideological barriers aside there is much more
that unites all of us than potential sources of discord suggest. Narrating
human rights violations of the past frees us not only from protecting the
trivial old age of perpetrators. It is also perhaps the only way of
constructing a foundation of justice for future generations. That is why to
bowdlerize that past or any aspect of it is a crime against our own. So I
hope that even those members of MOJA who are active elsewhere now, would
eventually come home to break cola-nuts once more. Your comments and
questions are most welcome.
The first defect in my article is that it was written in a hurry. The scope
of narrative was simply too huge to be reasonably condensed for the declared
purpose. Besides certain issues had to be deliberately excluded for reasons
of contextual weight. You will immediately note that there were many
important episodes of which mention was not made.
Immeditely following the shooting of Commander Eku Mahoney, over 200
Senegalese paratroopers made a surprise landing at both the MacCarthy Square
and the Airport. The reason for their presence could not be ascertained as
both Radio Senegal and Radio Gambia gave conflicting reports of it. The
latter maintained that they were invited for a joint military exercise,
which is less plausible; while Senegal Radio claimed the soldiers' presence
was in response to a Gambian request over alleged fears of a putsch.
Earlier, some Senegalese nationals believed to be under the tutelage of one
Ahmed Niasse were deported from Banjul under the pretext that these and some
Gambians were being trained and prepared by Libyan agents for the overthrow
of both regimes.
So it was clear to MOJA militants that political instability in Gambia was a
direct challenge to Senegal's geostrategic interests, a condition that would
summon their uninvited intervention.
MOJA members felt that liberating Gambia from Senegalese military occupation
was going to be a much more frightful business than freeing ourselves from
Kukoi's rule. The anarchy you spoke of could not have been envisaged that
first morning of the coup, and it was an effect of the Senegalese
intervention; not its cause. You are right that I made no mention of the
horrific and wanton destruction of life and property unleashed by the
actions of the coupists. Not that it was to be swept under a rug. A detailed
description of it was given by MOJA in its Balang-Baa issue of March/April
1994. Not only did many MOJA members decide to arm themselves to fight, many
others were active in disarming Gambians who had obviously no knowledge of
handling AK-47s, helping to save valuable lives.
Critical support for the AFPRC government simply meant that MOJA would offer
solidarity to the government but never before criticism. The declared
intentions of the Jammeh-led Council were deemed to be progressive by MOJA;
accountability, the fight against corruption, probity, infrastructure
uppgrade, and all the sweet rhetoric combined with the fact that the coup
was a fait accompli, which, if it were to be reversed, would result to
bloodshed and the destruction of that which was good under Jawara's rule
prompted MOJA to grant the AFPRC a fresh slate. The AFPRC/APRC record
progressed (in my barometer) from little criticism and more support in 1994,
to all criticism and no support by April 10, 2000. I am sure many other MOJA
members have similar scorecards.
I do hope your questions and concerns are answered?
Have a great week-end.
Sidibeh
-----Original Message-----
From: The Gambia and related-issues mailing list
[mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of [log in to unmask]
Sent: 03 November 2001 01:51
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: MOJA CASE FILE (1)
Mr Sidibeh,
Thank you very much for a very well written retrospective.
I
am especially impressed with your sequencing of events and your perspective
of an organization you seem to demonstrably understand and care about. While
ideologically I am on the opposite side of the spectrum relative to Moja , I
believe your absence from the body politik from the time of your inception
has diminished our overall democratic experience.Gambia like any society
looking to positively forge ahead has to have it's full compliment of ideas
and participants actively involved in the crucial business of improving our
society and the lives it's people. I was also struck by the very candid
reasons you advance for the current near comatose state of Moja. You
justifiably apportioned significant blame on the Jawara regimes
heavy-handedness and also lethargic leadership from within MOJA. In a
strange
way, both of these reasons point to what I call a destructive propensity
for
self preservation deeply embedded in the Gambian psyche. Sending field
forces
to arrest seemingly innocent people espousing new and different ideas was
the
flawed response of a regime that was much more interested in preserving
itself than fairly contesting ideas. Similarly the expedient judgment of
some
of your colleagues to jump into Yahya Jammeh's bandwagon under the spurious
pretext that it was a credible revolution point to the same selfish streak
lurking in the hearts of many a Gambian.There is simply nothing some people
would not do to meet selfish ends. In the process good people and good ideas
become casualties.
I did find two phrases troubling. You said MOJA did not support the
Kukoi
coup but it's members went ahead and armed themselvesf to defend the
country
from invading Senegalese soldiers sustaining casualties in the process. I
can
understand on grounds of nationalism for Moja to characterise the Senegalese
as invaders and thus the need to attempt a defense. What troubles me is the
fact that you attribute none of the violence that was precitipated by
looting and the general breakdown of law and order to Kukoi and the
coupists.
I do not think Kukoi would strike you as being a responsible revolutionary
whose rhetoric or methods was a prelude to anything but anarchy. Similarly
you stated that Moja opposed the Jammeh coup in principle but decided to
offer critical support.Since you did not elaborate on what that means , I'd
like to ask for a clarification.Did you mean you supported the coup just as
a
tansitionary episode? Do you still support the APRC regime?
I look forward to your response
Thanks
Karamba
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