Mr. Sidibeh: Thanks for the clarification. Your views are well noted. Best wishes on this project. Abdoulaye MSSidibeh wrote: > > Dr. Abdoulie Saine, > > Thanks a ton for your input. The points you raised are quite relevant and > important and I am sure many readers have taken note of them. > I feel however, that I need to clarify some of the positions I maintained in > the original article which, perhaps, have not come through well because of > any number of reasons. > > Some of the positions you raised, I have already commented on elsewhere and > therefore need not be taken up once more : > > Dr. Saine wrote: > ........" > > What your analysis left out however, is how far Gambia-L has come, from > > a forum of necessary political/social discourse and criticism to one of > > pro-active/agency. Unquestionably, G-L(and its constituent parts) is a > > player in The Gambia's political landscape. Collectively, we created a > > voice and space for ourselves long before the April 10 Massacre, and > > have since then, exerted pressure on Jammeh and his regime. The latter > > was made possible, in part, by the practical strategies the G-L took in > > its efforts to influence events at home. > > > > Not withstanding the lack of response from the Jammeh regime, The G-L > > Position Paper(published in New African, The Independent, BBC interview > > and other outlets)has made an impact. How much? It is hard to measure > > as of now.. Yet, we must never judge our success and possible impact by > > the lack of response from Jammeh and his government. This was to be > > expected. The response I and others have received from Gambia since the > > publication of the proposal have been positive. And in the aftermath of > > the killings, our efforts to see justice rendered and comfort the nation > > at a time of such a tragedy and loss, must not be underestimated. In > > fact, the postings forwarded to us by Ebrima Ceesay from Gambia and the > > circulation of Karamba Touray's article at home, and others I have > > received privately, suggest that our efforts as a collective, > > (GAMBIA-L), are positive. > > As you may have noted, my intention was to make a case for the need for a > broad-based mass organisation of Gambians by trying, in a humble way, to > highlight how its absence may have contributed to the gradual militarisation > of Gambian society ; and by implication, the tragic events of last week. > True, I might have paid little attention to the > influence Gambia-L may have in Gambia (I was off the list for the past four > months, rejoining again last week Tuesday), as I am not > aware of any reports anyone may have made on the impact the L has on Gambian > public thought and discourse. But I have recognised the very importance of > the L for us and have invariably commented on that in the past. > > While I have no figures available, (the list managers may be able to help > here) I should dare venture the opinion that the number of Gambia-based > subscribers to Gambia-L is still below 100, especially taking into account > government agencies and agents hiding behind dubious identities. The > positive feedbacks notwithstanding, I think there are ample reasons for > expanding participation in Gambian affairs beyond Gambia-L. There are > thousands and thousands of civil servants, workers, students, and unemployed > individuals who have no access to the net. > > You also wrote: > > > Also, Overseas Gambians are very diverse in their political and > > ideological orientations. We are not a monolith. In fact, a great > > number of us are apolitical, but not any less concerned about events at > > home, or trying to make a contribution, however modest. To call for > > "some kind of ideological commitment...."on the part of Gambians, is at > > best naive and setting ourselves up for possible failure. We must rid > > ourselves of the notion that "We Are All One" because we are not. > > Witness the April 10 Massacre and the different versions each > > representing different interests. More important, Gambians today are > > distinguished along lines of wealth, class, education, gender etc., > > hence different material interests. I wish it were different. > > Naive perhaps, and yes, we are not a monolith. But certainly, we are also > not > a discrete collection of morbid individualists without anything in common, > or who are irredeemably incapable of reconciliation. Gambians have on many > occasions in the past recognized their common concerns and shared interests > and have organized accordingly. > > I am afraid you must have missed the big picture Dr. Saine because the > students who died last week in Gambia and those whose families are in > turmoil and trauma and grief, recognised their differences, yet they > organised a demonstration! They did not not care that Ebrima Barry was a > Fulani (like me), or that Binta Manneh is a Mandinka GIRL(!) or that some > were from well-to-do families while most others were from poor ones! They > went > out there chanting, not lazy slogans like "We Are All One", but that they > wanted Justice. If they could find common cause in resisting callous > brutality, in demanding justice not only for the two victims but for all of > GAMBIAN SOCIETY, then they must have discovered an ideology sufficiently > powerful to move them to challenge the state with all its might ; an > ideology, that you and I are wasting wise acres - to borrow a phrase from > Hamjatta - trying to figure out. They discovered an ideology of Resistance > > Yes, we may falter, fall and fail in our travails. Well, so what? We simply > should get up, brush off the dust and TRY AGAIN. > If there are overseas Gambians who find it better to dwell more on their > multiple diversities rather than on what they share as products of a > particular culture, history, and geography, and therefore cannot come to > find common cause in a minimum programme (such as a simple Human Rights > campaign) to work with, > then I suggest the boat simply leaves them behind. > > You further wrote : > > > When changes occur in the lives of a people and nations, (short of a > > revolution), it is bound to be tentative, fitful, messy and sometimes > > slow. The Gambia and Gambians are not any different. While I commend > > and admire the initiatives of Overseas Eritreans, our historical > > conditions, as indicated in your first posting, are different in many > > important respects. We are Gambians and like peoples every where, we > > have both positive and negative attributes. That is a fact we must > > accept and the basis upon which any analysis must proceed. > > I agree that our attributes are the basis upon which any analysis must > proceed. Yet I must insist that we study differences in order to find a > basis for international solidarity ; in order to better realize how similar > we actually are. The professional methods of racists and bigots is to dwell > on the differences. Serious people concerned with progess seek for > similarities and act accordingly. > > In your own very important National Reconciliation Position Paper, you named > a few countries where National reconciliation Commissions have existed. One > was South Africa. But indeed Gambians are equally less South African as they > are Eritrean. Gambians are not the only inhabitants of this word. We have a > duty to learn from the experiences of other people and figure out how these > can be incorporated into our own reality. > > You again went on: > > "Finally, it has become fashionable to scapegoat so-called intellectuals > > and in particular, their collective failure to the nation. Again, > > intellectuals are not a monolith and the failures at home are a > > collective responsibility that we all must bear. Most so-called > > intellectuals do what they can to assist family and nation, in addition, > > to their professional contributions. To expect less of them or > > so-called "non-intellectuals" is unforgivable. > > Yes, we should not expect less of them, and yes, the failures are a > collective responsibility. But the issue is to expect much more, not less, > from intellectuals. > > All over the world, ordinary people, businesses, institutions, and > governments look on learned people to offer guidance, to provide visions, > and to lead. The group of intellectuals that made a public apology for not > involving adequately in the affairs of their country were well aware of > their duty to their country ; a duty they failed miserably. Please do not > even try to absolve them of their responsibilty. You see, their are > thousands of Gambian farm hands picking up apples in Spain. They also help > their families and nation in the best way they can. But inside Gambia we all > should make a clean separation between people who spend their lives teaching > our children and prepare them for life, from those who use their time > selling lipstick and soda. All of us have a responsibility but we should not > be philosophical and pretend that our responsibilities are equal. > > In Taiwan, twelve of the fourteen-member 1989 cabinet all acquired their > Ph.Ds abroad. Educated Gambians must get involved in the LIFE of their > nation. > > Finally Dr. Saine, I want to tell you that it all boils down to a magic word > namely, SACRIFICE. I believe, we must respect the fact that some of us are > afraid. Afraid of losing their jobs, afraid of being tortured, and afraid of > going to jail. But we must hold high the efforts and sacrifices made by > others as monumental lightposts for our collective fearful groping in the > dark. Their are many Gambians one could name in this regard. But I think > particularly of the exemplary sacrifice made by Sidia Jatta. Not that I am > repeating what Amadou Kabir Njie said. > Almost exactly ten years ago (April 1990) in a critical letter I wrote to > Foroyaa - criticising PDOIS for mixing politics with political science, so > to speak - I explained and confessed how Sidia's resignation letter from > government service was such an incredible source of inspiration. > When he rejected his high national assembly member salary, I calculated at > the time that if the entire membership of the Assembly followed his example, > at least 500 of the so-called uncertificated teachers, whose services were > then being terminated, would have retained their jobs! (Unfortunately, I > cannot remember the precise figures). > > It is for such reasons that I mentioned the Eritreans. I did not mean that > we should do the same; but I wanted to point out that such collective > sacrifice should not be seen as alien to us. > > Some of you with doctoral degrees on this list have stayed put inspite of > our criticisms, sometimes even insults, our greed to pick your brains now > and then, and have even taken leadership roles in this campaign for freedom > in Gambia. You have won the respect and admiration of many of us. If nothing > else, your efforts mark a great beginning for Gambia. > > ( I am now resting my case, pledging that I will comment no more on this > issue. The discussion as we all know, is an open one). > > Thanks. > Momodou S Sidibeh > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- > > To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L > Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html ----------------------------------------------------------------------------