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Delivery-date: Sat, 20 Nov 1999 17:48:23 +0100
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From: "saul khan" <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Reply to Alpha's Some proposals for Gambia-L
Date: Sat, 20 Nov 1999 16:48:14 GMT
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Alpha,

I subscribe to many of your proposals, but I have a problem w/ the ethnic
issue you're raising. First, what politicians were campaigning on ethnicity
in 1996? And more importantly, what ethnic group are they saying should/must
rule the Gambia? You need to identify these people, so we can condemn them
if what you're saying is true, instead of assuming that everyone knows who
these people are. I'm not trying to nit-pick, but there are many people like
yourself who are blindly spreading mis-information (at the very least,) for
various reasons. I say this for several reasons.

First, reading between the lines, I have no doubt that you're talking about
the UPD group which is predominantly Mandingo. I am not a big fan of
Ousainou Darbo's, but should this man desist from running for office only
b/c he is Mandingo? He is literally putting his life on the line by running
against a brutal dictatorship, but somehow, that's not enough. Maybe if
people like yourself had the guts to run, he won't have to do it. Besides,
if truth be told, the only opposition leader of substance in the history of
the Gambia (Sheriff Dibba,) is Mandingo. He was after Jawara till the very
last day of his rule. No one called him a tribalist then. So, it's fine for
a Mandinka speaking person to oppose his kin, but it's tribalist for a
Mandingo to oppose a non-Mandingo. Yaya Jammeh loves people like yourself
who fall for crap like this. He is using such sentiments very cunningly to
perpetuate his rule.

And let's look at the Mandingo man for just one minute. If he is well-to-do,
he has a non-Mandingo wife, his mother requires an interpreter to talk to
her grand children, and naturally, the man does more for his wife's people
than he does for his own brothers. I know of many first hand. I bet you do
too, unless if you prefer to put on blinders. My own wife's people are as
Banjulian as anyone can be. The most famous Mandingo in Gambian history (DK
Jawara) is a typical example. Jawara is more Aku than Mandingo in every
sense of the word. But that's not good enough, I guess. About three weeks
ago, I went to a christening ceremony in Silver Spring, MD and one of
Jawara's sons (Mustaf) came in. I was talking to his first cousins in
Mandingo at the time. Mustaf first confirmed w/ my wife the identity of the
guys I was talking to, then he proceeded to greet them in English b/c he
cannot a speak a word of Mandinka!

So, I get really pissed when people throw this tribalist crap out against
Mandingo people. Simply put, there are no  MORE un-tribalist people in the
Gambia than Mandingos. Mandingo people are very conservative by nature.
Unlike several groups in the Gambia, the Mandingo believes in pulling
oneself thru' one's bootstraps. Taking short-cuts is not very Mandingo. ( I
don't know where you are, but in the US, I'm yet to see/hear of a Mandingo
in trouble for taking the easy way out by selling drugs or things like that.
Look at the Gambians getting killed, and inquire the reasons for their
death, and you may get the drift of what I'm saying.) Further, I don't know
of many Aku/Wollof big shots whose wives are of another ethnicity. Yet no
one calls them tribalist. You go to any Mandingo ceremony in the DC area,
and the entire affair is conducted in Wollof/English for the benefit of
everyone. I'm yet to witness one Aku/Wollof ceremony where the organizers
are sensitive to non Aku/Wollof speakers. No one calls them tribalist.
Jawara had more Mandingo ministers than any ethnic group especially at the
latter part of his rule - Fact. But the heads of most public institutions
were non-Mandingo: NTC, GPMB, GCDB. Think of Jawara's heads of the civil
service: Eric Christensen, Langley, Francis Mboge. Need I say more. I can
name you several Mandingo graduates in the late 60s and 70s who couldn't get
a job/the job they deserve when Jawara was at his prime. Yet, we continue to
hear this insinuations about Mandingo people. When is it going to stop!

If we are to move forward, we'll have to cut out the lies and hypocrisy. The
greatest thing Hitler has taught us is his dictum: "if you tell a big lie,
and tell it long enough, people are bound to believe you." These lies have
been labelled against Mandingo people for far too long - despite
over-whelming evidence to the contrary. Given Gambia's high rate of
illiteracy, it's understandable that the majority of the people vote along
ethnic lines. On all sides. Over 90% of Jola people voted for Yaya Jammeh in
'96. There is now a national (exclusively) Jola movt bent on backing Yaya at
all costs. But they are not tribalist! Are you going to tell Yaya Jammeh to
pass a law that would tell the Foni people to look at him objectively. Are
you going to tell him to scrap the national Jola movt? Look at the hell
Shingle Nyassi is catching for defying his people. Watch the horror video of
the torture of Mr Nyassi & co in 1997, and hear from his own mouth what Yaya
Jammeh's people are telling him about being a Jola supporting a Mandingo.
Where is your indignation at such a tribal tinder box?

This is not a mere defense of Mandingo people, it's a defense of the truth!
If we are to move forward, those of us w/ some education need to use our
senses and look at the entire picture objectively, instead of insinuating
that this or that politician is running on a tribal tkt. Ousainou is an
accomplished lawyer. He doesn't have to prove anything to anyone. Why can't
we look at his background and assess his potential as the HOS vis-a-vis his
opponents instead of reducing him to a power-hungry tribalist! His ethnicity
won't be an issue if he  were opposing another Mandingo. It shouldn't be an
issue now. And it's a shame for people like yourself to fuel this tribal
nonsense, whose only benefactor has been Yaya Jammeh. He keeps suggesting to
people like yourself that "small" tribes in the Gambia need to band together
to prevent a particular tribe from coming to power. This "conspiracy theory"
is costing many Mandingo professionals their jobs in the Gambia. Somehow, if
you're non-Mandingo, you're qualified to oppose Yaya Jammeh in  good faith.
But if you are, then the only reason is that, you want to see another
Mandingo (even a nominal one like Jawara) in State House. What nonsense!
What hypocrisy! In any case, you for one, has swallowed this anti-Mandingo
BS hook, line and sinker!

Saul





>From: alpha <[log in to unmask]>
>Reply-To: [log in to unmask]
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Some proposals for Gambia-L
>Date: Sat, 20 Nov 1999 00:57:41 +0100
>
>Dear Gambia-L members,
>
>The proposals I am about to put forward have been in my mind for some
>time now. Privately I have discussed them with some members of the List
>and yet I had not come forth with it until now. The main reason behind
>the long hesitation is my resolve not to start anything which I cannot
>give full attention, time and energy to. I thought that once put forward
>the ideas will be embraced by at least some list members, leaving me
>with the option to either let it float around for some time and perhaps
>eventually sink into oblivion or to inject life into it and transform it
>into action. Even though I still do not feel ready for it, I am
>encouraged by recent discussions under the heading "It is time to Heal
>Self and Nation" to such an extent that I feel compelled to shared these
>thoughts with you.
>
>The driving force behind these proposals is first and foremost the
>desire to move beyond simply discussing, to a new stage of action;
>action which will realistically transform the essence of our concerns as
>reflected in our discussions from exchanges on the List to some form of
>collective action. I will illustrate the kind of action I am referring
>to later. Before doing so let me first start by identifying some common
>ground from which I believe common action can be launched. I will try to
>keep the list modest in an attempt not to draw up over-ambitious plans
>which will collect dust in the annals of Gambia-L archives. I am sure
>others will come up with realistic proposals too.
>
>As already observed by other List members, it would appear that many of
>us on the List, if not all, do share a common aspiration of a better
>Gambia. What a better Gambia means to each and everyone and how to
>achieve it may be different, but I believe we will all agree that if the
>People of the Gambia can freely decide who should rule the country
>without fear or uninformed hopes of gaining a few colanuts, in the
>interest of the country and further reserve the right to remove leaders
>who do not act in their interest, a good beginning would have been set
>for the country. This is therefore one area in which we can agree,
>despite our various believes, orientations and loyalties, and launch
>some common action.
>
>Another area where we can certainly find common ground is on national
>unity. The days before the last elections in 1994 were unfortunately
>characterised by dangerous ethnic political propaganda. It is no secret
>that some politicians tried to use their ethnic origin to muster support
>by propagating the idea that Gambia must be ruled by this or that ethnic
>group. Recent events have shown that this ugly demon is still with us.
>Ethnic politics as we know, looking back at experiences from Liberia,
>Sierra Leone, Burundi etc. can benefit no one. It amounts to a group of
>very unscrupulous people using the ignorance of the people to secure
>their own selfish interest only to run away and seek refuge when thing
>get out of control and especially when their own lives are threatened;
>indeed they run, scream and crawl to ask for pardon after bringing ruin
>to their own people including those from the same ethnic group. So here
>too we can identify a common ground. Any action by any group of people,
>be they a political grouping or not, be they the party ruling the
>country or not, should be unanimously condemned with a united
>uncompromising voice.
>
>Many members in this list are living abroad. As such we are subjected to
>certain common problems whose redress can only be enhanced by common
>action. For example, sometime ago the question of double citizenship was
>discussed in this forum. Some people it would appear were forced to
>abandon their Gambian citizenship not because their country of residence
>prohibits dual citizenship but rather because of some uncertainties on
>the Gambian side. Hence these people are forced to become foreigners in
>their country of origin when we all know that most Gambians abroad are
>proud of their Gambian heritage, but are sometimes forced by
>circumstances to seek the nationality of their country of residence as a
>matter of convenience.
>
>The behaviour of the Swedish police in Stockholm, whose chief for the
>Stockholm area officially criminalised all Gambians and threatened to
>take draconian action against all Gambians is another example. Whereas
>this case was in a way extreme, it is common knowledge that Gambians and
>Africans in general are vulnerable to such forms of institutional
>discrimination. Together we can at least take common action to condemn
>such acts and request those ruling the Gambia at that particular time to
>officially condemn such acts. In both of these cases one can easily find
>common ground for action in the interest of Gambians living abroad.
>
>As Gambians living abroad we can also think of ways in which we can make
>positive contributions to the situation at home. In fact some work is
>already going on in this area, for example, GESO and the Book Project.
>But perhaps we can also contribute to emergency relief in times of
>tragedy or disaster. The recent floods were a typical case where our
>contribution could have made a great difference for a number of affected
>people. A Relief funds could have been established to complement the
>efforts of other citizens and institutions who took up the task of
>organising relief work.
>
>Also, those who, by virtue of their qualifications, are in one way or
>the other able to offer their services to the country may think of
>forming expert groups to give advice and even participate directly in
>ongoing activities in their field of expertise. Such an act will under
>certain circumstances constitute a contribution to the betterment of the
>lives of the Gambian people. The so formed expert groups can get in
>touch with the ministries or institutions responsible for services in
>their fields and intervene positively where possible.
>
>Having highlighted some common grounds for common action I would now
>like to proceed to the question of who do we try to reach and what type
>of action may be considered. First of all The Gambia has its democratic
>institutions. By that I mean institutions which though imperfect, have
>been established either by our constitution or on its basis. To me
>therefore it is not only the Government of the day which should be
>addressed. Secondly, whether our democratic institutions are strong or
>weak, whether people in charge of running the affairs of the country do
>so satisfactorily or not is largely dependent on the level of awareness
>and involvement of the ordinary people in defending what is in their
>interest. Consequently it is my believe that we should enter into
>dialogue with institutions of Government, democratic institutions and
>last but most the Gambian people. But how?
>
>This brings us to the question of what action to consider. As far as
>contributing to disaster relief and in terms of knowledge I have already
>mentioned forming a relief fund and experts groups. In this regard, we
>can learn from the experiences of GESO. As far as offering our expertise
>is concerned, those who are qualified in their fields can even act as
>consultants. Rather than enriching other experts from elsewhere, The
>Gambia can even gain by offering fellow Gambians who are well qualified
>in their fields the chance to contribute and thereby divert at least
>part of the earnings into the home economy. Of course those with
>expertise to offer must clear for themselves all conflicts of interests
>concerning their present positions.
>
>As far as institutions are concerned, we may do well remembering that
>only the Gambian people can really bring about ultimate change by voting
>into office people who can manage the affairs of the country
>satisfactorily. The best way we can contribute to make those
>institutions effective, from a common stand as Gambia-L, is to try to
>identify some of the wrongs, shortcomings and mismanagement and propose
>ways to rectify these. But first we need to identify key institutions to
>address. The first one to come in mind is the executive. The president
>of The Gambia being the head of the executive will necessarily be one
>person we should address some of our concerns. Parliament is another
>institution to address our concerns to. The bar association and the
>ministry of justice are potential addressees of some concerns on the
>question of justice and human rights issues. The Independent Electoral
>Commission (IEC) should hear our concerns and proposals concerning a
>fair electoral system. Political parties should hear from us what kind
>of conduct we expect from them. Finally, through the media we should
>establish a forum to let our views known and exchange opinions with our
>fellow Gambians on the ground, who for one reason or the other are not
>members of
>Gambia-L.
>
>Let me give some examples. As said earlier, anything which promotes
>fairness in the electoral system and hence making it possible for
>Gambians to elect and if unsatisfied remove from office those who they
>so wish to, without fear will be a gain for all. As elections are due in
>about two years time, we can petition the IEC, members of parliament and
>the head of state to reduce the incredible deposit of five thousand
>Dalasis to be paid by election candidates. This will allow honest
>candidates who do not have wealth to display but sincere service to
>offer to the nation to contest elections. We can also petition all
>political parties and challenge parliamentarians to make laws to
>prohibit campaign based on ethnic origin. We can also petition the head
>of state and the IEC and challenge parliamentarians to make laws
>allowing all contending parties equal air time on radio and television.
>
>On the question of double citizenship for example, we can write to the
>head of state asking for clarification on the matter. At the same time,
>we can challenge parliamentarians to pass laws stating clearly that
>Gambians can have double citizenship under reasonable conditions.
>
>We can make our views known on the question of the increasingly
>difficult conditions which have to be met to register newspapers, on the
>kidnappings of the likes of Shyngle Nyassi etc. etc. should they recur.
>
>As far as the media is concerned, we have at least FOROYAA and GRTS
>through Tombong Saidy on board. I believe we can genuinely expect them
>to offer coverage to our views and concerns and if possible relay to us
>some of the views expressed by others outside of the list either in
>reaction to our actions or simply adding to the exchanges of views,
>which will only enrich the discussions.
>
>I have tried to restrict myself to common-ground issues, which can
>easily be accepted by most people irrespective of loyalties,
>affiliations etc. However, there will always be list members who may
>object to this or that case. This brings us to a question which was
>raised today; who is being referred to as we? As far as I am concerned
>"we" is being used to reflect the desire for collective action in the
>first place. Collective action will be the new stage I am advocating,
>just like others on the list. Yet we must be very clear on the fact that
>there will always be some who would not like to associate themselves
>with certain actions. We have to respect that. "We" should therefore be
>simply restricted to the signatories to any given document generated
>through collective action. It must be made clear that not everyone on
>the List endorses every collective action. On the other hand, we should
>take note of the fact that the more we try to be reasonable the more
>people we will have on the side of collective action and, yes, the more
>effective our common voice will be. This calls for responsibility and
>maturity on our side. After all everybody is free to express any view on
>the List as long as nobody is thereby insulted. Likewise anyone who
>wishes to go further can certainly look for other avenues to achieve
>their goals.
>
>I have done some thinking about how we may approach some of the "hows",
>but first I will listen to others. I am sure there are many unanswered
>questions.
>
>Alpha Robinson
>
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