G-L Community:

A week ago, I was informed that a NATIONAL CONSULTATIONS ON GOVERNANCE
CONFERENCE(National Conference) will be held in Banjul on March 15-16,
2000.  My source indicated that the conference was being organized by
the APRC Government in collaboration with the UNDP, as a follow-up to
the Fifth Round Table Conference held in Geneva in 1998. Some
individuals have already been invited to this conference.

It was also brought to my attention that a sensitization mission was
dispatched to The Commonwealth Secretariat in London last week from The
Gambia. Upon checking with several sources, including some UDP officials
in Banjul, I was informed that they have not been invited, nor are they
aware of the National Conference. I wrote to Malika Akrouf, UNDP
Resident Representative in The Gambia, requesting information and an
invitation to the Conference. A response has not been received yet.

It is not clear if the convening of the Conference had anything to do
with the G-L position paper sent to Jammeh over a month ago.  I was
informed by UDP officials that they had not received the paper and
alleged that it could have been intercepted by the NIA. And we are still
awaiting a response from The PDOIS Central Committee.

Ebrima Ceesay and our friends in London can investigate and report to
the forum about the so-called "sensitization Mission" to the
Commonwealth Secretariat. Additionally, Tombong Saidy and other media
personalities in The Gambia can inform us about these issues and ways to
have the recommendations in the G-L position paper heard and represented
at the Conference. We would also like to know what political and civic
organizations are invited to this Conference.

On a similar vein, I have decided to launch a Political Organization
within Gambia-L(similar to GESO, Book Drive, the Seattle, New York
Gambian Organizations etc.), the expressed purpose of which is to ensure
free and fair elections in The Gambia in 2001.  This Organization shall
be called, COALITION FOR FREE AND FAIR ELECTIONS IN THE
GAMBIA(COFFET-GAMBIA). Its GOALS and OBJECTIVES are outlined on Page 13
of the G-L position paper to Jammeh and other political and civic
Organization leaders. In the meantime, however, the second
recommendation regarding the establishment of a truth and reconciliation
Commission, will be secondary, until later, after free and fair
elections have been held.

* STRATEGY
Continue efforts to have a constructive dialogue with President Jammeh
and other leaders in The Gambia;

Lobby the Commonwealth Secretariat, The Carter Center, The United
Nations, Gambia's Development Partners, including the UK and EU Resident
Representatives in The Gambia, Amnesty International, OAU, ECOWAS, The
African Development Bank, The IMF/World Bank, The State Department of
the US, The Black Caucus of the US Congress, The Rev. Jesse
Jackson(Rainbow Coalition), Randolph Robinson (Trans-Africa) and others
interested in free and fair elections in The Gambia;

Support groups, candidates, parties and organizations in The Gambia
whose goals and objectives are similar/concide with those of
COFFET-GAMBIA; These groups, parties etc. need our moral, but more
important, our financial support;

Similarly, those on the GAMBIA-L who are opposed to the formation of
this organization and its goals, are encouraged to express to the List
Managers,or forum their dissension.

CONCLUSION

The Gambia belongs to all of us and generations yet unborn.  We need to
be pro-active and literally "put our money where our mouths are." And as
Matarr Sejaw and many others have expressed, we have both a "moral
obligation and a constitutional duty" to influence/impact positively the
elections of 2001.  I need volunteers for the organization and contact
persons, numbers, email and addresses of those organizations listed.  If
you have other names of persons, organizations that we need to
contact/lobby let me know. Thanks!  Responses Always Welcome!

Abdoulaye
No justice, no peace!




I urge all members of GAMBIA-L interested in free and fair election in
The Gambia to join COFFET-GAMBIA, and support it morally and
financially.

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