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. ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html ----------------------------------------------------------------------------