>From: Matarr Amadou Sallah <[log in to unmask]> >Reply-To: The Gambia and related-issues mailing list <[log in to unmask]> >To: [log in to unmask] >Subject: Re: TODAY'S QUOTE -- Ebrima Ismaila Chongan >Date: Wed, 15 May 2002 22:43:10 +0200 > >Ngorr >I talked to Chongan on my way to Gambia. >He was offered a job at the home office in London. >Part of is job will be dealing with immigrants. >I am suppose to call him today and then i will give you a detail >information >on what his job is about. >His wife is now attending the university in London > >Talk to you soon >Matarr > > >>From: Ngorr Ciise <[log in to unmask]> >>Reply-To: The Gambia and related-issues mailing list >><[log in to unmask]> >>To: [log in to unmask] >>Subject: Re: TODAY'S QUOTE -- Ebrima Ismaila Chongan >>Date: Wed, 15 May 2002 14:55:32 +0000 >> >>In today's quote, Brother Sanusi Owens wrote: >> >><<"Contrary to the intentions of the military, every >>detention against me strengthens my resolve. Every act >>of persecution through police cell or criminal charges >>advances the cause I fight for. Anytime I am arrested >>and taken to the police cell or to the prisons, I am >>not sad and I don't feel inconvenienced simply because >>I am not there because of myself fighting my own >>cause." >> >> >> >> >>Chief Gani Fawehini. Nigeria's Human Rights Crusader. >> >> >> >>This quote is dedicated to all political activists who >>were unlawfully detained in The Gambia during the >>First and Second Republic.>> >> >>Brother Sanusi, with your kind permission, can i be more specific >>and >>single >>out the brave, heroic and patriotic stance of a Brother, who not >>only >>selflessly defended constitutionality on July 22nd. 1994 but, most >>importantly, defiantly defended his actions on that fateful day, >>and paid >>the price of being illegally detained for said stance? The Brother >>in >>question is Ebrima Ismaila - formerly of the Gambia Police Force. >>But >>before >>i proceed to say why i think Chongan is worthy of my deepest >>amiration and >>respect, let me cull yestesday's quote, which you provided, and the >>appropriateness of this exercise would have a better context: >> >><<"It is not the duty of the army to rule or govern >>because it has no political mandate...... If the >>national interest compels the armed forces to >>intervene, then immediately after the intervention the >>army must hand over to a new civilian government >>elected by the people and enjoying the people's >>mandate under a constitution accepted by them. If the >>army failed to do this , then it has betrayed the >>people and the national interest. " >> >>Dr Kwame Nkrumah, Ghana's First President and Founding >>member of the Pan Africanist Movement>> >> >>When i read this quote yesterday, the mouse that ran in the attic >>of my >>memory was how this quote aptly described the stance Chongan and >>his men >>took against the mutineering soldiers, who by quirk twist of fates >>ended up >>with an unintended "coup d'etat" in their hands. Imbued by the >>admirable >>ideals of constitutionality, Rule of Law and a grand sense duty, >>Chongan >>and >>his men valiantly defended first Denton Bridge from the onslaught >>of the >>mutineers, and when the tide went against him and his small band of >>loyal >>patriots, they took the fight all the way to Radio Syd. It was only >>upon >>the >>realisation of the futility of further exchanges with the >>mutineers, and >>the >>young Gambian lives that could invariably have gone that Chongan -- >>with >>dignity and his integrity intact -- asked his men to lay their arms >>downs >>and negotiated a compromise. >> >>For this stance, Chongan and every right thinking individual >>amongst his >>small band of patriots were illegally detained for months; they >>tortured, >>harrassed and intimidated relentlessly by such sadists like Sanna >>Sabally >>et >>al. During those emotionally trying and perplexing times, Chongan >>stoically >>persisted with the ideals that imbued him to take his heroic stance >>against >>the banditry of Yaya et al. He never wavered in his belief that the >>position >>he staked on July 22nd. 1994 was the right one, and wholly >>defensible. Much >>froth and nonsense has been written -- especially on Gambia-L last >>year -- >>about Chongan's motives on that fateful day, to the effect it had >>been >>erroneously and nastily insinuated that the reason why he defended >>constitutionality on that fateful day was because he (Chongan) was >>a mere >>PPP operative. This is nonsense on stilts: not only has Chongan >>taken an >>astringently liberal slant in the course of executing his duties, >>especially >>the executing of the conditionalities of granting permits for >>political >>rallies in the First Republic, but, most importantly, he had >>granted such >>then radical groupings like PDOIS permits as and when they applied >>for one. >>These liberal interpretations and executions of conditionalities >>for >>permits >>didn't go down well with the PPP establishment; but Chongan was a >>conscientious PUBLIC SERVANT, serving the STATE and NOT any other >>political >>grouping -- be it the PPP, NCP or PDOIS. It was his understanding >>of his >>duties as an employee of the State which proplled him to interpret >>and >>execute his duties as he had sworn to do so when he joined the >>Services >>decades ago. >> >>Much to the AFPRC/APRC's chagrin, the case they tried to build >>against >>Chongan failed; and they were forced to release him. As it >>happened, >>Chongan's resolve, principles, integrity and conscience was further >>tested >>by the APRC when he was released: he was offered a job by Yaya, and >>Chongan >>turned down the offer. Chongan knew then, as now, that men of >>conscience, >>principles and impregnable integrity are incapable of a worthy >>relationship >>with Yaya's. But unbeknownst to him, by refusing this job offer on >>grounds >>of incompatible principles with the APRC, this stance was to be >>used >>against >>him when he left the Gambia for the UK, and sought political asylum >>there. >>Indeed, the job offer was used as anecdotal evidence to the effect >>that if >>his life were under threaten by the APRC, he would not have been >>offered a >>job the APRC. Luckily for him, his one-time boss in the police and >>former >>Mile Two detainee, Pa Sallah Jagne, who did accept jobs from Yaya >>with >>disastrous consequences, defected from the APRC and bolted before >>the >>stable >>doors were locked on him. Signally, Jagne's fall from grace in the >>scheme >>of >>APRC politics, and subsequent defection to the US rendered obsolete >>any >>such >>claims that Chongan will ever be safe in a Gambia under the tyranny >>of Yaya >> >>Even in the UK, life was never as easy as he may have anticipated. >>With >>much >>brio and principles, Chongan literally went through countless >>setbacks, >>seemingly never-ending trials and tribulations that invariably >>comes with >>migrations, especially migrants migrating with a young family. An >>instance >>of Chongan's self discipline, hard work and sheer knack for >>sticking to >>principles under considerable strain was how he got his first >>degree. The >>Brother paid his first year through university from his own >>pockets, whilst >>weathering the emotional and financial storms of bringing up a >>young family >>on his own in an alien country by working full time at night and >>studying >>full time during the day for his degree. As with stories of >>perseverance >>and >>dignified struggle against the odds, Chongan's trials and >>tribulations paid >>off handsomely: he's now got his LLB Honours Degree under his belt; >>a new >>career in the British Civil Service; and a family integrating with >>him in >>their host society -- a society that has shown time and again that >>it is >>relatively tolerant, fair-minded and rewards hard work and >>self-discipline. >> >>I hope that by going this far to commemorate the dignified trials >>and >>tribulations of such an admirable and inestimable fellow like >>Chongan, >>others who know of specific individuals -- who stood against the >>tide of >>tyranny in the Gambia -- will name names and deeds. >> >>Finally, i wish Chongan and his young family all the best in the >>new >>Odyssey >>they've embarked upon in the UK. I have no doubt in my mind at all >>that his >>life from July 22nd. 1994 to date is a vindication of the admirable >>principles he defended valiantly on that regrettable and fateful >>day. >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >>_________________________________________________________________ >>Chat with friends online, try MSN Messenger: >>http://messenger.msn.com >> >>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ >> >>To unsubscribe/subscribe or 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] >> >>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > > >_________________________________________________________________ >Join the world’s largest e-mail service with MSN Hotmail. >http://www.hotmail.com > >~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > >To unsubscribe/subscribe or 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] > >~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~