> > Lähettäjä: Mamadi Corra <[log in to unmask]> > Org: University of South Carolina > Päivä: Wed, 23 May 2001 23:53:36 -0400 > Vastaanottaja: [log in to unmask] > Otsikko: Reconciliation > > G-Lers: > For a while now, a number of people on this forum have been advocating > for a “need for reconciliation” and a need for a “truth and > reconciliation commission” in the Gambia. I hope and desperately pray > that the people throwing that idea around are carefully thinking of its > long-term implications, and not just being copycats. All will agree with > me that we cannot afford throwing ideas around without thinking of their > long-term implications. > First, Most fundamentally, I hope that all of us realize that, whether > we like it or not, coercive exploitation is a very, very lucrative and > enticing business. That is to say, making other people work hard for > you, make your life rewarding, enriching and better, while you watch > them or force them is a very profitable business indeed. Take that, or > let it alone, but exploitation is a very lucrative business. Does the > words, “I and my descendants will never be poor for the rest of our > lives” ring a bell? In fact, killing and maiming others with impunity is > even more efficient (sorry for my bluntness; it is meant to make a > point). Does the words, “six feet deep” ring a bell? It should not take > a rocket scientist to figure out that exploitation persists among people > because it is sweet, irrespective of people’s ethical, religious and > moral convictions. NOTE: IT FOLLOWS THAT WHEREVER EXPLOITATION IS CHEAP > OR COSTLESS, PEOPLE WILL ENGAGE IN IT. This is why I ask whether the > people spreading the notion of reconciliation are thinking of the > long-term implications of it. Our people went through slavery, and in > the end, we are told to “reconcile” and forget about the past. But, > should you need a reminder, just about all of us have been permanently > damaged by the impact of slavery. The colonialists destroyed our > society, economy, in a permanent way, yet again we are told to > “reconcile” and forget the past. Again, if you need a reminder, that > past has a permanent impact on just about all of our lives. Today, our > own leaders are ruining our people’s lives, in a permanent way, and yet > again people are going around spreading this notion of “reconcile” and > forget. Should I need to remind people, that the people for whom the > words “reconciliation” and “truth and reconciliation commission” became > famous are just as poor today as they were prior to “reconciliation” and > the “truth and reconciliation commission.” My question to the people > putting forth this reconciliation idea is: When is it that what is done > is so reprehensible that “reconciliation” is no more an issue but taking > responsibility for permanently ruining our lives? When are our lives > going to be important enough that when people deliberately, consciously > and calculatedly ruin them that the issue of “reconciliation” will not > be proper? Or are we just going to continue the failed practice of > “reconciling” with those that ruin our lives time and time again, while > their lives are perfected at the expense of ours? Will it ever be the > case that we come to the realization that as long as exploiting us is > costless or very cheap that we will continue to be exploited? My > friends, this is the 21st century, not the first!!! “A mind is a > terrible thing to waste!!!” Please, let us realize that the problem in > our countries should not be attributed exclusively to particular > individuals. The problem is that exploitation is sweet and costless or > very cheap and as long as that persists, we will remain to be exploited > by one group or the other. Changing particular individuals is not going > to solve that fundamental problem. To solve the problem, we must come up > with ways of making exploitation expensive, very expensive. If people > can become millionaires by taking over our governments, killing and or > maiming some of us in the process, but managing to make their lives > luxurious and permanently good, that is what they will do. As long as we > fail to recognize this obvious reality, we will waste spending our time > and invaluable resources on changing governments without getting rid of > the fundamental problem – the cheapness of exploitation. We must figure > out a way to make exploitation expensive, and “reconciliation” is > certainly not adding to the solution. Reconciliation simply means that a > would-be exploiter will think, well, there is a way out after all. You > can exploit them and then ask for reconciliation. Your life will be > perfected, their lives will be permanently ruined, nevertheless you will > reconcile with them so that your exploiting them would be costless. This > is also why the past actions of our prior leaders should not be > forgotten, just because the actions of the current leaders are “worst.” > Incidentally, this is also why the practice of calling for and > participating in elections after coups is very damaging in the long run. > Calling for a “transition to democracy,” instead of declaring the > illegitimacy of a government that came to power by force, only serves to > legitimize the government. And most fundamentally, it provides a way out > for would-be coup plotters. The only thing you do is, take over a > government and then announce for a transition to democracy. This > legitimizes you and gives you further chance to exploit more. It appears > to me that the people that we are calling stupid are much smarter than > many of us. Wake up, my friends!!! Let us spend our time, resources > (especially our brains) into figuring out ways of making exploitation > expensive, rather than focusing on replacing particular individuals with > others. Do you ever wonder why military governments never run out of > people to make ministers? Isn’t that a clew that perhaps the focus > should be on making people responsible for their actions. Does it have > to take a rocket scientist to figure out that becoming an instant > millionaire, having a safe place to keep stolen financial resources in > western banks and once out of office, having the avenue of slipping into > the west to live one’s life peacefully and luxuriously is a lucrative > business? > Peace! > Mamadi > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------