Malik, Please allow me to change the subject of our discussion to a mroe appropriate one. I see that our brothers with military background are not taking your explanation of Jammehs’ mannerism on the premises of vertical/horizontal socialization very well. I can understand where they are coming from and that’s all well and dandy; but at the end of the day, Jammehs’ personality as the president of The Republic of Gambia is what matters most. That is what affects geopolitical positioning of the Gambia government in the New World order. I think your explanation makes sense in describing how Jammehs’ military orientation makes him become what we see in him today. Those who knew the guy while he was a military police officer will agree that he had always adored and believed in the use of brute force to resolve situations. I think there is a certain degree of inherent personality that has nothing to do with his military training. One can safely say that the military environment only helped to bolster such inherent characteristics and even more dangerously so, now that he has power and wealth to go with that. In moving on with our discussion, I would want to take issue with an observation I had on your last posting. You had mentioned that “many of us would try to blame those around him, but that would be a mistake because….” I think you fell in the same trap of blaming those around him when in describing how Blaise Jagne was at pains pleading for recognition you mentioned the following: “ Blaise must realise that THEY are as equally culpable as anyone else in creating such a diplomatic empasse. The ball is in as much as it is in the international communities’ court it is equally in THEIRS. Hence THEY most sort out the concerns that affects both Gambians and the international community.” (My emphasis). I think you just want to take the easy way out on this one but you must realize that part of the blame will have to be apportioned to some of the high rolling toadies like Blaise. They are the experts with the moral, professional and civic obligation to steer the government, including Jammeh in the right direction even if this means that it is the end of their stint. In the end, they would have fulfilled their obligation to the people of The Gambia and history will serve them well. This is why I will always respect people like Alieu Ngum – a truly dedicated, principled and yet humble professional. Those who know him will undoubtedly agree that the Gambia needs more of his kind in these trying times. The last time I checked, he was an ambassador somewhere in the Middle East. An expert in Public Finance! Sometimes I wonder what people like Famara Jatta (SOS Finance) feel about how talents and mentors like Ngum are being frustrated – though I doubt if Jammeh can ever frustrate him. Now, to what we have in personality for a leader. Allow me to take a slightly different approach in trying to understand Jammehs’ mannerism as a leader of a developing nation like ours. I will venture to use the concept of Emotional Intelligence – the application of intelligence to our gut reactions, especially at times when a creative and calm mind is what is needed to make a decision. In his book with the same title published by Bantam Books in 1995, Daniel Goleman describes Emotional Intelligence as “the abilities such as being able to motivate oneself and persist in the face of frustration; to control impulse and delay gratification; to regulate ones moods and keep distress from swamping the ability to think; to empathize and to hope.” With that in mind, one can fairly conclude that Jammeh has, on numerous occasions, demonstrated that he is dangerously deficient in Emotional Intelligence when critically needed. Of course, wherever you mention the name Yaya Jammeh words like “intelligence” will be out-of-sync! Now, how does one compensate for inherent lust for use of force to resolve situations, a military background that encourages the concept of “command and obey” - thus making it difficult to switch from vertical socialization to horizontal integration. Moreover, the lack of Emotional Intelligence when critically needed, to steer a nation yearning for a competent and dedicated leadership that will be a force to reckon with. Jammeh will have to undergo a total change in personality to achieve the standards of a successful leader. Unfortunately, this might be unachievable and even worse, the damage is already done with hundreds of innocent lives lost and many others languishing in jail for no apparent reason. The question is, is he willing and ready to accept responsibility for the damage done and take the opportunity to change the way he us ruling the country. This will by no means exonerate him from the loss of life and continuous incarceration of the innocent law abiding citizens, but will help to put the country in track for a well-deserved prosperity and peace we all yearn for. I think Aristotle meant well when he said: “Anyone can become angry – that is easy. But to be angry with the right person, to right degree, at the right time, for the right purpose and in the right way – this is not easy.” Malik, we have an angry ruler, no doubt. However, is he angry at the right person, at the right time, for the right purpose, in the right manner? That is the question. What are your take folks? 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] <<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>>