Gainako Newspaper

....SANA B SABALLY
.................Is He The Only Pariah?
................................................................By (GON)..........................May 8th, 2007

In today's front-page, (GON) questions the public if Sanna B Sabally is the only Pariah
in the Gambia society. In it, (GON) calls on the many others that witnessed the dark history
to come out and explain; what happened, what they contributed, what they saw, and how
much wrong is done.

Country Men! Hear (GON)! I say unto you beware of those that are quick to
castigate and pass judgment on one individual, for many of these men were once
toting guns for the AFPRC

Many people have made Sana Sabally the No 1 pariah. There is so much innuendo, facts, and fiction
surrounding him that it almost amounts to mass hysteria. The events of November 11th 1994 while
despicable have become synonymous with one man-Sana Sabally. Some conspiracy theories have
even tried to rewrite history by alleging that he is in some way responsible for the death of finance
minister Koro Ceesay. While the later can be simply dismissed due to the irrefutable fact the man was
incarcerated at the time. However the larger issue of the events of November 11th cannot and should
not be seen as an isolated event, rather it should be seen in a broader context of the culmination of a
series of unlawful acts beginning July 22nd, 1994 and still continues to this day. The murder of Deyda
Hydara, the April 10th, 2000 Student massacre, the failed assassination of lawyer Ousman Sillah, the
disappearance of politician Foday Makalo, and many others are prime examples of this continuation.

I would start by asking these fundamental questions primarily to members of Gambia security services.
Especially to those writing in the on-line forums, blogs and newspapers?

(i) Were you part of the AFPRC that unlawfully overthrew a democratically elected Government?

(ii) Did you attempt like Major Chongan to prevent this unlawful act?

(iii) Were you rewarded as a consequence of the event of July 22nd, 1994 to position of influence
......and authority due to your complicity?

(iv) Were you part of the November 11th alleged conspirators?

(v) Did you consider your failure to stop the July 22nd coup as an act of cowardice?

(vi) Are you willing to admit your role in any unlawful order against the Gambian people asked for
.....t.their forgiveness?

This is necessary in establishing the degree of guilt and or complicity for a lot of people many of whom
after falling out of favor with the AFPRC/APRC find really convenient to demonize their former
compadres. There is no doubt that Sana Sabally was involved in the event of November 11th, but to
what degree? Was he acting unilaterally or with other members of the AFPRC some of whom are still
in power or at large. Was his exhuberance miscontrue as evil incarnated thus making him the perfect
patsy or was there more sinister and silent players involved?

It should be noted that when Sana Sabally was sent to jail no mentioned was made of the alleged
crimes of November 11th at his trial or his alleged extra judicial killings by the very men who had the
means, motives and opportunity to charged him. In fact upon his arrest a public announcement was
made urging anyone to come forward with information of his wrong doings. Is it that the degree of
complicity is wider than we know? Or is it that the AFPRC is guilty of selective prosecution? Or is
that as some conspirator theories puts it Sana's only major crime was insisting on the junta staying only
for 2 years?

These questions and many more are the basis of understanding the problems that has been happening
in the Gambia since 1994. We therefore called on our current and former soldiers: Rtd. Colonel Sarr,
Rdt. Major Chongan, Rtd. Captain Ebou Jallow, Rtd Lieutenant Minteh, Rtd Captain Sanna B.
Sabally, Rtd. Major Bajinka, Rtd. Lieutenant Jaieh Sowe, Rtd. Captain Singhateh (Senior & Junior),
Ousman Sonko, and many others at home and abroad to rejoin to the debate and tell Gambians what
happened while the Gambia was under their eyes.

Editor's note: GON doesn't take sides. We only know as at now a crime was committed. The
perpetrators of such heinous crimes are still at loose everywhere. To start the healing process, the truth
must be told as it happened. We will protect any one's identify for forwarding information. We look
forward to hearing from you.

� Copyright, 2006-2007: Gainako On-line Newspaper. Site Maintained by Gamway Computers

......." I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." ... Voltaire

The on-line exchanges at Gambian Websites have been forceful and contentious lately -- growingly
so, I might add. The opinions have been strong; the ideas, thoughtful; the personalities, diverse and
colorful; the substance, enriched and in abundance; the styles, interesting -- if a little unsavory at
times. While differences (political, tribal, ideological, and so on) might seem intractable, our
similarities are actually greater -- whether we acknowledge, or are are aware of, this fact or not.

The vibrancy of cyber-discourse over what it means to be Gambian and how we envision our
country, as is playing out at Gainako, The Freedom Newspaper, The Gambia Echo, Gambiannet
and other such sites, is refreshing. It bodes well for our country's future. The pure passion of the
diverse contributors coupled with the sheer brilliance of their perspectives -- with the exception of a
few misguided actors -- lend a tinge of sadness to an otherwise heartening and exhilarating online
phenomenon.

Sad, on one hand, because it reminds one of the existence of a vast, untapped pool of expatriate
intelligentsia, whose immense experience and expertise could be better harnessed to the greater
advantage of our beloved country. In other words, these discussions remind one of the African brain
drain, now at the point of a severe hemorrhage, which has sapped the continent of its lifeblood. Be it
by forced expulsion as in political purges, or voluntarily to seek greener pastures overseas (another
sad reminder in itself of the sorry state of our economies), a wealth of Gambian talent, the cream of
her human resources currently lives outside of the country. The same is true of other countries in
Africa. No wander, the continent still wallows in strife and underdevelopment. But I digress, pardon
me!

The online discourse is heartening, on the other hand, in that the free trading of ideas -- coupled with
the creativity, commitment, sacrifice and enterprise that fuels it -- manifests an in-borne truth that
could best be summed up thus: even though we may be oceans away, our hearts and minds still
remain in the right place, the motherland.

These online forums and the underlying spirit driving them cannot but augurs well for the Gambia. It
is somewhat reminiscent of the days of the Founding Fathers and great Enlightenment Era writers
who peddled reason and ideas via the then popular medium of pamphlets as they crafted the rise of
this great American democracy. Madsion and John Jay, for instance, advocated a powerful
centralized federal government through the Federalist papers; Tom Payne wrote the Crisis Papers
and Common Sense, which stauchly promoted American independance while lambasting
monarchical authority; and Jefferson penned enduring social and legal commentaries that would later
form the bedrock of both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, which has stood
the test of time as a beacon of individual rights and freedom. What pamphlets were to the Founding
Fathers then, the Internet is to emigrant Gambians today.

Such is why it is greatly reassuring to know that Gambia's best thinkers -- be they businesspeople,
academics, artists, journalists, technocrats, engineers, you name them -- much like America's
Founding Fathers, are working overtime to craft and conceptualize future of once country described
at the time of its indepencence by the outgoing British Governor as an "economic and geographical
absurdity." The copious commentaries emerging on verious sites online on the state and direction of
our nation, demonstrated a dogged determination, on the part of Gambians, to fix what is broken, to
right what is wrong, to advance what has lagged and to reinvigorate what is in the doldrums. There's
hope, and the Governor General, were he present today to read these sites, would take surely
recant his bleak assessment of this nation and what its ingenious people are capable of.

The growing Gambian literature online also represents a marked departure from tradition. Not only
will these site serve as repositories and reference material for anyone -- Gambian or otherwise --
they will also serve to document Gambian history for future generations. A former propietor of the
Washington Post Newspaper, Phil Graham, described the function of newspapers publish as being
the "first rough draft of history." To a large extent, what is currently unfolding on the Gambian-run
Websites can be viewed in a similar light. In a country where accurate historical records -- and
native literature in general -- is hard to to come by, the new culture of creativity and expression is a
welcome shift. Posterity can refer to these works to write the final draft of our country's history.

Let me attempt to illustrate the preceeding point in planer, more graphic language. In you mind's eye,
try -- if you will -- to reconstruct the sequence of events of the 1981 Kukoi coup; or the day of the
lowering of he Union Jack to be replaced by the Red, White, Blue and Green; or the change of
guard from P.S Njie as Premier to Sir. D.K. Jawara; or how the first nationwide campaign played
out in the hinterland. Very scarce reliable literature currently exists of these events; all we have are
aging memories of witnesses clouded by biases and myths. It would've been marvelous, would it
not, to have a first-person Sir Dawda narrative of these events (in the form of a memoir, perhaps) to
contrast with, say, a Garba Jahumpa or P.S Njie or E. Francis Small verison? Whereas the current
generation is deprived of this opportunity, the current crop of online writers look set to change that.
One promise of these Websites, it seems, is that future Gambian leaders would pen great works
that would enormously benefit succeeding generations.

That may well be considered an overly positive (even naive) spin on the current phenomenon of
free-expression unraveling at Gainako, The Freedom Newspaper, The Gambia Echo, Gambianet
and other such media that have cropped up recently. This author is under no illusion that beneath the
articles and opinions lay motivations and agenda -- covert or overt -- which are as varying and
divergent as there are authors. Still, it is quite tenable to posit that our beloved country could only
stand to benefit from such worthy and unhindered intellectual exercise.

While we engage in this grand debate that is already shaping the future of the Gambia, we must
remember, however, to guard and insist upon certain minimal ground rules. The editors at these
Websites have a responsibiltity as gatekeepers or moderators of the debates. For instance, we must
not betray the environment that has enabled such discourse to unravel and subsist in the first place.
That is to say, a cardinal rule in this online discussions should be that all those who seek to speak
and express freely should desist form acting in any way as would deprive other of the same right.

With the right of free speech and expression comes a responsibility; a responsibility to stand for truth
and integrity; to be respectful and tolerant of differing views; to desist from degrading and
dehumanizing behavior; to disavow speech that promotes hate, discrimination and prejudice; to
avoid speech that needlessly puts innocent lives and limbs at risk and harm; to be civil in tone and
decent in manner; and to simply be humane. Simply put, in the words of Martin Luther King Jr.,
while we converse vis-a-vis our beloved country, The Gambia, "we can disagree without being
disagreeable."

Sheriff
North America