Thanks Haruna and I am glad you like the clarification. I know it is sometimes easy to be misunderstood. Like our friend LJD says, good people but bad politics, Haruna. I look forward to your input on the guns....I need a nice read from you as time permits. Also, good forward from Fye .....Saudis needs to give us better things than executions. Stay blessed............& happy friday! Yero
Date: Fri, 11 Jan 2013 16:10:41 -0500
From: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [G_L] I give you Hon. Mai Fatty of The GMC Party. Cous Demba!
To: [log in to unmask]
Thank you Yero for the clarification. Somehow I thought Demba risked being misunderstood and that was not his intent. Good on you Gainako.
Haruna.
-----Original Message-----
From: Y Jallow <[log in to unmask]>
To: GAMBIA-L <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Fri, Jan 11, 2013 4:02 pm
Subject: Re: [G_L] I give you Hon. Mai Fatty of The GMC Party. Cous Demba!
Haruna:
Demba just completed an hour long interview with Mai Fatty 3 days ago. The recording didn't come fine so if we cannot fix it, we will have to conduct another one with him. The interview dealt with substance. He was just telling Nyang we can only publish what comes to our editor mail box. By odd chance, we were trying to get him on an interview for a long time. We are in touch with Mai Fatty more than any other Gambian opposition leader and we continue to cherish that working relationship.
The piece under question was better rejoined at Freedom since that is where the interview took place. If Mai sent it to us, then we are faced with the debate to see if we can refer him to Freedom, publish it or both, since all these forums are compliments of one another. Unless something is likely to bring division among Gambians, or contains insults that are not suitable for readership consumption, we will publish. If we take a decision otherwise, we engage the party on the reason why.
Demba in his part doesn't have a heart to censor anyone, not even that any of us does have that power to do that. We try not to attach Gainako to our persons, rather we see it as just a forum for sharing of information, especially at a time in need for Gambians.
Mai, Jobe, etc....are all welcome. Sometimes we get caught in being so busy that we cannot get to people on a timely manner since this is just a side thing for all of us.
I hope this clarifies on the part of the Gainako forum. Thanks for engaging...and I look forward to your take on the guns in America, Haruna.
Best regards,
Yero
Date: Fri, 11 Jan 2013 15:17:21 -0500
From: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [G_L] I give you Hon. Mai Fatty of The GMC Party. Cous Demba!
To: [log in to unmask]
[-----Original Message----- From: Demba Baldeh <[log in to unmask]>
To: GAMBIA-L <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Tue, Jan 8, 2013 4:54 pm Subject: Re: [G_L] I give you Hon. Mai Fatty of The GMC Party.
Mr. Nyang.
Thanks for drawing our attention to Hon Mai Fatty's piece on Dr. Jobe and the opposition... You might have noticed we did not publish it yet on Gainako because the Hon has been avoiding us lately... It could be because we requested an interview again or simply an oversight... Anyway, our mail box still works editor@gainako.com...] Demba.
Ok Demba, I did not understand this. You did not publish Hon. Mai's rejoinder to Sidat Jobe's charges against the opposition years ago and his current expedition for opportunity because Hon. Mai has been "avoiding" or "ignoring" you lately?? Tell me I'm wrong. I know Gainako is not in the business of filtering publications based on whether an author ascends to a Gainako radio interview request or not.
[On the substance of the article, I couldn't agree more with the Hon GMC leader on most of the points he raised... I also took note of something exceptional that he did.. acknowledge partial responsibility of some failures on his side in the negotiations for unity which many other leaders still fail to accept publicly...] Demba.
So you are in agreement with most of what Hon. Mai authored to counter the jester in Sidat Jobe. You also commend Hon. Mai for owning up to his shortcomings as it relates to the failure of nadd to complete greater union of political fortunes.
[Having said that... we all acknowledge the difficulty the opposition and the media faces on the ground and against the APRC... Common sense dictates that once you recognize what you are against and having suffered so many arrest and harassment, that it was enough to convince the leaders that they needed to take that commonality and forge a unity to oust the dictator or at the very least present a formidable challenge against him... Crying foul and narrating all the difficulties they have to go through and continue to stick to their party ideologies and principles at the detriment of the country is what some of us are critical off...] Demba.
Demba, I think you acknowledge and realize that Hon. Mai was speaking to Sidat Jobe's new-found opportunity to join the opposition against Yahya after having presided over Yahya's crimes against that opposition and the people of Gambia for years. In that scenario, Hon. Mai should be compared to Sidat Jobe. In other words comparing an honorable citizen who has never once subborned Yahya's crimes, issued libelous statements against those who opposed Yahya, and derided their efforts in that journey as against another who DID all those things. You will therefore understand some of the shortcomings of the opposition and indeed some of their incarcerations and intimidations that were inured by the likes of Sidat Jobe. Let us assume you want to be critical of Hon. Mai and the opposition for their failure to coalesce, would you not reflect that with folk like Sidat Jobe advising Yahya into crimes against the opposition and justifying such crime by the statements he issued, that Hon. Mai's and the opposition's failures in NADD-making could have been partly a result of Yahya and folk like Sidat sowing discord among the opposition and offering bribes to others not to go along with the NADD project (Juwara rings a bell to you perhaps). Sticking to their party ideology is a direct result of erstwhile encumbrance and intimidation. This is because if the opposition leaders saw it fit to even suggest a coalescing of political fortunes in the first place, and with popular support of the idea, to then return to party bunkers would open them up to charges of insanity. You are well aware that since a NADD project was suggested, some of the opposition leaders have been wrongly arrested, incarcerated, and intimidated. And not only that, the rank & file behind the leaders were being wrongly arrested, incarcerated, intimidated, and bribed to create obstacles for their leaders to complete union. I therefore submit that crying foul and narrating the difficulties they had to go through is part and parcel of the story of that project. And here, Hon. Mai narrates those in order to bring perspective to Sidat Jobe's dispositions and pre-dispositions. A perspective you are in agreement with and commended prior. So by all means be critical of their shortcomings but not as rider on this article where Hon. Mai establishes the comparative sobriety of the opposition as against Sidat Jobe.
[And we will continue to be critical as long as they aspire to lead our country...] Demba.
Hon. Mai is not averse to Demba "continuing to be critical", of him, or of any other member of the opposition leadership. Further, an aspiration to lead a country or nation is just that. An aspiration. And in Yahya's Gambia, that aspiration without first removing Yahya could be fleeting at best. Demba, you were at pains to highlight your consternation at Giuseppe and others being critical of Janneh and Jobe earlier. This you shared is because we should embrace all in our fight against Yahya. Do you see anything wrong with that disposition now? And do you think being critical of the opposition leaders who have not committed any crimes against your fellow citizens is far superior to being critical of Janneh and Jobe who have arguably been accessory to Yahya's opressions severally? At least they were present in Yahya's government after and during the time Yahya committed some of those heinous crimes.
[You will agree with me that NADD days did generate a kind of enthusiasm that we have never seen in Gambian politics... even people who had never participated got involved because there was hope until everything crumbled in the face of leadership and ideology...] Demba.
See above.
[then fast forward to 2011... unrealistic agenda's and call for processes that were only good for foot notes of history simply did not reflect the very ordeal that the Hon narrated on his story...] Demba.
I think you refer to the activity of some leaders after the collapse of the NADD project Demba. Whatever they did after Nadd's collapse is only within the purview of their partisans to assess.
[So again, it amounts to passing the blame when leaders who presented themselves before the people fail in their efforts (difficult as it may be) and then say to others.. "the road to Banjul is clear for anyone to take"..] Demba.
You mean Hon. Mai was passing the blame for his shortcomings onto Sidat Jobe????????? You already commended Hon. Mai for owning up to his part in the NADD imbroglio. How does he then pass the blame onto Sidat who we all know was part of the problems encountered by the opposition??
[We can all make that individual decision...] Demba.
What individual decision? you mean "the road to Banjul is clear for anyone to take"? This means you are in agreement with Hon. Mai then. Now both of you should present that opportunity to Sidat Jobe as Hon. Mai did in his efforts to interrogate Sidat's state of mind.
[but at the same time we have a moral responsibility to critique those who pledge to lead us...] Demba.
Again I think Hon. Mai encourages you in that effort Demba. And none of them Pledged to lead us. They however would love to lead us.
[As far as lamenting poverty of the leaders... that worries me a lot... that tells me that if leaders are that poor and publicly acknowledge it...once they taste the power of money and abundance of resources.. they could turn into something....] Demba.
They Could. And they may not. But when they do turn into that ogre, at least you can determine that because they're telling you now that they are poor. And if Yahya is so bad that you would recruit the likes of Janneh and Sidat in your quest to remove him, why do you worry about Haruna who may or may not steal your farthings????
[I could be wrong put history has proven me right as far as many African leaders are concern going from rags to riches and turn from advocates to oppressors...] Demba.
You could be wrong. I agree. You could also be right. History is not a good judge of character because humans are unique, distinct, and dynamic. History is a narration of events. Not a treatise on the psychology of characters.
[as for Dr. Jobe I would add... it is about time!!!!] Demba.
I don't understand what you mean by this Demba. Please clarify when you think of it.
[Thanks Nyang... am sure I will hear from you soon.. but this is my take for now...] Demba.
Nyang is indisposed Demba and he has assigned me the task of continuing the conversation with you on his behalf.
Thank you for the opportunity.
Haruna.
On Mon, Jan 7, 2013 at 5:56 PM, Haruna <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
Courtesy: Freedomnewspaper.com
Haruna.
‘DR. JOBE WILL NEVER TAKE THE INITIATIVE TO RETURN TO HOME TO LEAD A CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE ,’ MAI FATTY
‘DR. JOBE WILL NEVER TAKE THE INITIATIVE
TO RETURN TO HOME TO LEAD A CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE OR MASS PROTEST THAT HE
IS PREACHING OUT OF FEAR FOR HIS OWN LIFE,’ MAI FATTY
REJOINDER ON DR. SEDAT JOBE’S RADIO SPEECH – A PERSONAL OPINION
Mai Ahmad Fatty
Thanks and Praises due to the Almighty God, Creator of the Universe, the Giver and the Taker of life, and in Whom my destiny resides.
I
had the opportunity to listen to Dr. Sedat Jobe’s speech on Freedom
Radio today the 7 January 2012, on a range of fundamental issues
affecting our country. I commend Dr. Jobe for recently emerging from his
eleven years of hibernation, during which period some of the worst
horrific crimes against our people were being committed (excluding his
brief political campaign in support of Yaya Jammeh) in the 2006
elections, when he is on record to have branded the opposition
‘ignorant’ and incapable of ruling.
Dr.
Jobe has a point on the difficult and sensitive issue of unity among
the opposition parties. The issue of a united opposition is a complex
one, and not as simple and facile as many would imagined. STGDP and
others had worked on it for years even before GMC was born. Nonetheless,
I acknowledge that more could be done, the failure of which I take
partial responsibility. He averred that the opposition are not seriously
‘shocked’ enough by the regime’s inhumanity to provoke them to set
aside all of their differences, to come together and establish a united
front. This is an unfair characterization and bemoans a clear
misanalysis of the dynamics.
Around
the 2006 general elections, Yaya Jammeh ordered the arrest and
prosecution of NADD opposition leaders. From their homes they were sent
straight to Mile 2 Prisons where they languished in inhume conditions
for over a week contrary to law. The government then publicly announced
falsely declaring that Hon Halifa Sallah had disappeared and at large,
when he was actually under their custody at the time. I volunteered with
Lawyers Ousainou Darboe and Antouman Gaye to undertake the legal
defence of the three NADD leaders without pay. Jammeh had previous to
that imprisoned Lamin Waa Juwara, who was also one of the NADD leaders
then. In effect he had four opposition leaders under custody at the same
time just before 2006 elections namely – Halifa Sallah, Hamat Bah, Omar
J. Jallow and Lamin Waa Juwara.
In
the process of securing their release from unlawful custody through the
courts, I had to personally go into Mile 2 Prisons to obtain the
signatures of the unlawfully detained opposition leaders with a notary
public for a bail application. Eventually the courts granted them bail
on very difficult conditions. Before the next hearing date, Jammeh
backed down in the face of stiff resistance from former President
Obasanjo who came to intervene on behalf of the Commonwealth as a
sitting President of the Federal Rep. of Nigeria. It was during that
visit when President Obasanjo brokered an inter-party MoU between the
ruling Party and the opposition parties, containing terms of fair-play
and dispute resolution. The APRC had no original intention of honouring
this Document.
It
is important to appreciate that Jammeh did all he could, utilizing all
of the coercive powers of the State to destroy and to disintegrate NADD
at a time when they were still actively working on selecting a consensus
flag bearer. The arrests and subsequent trial of these leaders made
national news for a while, and it could not have eluded Dr. Sedat Jobe’s
attention, who had much earlier resigned from government. However, not
only did Dr. Sedat Jobe campaigned for Jammeh in that same elections, he
is also on record for having publicly branded the opposition at a
Jammeh 2006 campaign rally as a bunch of ignoramus who were unfit to
rule. This unprovoked diatribe attracted a written reaction from the
opposition. Judging by his profuse moral pronouncements recently, one
would have expected that Dr. Jobe would be restrained by his moral
principles not only to campaign for Jammeh in that election, but also
that his sense of moral propriety would have conditioned him to condemn
the opposition leaders arrests, detention, and bogus trial at the time.
What I meant is that Dr. Jobe should have been ‘sufficiently shocked’ by
the clear injustice at the time and be motivated to speak and act
against it. But alas, he was mute, and in fact campaigned to secure
electoral victory for the perpetrator of crimes, after he had long
resigned from government. Six years later, the opposition is still
waiting for a statement from Dr. Sedat Jobe or on hind sight an apology
without success. Therefore, when Sedat Jobe castigated the opposition as
not being sufficiently ‘shocked’ by the inhumanity of the regime to
compel them to come together, he came across as both disingenuous and
pedantic.
The
opposition leaders have all been to jail at different times, and
continue to face inequities. I was tortured under custody for merely
acting as counsel in a certain criminal trial, while some of us faced
assassination attempts. Most, if not all of us opposition leaders are
dead broke or in debt because we invested every butut into domestic
political programs. Being an opposition leader or opposition activist in
The Gambia under current circumstances, amounts to a contract with
poverty, and potential assassination or unlawful imprisonment at any
time. It is phenomenal sacrifice.
While
we welcome Dr. Jobe into the struggle eleven years too early, we must
never lose sight of the fact that we are not at the start of the
struggle. Many people have paid with their lives, and others continue to
go through hell on the ground for years. Not only the domestic
opposition, but the online media and external civil society in both the
UK and the U.S have been very active for many years. Their efforts are
what we continue to consolidate upon today. Dr. Jobe is currently
threading on the foot-steps of the opposition in his tour to Paris,
London or Brussels, and during his consultations, he might have
discovered that we had already been to those same places much earlier
and met those same institutions on identical concerns. Sincerity demands
that we acknowledge the truth but not disparage or be contemptuous of
previous efforts by the opposition or others and proceed on the false
impression that a new foundation is just being erected.
It
is easy for some to say; ‘well you have been outside since the
election’. I have been much more effective with what I could do for my
Party and people outside under current circumstances, and this is where
my Party needs me most personally, for the meantime. AND yes GMC
continues to work on the ground as a political party with limited
resources, regardless. The ‘struggle’ is no one’s monopoly. If anyone
feels you could do better, the road to The Gambia is open for you. What
may be stopping many from venturing back home is the intrepid fear
admitted by Dr. Sedat Jobe himself on radio, when he said that if he
were to return home now, they would pounce on him. From his own
utterances, it is clear that like many Gambians, Dr. Jobe will never
take the initiative to return to home to lead a civil disobedience or
mass protest that he is preaching out of fear for his own life. It is
unfair for anyone to make specific demands for sacrifice of others that
he/she is unwilling to make.
This
is not an indictment against anyone or advocating for anyone. The fact
that Dr. Jobe recently decided to join the side of goodness is
remarkable. I praise his call for us to speak and to act with one voice.
Let us all work together to accelerate the end of tyranny. The
opposition bashing is not the solution. The liberation of The Gambia is
the responsibility of all Gambians. The Egyptians, Tunisians, Libyans,
Syrians, etc taught us not to wait for politicians. They
did not wait for politicians to lead. Their populations by themselves
without politicians did what they had to do, and I do not mean to assert
that politicians should fold their arms and do nothing. Yaya Jammeh is a
result of the collective failure of all Gambians. We must all take
responsibility for the kind of political system and leadership we have
in our country. We can put an end to this mess if are ready to do so as a
people. The choice is ours, all of us together.
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