[log in to unmask] skrev: >Mr. Sidibeh: > >This is one piece of advice that evbery Gambian should take heed, and NADD in particular. Thanks for a sobering piece. > >Musa JEng > > >>From: Momodou S Sidibeh <[log in to unmask]> >>Date: 2005/12/15 Thu PM 07:37:58 EST >>To: [log in to unmask] >>Subject: Re: What Does NADD Want ?? >> >>Brothers Jassey-Conteh, Mo Baldeh, Joe, Buharry, and All, >> >>One would have thought that even with Halifa, OJ, and Hamat Bah locked >>away, what NADD needed to do first was to deliver on Hon. Halifa >>Sallah's promise to impeach President Jammeh should he fail to apologise >>for his gross conjectures about the opposition's conspiracy to fan the >>flames of conflict with Senegal. This, of course should have followed a >>vehement denunciation of the police authorities for publicly coating >>Hon. Sallah, NADD coordinator, as a de facto fugitive. The state's >>disinformation tactic aimed tacitly to humiliate Halifa's person, was >>not simply desperately risible. It was repulsive and symptomatic of a >>government that has jettisoned all moral bearings in its ruthless >>exercise of power. >> >>NADD's failure to act on this initial committment left it without the >>necessary momentum to forge ahead with subsequent mass action during the >>weeks following the incaceration of the three leaders. >>Happily, we all should hope that the current order of things ought to >>bring definitive closure to that nightmare. Yet realistically, in a >>state where the rule of law has been under siege by those who are >>mandated to enforce it, hope itself becomes ephemeral. Hoping for a >>permanent truce between the adversarial political camps may be wishful >>thinking. What then should NADD do?? >> >>Before venturing any opinion on that, allow me to lay bare our weighty >>dilemma. Thanks partly to globalisation there are fairly sizeable >>commuinities of us (i.e Gambians and their friends) across the world >>gradually growing in intellectual, economic, and political influence in >>our country of origin. It is only natural that in time we shall >>particiapte ever more actively in the political life of our country, and >>so make demands for degrees of representation consummate with the >>collective influence we are able to wield. This influence so far, is >>most dramatically expressed economically. Without the remittances and >>investments from diasporan Gambians, scores of thousands of families >>will suffer untold misereis; many businesses will collapse throwing >>thousands into unemployment in an environment bereft of social safety >>nets. Government's (tax) revenue base will shrink further as local >>consumption plummets. In the long run price hikes will force even the >>godliest into the streets perhaps peacefully but angrily demanding for >>bread and jobs. [In the late eighites, in the wake of the IMF's first >>wave of Structural Adjustment Programmes, there were food riots in many >>African countries. President Jawara, introduced it in Gambia, but not >>even a mouse openly squeaked about hunger!. I am inclined to think >>though, that the geography of hunger then and now are quite different]. >>In short, brothers and sisters, we can create hell for the Jammeh >>regime, but at the cost of untold suffering of our people. >> Added to that is the fact that most of us are sincerely or otherwise >>aligned with the opposition, which is a damn good thing given the >>circumstances. Placing demands on the opposition in view of our >>political and economic clout is not as tricky as it sounds. Not to speak >>up our minds about what we think is a tragic case of self-censure. We >>know there are people who will as swiftly caution us for inciting mass >>action from the cosy and plastic interiors of our European condos, >>thousands of kilometres away from the eye of the storm. True, it will >>sound morally decrepit to suggest action that may cause death or >>imprisonment. But we would also be welcome members of the African >>fraternity of coconut heads if we fail to tell ourselves that PROTEST >>must be used as a legitimate weapon in the struggle against tyranny. In >>the same vein, we must also uphold the view that as long as we remian >>sincere, the ethical foundations of criticism must remain robust even if >>we are not able to offer reasonable alternatives. Criticism and >>self-criticism are organisational instruments that must be welcome at >>all times. Better still if alternative courses of action can be offered. >>Solidarity within the oppositon must be strong enough to withstand >>introspection from within. >> >>By all means, Sidia Jatta's reasons for not holding a demonstration are >>defensive and defeatist. A massive peaceful demonstration needed to be >>organised on behalf of the detained trio for various reasons. >>Firstly, it should have been held to actively inform the regime that >>people have a rigth to protest and to challenge the regime to make sure >>there are "No Bullets And Soldiers In Our Streets". Of course, President >>Jammeh may be a severe case of schizophrenia and so may order shooting >>peaceful demonstratorsis six months away from the AU summit he has >>worked so hard to host. In that case he may be Sani Abacha's redeemer. >>Secondly, a demonstration is perhaps the most effective method for >>public sensitisation. Imaginative slogans and songs often loudly say >>what most people think but are afraid to speak about. Capturing the >>public's imagination turns out to be more powerful than its deepest fears. >>In the third instance, a demonstration would have provided NADD the >>opportunity to wrest the political initiative from Jammeh's incontinent >>hands, and stop reacting to his violent paroxysm of unstatemanly natter. >>NADD must as of now take control of the political agenda and lay out a >>counter offensive toward the elections: rallies in chosen >>constituencies, public awareness campaigns on NADD's transitional >>agenda, workshops, seminars. It must put the APRC on the defensive by >>challenging it about its dismal record: unsolved murders, political >>assasinations, weeding out the green(!) boys, the continuous assault on >>the press and other media and journalists in particular. There are >>legions of issues: power supply, water, corruption, the presidential >>jet(!), infrastructure decay in the country-side, arbitrary dismissals, >>etc. >> >>Last year while most of us celebrated the orange revolution in Ukraine >>that brought Victor Yushchenko to power, I lamented that Gambia was an >>entierly different ball game. That reality has never been clearer than >>now. NADD's natural allies in the struggle for democratic rights and the >>reinstatement of the rule of law, Gambian workers and students seem >>completely oblivious of the tragedy being outplayed under their nose. To >>attend a university whose campuses are one of the worst equipped in the >>world while the president of our nation of just a million and half (with >>no oil) acquires a private jet and pretend that as absolutely normal is >>simply a historical aberration. That Gambian workers, professionals, >>civil servants and students should observe in solemn acquiescence the >>gradual escalation of repressive measures and abuse of rights and >>arbitrary dismissals without summoning the courage to organise >>autonomously against such humiliation vitiates the very history of >>student and worker militancy and protest of former decades. There is no >>point in wishing that we were as demonstration prone as South Koreans. >>But to wait till election day in order to vote out a regime that is >>monthly busy killing and jailing us, and refraining from publicly but >>peacefully exhibiting our anger at this indignity, is to have no use for >>all the intelligence and knowledge inside the world! >> >>As we endear NADD to act, those of us in the diaspora must help raise >>resources for the project of flushing the APRC from State House. Added >>to that, there is a moral obligation to recognise and respect ordinary >>people's legitimate sources of fear; and here we are dealing with a >>regime under whose watch Gambians have been killed and maimed without a >>"peanut being cracked"! While avoiding every tendency to classification >>into a "we" and "them" category, all of us as citizens must claim with >>one voice that these heavy layers of fear need to be systematically >>peeled away from the public subconscious. It can be done by scoring >>small victories one at a time, gradually persuading the fearful, that a >>bigger victory is possible if our numbers grow. One such small victory >>was the defeat of the APRC at local elections in August. NADD should >>build on the momentum produced by that victory by organising a peaceful >>protest in reaction to the illegal arrest of Hamat Bah, Omar Jallow >>(OJ), and Halifa Sallah. >> >>Finally, I hope NADD will strategise promptly and mobilise and >>reinvigorate its organisational structures so as to be able to >>effectively activate the membership and supporters. >> >>Many thanks to you all, >>Momodou S Sidibeh >> >>いいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいい >>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 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] >>いいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいい >> >> >> > >いいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいい >To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface >at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html > > Mr. Jeng, Many thanks for your kind works. Since we are all in this together, I pray that we shall all one day break colanuts for one another. Have a wonderful day, Sidibeh いいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいい 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 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] いいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいい