It was Tunisia's president Ben Ali who fled to Saudi Arabia last week after he was chased out by crowds of angry impoverished young Tunisians largely mobilized through Twitter and Facebook. Then the land of the Pharaohs! Egypt's strong man, our (U.S.) ally but nonetheless a big-headed tyrant-Hosni Mubarak, a former airforce commander who has ruled this country for 30 years and now positioned his young son Gamal to succeed his presidency- is under enormous pressure this week as crowds of disgruntled young Egyptians pour into the streets in the capital Cairo, Suez, Alexandria and elsewhere demanding he steps down immediately. There are reports of deaths and destruction as protesters battle Egypts security forces that have a track record of brutality. The police are now overpowered and soldiers are now just deployed on the streets of Cairo...
And then Jordan, Yemen, the ancestral home of the international terrorist messenger, Osama Bin Laden is witnessing Tunisian-style protests also...
Now who knows, next stop Libya (Gadaffi, the so-called "King of African kings and traditional rulers"), Saudi Arabia, an important ally of the West but all the same a 'pot-bellied' monarchy with repressive gender laws ansd swarms of impoverished young men and women without any opportunities for advancement...
In Egypt, while I want Mubarak to be out, I do not want to see that country in the grip of the 'Muslim Brotherhood', a radical opposition party that has roots in terrorism with former leaders such as Aiman Al Zawahiri now Al Qaeda's number two.
Anyone who yearns for change in the Middle East must be aware of the potential for "Islamist" resurgence in the region and its repercussion on world security...
Friday, January 28, 2011
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Thursday, January 20, 2011
THE BEGINNING OF THE END? RAMBO DEFECTS TO APRC.
KAYJATTA
The UDP stalwart, Ousman (Rambo) Jatta, also the councilor of Old Bakau and president of the UDP youth wing has switched allegiance to the ruling party whose security operatives had arrested, detained and tortured him on numerous occasions in the past. Rambo's defection follows that of another UDP leader and a major critic of the military government, Lamin Waa Juwara who now serves as a regional governor in the APRC government.
Rambo, once described as an opposition "die hard" announced his defection last Monday at a "Traditional Medicine Celebration" by the Gambia's president, Yahya Jammeh who also projects himself as a voodoo priest. In a dramatic handshake, the two previous arch enemies beamed in front of cameras in a new bond of friendship while Mayor Yankuba Colley, APRC campaign director and the main catalyst of Rambo's defection, looks on from the background.
Rambo's defection from the main opposition party, UDP to the ruling party, APRC has been received with shock although UDP officials and supporters continue to downplay its significance. The UDP leader, Lawyer Darboe, in an interview with the POINT newspaper appears to be in denial of the reality of Rambo's defection, and in a paternalistic and entitlement tone insisted that Rambo will still vote for him and the UDP in the upcoming 2011 presidential polls. Until recently, the UDP despite its alienation from the rest of the opposition parties, appeared very optimistic about the upcoming September elections perhaps because it is better financed and has a vibrant diaspora wing mainly in the U.K.
So far no reason has been given for Rambo's cross-carpeting to the APRC other than his own statement that "if you can't beat them, join them...". While this statement appears very shallow and simplistic, it could parhaps hold the truth about the Gambia's opposition today which remains fragmented and appears to be in a hostile standoff.
Notwithstanding, reports are emerging that Rambo's defection has been facilitated by a huge cash payout and a promise of a job appointment. Governments in the Gambia, past and present, have used cash and employment to attract and co-opt populist opposition figures into their fold.
Rambo's departure is a huge, if not a fatal, blow to the UDP particularly and the opposition in general considering his popularity and huge following in a very critical electoral district (Bakau) .
While it is too early to say whether Rambo's defection is the first major test of Waa Juwara's hypothesis that "the opposition is dead", it could possibly have a domino effect; the beginning of the end perhaps symbolizing the planned coronation of the King after 2011 polls...
The UDP stalwart, Ousman (Rambo) Jatta, also the councilor of Old Bakau and president of the UDP youth wing has switched allegiance to the ruling party whose security operatives had arrested, detained and tortured him on numerous occasions in the past. Rambo's defection follows that of another UDP leader and a major critic of the military government, Lamin Waa Juwara who now serves as a regional governor in the APRC government.
Rambo, once described as an opposition "die hard" announced his defection last Monday at a "Traditional Medicine Celebration" by the Gambia's president, Yahya Jammeh who also projects himself as a voodoo priest. In a dramatic handshake, the two previous arch enemies beamed in front of cameras in a new bond of friendship while Mayor Yankuba Colley, APRC campaign director and the main catalyst of Rambo's defection, looks on from the background.
Rambo's defection from the main opposition party, UDP to the ruling party, APRC has been received with shock although UDP officials and supporters continue to downplay its significance. The UDP leader, Lawyer Darboe, in an interview with the POINT newspaper appears to be in denial of the reality of Rambo's defection, and in a paternalistic and entitlement tone insisted that Rambo will still vote for him and the UDP in the upcoming 2011 presidential polls. Until recently, the UDP despite its alienation from the rest of the opposition parties, appeared very optimistic about the upcoming September elections perhaps because it is better financed and has a vibrant diaspora wing mainly in the U.K.
So far no reason has been given for Rambo's cross-carpeting to the APRC other than his own statement that "if you can't beat them, join them...". While this statement appears very shallow and simplistic, it could parhaps hold the truth about the Gambia's opposition today which remains fragmented and appears to be in a hostile standoff.
Notwithstanding, reports are emerging that Rambo's defection has been facilitated by a huge cash payout and a promise of a job appointment. Governments in the Gambia, past and present, have used cash and employment to attract and co-opt populist opposition figures into their fold.
Rambo's departure is a huge, if not a fatal, blow to the UDP particularly and the opposition in general considering his popularity and huge following in a very critical electoral district (Bakau) .
While it is too early to say whether Rambo's defection is the first major test of Waa Juwara's hypothesis that "the opposition is dead", it could possibly have a domino effect; the beginning of the end perhaps symbolizing the planned coronation of the King after 2011 polls...
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
IN DEFENSE OF THE GAMBIA BAR ASSOCIATION:
KAYJATTA
Recently, there is so much attorney bashing and attacks on the Gambia Bar Association for its perceived past inaction in matters that were purely socio- political and therefore outside the mandate of the legal association.
I have a different take...
The Gambia Bar Association (GBA) is an association of lawyers and judges. It is a professional body largely tasked with safeguarding professional integrity and the interests of its members concerning the practice of law.
Therefore, the Gambia Bar association is not a political body for the simple reason that different members of the bar have different political views and perhaps loyalty to different political parties. While members of the bar are officers of the court, the Bar is not considered part of the government or the judiciary.
The Gambian Bar has every right and mandate to come to the defense of Attorney Moses Richards in the charges of defamation (of the President) pending against him. As a fee-paying member of the bar, that much is owed to him. However, the Bar does not owe the same or similar obligation to a purely general political interest such as opposition to a particular political regime or political practice. The mandate to change political order belong only to the Gambian people, not the Bar Association. Hence "power belong to the people". If the Gambian people wish to change their political and economic conditions, they will have to get up and do it themselves. The Gambian attorneys are doing a great job under very difficult conditions to defend accused persons against the state, and recently they have prevailed in some very importatnt cases.
The arrest and prosecution of Mr. Richards for making statements that are protected under the law in his circumstance and capacity is an appropriate occasion for the Bar to act, just like the 'attack' on the Parkistani judge spurred the intervention of that county's bar association (and or individual lawyers) leading to the ouster of President Gen. Musharaf.
The Gambian bar has led the way by writing a protest letter to the government followed by a strike. That alone is a brave move worthy of commendation.The civil society could "compliment their effort" {to use a Gambian cliche :)} and follow suit and help crack down on the APRC regime. Beside the Bar Association and the former Student Union, there is no single civil society group, not even the Gambia Press Union (GPU), who is so far the biggest victim of the government, that has ever confronted the military government this far.
This is a moment of encouragement, not condemnation...
Recently, there is so much attorney bashing and attacks on the Gambia Bar Association for its perceived past inaction in matters that were purely socio- political and therefore outside the mandate of the legal association.
I have a different take...
The Gambia Bar Association (GBA) is an association of lawyers and judges. It is a professional body largely tasked with safeguarding professional integrity and the interests of its members concerning the practice of law.
Therefore, the Gambia Bar association is not a political body for the simple reason that different members of the bar have different political views and perhaps loyalty to different political parties. While members of the bar are officers of the court, the Bar is not considered part of the government or the judiciary.
The Gambian Bar has every right and mandate to come to the defense of Attorney Moses Richards in the charges of defamation (of the President) pending against him. As a fee-paying member of the bar, that much is owed to him. However, the Bar does not owe the same or similar obligation to a purely general political interest such as opposition to a particular political regime or political practice. The mandate to change political order belong only to the Gambian people, not the Bar Association. Hence "power belong to the people". If the Gambian people wish to change their political and economic conditions, they will have to get up and do it themselves. The Gambian attorneys are doing a great job under very difficult conditions to defend accused persons against the state, and recently they have prevailed in some very importatnt cases.
The arrest and prosecution of Mr. Richards for making statements that are protected under the law in his circumstance and capacity is an appropriate occasion for the Bar to act, just like the 'attack' on the Parkistani judge spurred the intervention of that county's bar association (and or individual lawyers) leading to the ouster of President Gen. Musharaf.
The Gambian bar has led the way by writing a protest letter to the government followed by a strike. That alone is a brave move worthy of commendation.The civil society could "compliment their effort" {to use a Gambian cliche :)} and follow suit and help crack down on the APRC regime. Beside the Bar Association and the former Student Union, there is no single civil society group, not even the Gambia Press Union (GPU), who is so far the biggest victim of the government, that has ever confronted the military government this far.
This is a moment of encouragement, not condemnation...
Friday, January 7, 2011
ERLKONIG: BY FRANZ SCHUBERT
This song is adapted from a poem by Goethe. It is called Erlkonig by the Austrian composer Franz P. Schubert. It is intensely filled with emotional expression, like many romantic era music. Both the conductor and the singer were intensely agitated, displaying intense emotions appropriate for this kind of music.
The song is about the death of a child possessed by an evil spirit. The repeated facial expressions and quick physical movements of both conductor and singer suggest the urgency of the emotionally latent situation of a dying child.
There are four voices, all in different vocal ranges. The piano plays the beat of the galloping horse. The narrator occupies the middle range, in the minor mode. The father takes the low range, and both minor and major mode.The son lies in the high range, in minor mode representing the fright of the child. The Erlkonig’s vocal line swings up and down. It is a great piece of music.
Schubert lived a short but highly productive life.
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=schubert+erlkonig&aq=7
There are four voices, all in different vocal ranges. The piano plays the beat of the galloping horse. The narrator occupies the middle range, in the minor mode. The father takes the low range, and both minor and major mode.The son lies in the high range, in minor mode representing the fright of the child. The Erlkonig’s vocal line swings up and down. It is a great piece of music.
Schubert lived a short but highly productive life.
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=schubert+erlkonig&aq=7
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