Halifa Takes Up Jammeh's Challenge: Who is the Real Mis-Informer? http://allafrica.com/stories/200308040894.html The Independent (Banjul) NEWS August 4, 2003 Posted to the web August 4, 2003 By S.B. Camara Banjul Honourable Halifa Sallah has sent President Jammeh's allegations to the bins when at a press conference Friday, he tendered his certificates and credentials to journalists, confirming his academic achievements in Sociology and Psychology in the United States in the 1970s. After days of political suspense following the Gambian leader's brutal swipe at him and other opposition leaders, Honourable Sallah finally convened a press conference during which he presented his credentials for the benefit of the whole world to judge if the president's allegations were true or a mere figment of his own imagination, which would further expose him as irresponsible and unfit to lead the nation. In a rally almost two weeks ago President Jammeh had asserted that the PDOIS' political secretary was a so-called sociologist whose qualification was questionable and challenged him to publicly present his credentials. Halifa's certificates were scrutinised by local journalists who could vouch for his acquisition of a Master's Degree in his early twenties, with a major in Sociology and a minor in Psychology in 1976 at the time when few Gambians had acquired such academic records. Honourable Sallah explained that his academic pursuit would have continued but for what he called unforeseen circumstances, his "conscience" was fixated with the task of nation building, a cause that was untrammeled in its importance over even his own personal interests. "The purpose of the press conference is to ensure that Gambian politics is not sent into the abyss of immaturity by answering to any allegations that were made. I am not out to impress anyone nor am I competing with anyone for the gallery," he claimed. "I do not even know what I have done to deserve President Jammeh's unwarranted attack on my integrity when he was a witness to the type of services we were rendering in writing plays, dramatising them and raising funds to assist school children," he pointed out. He also recalled his days rendering teaching services at the Schools of Nursing, Public Health and the University of The Gambia. He also recalled his selfless service at the Social Welfare Department, which gave rise to charitable institutions like the CCF, which today boasts of sponsoring thousands of needy school children in The Gambia. Honorable Sallah chronicled his educational career and answered questions from journalists before his certificates were tendered bearing his full names and proving that he acquired his Diploma at Rahum Gap Narcooche High school, Georgia, U.S.A at the age of 17 in 1970. He went for his Bachelors and subsequently his Masters at the School of Ozarks, with major in Sociology and minor in Psychology. Halifa believes that to ensure a decent society with dignified men and women the politics of character assassination should be given no place. He emphasised the need for "a change in politicians' conceptions at the highest level". "Nine years of governance should have given President Jammeh the political maturity that is required of a head of state. He is not making this country stable, it is mature politics that will make the country stable. But anytime he talks, he infuriates and anytime he talks, he disabilities the nation," he observed. "President Jammeh's allegations, trying to create an impression that I don't have knowledge is very insignificant because the essence of knowledge is to translate it into practice and I think my practices have already confirmed what I am capable of contributing to our nation building", he lamented. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright © 2003 The Independent. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ To Search in the Gambia-L archives, go to: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/CGI/wa.exe?S1=gambia-l To contact the List Management, please send an e-mail to: [log in to unmask] To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~