Saul, I also join you and urge Hamjatta to cease-fire. I do that for the same reason I don't criticize Mr. Sallah or any opposition leader for that matter. Hamjatta is a very important component of the struggle against Yaya (not Sallah). As you say, differences with Sallah can be settled in due course. I had formerly subscribed to the idea of a debate because I thought that would safe us from having the exchange on G_L. Am not sure about a debate anymore; especially one to be arranged by Mr. Mboge. So, I respecfully urge Hamjatta to move on. KB >From: saul khan <[log in to unmask]> >Reply-To: The Gambia and related-issues mailing list ><[log in to unmask]> >To: [log in to unmask] >Subject: Re: On Programmed Fanatics >Date: Wed, 16 Aug 2000 23:44:21 GMT > >Hamjatta, > >I found your last piece very stimulating -intellectually. And like Halifa >pointed out, one may totally disagree with what you have to say, but you >sure know how to get people on their toes. In general, we agree more than >we >disagree about PDOIS and Halifa vis-a-vis Yaya Jammeh. But having just read >Halifa's reply, I think you should let the gentleman go. Just cease fire. >This is simply because, they(PDOIS)are engaged in more things than politics >as pointed out by Halifa. When I met Halifa last May, I was struck by how >much older than his age he looks. I suppose the gentleman sleeps very >little >for the fact that he's trying to do a thousand and one things at once: >school admn, Foroyaa running, Letters to xyz, etc. To be honest, I really >wonder how the man juggles all that act. There are some things that one >simply cannot fake. Nothing precipitates quick aging than stress. So, from >a >personal stand point, there's no need to add to that unless one has to. > >So what next? Do what I did! When I met Halifa in DC, we agreed to disagree >on the issues where we don't see eye-to-eye, and move on. It's for that >reason that I resolved to abstain from distracting him. He really has more >important things to do. Let's just accept the fact that we have different >views of Yaya Jammeh and how to deal with him. Let Halifa continue his >quest >his way, and some of us who are clearly less patient/tolerant can find >other >appropriate outlets. Maybe, some day when you've graduated, and Halifa is a >co-prof at Gambia University, we'll have the chance to witness a fruitful >debate on national TV. Nothing would be more stimulating. But right now, >the >timing is simply not right. Even as I write this, Yaya Jammeh's boys are >out >terrorizing citizens for no reason. Who knows what sad news we'll read in >tomorrow morning's papers? So, in the scheme of things, we're spending too >much time on the one dollar issue when the one Million dollar one is >waiting. > >And regarding the debate, I thought it was a joke from the word "go." I >mean, what is there to accomplish? You're talking about a few hours meeting >(two, three, fours hours? The sure thing you can bet your life on is that >when they say "come at 2pm," most of the audience -probably including some >of the main proponents, would not show up until 3:30pm.) So Halifa takes an >hour, and you take an hour. Meanwhile, the owners of the hall/venue are >getting impatient b/c the meeting was to have ended two hours ago! Get my >point? But, basically get this: anybody who isn't convinced by any of you >to >side with you after all these exchanges, won't be convinced by a few hours >debate. And that is for the fence-sitters. From what I'm seeing, most of >the >people planning to attend have already chosen sides! So, this debate is >nothing but an "event" that would offer them the opportunity to reinforce >whatever preconceptions they already have. Read the transcript of Nelson >Mandela's Rivonia trial in the early 60s vis-a-vis the judge's role, and >you'll get my point. The verdict is already set. And I mean on both sides. >Like most debates, each debator's supporters in this one, will be looking >for inconsistencies in the other's utterances. Hardly anything will change. >So, why not just meet the gentleman and have a thorough one-on-one, to >establish/disagree on some things? > >On the L, most issues get blown out of proportions, or taken out of context >in my view. Like Halifa alluded to, it's not fair to paint him, or diehard >PDOIS supporters into neat little boxes. The man is a little more complex >than that, and some of the diehards aren't that simple. But equally, it's >unfair for the supporters to dismiss you as someone who just jumps up to >criticize baselessly. These are both very convenient ways of examining >rather complex issues. Your views regarding Halifa's treatment of Yaya >-especially, are not totally wacky. I'll give you a first hand example. > >When I was approaching Halifa at the Park where the ALD rally was held last >May, I was beaten to him by a lady. What ensued next took me by total >surprise. That woman said a lot of very unflattering things about Yaya >Jammeh, what he's doing home, and PDOIS's "relationship" with him. I was >really stunned, because she was very blunt, and absolutely convinced of >what >she was saying, which in not so many words, was what some of us took Mr. >Sallah to task for on this List. And when this woman finished her "sermon," >she turned her back on Halifa, and the gentleman had to literally rush and >hold unto her arms to get her to hear his side of the story. And even then, >she clearly wasn't convinced. > >For a moment, I thought the woman was "corrupted" by us on the L. So I >approached her, and introduced myself. Her name is Tuku Jallow; yes, she's >new to the US; yes, she has a problem with PDOIS b/c of how they've been >supporting (her words,) Yaya Jammeh; no, she has NEVER been on the Net; >yes, >she's in America b/c of Yaya's tribalism/nepotism; yes, she was fired from >her job at some bank in Banjul, etc, etc. When I spoke to her, she was with >four gentlemen including a former Director, and they were all in agreement >with what the woman was saying. > >Question: if Hamjatta is such a quixotic critic, how does one explain why a >Tuku Jallow, who has never been on the Net, reflect similar views that he >keeps repeating? The woman is clearly not the bookish type. (Those who >doubt >the encounter can ask Mr. Sallah to tell them the story.) I was just two >feet away, and I've never seen any Gambian woman who's so blunt in a >face-to-face exchange. > >So, my whole take on Halifa is that the man made some mistakes in his >approach towards Yaya Jammeh. While he wisely passed up a cabinet spot, and >challenged degrees on principles, he said some wrong things when some of us >who realized our foolishness that we've been duped woke up to the fact. And >like I pointed out to Halifa before, his failure to admit that mistake is >what fuels these criticisms. What should have been chucked down to >experience as a "honest mistake" swirls around for want of culpability. > >Because my twelve-hour day has taken it's toll on me, I can't think clearly >any more. So, I'm urging Hamjatta to desist the critiques for now. Saying >this, I feel like Comrade Jassey-Conteh, but there is a lot of wisdom in >his >advice. We should just accept each others' positions and move on to fight >Yaya Jammeh the best way we know how. Blame any incoherence on a sleepy >brain. > >Good night. > >Saul. > > >Hamjatta, >> >>I see that you are becoming a tactician and a strategist for the >>transformation of The Gambia. When will you come home to lead your people >>to > > >________________________________________________________________________ >Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail 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 >You may also send subscription requests to >[log in to unmask] >if you have problems accessing the web interface >---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail 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 You may also send subscription requests to [log in to unmask] if you have problems accessing the web interface ----------------------------------------------------------------------------