Well put, Ebrima. I think nowadays most tend to get confused when they are
challenged. They mistake accountability for intolerance. When they say
something you find particularly offensive and you challenge them to make
them accountable, they accuse you of being intolerant. As you said, Sam is
entitled to write anything he wants. However, he has to be held accountable
like anyone else. He has to back his rhetoric.
I am equally offended by the man’s ridiculous generalizations and I thank
you and others for standing up for all GOOD Gambians that Sam libeled in his
ill-advised piece. How can we even take the man seriously? Is this NOT the
same man that gave child murderers (APRC) a glowing endorsement in the
Observer right before the election? If he has some truth to tell, why is he
NOT telling that truth to the murderers of our children that are walking the
streets of Banjul scot-free? Let the man give us a break. I do NOT know the
man but I am sure he is just another pathetic sycophant. Did I NOT read in
the Independent that the man used to caddy for Jawara; following the
ex-president all over the golf course? Shame on Sam.
Stick to your guns, Ebrima. Sam got NOTHING on decent Gambians. Let him
moralize with the criminals that are holding our country hostage. But No! He
goes around praising child murderers and slandering decent Gambians.
KB
>From: Ebrima Sillah <[log in to unmask]>
>Reply-To: The Gambia and related-issues mailing list
><[log in to unmask]>
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Re: Why I Disagree With Charles Sam(Facuru)
>Date: Tue, 13 Nov 2001 14:27:02 +0000
>
>Facuru,
>
>It is good to hear from you and even more refreshing
>to add your voice to this rather interesting debate
>here in The Gambia. Before i go to the substance of
>your peice, let me register my disappointment with the
>fact that a lot of people on this forum may still be
>wandering as to what you are replying to since you
>failed to forward my article in question in the
>Independent of monday to the G-L. All the same i will
>start by reacting to your this point: "before you wage
>an intellectual war on anybody, make sure you
>cultivate the mettle to accomodate scathing truth
>about yourself or your beloved Gamnia."
>Indeed Facuru if you know me very well then you should
>not have any problems realising that i always like to
>be challenged...therefore to come here potraying me as
>intolerent to opposing views or painfully sensitive to
>critism is not true. All what i was doing was to take
>Charles Sam to task on what he said about the Gambia
>and Gambians. To say that the people of The Gambia are
>not truthful, are not Godly, are not hardworking, are
>not petriotic is not only misleading but a big insult
>to all what we stand for as a people. What is wrong in
>setting the record straight? Charles Sam, a guest of
>the current government, has been writing persistent
>articles about the Gambia, her people and critics and
>i have never replied to any one of them.
>I have been a keen reader of almost all his articles
>and therefore chellenging him on what he said this
>time around about the country is no crime. To imply
>that my challenge to Sam will not help the "Kaira
>Banku" becuase only half truth will be known is a
>deleberate misunderstanding of where am coming from.
>Facuru you know very well that some of us have stood
>by the truth, we're still standing by the truth and we
>will continue to stand by the truth. But this does
>not mean that we have to idly sit by and see
>international presitge seekers to come here rewrite
>our history for us in a dishonest way. The Gambia is
>full of hardworking sons and daughters who will not
>weaver this responsibility to anyone.
>
>Your other reaction to the Independent view is even
>more intersting and baffling. Since am a party to this
>debate i have to take issues with you on this phrase
>of yours. You wrote "how disappointed he must be that
>not the politicians but the press itself is not
>tolerant to free speech." Where is the intolerance
>here. All what is being said is to make the records
>straight. Read the independent view once again and you
>will realise that all what the paper was saying has
>been this: in today's Gambia it is right for those
>foriegners who come here and trumpet the good side of
>the government to meddle in our local politics but at
>the same time wrong and a big sin for that matter for
>foriegners who pin point government weaknesses. Most
>of these unfortunate foriegners are either arrested or
>deported. How many foriegn journalists have been
>deported to their countries(for some to their war torn
>countries) just because they were working for the
>independent media? Are you letting me that you've
>forgotten the controversial deportation of Bharat
>Joshi--the then deputy British High Commissioner to
>the Gambia just because he attended an opposition
>press conference? So why allow Charles Sam a Ghanian
>by birth, to disparage Gambians in such a manner?
>Cgarles Sam can still write anything about The Gambia
>but we also reserve the right to challenge him on his
>statements. I still stand by my piece in the
>independent of monday that Sam's take on Gambians was
>a masqueraded article ridiculing the people of the
>Gambia who were infact treated with contempt in the
>article. That is my position,period!!
>
>
>--- Facuru Sillah <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > Hi
>Ebrima Sillah
> Before you wage an intellectual war on anybody, make
> > sure you cultivate the mettle to accommodate
> > scathing
> > truths about yourself or your beloved
> > GAMBIA.Patriotism should not be limited to praise
> > singing of the Smiling Coast,Smiling People.If you
> > will only be positive, you must be telling
> > half-tories
> > and half-truths which will not help GAMBIA KAIRA
> > BANKU
> >
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