>From: [log in to unmask]
>Reply-To: The Gambia and related-issues mailing list <[log in to unmask]>
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: The Opposition and the Doubters
>Date: Thu, 17 May 2001 17:13:29 EDT
>
>When Halifah Sallah came last summer as an invited guest of the ALD , I
>attended all the public fora he spoke at. I enjoyed everyone of them
>notwithstanding some differences I have with MR Sallah and his party. But
>what left a lasting impression in me was the few but extremely dedicated
>supporters who were by Mr Sallah's side . They were Gambians based here in
>the US some of whom lived as far away as the midwest. You could see the
>passion in their eyes as they coordinated everything from occasionally
>adjusting his microphone , to distributing PDOIS literature and audio tapes.
>Talking to them quickly reveal people driven by genuine faith in a message
>and a people. Travelling hundreds of miles and expending resources to help
>spread a messsage they believe in is an admirable demonstration of
>participatory democracy in which individuals in their small way contribute
>immensely to the course of freedom and change. Afterall participation is what
>lies at the very heart of democracy and it is only when we as individulas
>choose to pertake in the political process can we shape and influence our
>destiny as a nation. No one is entitle to great leadership and no such
>leadership miraculously emanates from a vacuum. We all have a duty to work
>for the kind of society we want to live in. That means rolling up our sleeves
>and doing the hard work of coming together to fashion a governmental
>framework that would actually help our people. If we don't quickly dispense
>with the paralysis and decay that lack of participation invariably entails,
>we may not have a nation to save. Until at such time that we as a people
>decide to resort to alternative means of change , we must give the political
>process our utmost. The politicians we will meet on Friday and Saturday on
>the 25 and 26 of May are not perfect by anymeans. Their separate or combined
>platforms may not incorporate all of the ideas and visions we desire for our
>country. They may not be verulent idealogues. But Ousainou Darboe, Hamat Bah
>and Sedia Jatta are honourable men dedicated to their country. They will come
>to the United States to ask you the sons and daughters of Gambia to fully
>pariticipate in the salvation of the nation. We, their hosts would come down
>to two profound choices. First we can offer full partnership by acknowledging
>the scope of the danger enveloping our country and doing whatever is
>necessary to forestall it. That would mean committing time and resources and
>actively engaging the politicians on the ground.On the otherhand we can
>choose the easier alternative of disengaging, pronouncing events back home as
>hopeless and irreversable . We can pretend that all fault lies on the
>struggling politicians with no resources. When we settle for the latter , we
>would have by implication forfeited our right to complain and consign
>ourselves to the dubious distinction of being the generation of Gambians who
>sat by while their nation was destroyed and their people enslaved. We must
>expunge from our system the very unhealthy habbit of excuse making and
>bickering as a cynical ploy to avoid doing the hard work we know is required
>for success. We can spend a lifetime finding fault with everyone or thing we
>encounter . The task for a people desiring positive change is the ability to
>transcend personal apprehension, suspicions and other inhibitions inorder to
>achieve the broader objective of the common good. Even mature democracies
>contend with intra-party disagreements . Their strength lie in the
>organisations ability to sort out these inherent differences in a manner that
>leaves them stronger. At this difficult time in our country , we must learn
>to parlay our relatively minor differences into a strong and effective
>platform for change. Our biggest hindrance is our propensity to reject people
>and their efforts out of hand if we perceive them to be unsuitable. Lets
>embrace our politicians and in the process lobby them for the things we care
>about. Lets help them financially to whatever extent we can. We have asked
>sufficient questions. Let us now work our answers into the kind of
>transformational politics we all say we want. We must all be the great guys
>who ably served as leutenants for MR Sallah. It is their kind who would make
>Gambia better.
>Karamba
>
>----------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>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 and remember to write your full name and e-mail address.
>----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com