Bamba Lye, thanks for the fruitful and mature polemics. I hope we shall more issues to discuss in the mean time I will take a pause bevause my wife had a baby on Tuesday and this will take my concentration till further notice. Thanx >From: Bamba Laye <[log in to unmask]> >Reply-To: The Gambia and related-issues mailing list ><[log in to unmask]> >To: [log in to unmask] >Subject: Malik>> Manners of A Ruler >Date: Tue, 20 Nov 2001 09:09:11 -0500 > >Malik, > >I think we will just have to agree to disagree on some points we raised. >Overall, we share the same sentiments on most of the issues albeit from a >different perspective. You will probably agree that the current government >structure is such that there appears to be an elite group of experts in >their various capacities who are effectively underutilized by a leadership >structure that operates in the most haphazard manner. One that “operates as >an independent mind.” You know such would be the most dangerous case of a >public machinery that will ever exist; because critical decisions affecting >the livelihood of all citizens will in effect, rest on the shoulders of one >person who, unfortunately, is not the best of the crop. It effectively >defeats the notion of pluralism in a government that is supposed to be the >mantle of collective power emanating from the common. It appears that these >elite groups of experts in their own rights are torn between the loyalty >to “thy self”, “thy people” and “thy leader”. There will exist a conflict >between these three categories of loyalty only when the interest and the >common weal are not safeguarded. Our brothers and sisters in the national >army are no exception in this dilemma. The tendency is to deny oneself of >being in such a chaotic web. The next thing we see is total control of the >mind and spirit of the experts who have effectively reduced themselves into >toadies for self-aggrandizement by the leader who “operates as an >independent mind.” A dangerous state of affairs indeed! > >Thanks for an enlightening discussion. > >Abdoulie A. Jallow >(BambaLaye) > ><<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>> > >To view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface >at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html >To contact the List Management, please send an e-mail to: >[log in to unmask] > ><<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>> _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp <<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>> To view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html To contact the List Management, please send an e-mail to: [log in to unmask] <<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>>