WONDERFUL SUGGESTIONS MR KATIM. KUDOS TO A JOB WELL DONE. KEEP IT UP! George Sarr. Hi folks, First, I would like to apologize for my long period of silence in the aftermath of the senseless killing of 14 people, and the wounding of tens of others, by our very own Gambian security forces. The events of this past April 10 and 11 are a shame that will haunt us forever. I join the many people on and off this list, and the world over in condemning these killings, and expressing my condolences to the bereaved families. As we've all seen over the past couple of days, there has been an outpouring of rage never before seen in The Gambia. It is indeed the least many can do, at least for now, while we gather our strengths again, and prepare for the battles ahead. I'd like to contribute one or two ideas to already bulging collection of brilliant efforts underway. But before that, I'd like to take the opportunity to touch on a few house-keeping issues, as regards the list. Earlier in the week, Ambassador Sey in France sent in his perspective on the killings, and we all are aware of the wrath that brought him. In response, he requested that I take him off the list, not knowing that I do not spend my whole day in front of my computer waiting for just such requests. Unfortunately for him, it was much later that day that I saw his appeals. Needless to say, I did not make any efforts to unsubscribe Ambassador Sey. This was for no reason other than the fact that every posting sent out on Gambia-L includes instructions on how to unsubscribe from the list and view archives of postings. I saw no reason why Ambassador Sey should have failed to see those instructions, and had problems following them, if he did see them. The second house-keeping issue I'd like to touch on is the request received from Tombong Saidy regarding insults hurled at him by Madiba Saidy. I will have to agree with Mr. Saidy on this one. This will then be the second time (the first was in 1996) that I'm standing up for Mr. Saidy when insulted on the list. But the issue is not Tombong Saidy, who I've never met in my life. Rather, it's the principle that EVERYONE on the list deserves to be treated with dignity, even if the person in question has been shown or known to be probably undeserving of the dignity. I will say this, and it might sound counter-intuitive, or even crazy, but folks, if there ever was a good time to treat President Jammeh and his officials with respect, this is it. I'll explain shortly, but please assume for a moment that the above assertion is true. In that case, it would follow that what is expected of all of us is that we exercise restraint in the words we hurl at President Jammeh and his officials. While it is entirely up to each of us to decide what words to trade in private, I would advice that we be as forceful as is possible, without being insulting or vulgar, in our public dialogs with the Jammeh government. Besides, I'm of the opinion that if you have to insult people to make your point, you really have nothing to say. House-keeping chores aside, I'd now like to contribute a few suggestions to those that have been sent in about how to react to the killings earlier this week. At the end of the day, I propose that all efforts should be aimed at 3-word objective: Jammeh Must Go! Folks, these killings are ample evidence that we are at cross-roads in our nation's history. Either we make a whole-hearted effort to make sure that President Jammeh's rules ends sooner, rather than later, or we prepare to deal with what might be even worse things to come. Toward this end, and along the lines of suggestions coming in, I would like to add to the proposed action plan. In essence, my proposals are based on a CARROT or STICK approach to get rid of the Jammeh government. Here's how: 1. THE CARROT: It's been a while that I've been thinking about reaching a compromise with President Jammeh and his government for them to hand-over power, in exchange for a number of concessions. Briefly, the deal would be along these lines: i) President Jammeh and his cabinet agrees to resign, and hand-over power to a National Unity government, comprised of different political parties, and interest groups ii) The head of the National Unity Government will agree to step-down after the Presidential elections next year; and by implication, will not contest the elections him or herself iii) In exchange for handing over power, President Jammeh and his Cabinet will be accorded the following: a). Immunity from prosecution for any and all crimes committed while in office b). A life-time pension, based on their current salaries iv) The above immunities and pension-plans shall be contingent on: a). An agreement by President Jammeh, his Cabinet, and past associates to participate in a truth-and-reconciliation commission to investigate crimes they allegedly committed b). An agreement by President Jammeh and his Cabinet to refrain from committing any further crimes AFTER the ratification of the amnesty agreement c). An agreement by President Jammeh and his Cabinet to return any state monies deemed to have been illegally acquired while in office d). It's legislation into effect by an Act of the Gambian Parliament v) Families of all victims of violent incidents during President Jammeh' s reign will be given benefits based on the salaries the victims were drawing, or will have earned had they lived. The above is a broad outline of a compromise between having to get President Jammeh out of office as soon as possible, and making sure that it's done in a manner that will ensure stability and peace. The devil, as the saying goes, could be in the details, but it should be quite possible to accomplish this compromise if there's a will to do so. And if for some reason or the other the compromise route does not work, we'll resort to the stick. 2. THE STICK: It just might be possible that President Jammeh and/or his Cabinet would not agree to a compromise by handing over power before their his present term is up. In that case, we'll use the stick, which in fact will consist of the following action plan: PLAN, ORGANIZE, and ACT. i) PLAN The first step in dealing with President Jammeh if he refuse to a compromise plan would be to plan on what to do. In many respects, present efforts on the list will be immensely helpful in this regard. Along those lines, I would like to suggest the following as contingency plans for action toward getting Jammeh out of office before his term is up, in the event he refuses to compromise. First, the overall premise of the plans would be that the fight is between President Jammeh's might and bullets, and our rights and pens (or keyboards). It is a new game-plan in which we set the rules, and not President Jammeh. In other words, it will be fought on the basis of rules that he has either no knowledge of, or has chosen to totally ignore. I'm talking here about decency, respect for human rights, and the rule of law. And herein is the reason why, earlier, I said that now is the time to show maximum respect to the Jammeh government. The fact is that the only way we can build a credible case is when we have shown a level of maturity that the position we are taking deserves. Thus, we should be careful not to set-back our cause stoop down to their level and start trading insults with them, or worse, start insulting them. Plans for bringing about a speedy end to President Jammeh's rule should include the following: a). A global campaign to educate the world about the atrocities and incompetence of the Jammeh government b). A global campaign to deny the Jammeh government support from governments and organizations they currently associate with c). A campaign to educate Gambians (in The Gambia and abroad; educated or illiterate in English) about their rights, expectations, and what they can do about to bring down the Jammeh government by peaceful means d). Support for the Gambian independent media groups to ensure the adequacy of their facilities, and a political and legal environment for them to do their work. e). Setting up an umbrella organization with autonomous regional and local branches around the world, and aimed at building and fostering democracy and freedom in The Gambia. f). Collaborating with other African and international organizations and associations to work toward common objectives. ii) ORGANIZE The main vehicle toward the above plans will be an umbrella organization that will be global in form, but with autonomous local and regional branches. There already exist a number of Gambian organizations around the world and aimed at different objectives. Furthermore, Dr. Abdoulie Saine has recently proposed the formation of COFFET (The Coalition for Free and Fair Elections in The Gambia), to work toward free and fair elections in The Gambia in 2001. Also, efforts are well underway to coordinate the response to the killings, and provide help to the needy families. In short, there's no shortage of effort in trying to mobilize and organize people. What we now need, I believe, is a formal umbrella organization that will be purposely created to work toward not only the speedy end of the Jammeh government, but also to help maintain an atmosphere of democracy, human rights, and respect for the rule of law in The Gambia. As I indicated before, the organization will be global, because it will have branches in all parts of the world with Gambians interested in working toward the organizations objectives. The local and regional branches of the organization will be autonomous, in the sense that they will run their own finances, and be responsible to coordinating main organizations local activities, and/or initiating their own programs as long as they are consistent with those of the main organization. The benefit of having autonomous local branches include flexibility in running the organizations program, and at the same time making it easy to build the organizations brand, and name-recognition. Having an umbrella organization will also be immensely helpful in getting funds and grant from organizations and associations that fund activities that the planned organization will engage in. There are a number of groups and Foundations out there that might be easier to solicit funds from if we have a formal organization. Furthermore, giving this organization a legal, non-profit status in many countries will open even more opportunities for raising funds needed to carry on it's work. I would further suggest that such an organization have an annual membership fee that is set in the local currency of the affiliate organizations. In addition, we can decide a proportion of each local affiliates membership dues or funds be set-aside for the overall organization toward it's upkeep, and the implementation of it's programs. >From an organizational perspective, and given the potential logistical problems of running an organization across time zones, and continents, I would further suggest that in drafting the charters of both the umbrella organization, and local affiliates, provision be made for the use of the Internet communication tools (e-mail, chat, bulletin boards, etc) to expedite the decision-making process, and enhance the governance of the organization. For now, that's about it with regards the organizational framework for a plan of action to bring about an early end to President Jammeh's government. And now, suggestions on actions that we can take to bring about our objectives iii) ACT There already have been many suggestions about what can and should be done to respond to the killings perpetrated by the Gambian security forces. Alpha Robinson and Co. have done an excellent job of summarizing the suggestions, and I would not belabor the issue any further. Suffice it is for me to add a few more items, and perhaps elaborate on those that could use some more detail. First, the idea of a Web site is great, and Dr. Amadou Janneh's donation of a site most welcome. In particular, I was also thinking along the lines of getting pictures of the victims and putting them on the Web site. May I also add that the main purpose of the Web site should be to serve as the official depository of, and destination for information regarding the case against the Jammeh government. Thus, the Web site should be organized along the following subject matters: a). A history of the Jammeh administration b). Economic facts and figures about the Gambian economy under Jammeh c). Human Rights and Political Freedom (or lack thereof) under Jammeh d). Jammeh's Foreign policy e). Outstanding and/or Pending allegations against the Jammeh government I would like to emphasize that the Web site should make maximum use of facts and figures provided by none other than Jammeh himself, and his officials. In other words, the best case we can build will be one based on facts and figures found in the publications and utterances of the Jammeh government. In this regard, I would read them my version of their Miranda rights: they have a right to remain silent (or do nothing), because anything they say (or do) can, and will be used against them. It is particularly important that we present a historical perspective of the Jammeh administration's record. This will be especially helpful to build a case that not only has his government been inept and incompetent, but that it has been consistently so. Furthermore, the recent killing that so outrage so many of us, do have precedents, which might or might not have been related to a persistent tendency of the Jammeh administration toward the illegal and brutal use of force against it's enemies, real and imagined. Alpha Robinson has also mentioned the power of putting pictures on the Web site. As the saying goes, "a picture is worth a thousand words." For this reason, I suggest we post pictures of ALL those who have died under violent and/or suspicious circumstances during Jammeh's rule. In addition, we should include brief biographies of these victims to further drive home the point that like you and me, they too, had their dreams. And we, as a nation, failed them miserably. The Web site should also be an integral part of a global effort to educate people the world over about the Jammeh administration's record. Toward this end, the propose umbrella organization will embark on a campaign aimed making sure that whenever and where ever President Jammeh travels, we would have sent out advance e-mail messages to government officials, organizations, and news organizations to pointing them to our Web site, and alerting them to the kind of person they will be receiving. These e-mail messages will be followed-up, where possible, by phone calls, and personal visits by members of our organization in the event we have them on the ground. Still on the Web site, I suggest we start trying to put a team together to build it. Toward this end, I suggest that people volunteer for the following: a). A Producer - responsible for the overall content and production of the site b). Graphics designers - to design the Umbrella organization's logo, and Web site templates c). Webmaster - overall administration and programming (CGI scripts, HTML, etc.) of the site d). Editors - Responsible for developing and writing content in specialist areas (e.g. human rights, economic data and reports, etc.) e). Researchers -- To work with Editors to research and develop content; also to ensure that data is valid, current, and relevant. f). Others - to take on duties as assigned Besides the Web site, our action plan should include activities geared toward keeping the heat on the Jammeh administration. Toward this end, efforts should be made to contact various governments, development agencies, and other organizations that Jammeh's officials have dealings with. Thus, efforts should be made to ensure that: a). as many governments as possible deny Jammeh and his Cabinet members permits to visit b). as many organizations as possible stop dealing with the Jammeh administration, and by refuse them invitations to international meetings c). no more financial assistance forthcoming to The Gambia unless and until outstanding allegations of the misappropriation of public funds (e.g. money from Taiwan, the Nigerian oil deal) are resolved Our efforts must also be aimed at effecting a campaign of political education for Gambians. While the Internet might be a wonderful tool for communicating with those who have access to it, it still does us no good if we want to reach someone in Sare Gubu Muntaga. In that case, we have to try some alternate means. Thus, I suggest that we plan on making sure that as many Gambians as possible have access to information other than what they hear from official Gambian media. In this regard, I suggest we take a leaf from the late Ayatollah Khomenei's book. We should seriously consider the use of cassette tapes to get the word out, if need be. What I have in mind is a regular publication, in cassette form, of developments of concern to Gambians. The tapes might include discussions on topical issues, interviews with political leaders denied access to the media, and educational material for special interest groups (e.g. women, business people), or different ethnic groups. Furthermore, we can also look into the possibility of renting a shortwave transmitter to broadcast regularly to The Gambia. Remember that Radio Free Europe was created for a similar purpose, and I think if we setup a proper non-profit organization dedicated toward the development of democracy in the Gambia, and indeed West Africa in general, we just might be able to come up with a grant to have at least weekly broadcasts. For example, World Harvest Radio (http://www.whr.org) has a transmitter (WHRA - Angel 5) in Maine that is targeted to Africa and the Middle East (see http://www.whr.org/tech.htm) You can find their transmitter rental information at (http://www.whr.org/advert.htm). I'm not saying the WHRI will agree to rent us their transmitters, but I just wanted to give you an idea about what's possible, and might well be achievable, if we work toward it. Another important activity we must NOT neglect is support for Gambian media. We've all heard of the heroics of George Christensen of Radio 1 FM, and we' re all grateful to him for his interventions during last Monday's incidents. Mr. Christensen's experiences, coupled with the killing of Mr. Omar Barrow, the journalist, and Red Cross/Red Crescent volunteer are ample demonstration of the risks and hazards they face on a daily basis. For this reason, I suggest we start thinking about ways and means of helping them out. For example, I have seen a number of postings from some of them about not being able to send in their responses or postings because of this or that computer problem. We should try to work toward helping them with their computer problems by either helping them get new ones, or functional refurbished ones. Furthermore, I've been thinking about helping them setup their own Web sites, but I will have to work on this not only with them, but also with Quantum who presently provides them some space. And finally, I would like to say that we should also plan to coordinate and collaborate with other African and international groups toward common objectives. If I'm not mistaken, I believe a number of Gambia-L subscribers are already active in international human rights circles and democracy movements (e.g. Ndey Jobarteh), and I think they might be able to provide us some valuable hand-holding. And by the way, I would like to ask Ndey Jobarteh and Saiks Samateh if we might be allowed to use their slogan "For Freedom" as the motto of the umbrella organization I am proposing. What do you think? I'll leave it that until later. And with up-coming meetings in DC and other places, I would suggest that we start building a coordinating team to work with Soffie Ceesay and Alpha Robinson to get the umbrella organization and other activities off the ground. Please keep the positive dialog flowing, and God willing, we shall overcome. Best wishes in your endeavors. Katim Gambiansonline ..Design With The Gambian People In Mind. 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