I am a huge fan of Mathew K Jallow that started from the time I started writing in some on-line Gambian forums. I respected the courage and boldness of a man who never minces his words. He is one Gambian writer never afraid to say what his good mind conceives. He does not hide behind any aliases like some other Gambian on-line debaters or writers do. I have thought about having an interview with Mathew for any willing online news paper. His intellectual honesty is top class.
I still hold him in high regard no doubt. When last year he ventured into a very controversial territory I thought for once that there was something better Mathew needed taking an issue on. He wrote about tribalism in the civil service and he defended his accounts by all means even though many are until today not convinced of his accounts. That topic is now in the archives. Yet again Mathew once again weighed in the ongoing debate initiated by the retired colonel Samsideen Sarr. Mathew is a writer of high calibre. He is a man who earned a high profile for himself among the reading Gambian populace. Many admire him and love his command of the English language. He is indeed a professional writer.
Mathew I believe should distinguish himself from making oversimplify opinionated comments. If our emperor stands on his podium making outrageous remarks no one will be offended in a serious level. Our emperor I mean Yahya Jammeh. Many heard Yahya making insulting statements against the great speakers of the Mandingo language and those belonging to the tribe of the Mandingo. Yet no Mandingo took up arms against him. Mathew was taking the high moral ground and insinuating that 'the response to Sam showed a sign of immaturity on the part of the Mandingo ethnicity who dare respond to Sam Sarr's ugly and dividing piece''. He compared this to his remarks about the Banjul wollof's who ignored his remarks against them and concluded that it shows a better maturity and polite nature of the Banjul Wollof over the Mandinka. Mathew you have over simplified the human mode of communication. Considering your background of being brought up partly in a Catholic Mission school and boarding you should be able to know silence doesn't at all mean approval. In fact be aware of a silence response another good mode of communication in human language usage. We the respondents to Sam clearly speak our mind just like you opined Sam is entitled to speak up his mind. But what is interesting in all this is the fact that both you Mathew and Sam aren't young armature writers.
Playing with history will always create a reaction. Neither of you (Sam and Mathew) provided any empirical evidence to back-up your claims. What the two of you need bearing in mind is the fact that the young generation of Gambians aren't falling for big names any more. Facts matter so much especially about issues of wider interest. You can call the response to Sam's piece Mandingo sensitivity or phobia to criticism. That is your personal singular opinion uncle Mathew. But please tell me which sane human being accepts incorrect allegations and concocted stories? History is not fiction. It was Uncle Sam who distorted his topic. It was him who went out of his way to write about street talks. Today it is the same Uncle Sam who is blaming others for taking him to task for going out of topic. Gambians will read historical accounts. Much as you know many non-Gambians have written detail history of the Gambia including political events. If Sam had done justice to his piece he shouldn't have left out the earlier Parties before the PPP in his chronicles of bias accounts on history of the Gambia .
Uncle Mathew I defended the good name of Dr Manneh as a true Gambian would. You see if some one is to tell me Mathew is writing using other pseudo names I will take that story with a pinch of salt. But if some one is to tell me Sam is using another alias to write about certain issues, I will definitely not dispute him being capable of doing that. Dr Manneh should not just respond to Sam but he should even sue him for defamation of character Mathew but the gentle man did do all that. What will you call that? Being immature or what? Many like taking the moral high ground but will they spend long doing that?
Mathew if you have read Sam's original and subsequent posts carefully you should have noticed his inconsistencies and unfounded claims. You attacked Saul Saidy's response. You have even gone out your way to question certain Gambian family names associating with Mandingo's and Wollofs of not being those tribes. What is your evidence in making such claims? What does Sabally for instance mean? What historical study did you conduct to come to the conclusion that names like Jammeh is Jola or Sanneh is Jola but they adopted Mandinka? What does Sanneh means? An outstanding scholar of your profile could not afford sweeping statements. You will be asked to beef your claims with factual substance obtained from proper research. You are a scholar and not a story teller. We expect a text book from you and NOT a novel on tales and travels. Ebou Jallow's take on the subject is highly charge and stimulating. He stood on a firm and stable position. That is not only commendable but it shows Ebou's fairness of reasoning.
The subject at hand deals with personalities most of whom are still alive. Nothing stops any one of us seeking to challenge the former PPP key players for their own response. It is unfair to expand a public debate about people who are still alive without consulting them. The likes OJ Jallow,Sir Dawda Jawara, Alkali James Gaye, A.S Jack, Omar Sey, M.C. Cham, The children of the late M.C Jallow, Hassan Musa Camara, Sheriff S.M Dibba, Fatoumatta Jahumpa Ceesay, Nyimasata Sanneh Bojang,Dr Momodou Manneh, Momodou Njie BP, Bakary Bunja Darboe BB, Sakou Sabally, Dembo by force Bojang,Gebou Jagne, Dr Sulayman Nyang and the entire circle of PPP,NCP,GPP combine militants including former ambassadors, the Janneh family of Hagan street Banjul the longest occupant of U.K Gambian embassy in London. Not forgetting Gambian historians and archives of our time, this subject is greater than any individual who seeks to write about it. It is certain that this listed people and many more shared a diversity which transcends ethnic interest.
Mathew, I and many others did not respond to Sam because we as Mandinka have phobia of being criticised. We responded because Sam relayed an inaccurate account of history. It is simple as that. I am not taking breath for Saul Saidykhan but his decision to bring certain aspect of Mandingo history may have to do with remarks by Yahya Jammeh that ''Mandinka is not a tribe''. What Saul did is not only good but it is historically relevant. If a Wollof person or Fula person does the same I will certainly read it and print it. That is what people of interest do. What did you see? You only see an ultra-Mandingo patronising his co-country men. What persuaded you to make comments that cannot be substantiated? For instance, you stated that '' the Jolas were left out during the PPP rule, it is time for them to acquire knowledge and wealth until it is the turn of the Fulas and other tribes''. Mathew, this statement may be a joke to you but it is a sad joke. I and many other thousands of mandinka,fula,wollof children etc never had any privileges during the PPP era. Our parents struggled to pay our fees out of hard work and sacrifice. The field was level as far as the majority were concerned, nothing stopped the Jolas from using the available facilities to gain education and wealth. In-fact you are patronising them, because many Jolas attained high level of education and trade during the past PPP era. That comment of yours is sad indeed. I hope you withdraw that joke. Take yourself for instance, what privilege did you had during your school days as result of your tribe?
In passing if you in all your years of scholarly ventures discovered some facts of history about the Mandinka ethnicity please keep us posted. To bounce on Samsudeen Sarr’s broken platform will expose any defendant the risk of impotence. If you have carried a study (proper scholarly research) to prove that the Mandinka ethnicity ever prevailed the manner your current postings suggests, please let the public know. Good luck to you and thanks for your contribution.
Africa's problem in modern times has always being the making of Africa 's dishonest intellectuals. The cream of African societies regularly betray the uneducated and under privilege masses. Comments made by masses from primitive days are drag to national importance whilst the rest of the worlds are thinking progressively. Every where you look in Africa , you find some one willing to betray the continent with vigour and determinations. The pettiness in and among us can successfully be reduce to nothing if there is proper education for all. The key is knowledge and progress. A wealthy people will hardly have time for fighting unnecessary wars. But a poor person can fight and kill over trivial social issues. Africa 's problem is centered on poverty and lack of education. All the complaint is an offshoot of poverty and illiteracy. If the populaces are financially stable it will take a genius of a General to trigger war. Sam's way is not the correct way to properly Orient people and solve problems. In-fact the man is creating enmity whilst he is busy hunting for the Dollar.
African intellectuals need to look into our problems carefully. The dilemmas we are facing transcend the singular question of tribe and race. It is much bigger than that. How can a politician who is only suppose to be standing up for the people lead those same people to death and destruction? This is only due to poverty, inequality and illiteracy. The war mongers among us are the big cowards.
I appeal to our Gambian and African intelligentsia to devise means of tackling descent before it fester. Descent can be dealt with by addressing the causes of the problem early. No tribe in Africa will allow itself to be ridicule without any justification. No amount of intellectual progress can sooth animosity against ones tribe, the best way to avoid disharmony is through respect and restraint. Not all that which comes to mind should be printed in national news papers. The genocides in Burundi and Rwanda are fanned by radio stations, church alter and other national platforms. Some times we hope to achieve a greater good whilst we fail to calculate the cost of attaining such goods. In modern times, every discussion is protected with the jargon 'FREE SPEECH'. But free speech comes with responsibility. That responsibility is a principle that needs upholding by all and sundry. I accept Samsideen effort to apologise. He hasn't done me any wrong; I read the on-line papers to get factual news and educational inputs. I felt that Sam's effort was misplaced this time round. I hope he can recover from the image damage and come back strong. Brother Tijan, the Fula quotation you mention is just a myth. Nyami jodo is a myth, just like the story of Busingbala is also a myth. That doesn't mean there aren't evil powers. I believe in good and evil. Human beings are endowed with this knowledge. You can either be a good person or an evil person or a mixture of both. I hope the Almighty God protect us and guide us in the straight path. Amen.
Suntou Touray U.K
