In a message dated 11/11/2001 11:48:42 AM Central Standard Time, [log in to unmask] writes: > In myhonest opinion some of the rhetoric is making more harm to the cause of > the > honest opposition members in the Diaspora than good. I know this because of > the response you get from some of the people living out here, when mention > to them some names. Some would shrug and say ‘well so and so has to say > that > to continue to qualify for asylum’. Gassa, There is no country in the World where anyone has to continue to say anything to continue to qualify for assylum, so please let us put that allegation to rest once and for all. All the countries that grant political asylum to individuals do have their own information gathering apparatus that allows them to write country reports, and they are well aware of what is going on, so no need for anyone to continue to say anything to maintain asylum status. You make it sound like people who have assylum in these countries have to provide a daily quota of information to continue to qualify for assylum, and nothing is farther from the truth. Now your points about constructive criticism are well taken, and the fact that the APRC government is there for another 5 years is true although unfortunate. Your allegation that lost opportuniyt is what drives some to oppose the government is quite simplistic. I think that what a lot of us oppose is quite apparent in what we have to say, and that is the rampant human rights abuses and the lavish spending of our meager resources, and other unsavoury activity that has become the trademark of this regime. Please do not tell me that a supposedly intelligent person like yourself cannot understand that. You and the rest of the Jammeh supporters also have to stop trying to relegate any and all opposition to this regime as driven by just pure hatred for inidividuals, lost opportunity and other personalized reasons when you witness the arrest and harassment of opposition supporters simply because they supported the opposition in the elections, the arrest and detention of human rights activists just because they commented on what is going on, the arrest and detention of people like George Christenson and Mbye Gaye who they said owed some monies? Is this a reason for the NIA to get involved or if this is true, is that not a domestic matter to be handled by the government department that is responsible for the registration of Radio stations or whatever they are called? Could he not have been fined, or his permit to operate taken away until he is able to pay as opposed to being arrested? What about Christenson, why were his premises torched a while back, and why was he arrested this time? Perhaps some commentary he made as all news people are supposed to do to let the people know what is going on? These are not normal goings on in any country, and these are the things we are talking about for heaven's sake, and no president who is on the straight and narrow stands up to issue threats to the citizens of his or her country almost daily, or do you consider all of this normal? What about the constitutional violations? Gassa, a government that is doing right by the people does not have to resort to all of these things, and people are afraid to open their mouths in our country. You and the rest of the troup come here telling us that this is not the case, even as all of these arrests and unlawful detention of people and the abuse of their human rights is going on daily. Is this a government that is likely to listen to anyone who tells them that these acts are not the parameters that one measures a good government by? No matter what else this regime accomplishes, these heavyhanded behaviour will cloud it, and make the rest of the World condemn them and call them a brutal regime. You cannot say you are improving the quality of life for people while at the same time stifling their ability to express themselves freely. Here on the L, these activities are brought to the forefront and reported for the World to see, and this is why people like yourself and others from the Jammeh camp have taken the time to try to come here and put an end to our discussion of these atrocities because all of you are well aware that this is not good publicity for this regime, but they are the ones who actually bring this upon themselves by continuing to engage in this heavyhandedness upon the people, and so long as it is happening, we will continue to talk about it. I think that those of you who support this regime need to concentrate your energies into advicing them to stop the totalitarian behaviour, and good luck if you think they will listen to you. From what I have been able to assess, the ysemm to have arrived at the conclusion that brutality and threats are the way to go, and one cannot reason with people like that. Jabou Joh <<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>> 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] <<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>>