Halifa Sallah, Before any revisitation to some of your response to Rena,Ousman and my self,i have to salute to you for the unusual gentleness in your response to mine.Thank you sir, for avoiding foul language or bad mouthing.Thank you also for respecting my opinion ,that is a good sign.People should learn to agree to disagree and respect each other´s opinion even if one is not subscribing to that opinion.I only wish you will continue on that footing.Halifa, i must confess that i am not a politician nor an intellectual but a working woman(working class woman) who sweat very well for the means to meet the end.However,i have alway the interest on both the ideas and the political behavior of individuals who seek to govern our belove country and her people.I would probably have not even know your name if you were not in the national politics of our belove country, and so what i was emphasising is that, be it Saul ,Hamjatta or any Gambian as that matter have a right to question your political stands especially when your positions and relation with Jammeh´s regime is seemly differ to that of Jawara´s.Halifa, it is fact that you are in more political lime light now than before.It is equally true that you were the only old (first republic) politician who did functioned during the transitional period.My dear politician - Halifa,two wrongs make no right,1996 constitution being better than 1970 constitution doesn't´t justify the adoption of the former(1996).Gambia definitely needs a better one than this one.What made Jammeh to surrender to two years in oppose to his four years "times table" could have force him to that of better constitution if only fear of military footdraging or national disintegration was not use and manipulated by `yes`supporters. You wrote:The vast majority of youths were dissatisfied that I did not accept a ministerial post. In fact, PDOIS lost a lot of votes to APRC precisely because the APR Carried out the campaign that we were unwilling to collaborate with the new regime even though we used to criticise Jawara. My comments:I don´t get the logic, until and unless you are saying that the vast majority of youths did not understand your ideas,points,stand and politics.And if that is the case,then you were either ineffective or too advance for the youths,isn't? But what about none youths? Your logic doesn't seems to apply to Kemeseng Jammeh,Abu Kassama and your own "comrade" Sidia Jatta on the constituency plate form -does it? Your wrote:Of course, relying on the type of people some of them project as heroes, one can understand the nature of their political leanings. However, as far as I am concerned, every human being is free to engage me on this forum. I would be very happy if no one tries to defend me:I have had to send personal mails to people so that they will not step into this issue.This is a very fortunate development and i am highly inspired that the execise is taking place. My comments:Who is project who as a hero?All what i was saying is that most of the people whom i mentioned did suffered physically more than you did,i believes ,go ahead and prove me wrong.It is not the question of their political believes,moral or stands but the question of the suffering.Most of these people were tortured and some of them are in their grave because of the beatings and tortures,yet there was or is any boastful statements like "tasting every except death".No human being should be tortured not even Yahya Jammeh or Dauda Jawara.Halifa allow your friends,supporters ,followers or"comrades" to defend you if they can but as you mentioned,trying to defend the indefensible is to sink into frivolity, and i hope you and the people who wants to defend you will not be guilty of that(sink into frivolity) You wrote:You have mentioned the suffering of many people. There is no where that I have claimed that I have suffered more than anybody My comments:Yes, you haven´t mentioned that you suffered more than any body but you did mentioned that you tasted every thing except death,didn't you.Were you physically tortured to the point of loosing a part of your body?Were you tortured to the point of paralyzing?Were you jail or sentence to the prison for a period of one year or more?Yes,some of the people i mentioned did suffered so much yet they have not claimed to tasted every thing except death.So what have you tasted which is next to death, don´t you think that your statement is a little bit of bluff? You wrote:Nobody can close the mouth of anyone. When the term is utilised, it simple means that when one has nothing to defend one must keep quiet; to continue to defend the indefensible is to sink into frivolity. My comments:Good,you can also express yourself gently.You need to work hard to put your critics to a defensive since it is you who is in defensive corner.Do you really believes that you can make your critics to be quiet,i believe that will be hell lot of work and good luck. You wrote:Fatou, you did mention about Koro Ceesay. FOROYAA is a newspaper. It has reporters and editors. When its reporters investigate a case and are ready to stand by their reports, we the editors have no choice but to publish their findings. When we published the findings of our reporters, we concluded with an editorial comment that we could not come with any conclusive evidence; that even though the findings of reporters seem to indicate an accident, a Coroner's Inquest was essential to establish the cause of death. This is what the editorial of FOROYAA indicated. This is a legitimate position which covers us if findings went either way. We trusted our reporters and knew that they reported what was known to them in good faith, in the public interest. My comments:Oh, the poor reporters of yours,are they to be blamed for your unconclusive evidence.Aren't´t you saying that you were writing for the sake of writing hence you cannot come to any conclusive evidence.Wouldn't you save your self from all that troubles by not writing hence you have no conclusive evidence?Halifa Sallah,probably it was exciting for you with the socalled investigative journalism if not Colombo(film actor) type of investigation but do you correctly reflect that Koro Ceesay´s death is a reality which marked untold pain on his family and love ones?A pain which cannot be measured You wrote:You have mentioned that my role during the coup period should be questioned.You claimed that I was the only one who was allowed to function.Don´t you means that we were the only ones who earned respect by taking a principaled stand when the coup occurred and then defied the ban on Decree No.4 while your"Foday Dusubas# handed themselves to the military and pledged their support? My comments:Tell me who else of the first republic politician was allowed to function other than Halifa Sallh during the transitional period ? Don´t tell me of the liking of Buba Baldeh who sang Jammeh´s music.Sir, i am afraid that i have to ask you why your defied of the decrees were limited to only decree Nr.4 not decree 1,2, 3 and the rest or even the cuop it self. Or were you in agreement with the rest of the decrees?You will be more of hero if your defying of the decrees were not limited.Halifa,yes you have defied the decree Nr.4 but was it not a mere show off or was it motivated by an economic interest hence Foroyaa presumable is an economic resources also.Do you think you have the same fate or treatment in the hands of the police like those ordinary people (Joberteh & co.) who were deceived to demonstrate for the discredit PPP ? I just ask,was your defying of decree Nr.4 not a turning point? Hope you will tell more which will be understandable and impressive. You wrote:Our rallies were marked by speeches which the people could understand.This is precisely what we are doing today. In our view, the Gambian people should cast their votes for any party which has the programme to eradicate their poverty. Hence, we are not competing with anyone. We are simply putting our message across to the people. If they trust that the programmes we put before them can address their needs and aspirations and that we are the type of people who can address their needs and aspirations, they may vote for us. In five years, they should be able to determine whether our words will match our deeds. If our words fail to match our deeds, they have every justification to boot us out. This is a very simple process. It does not need anybody to be a "Dusuba", or a "Number One". My comments:Well , if you claimed that you are not competing,i am afraid i have not much to add but the fact remains that you have unsuccessfully stood for an elections .It also seems that either your message has not come across to the people or they(people) simple rejected it.However that seems not in line with your statement like-"Our rallies were marked by speeches which the people could understand.This is precisely what we are doing today." You wrote:How am I to handle such a tendency other than to sweep their thrash in the dust bin? I will never get tired of this. My comments:Is it an other bluff?I hope you have a good place for the dust bin so to avoid eventual explosion.Go ahead. You wrote:The dust will soon settle and all of us will look at truth squarwly in the face My comments:I am yet to see that ,and when that will be as the soon have been ringing in our ears for sometimes now. In the first republic, the critics might called you names like day dreamers,communist,arrogant,bluff etc but no one in his or her correct mind will question your political moral,stand or honesty,so, do you ever think why all of sudden critics are doubting every thing that seemly made you different from all our politicians?Good luck and make my dag. Halifa,there is no doubt in my mind that Jawara`s regime was very corrupted,irresponsible and political bankrupt and so is Jammeh´s regime but the scale of the human right abuses including tortures and murders under Jammeh make it all different.So i disagree with your notion that APRC is a continuation of PPP.It might be difficult to refute that Jammeh´s is a creation of Jawara´s ,but a continuation, that is really refutable. Finally, Halifa, if i were in your situation,i would take the courage an apologise to Koro Ceasay´s family and love ones by telling them to forgive me for putting my "mouth" into the death of Koro which i have no knowledge nor the possibility of investigating.That certainly will be noble and humble act in good faith.What do you think :)? Greetings FC ______________________________________________________ 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 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------