Hamjatta,

You wrote: "I remember when one former politician highlighted that Jammeh is
only interested in winning the next elections against the will of the
Gambian peoples by hook or crook. Halifa came out saying there is nothing
wrong with Jammeh transforming the erstwhile AFPRC into a political party
and contest the presidential elections."
This being Ramadan, I swear to the holy Quran that he told me the same thing
and much more IN PERSON when WE SPOKE back in '96 for over thirty minutes.

Our conversation was the most weird exchange I've ever had. I called Halifa
to follow-up on the letter I had fax to them some days earlier. (This is the
one I enclosed for him as a reminder several weeks ago.) He started telling
me that they cannot publish my letter because it's "undemocratic." I said
undemocratic? He said yes b/c "you're telling Gambians who they should vote
for." I said no, I'm not. I'm just saying that Yaya Jammeh should not be
running at all b/c that's the covenant he's made with Gambian people (when
Rawlings came to the Gambia in '95.) Further, I'm just saying that Gambians
have choices in Sheriff Dibba or Sedia. Anyone but Yaya. He said "how do you
know that Sedia will be a candidate? PDOIS's executive is yet to decide who
will be on our ticket." I said fine. My point is: "there are choices other
than Yaya Jammeh."

From that point on, things just went down-hill: "If you're democratic,
you'll see why we cannot publish your letter...;" "...You know,
intellectuals should be neutral (I never claimed I was, but suppose we lived
in a fantasy world and I am a Gambian intellectual, don't I have a right to
my opinion that Yaya Jammeh should stick to his promise that he will not run
for president?)..." "...Do you know that many people here are saying that
Jammeh should run?" "... No, we cannot edit your letter b/c we don't believe
in telling people what to write..." I swear to my mother's life. This was
what Halifa told me IN PERSON. By the time I hung up, I was totally
flabbergasted.

I took that same letter to THREE different African professionals in the DC
area, one of them  a social science college professor, to critique the
letter. What each of them told me was the DIRECT OPPOSITE of what Halifa
Sallah had said. I knew at that point that the Gambia was in trouble.

That's why I'm just so sick of the garbage that is being directed at us for
scrutinizing what this "very honorable" man has been up to. But then, this
honor thing is subjective. Countless villains in history have been called
honorable. And what difference does it make when truth doesn't matter to
some people? If you're unsure of anything else, believe this Hamjatta: I
spoke to Halifa in '96 for over thirty minutes, and the gist of our exchange
is what I've narrated here. I invite Allah's wrath on myself and my family
if I'm lying about this "honorable man." If you find it unbelievable/weird,
you can understand my curiosity to hear Halifa explain to me what was going
on. To say what he told me was out of character, is an understatement. Or
maybe that's the real Halifa Sallah. I just don't know!

As it is, Halifa would do himself a big favor by coming clean about his role
during the transition. It will come out someday anyway. So why prolong it?

Saul.


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