Saul,

I understand your concern. I promise you that we will seek your consent
before publishing anything. To be honest with you, I find the whole exercise
to be a school on how freedom of expression can be exercised in a democratic
society.

It is our conviction that when leaders are mature, transparent and
accountable they would even be able to deal with what may legally be termed
as libellious by exercising their own freedom of expression instead of
utilising repressive measures. This is why I made it clear to all of you
that  I will not consider your use of language and choice of words to be
offensive as long as it helps you to express what you want to express freely
or without hinderance. I certainly do not wish to deter you from expressing
your opinions about me by making you a subject of public discourse in The
Gambia. Let us put that concern aside.

Furthermore, I know you know that I do not hold you as a political opponent.
I am sure you are aware that the language I use in a polemic is very
different from the personality I carry to conduct public relations. I do not
have any personal opponent. I have already told you that I was going to be
provocative. I am simply engaging you from all angles just to provoke you.
Finally, we either agree or agree to disagree and then continue to be
compatriots without any hard feelings. That is how matters stand.

Notwithstanding, I will take a two-pronged approach on Thursday or Friday by
engaging Hamjatta so that I could go right away to do with the constitution
and the Koro Ceesay issue after examining his pedantic conception of the
relation of science to belief and his erratic conception of what constitutes
proper investigative journalism. I hope this approach will satisfy your
current concerns and still avail me the opportunity of clearing the record
once and for all, as has been suggested. I believe once the record is there
anybody who raises the same issues again could be supplied with a volume of
information that would satisfy his or her concern.

As you know, I have a busy schedule and would always be deterred from going
into more significant things than talking about a transient personality
called Halifa Sallah whose only worth can be determined by what he
contributes to make the livesof other people better instead of engaging in a
pompous display of intellectual profundity or vain display of heroism.

Just a word of caution. I have not given you permission to use the language
I used against myself against me (laugh).

Greetings.

Halifa Sallah.

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