Malanding
Thanks!
Now we are back to the good debate.
Somewhere in my posting I said we can debate how this can be attain - that suggests I know it will neither drop on the head of Yahya nor will he be happy with our faces to embrace it.
In short something above, below and/or around Yahya has to happen - when we did that; it will not be up to Yahya who calls shots in Banjul. We will eventually call the shots
Here is why am a bit troubled about your rationale ("Yahya will/will not…")- have you ever suggest to those busy trying for almost 20 years to put the opposition together for another election that Yahya is calling shots in Banjul? Thought if he wouldn’t allow a constitution re-write equally he wouldn’t allow anyone declare a winner in an election he’s the contestant. That leaves us with nothing other than divine intervention
My proposal was a strip-down version of my views - it only shows what our end goals are to make Gambia ‘A Functioning Institutional Democracy’. I didn’t put there what i think could be done to get there.
I hope you would agree should democratic forces take over Gambia today - we would need a better constitution (hence a rewrite); new rule of law and due process regimes, build the capacity of our people (to sustain democracy) and collect and manage basic social data for both inform decision making and accountability
I’m fully aware that we are currently at the end of weakness……our first task should be to move to strength (amass political leverage) and only then Yahya will have incentive to give-in to demands of a democratic movement of the people of Gambia.
This can’t and will neither be done by aliens nor by divine intervention. It will be done by people of The Gambia hopefully led by those you know to be smart amongst us.
That’s my view! That’s all I share! My only one hope is to ignite interest that we take another crack at it but from a different perspective.
Burama
> On Nov 11, 2014, at 11:55 AM, Malanding Jaiteh <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
> Burama,
> I am afraid I can not answer your many questions (time limitation) but will assure you that I am not dismissing your proposal. All I am trying to do is to put things in perspective. That "re-write of the constitution, create environment and mechanisms to uphold the constitution" and the like will not fly when Mr. Jammeh is calling the shots in Banjul.
>
> Malanding
>
>
> On 11/11/2014 11:26 AM, Burama Jammeh wrote:
>> Malanding
>>
>> Great biblical perspectives!
>>
>> What's wrong with what I proposed? Or shouldn't I throw that in the chat room? Or did I suggest that there are short supply of smart Gambians? Many questions.....
>>
>> Your take about how dictators behave is well placed. However I couldn't connect it as a response to what I post. Unless you are alluding to leave Yahya alone because he's too dangerous and his reactions are unpredictable.
>>
>> To add - however crazy or dangerous Yahya and people like him maybe, it's a problem for us to fix. No other person on the face of the earth will do it for us. After 20 years and counting each of us should be able to tell the other what we think is the best option. That wouldn't me the other will agree but at least it shows........ That's what I did!
>>
>> To brush aside everything! Or to say no to everything! Or to hope that the problem will go away by itself.....Or to rely on some devine intervention! Or to wait for another coup....etc. will not happen and if it does we will be trampled by the new sheriff.
>>
>> My hope is we use those histories you cited to shape our own destiny on our own terms. We failed to fix the Jawara problem. Yahya came with the promises to fix it and many danced - now we know he is worst.
>>
>> Where are the smart people? Are they truly smart? Why didn't they fix it? Why did they create it? Maybe smart for the wrong reasons after all .......
>>
>> Are you suggesting my proposal has no merit? Are you suggesting we wait for Devine intervention? Again I am not getting your point.
>>
>> Finally I will be glad we work behind close doors to come up with a solution if that's the proffered approach. As there is no such efforts, at least not known to me, I choose to put up my views in the public domain. The purpose is to entice Gambians to begin some good work.
>>
>> Burama
>>
>>
>> On Tuesday, November 11, 2014, Malanding Jaiteh <[log in to unmask] <mailto:[log in to unmask]>> wrote:
>> Burama,
>> It is not be about what you or I prefer, it is what the situation demands. The Gambia under Jammeh is nothing new in this world, from the "immortal" Pharoah in the people of the book to infamous mortals like Pinochet, Idi Amin, Bokassa, Samuel Doe, Mobutu, Saikou Toure, Saddam, Qadafi and now Campoare. All comes down to man consumed by urge to be alpha-dog among their peers. I am not a psycho-analyst but these people can hardly contained themselves when challenged. And history has taught us that none of these chaps wake up in morning and say they give-up or retire. In fact the contrary is true. To them each day is consumed by what can they do to last even longer, first making sure they "newlal" their hair as gray suggests mortality. In addition to maintaining their youthful image, they want to us to perceive them as daring machos who will bring down the sky if provoked! And they mean that too. Those infected by this power bug can not safe themselves, and literally have to be subdued!
>>
>> Subdue does not necessarily mean we must go to war. We were told the Pharoah was so powerful that the Almighty God had to be directly involved in his subdue! Our most recent mortals had to be wrestled, sometimes forcefully. The trouble is even in the dog world, a deposed alpha-dog is at best kicked out of the pack and often left to die a miserable death! Unlike you and I who do not live the life of alpha-dog, these guys know exactly what it means to lose and as such will do everything in their power to prolong their tenure! The fact is the longer these folks stay in control the more damage they do themselves, the country and people they claim to love.
>>
>> As to responding to you question on "how do we subdue the knife guy (Yahya) .."? The people of the book taught us that even the Almighty God conspired against the Pharoah by hiding from him the identity of "boy" (Musa) or his methods, whose destiny would be to end his rule. In other words, such methods are best discussed in backrooms and not chat rooms!
>>
>> Malanding
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> On 11/11/2014 12:29 AM, Burama Jammeh wrote:
>>> Malanding
>>>
>>> Share how do we subdue the knife guy (Yahya) first - if that’s your preferred approach?
>>>
>>> If others preferred the various approaches you referred to - I preferred as in the original posting - where am I wrong?
>>>
>>> Burama
>>>
>>>
>>>> On Nov 10, 2014, at 5:55 PM, Malanding Jaiteh <[log in to unmask] <javascript:_e(%7B%7D,'cvml',[log in to unmask]);>> wrote:
>>>>
>>>> Burama,
>>>> Some will argue that Mr. Jammeh's hold on the Gambia is no different from a lone guy holding hostage a bus load of passengers. It's all about "hedging one's bet". When life is threatened some prefer to "play dead" or "surrender the cash box" so to speak until they are sure what the future holds. Yes we can blame the "enablers", "collaborators" or the Almighty God who created mankind that raised the knife-wielding thug? Most people will want to first subdue the knife wielding maniac, " jump on the guy when the chance is right" before putting in place controls to avoid another incident.
>>>>
>>>> Malanding
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> On 11/10/2014 4:35 PM, Burama Jammeh wrote:
>>>>> Your rationale at best is flawed and worst is wrong. You said bunch of smart people but one person (Yahya) trampled on is all. You may be right many smart people but our problem has nothing or little to do with smartness. After all of our political problems are the creation of these supposed smart people and not the farmers, vendors and tax drivers, etc. More importantly though, if your characterization of Yahya holds did you ever told other efforts such as contesting elections against Yahya is futile?
>>>>>
>>>>> I mentioned that in fact our laws weren't too bad but the implementation - that until enough requisite capacity obtain amongst our people functioning democracy will never show up at our shores. These problems started long before Yahya and likely to continue if we should succeed with the current election agenda. The only difference is - it will be another person.
>>>>>
>>>>> Let me agree with you for a moment - let the smart people come out and tell us what we can/could do. Is not enough to say Yahya is so bad that about 2 million population has not solution with all that smart people.
>>>>>
>>>>> I will submit that the supposed smart folks are our problem - they created everything that's wrong in country. Fifty years and counting - cut a check at the office of accountant general - 5 minutes later no one can trace its route with documentation.
>>>>>
>>>>> I salute the farmers, vendors, masoner, carpenters, tax drivers, etc. who pay their taxes and/or royalties and in return not loot the public coffer.
>>>>>
>>>>> This is not insinuating that every learned Gambian is bad - am only saying amongst them we grow all these problems.
>>>>>
>>>>> Burama
>>>>>
>>>>> On Monday, November 10, 2014, Malanding Jaiteh <[log in to unmask] <javascript:_e(%7B%7D,'cvml',[log in to unmask]);>> wrote:
>>>>> Burama,
>>>>> To answer your question at the end, this is pure poppycock to put it mildly, as long as Mr. Jammeh calls the shots in Banjul! The Gambia's problem is not about lack of smart people, or lack of good ideas or good laws. The problem is twenty years ago someone decided to take the government BY FORCE!! During these years he removed long-term civil servants at will and without compensation for their service, incarcerated citizens for refusing to give up their properties and businesses, executed military officers for "conspiring against him" without the right to a fair trial, and even denied the remains of opponents to be interred in the Gambia. Go read the current constitution and tell me where such acts are condone.
>>>>>
>>>>> Now how do you re-write the constitution, create environment and mechanisms to uphold the constitution when Mr. Jammeh is calling the shots in Banjul? Really?
>>>>>
>>>>> Malanding Jaiteh
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> On 11/10/2014 1:32 PM, Burama Jammeh wrote:
>>>>>> 1) Rewrite the constitution:
>>>>>>
>>>>>> - that recognizes The Gambia as a republic and the people have collective responsibility to manage it (the constitution didn’t create the republic)
>>>>>>
>>>>>> - that numerates our rights as a recognition but not creation hence guarantee their maximum protection
>>>>>>
>>>>>> - create a limited, separated and decentralized governance structure with clearly defined authorities
>>>>>>
>>>>>> - free the constitution of matters are should be legislated such as parastatal divesture
>>>>>>
>>>>>> - limit the role of the presidency to half a page (font 11) and the whole constitution 25 pages or less
>>>>>>
>>>>>> - etc
>>>>>>
>>>>>> 2) Create environment and mechanisms to uphold and defend the constitution. This is difficult than writing one. This is where we have always failed. Our constitution as is not terrible but the adherence is almost 100% none existence. To ensure such will not be a one off activity but multiple level and task efforts.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> 3) Rule of law the dictator of everything state
>>>>>>
>>>>>> 4) Due process of law dictator of everything state
>>>>>>
>>>>>> 5) Maintenance of basic social data for inform decision making and accountability
>>>>>>
>>>>>> 6) Capacity building – a people can’t sustain democracy if they do not acquire the requisite capacity to live a life of a democrat
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Numbers 2 is the most difficult task here. Numbers 6 is the most important and is only possible with a tangible republican environment.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> This is the(a) only common agenda. This is the only agenda that guaranteed equal opportunity Gambia for all of us.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Giving the current political and socioeconomic environment in The Gambia and our disjointed struggle – how do we do this?
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> The first essential step is communication…lets begin the discussion of what really matters.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Burama
>>>>>>
>>>>>> ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤ To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://listserv.icors.org/archives/gambia-l.html <http://listserv.icors.org/archives/gambia-l.html>
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>>>>>>
>>>>>
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>>>>>
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>>>>>
>>>>
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>>>>
>>>
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>>>
>>
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>>
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