Way to go, Hamadi: This is the whole truth and nothing but the truth! You have just hit the nail in the head. I'm not downplaying the severity of the Jammeh Admin's human rights abuses. The fact of the matter is what you have just rightly pointed out: that Jawara was also not a human rights champion as opposed to "popular belief". What thrills me in your observations is simply your integrity. It is a fact that we live in a Gambia today, where such vices are rampant; this is however not reasonable enough to not acknowledge what Jawara and his cronies did to The Gamabia and Gambians. There was very limited freedom of speech and (or) association, as right asserted earlier. The NIA has come only to replace the NSS, with the same ruthless and opportunistic Director General, Kebba Ceesay, subordinated by the same thugs in the likes of Foday Barry and co. Just ask Dumo Sarho or anyone close to him. What we are seeing in today's Gambia was bred by Jawara and his men. Did we forget about Police Officers being publicly assaulted and (or) harassed by "The Big Men" for simply carrying out their duties? Or have we come to forget about the phrase "Ham Nga Mai Kan?" Such injustices were very common. We have simply become victims of Jawara's creations. I have always longed to see this moment, when some honest person(s) will just acknowledge the maladministration of The Gambia under Jammeh without trying to contrast his governance and that of Jawara's. We need to do away with this kind of double standards. If Jawara's deeds were not human rights abuses, then what do we call them? Lets start calling a spade a da** spade! Again, Hamadi, thanx for your boldness and sound judgement. Ous Ngum. _______________________________________________________ Say Bye to Slow Internet! http://www.home.com/xinbox/signup.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 You may also send subscription requests to [log in to unmask] if you have problems accessing the web interface ----------------------------------------------------------------------------