Gibril, This post is very interesting. It is more so that you are not talking about systems, but political realities. The systems put in place the mechanisms that evolve the state machinery of power and governance. The character of this dispensation, and the characteristics of the people who guide its orientation, more or less speaks about the political reality you have fathom. The reason also, why politics is not only about power, wealth and prestige as you rightly stated, but also about interest. There are motivations that dictate the course of many a struggle; the course of many political struggles. It is true that people may be united against a common enemy, but the fact of the matter remains, that all political struggles are motivated by interest. Within the course of a political struggle, when the interest that are represented becomes more apparent and spelt out, this is where people who even share the same platform start to struggle against each other. This is where they also solicit the support, and appeal to the sentiments of those who share their interest. This is where they promote and sustain the interest of the groups they represent. This is fundamental to the political reality you exposed, and it shaped our relationships as a people, and as a society. But who are those who genuinely represent the interest of a people, the interest of their people, in these political struggles. This is the question. Rene ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------