QUOTE OF THE DAY " The power of the people lies not in the hands of Jammeh or the opposition leaders but with ordinary gambians." Fatou Jow Manneh ----- Forwarded Message ---- From: Haruna Darbo <[log in to unmask]> have to rise up, trash the opposition if necessary, or force them to form and alliance. The power of the people lies not in the hands of Jammeh or the opposition leaders but with ordinary gambians. I just read a strong commentary from a cool Sent: Tue, March 23, 2010 9:54:51 PM Subject: I give you the Honourable Fatou Jaw Manneh. But for the "forcing the opposition to form an alliance" part, I am in total agreement with Fatou's sentiments and anxieties. Haruna. Is Yaya Jammeh Our Perfect President? by Fatou Jaw Manneh Methinks so. Well the saying goes that a leader is a reflection of its people and that cannot be more accurate than in the Gambia. Yaya Jammeh is the chosen leader of the Gambian people and it’s high time that Gambians in the Diaspora get to grips with that. Don’t mind the disappearances, the arrests and the dead. Actually the more people disappear, the more ‘patriotic’ Gambians become. For the frightening reports from back home, well ,what are we going to do about it.? If Gambians on the ground are not ready to take matters into their own hands, who are we to question the status Quo? The same Gambians giving us these scary reports back home are the same people, who will do whatever it takes to get jobs from Jammeh. Whether it be giving in a neighbor or an uncle, if it will throw a few crumbs on their way, go for it please. Does the name Sheik ring a bell? Gambian journalists should be commended for saying it as it is. The whole world truly knows who “the rotten ones are". Looking back, no wonder, the slave trade flourished in the Gambia, not only because we had a port for it, but because we don’t wiggle ourselves out of terrible situations. We wait for others to come help us. Bakary will sell Lamin to a slave trader John Williams, hoping the trade will cede before they get to him. Am sure they used to pride themselves in throwing their uncles into the net than saving them. In this APRC era, it is called Patriotism, am not sure about the terms in those days. (Lamin Dee Toubabala, Allahlay Nyingfo), Give lamin to the white man; it is God’s will. It is no different now so we better come to terms with it. In 2007, when I got arrested from the airport in Banjul and detained at the NIA headquarters for 6 days, little did I know the epiphany that awaits me. I was so upset that fear was completely out of the equation. I thought well, if there is going to be any showdown, here it comes. Before the pickup truck turned into the NIA gates, I PRAYED TO God to give my Mum and my two sons all the strength necessary to carry on should incase anything happens to me. And I vowed that, if this is my final day on earth, so be it but am not going to shed a tear in this NIA compound. The heat, mosquitoes, dirty bathrooms and endless interrogations began. Each of their questions was answered direct and to the point and to the best of my knowledge. Then the circus court case started and it took one year and six months. Well, if you think, Yaya Jammeh is gross and cruel, come meet some of his subjects, among the Gambian masses. Don’ t get me wrong here, a lot of Gambians I believe harbor the same disdain about Gambia’s problems but the bottom- line is, WHO IS GOING TO BELL THE CAT? I appreciated all the “you are a hero”, “God brought you here for a reason”, and the ninety names of Allah verses brought to me on a continuous basis but I would have preferred if we all carry a hammer and sword with Allah’s ninety names when Chief Manneh was abducted, when the witch hunters came for our grandparents and uncles, when Deyda Hydara was shot dead and when the GPU 8 got arrested.I hate violence but do we have to sit still whilst our loved ones are individually picked, smeared, jailed or dissappear and never to come back? I cannot thank more, ordinary Gambians whom I’ve never met come to give some encouragement with all the prayers. But you don’t fight a dictatorship, behind corridors with God’s name tucked under your shirt. IF you believe that there is no god but God,and that there is no ultimate power but God's, you don’t go beg the king for your brother’s disappearance, or pleading to the witch hunters for mercy? No one individual has power more or over the other. The ultimate power is with God and we can do a whole lot of good for our neighbors and friends if we as Gambians believe in God and help ourselves. Believing in God is not just going to the mosque, memorizing the ninety nine names of Allah and trekking to Touba. It is about having faith and fearing no other human being that is out there to harm you. Down with the hypocrites calling themselves Muslims. Down with the haters, the cruel and the unpredictable, the greedy and the selfish!! In as much as disgusting Jammeh’s policies are, how about the judges and lawyers who ignore the law in favor of Jammeh. How about the Gambian people who instead of getting up to defend their brothers and neighbors, resort to reporting them, or forming a delegation to either thank Jammeh, for a stupid mistake or beg him for mercy. Over and over and over again. We create the monster in Jammeh, clapping for him anytime he fires, detains and jail our fellow Gambians.Creating an excuse for him anytime he pounced on someone.When shall it end? I was living in America, bombarding Jammeh for all the atrocities and thinking Gambians are just mere victims not knowing that that Gambians themselves are their own enemies. The APRC establishment champions and celebrates cruelty.It is a cartel of mischievous and cruel Gambians that will stop at nothing in extending harm to their fellow men. It has layers of powers and clubs and individuals all with power in their hands and unleashing it as they see fit on their fellow Gambians. No wonder if they are dumped out of the cartel, they fear for their lives because then their safety is not guaranteed from any individual within the APRC, who can harm one, for your car, your house, your wife or if you dare share a girlfriend or a SHE eying on ones husband. So it is left to Gambians to stand up against brutality, injustice, disrespect and humiliation. There is an unending tale as to who did what to whom and why, each reason, bogus and trivial beyond comprehension. The terror starts from the top and trickles down to the cleaner at the NIA. It is common knowledge for Directors to have or know people at the NIA that have to be constantly watching their back, in case some Patheh within the unknown APRC hierarchy decides to smear them. Watching Gambians go about their funny and mischievous ways have baffled me throughout my stay, not to mention the labeling and name calling that was attributed to me, so they can excuse themselves, in their heads of my predicament. I was angry at my own ignorance of my country folks and the way we coordinate our affairs. Gambians have abused the word patriotism, again and again just so they are spared Jammeh’s rod and can use it as an excuse too, to blindly follow him. When I refuse to run and all their tricks fail for me to drop the case by asking to beg or offering to row me out of Banjul, they clearly declared war on me, just so they can break me down and get rid of my court problem. Some family members and some friends whom I’ve revered as my heroes, all turned against me. They began to spread news that I am mad, I’ve lost it and they will shamelessly come to verify whether am indeed coocoo. All well taken but if our grandfathers, grandmothers and neighbors are snatched and forced to drink concoctions that can be fatal, and Gambians openly thank Jammeh for cleaning the communities of witches. Don’t you think something is wrong with us too and not just Jammeh? What am trying to say is that Gambians, will give all their sons and daughters and neighbors to the lion, rather than collectively find a way to get rid of it. Just in the name of being scared. They want to have it both ways. Give some fake support to Jammeh to the fullest because he will not tolerate anything less, whilst they cry to us for help. Not realizing that the Diaspora Gambians have no standing army and are also as fragmented and not a collective force to be able to effect any change on the ground.We can only compliment their efforts. Whilst some of my colleagues argue that there is no strong opposition on the ground, i beg to differ. Gambians have to rise up, trash the opposition if necessary, or force them to form and alliance. The power of the people lies not in the hands of Jammeh or the opposition leaders but with ordinary gambians. I just read a strong commentary from a cool brother on the power of the people and what ordinary people when united can achieve but alas.Without action,the only revolution that is going to be celebrated might just be the so called July 22nd revolution. Gambians had a chance for a revolution when NADD was formed, when our grandmothers and fathers were individually collected and forced to drink the somewhat fatal “kubeyJarra”. When our own sons and daughters got shot. when Deyda Hydara got shot, When chief Ebrima Manneh disappeared.When Kanyiba Kanyi disappeared. These incidents were all a call for a revolution. Gambians in the diaspora cannot abandon what they do to go back home for a reveolution.We can only compliment and help. But our fellow gambians at home would rather be humiliated , fired ten times over and then hired back than do anything to the contrary to gain their liberty. So the debacle is here to stay unless we get up and sacrifice, protect our dignity,and demand our liberty. Freedom is never dished out. It is earned. Fatou Jaw Manneh [log in to unmask] "We gain strength, and courage, and confidence by each experience in which we really stop to look fear in the face... we must do that which we think we cannot". —Eleanor Roosevelt ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤ To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://listserv.icors.org/archives/gambia-l.html To Search in the Gambia-L archives, go to: http://listserv.icors.org/SCRIPTS/WA-ICORS.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://listserv.icors.org/archives/gambia-l.html To Search in the Gambia-L archives, go to: http://listserv.icors.org/SCRIPTS/WA-ICORS.EXE?S1=gambia-l To contact the List Management, please send an e-mail to: [log in to unmask] ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤