Lasana, thanks for your response and I respect your position regarding PPP
being an asset to the UDP, but I respectfully disagree.  Regarding the mass
dismissals, it is the very reason why most of us pleaded with the electorate
to vote Jammeh out.  Jammeh was unjustifiably firing folks prior to the
election and would continue to do so after the elections, now that he has
the mandate to misrule.  I do not think the dismissals are due to
dissatisfaction with his 52% victory, but rather, a continuation on where he
left off.  Unfortunately, we are going to see more of this irrational
behavior as he is bent on suppressing all that are identified as his
opponents, and the people that are doing the identifying are none other than
our own Gambian brethren.  We are our worst enemy.

Regarding S.M. Dibba and PDOIS attacking the PPP record, I think it is their
right to show the short comings of their opponent.  Both the NCP and PDOIS
were not part of the coalition, what do you expect them to do?  I think
you're under estimating the disappointment that a majority of Gambians feel
against the PPP.  Most see them as a party of do nothing and worst, they
brought us Jammeh as a result of three decades of decay.  It's a case of the
"Ying and Yang", one in all and all in one.  This is the time for critical
self analyses of where we in the opposition went wrong in the last
elections, and the UDP, being the biggest opposition party has to do a
critical self evaluation if they are going to be successful in the future.

If reports reaching us are accurate, S.M. Dibba has joined the APRC and that
is one distraction that the opposition does not have to deal with.  However,
he is going to be a nuisance and another weapon that the APRC could use to
attack the PPP record.  Jammeh now realizes that it is more effective to use
former PPP turn APRC to attack the PPP record.  Some of us may not see the
logic in that thinking, but it is a sure sell to the electorate.  In my
opinion, the UDP should focus on why they did not have the mandate of the
people and do what ever it takes to win over a majority of the electorate,
even if that means breaking ties with the PPP.  Jasseh Conteh please advise
us of the faith of your leader, S.M. Dibba.

In my opinion, the opposition has only two choices.  We either put aside our
individual party preferences and genuinely work together to gain a majority
in the house, or we continue our pursuit of selfish ends and loose
everything in the process.  It's up to us which path we follow.  On that
note, could you please advise me once again, where the UDP/(UDP, PPP, GPP
coalition) stands regarding our proposal for a tactical alliance.  Folks on
the L want to do their part as a group, but we cannot do anything at this
time until we know the intensions of the opposition parties.  I also want to
take this opportunity to appeal to the NRP and PDOIS to tell us where they
stand regarding our proposal for a tactical alliance.  It's been almost
three weeks since Malamin Johnson sent out our petition to the parties and
the silence is deafening.  If reports about Dibba are unfounded, this appeal
is extended to the NCP, too.  Let me know your thoughts.

Chi Jaama

Joe Sambou


>From: Lasana Jorbateh <[log in to unmask]>
>Reply-To: The Gambia and related-issues mailing list
><[log in to unmask]>
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Re: UDP Complaints
>Date: Sun, 25 Nov 2001 20:35:07 EST
>
>Joe
>Forming an opinion from a distance could be misleading sometimes. But
>believe
>it or not, the PPP was and still is an asset for the coalition. Yaya Jammeh
>may not have anything to say against Darboe and therefore consentrated all
>his attact on PPP but he was not alone in that. Sheriff Dibba's ncp and
>PDOIS
>did the same. But despite all that, the UDP/PPP/GPP coalition would have
>swept the polls had it not been some unscrupulous methods deployed by
>Jammeh.
>
>Just look at the mass dismissal of civil servants; do you think Jammeh is
>happy with his "victory"? He never expected  a victory dispite all what he
>did!
>If the tactical alliance has to work, opposition parties have to work
>together and not against each other as it was the case during the last
>elections.
>
>S.M. Dibba and PDOIS have to focus on the government of the day and not the
>former government. Also Sheriff Dibba have to abandon his reported
>intention
>of joining the ranks of the APRC.
>
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