Some one call my attention this morning to the mistake that I was referring to 1789 and 1792 in Paris and not 1879.This is very true and sorry for the mistake. For Freedom Saiks >===== Original Message From The Gambia and related-issues mailing list <[log in to unmask]> ===== >Whether it is the Aprc, the UDP or the PPP that is in power, if the opposition >to that power is reduced to simple self interest the line of loyalty becomes >constantly redefined. Our opposition to this regime is an opposition to all >forms of social, political and economic injustice the call to move on is >missing this very important point. > I see no deference between this call to move on with that of >“Cyber Heroes” who have displayed all the characters of a fascist out of >political power in dealing with their opponents at a time when they have no >political power let alone should they manage the affairs of our country and >their opponents at reach. Let us forget the past and forged an alliance with >UDP/PPP and move on. Some are not even saying so; they keep denying the >history of those long years of political nightmare of the Gambian people, with >so much arrogance and infantile behaviour. We can only move on by learning >from the past and those who deny history or are interested in rewriting >history belongs to the opposition that did not have as its objective a >permanent and consistent struggle against political oppression and economic >exploitation. > This is even the problem that the article by Mr Daffeh,”The new Majority”, >seems to be struggling with, the article almost spell out Gambia as a society >with the immidiate objective to fight the old order and it becomes not so >accidental that the author was faced with another problem when he did tried to >free the State from the very ideology it represent. The murdering of >defenceless students is fascist, Mr Daffeh insisted. That Mr Daffeh refusing >to see the link between this act of barbarism and the Indemnity bill passed in >parliament by a great majority to be in line with the ideology of the >rullingpower is very unfortunate, because, in the first place the author still >remains an important ideological authority in Gambian politics. Secondly, >that Jammeh is been voted in as the president of the Gambia, that there are >only 3 opposition members in parliament and the rest APRC is no objective new >situation, what is new perhaps, is the open and more clear stand of the >different opposition forces. We have never in the history of our country faced >with both a petty bourgeois backward military turned to civilian leadership >and on the other hand, representative of neo-colonial forces at the same time. >Our position in this situation should neither be, the enemy of my enemy is my >enemy or any talk of the rolling back of what has been won. Unless the author >is speaking of a new law of dialectics beyond my comprehension. >Yes that APRC won both the parliamentary elections and presidential election >what more is there to tell? That Gambians have spoken? That Gambians will have >Jammeh as their leader? That the brutality, the harassment, the daily >humiliation should just continue. I am of the opinion that the Gambian people >are still to be convinced to speak their minds at the poling station. Was this >not the same routine that they have been involved in during the 30 years of >the PPP.Where there any election that Jawara did not win and the PPP being the >majority in Parliament. Who was dancing in the streets of Serre kunda and >Banjul when the AFPRC took over power ?It was not people from another planet, >but the very Gambians who go to the poling stations to vote every five years >for the man who oppressed them and keep oppressing them. It is my opinion that >the opposition to the APRC regime will never be found at the poling stations, >not this time around anyway, otherwise one could find it in the every day life >of the Gambian people. I am of the believed that the people must be convince >that what is at hand, m is not that a parliamentarian should be voted in >office to a new status. I am of the opinion that if Gambians were convinced >that voting on election day has to do with their day to day struggle for >survival they will be more than able to handle a president whose army can just >open fire on their defenceless children, murdered them and demand that they >forget. I have on several occasions,when talking politics with ordinary >Gambians, been told that “We “ (referring to us with the formal school >education ) are birds of the same fearther. To me here lies the whole problem, >because what they mean is that we are opportunist, this is what they have >learned in practical experience. Some of them having been voting in people to >office that claimed to be educated, since the time some of us were just little >babies,know better what they are talking of. What have they gained out of >routine voting of every five years? Did they move from their huts? Did they >have good and safe drinking water? But they have seen one after the other >growing big fat bellies with all type of possibilities and opportunities. They >even have to make long lines at the office doors to get their children to >school. It is under such circumstances some of us accused these people for >selling their votes for money and or do otherwise on Election Day and even >take them to be the most backward people. We might wait to see for parliament >to vote that all farmers who are not able to sell their groundnuts have a >right to compensation from the State, that they have a right to pension money >when they are no longer able to work on their farms, that they have a right to >negotiate the price of their groundnuts with the buyer, that their children >have a right to free and compulsory education, that force marriage is illegal, >etc, yes they are tax payers and they are not paying tax to live and die in >hut houses and or go in rags for the rest of their lives.A little bit of >respect for their ability to think might even get some political parties to >nominate them as candidates rather than decorating them as YaYe >Compins,District Chairpersons etc,my boots.Perhaps we might wait long before a >farmer enter the parliament to discuss the national budget in Mandinka ,but we >might not wait long ,not as long as the day when the Chinese start to discuss >their national budget in English. >You see, I don’t mean that Daffeh was equating 1879 in Paris with the >situation in the Gambia after the presidential election, Daffeh is too >intelligent for such, but he should have tell us that if there is anything to >learn from that situation in Paris, is the insistent of the most oppressed >Parisian in demanding total political power and putting the parliament under >serious control and a continuous declaration of loyalty. The new majority that >arises out of that situation was neither with the bourgeoisie nor with the >left forces and this gave them the free zone of consistency, putting every >parliamentarian under their control.But the most important lesson migh have to >be directede to those in power,that when the people demanded political >power,nothing was to stop them. Gambians have now forgotten that they have >been to the poling station and the next five years will be another struggle to >survive. >We are not going to move on by denying that this regime is oppressived, we >must continue to tell this regime that they are brutally oppressing g people >who can at anytime put their political power to rest, it has happened all over >the world and there are no reason for them to be dreaming that this could not >happen with them. They should not fool them selves that because they organised >elections and people voted for them, as if this is enough for them to >continue their oppression, for it was not that long a go that they themselves >overthrew a government that the people voted for every five years .The day the >opposition is able to solve its contradictions with the people, the day the >Gambians people are convince of the facts that they are going to the poles to >vote for a genuine change in their day to day life, we might be a witness to a >new political situation. I did not stop a single moment and will not even >after this day. The Gambia must be liberated, “no Compromising,no sell-out” >Malcom X > >For Freedom >Saiks > ><<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>> > >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] > ><<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>> <<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>> 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] <<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>>