Sanusi, thanks for your contributions. However I must say that I disagree
that it is early for Mariama to congratulate Darboe. The deed has already
been done. There is already an Alliance in place made up of all the
Opposition Parties except PDOIS and NCP. Furthermore, the Presidential
Candidate of that Alliance, is Ousainou Darboe. We are looking FORWARD to
Sunday. I think rather than throwing cold water at Darboe supporters, PDOIS
and NCP supporters that subscribed to the idea of a Coalition should be
engaging their leaders in frank discussions to solicit genuine reasons for
their lack of participation in the Alliance. That should be the way to go.
If what Adama Bah said is NOT PDOIS’ official position, let the Party come
out and denounce Adama Bah and give a genuine reason why they were NOT at
the Meeting and spare us this ludicrous whining about not receiving a
letter.

Dibba supporters like Jassey-Conteh should also proactively engage their
leader and ask him to explain why he thinks he deserves to lead the Alliance
despite the fact that the majority of the delegates at yesterday’s Meeting
did NOT want him to lead. Why should the Alliance sit back and allow PDOIS
propagandist like Adama Bah spread erroneous facts about the formation of
the Alliance? Like I said, the rules have changed (at least for me). As much
as I would like to see PDOIS in the Alliance, no one can force them to do
what they are not comfortable with. Like Hamjatta, I respect their
prerogative to join an alliance or not to join. Having said that, be rest
assured that I am a partisan and I will NOT tolerate attack on the Alliance
I support (from ANY quarter).

I take this opportunity to tell Alliance supporters that much is not lost.
Dibba’s stance against Darboe will now show everyone that Darboe was NEVER a
Dibba stooge as some used to say. There is also a way of looking at PDOIS’
non-participation in the Alliance as a blessing in disguise. A PDOIS
candidacy will hurt APRC more because both Parties claim to have a big
following in the youths (whatever that word means in today’s Gambia). So, we
all know which vote is going to be split if Darboe were to run against Yaya
and a PDOIS presidential candidate. It would have been better if all the
APRC votes that would go to PDOIS under such circumstances had gone to
Darboe instead, but it is all good so long as the votes do NOT go to Yaya.

I again respectfully urge NCP and PDOIS supporters to lobby their leaders
and convince them to join the Coalition. The lobbying can be done both
privately and in the open. However, from experience, I would say that it is
more effective to lobby these people privately. What we do NOT need is
characters like Adama spreading false rumors about things that did NOT
happen.
KB



>From: Sanusi Owens <[log in to unmask]>
>Reply-To: The Gambia and related-issues mailing list
><[log in to unmask]>
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Re: Congratulations to Darboe on nomination
>Date: Tue, 14 Aug 2001 16:27:41 +0100
>
>Mariama
>
>Its too early for us to start congratulating Darboe.
>Even though, I appear to be a sympathiser of the UDP,I
>am a bit cautious as to how the whole thing was
>conducted yesterday and there is a lot of issues which
>need finalisation. Until then my advise to all
>supporters is to stay calm and wait for S.M. Dibba and
>PDOIS to explain their position.
>
>One cannot underestimate our desire for a united
>opposition, but the task before us is whether our
>political leaders have the will to come together under
>a united alliance against and fight for the
>presidency. What happened yesterday is highly
>regrettable, Never in my life time did I thought the
>leadership of the Opposition Alliance was going to be
>a factor for which opposition will toe the line. I
>only hope Buharry's analysis is spot on.
>
>Kebba Dampha
>
>I like your comments on Assan Musa Camara. This man
>deserves commendation. He has always been in favour of
>a united opposition, he tried it in 1987 and 1992
>respectively but the whole idea failed owing to
>circumstances beyond his control.
>
>So my advise to all well-wishers of the opposition is
>let wait and see.
>
>Have a wonderful day
>
>Sanusi.
>
>
>
>
>--- Mariama Diop <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > My
>congratulations to the UDP leader, Ousainou
> > Darboe on his well deserved
> > nomination as the presidential candidate for UDP,
> > PPP, GDP and NRP( ?). This
> > is definitely a positive step towards defeating
> > Jammeh and hence some light
> > at the end of the tunnel. Darboe is reknowned for
> > his hard work, integrity,
> > selflessness and his ability to deliver. His
> > excellent record as one a State
> > Counsel in the Attorney General chambers and as a
> > defense attorney for more
> > nearly 20 years has won him the respect of the
> > majority of Gambians . He
> > fought relentless to successfully represent the NCP
> > leader, S. M. Dibba
> > (during his treason trial following the 1981 coup,)
> > Cheyassin Seck and many
> > other personalities of the Gambian political
> > environment. He has been been
> > the self- appointed ombudsman for numerous ordinary
> > gambians for many years
> > and continues to fight for and protect the rights
> > and interests of many
> > others without a fee. I have no doubt that with the
> > continued support of
> > everybody, Darboe will work hard to give the Gambia,
> > the intensive facelift
> > it requires both internationally and internally.
> > Together we shall win!
> > mariama
> >
> > >From: Dampha Kebba <[log in to unmask]>
> > >Reply-To: The Gambia and related-issues mailing
> > list
> > ><[log in to unmask]>
> > >To: [log in to unmask]
> > >Subject: Re: On The Opposition Alliance
> > >Date: Tue, 14 Aug 2001 10:12:48 -0400
> > >
> > >Brother Hamjatta, well put. To say that I am
> > disappointed in PDOIS and NCP
> > >would be the understatement of the year. And I
> > cannot believe that this is
> > >the same Bah fellow that was cautioning me not to
> > talk about an Opposition
> > >Alliance when his own Party (PDOIS) was publishing
> > material detrimental to
> > >an Opposition Alliance. The insincerity evinced
> > here by Bah and his Party
> > >is
> > >just mind-boggling to me. I counsel Bah to reread
> > what I wrote and also
> > >read
> > >PDOIS’ article and tell us which piece was
> > detrimental to a Coalition.
> > >Whereas I tried to bring everyone under one
> > umbrella, PDOIS was busy
> > >nitpicking about who was registering a Party, who
> > belonged to which Party
> > >during the former regime, who financed which Party
> > etc. I was tempted, like
> > >you, to tell PDOIS that its posture was NOT helping
> > anyone but Yaya. But I
> > >did NOT want to say anything to split the
> > Opposition.
> > >
> > >Now that the Meeting has taken place and the lines
> > are drawn, I hope PDOIS,
> > >NCP and their supporters get the message that they
> > are NOT part of the
> > >Alliance (as we speak). As such, they will be
> > treated in the way they
> > >deserve. As you rightly pointed out, ALL the other
> > Opposition Parties
> > >(including NRP) are rallying behind Ousainou
> > Darboe. He is our presidential
> > >candidate. He deserves our support and in my
> > opinion he earned it too. I
> > >take this opportunity to appeal to PDOIS and NCP to
> > be pragmatic. We are
> > >NOT
> > >talking here about parliamentary elections. We are
> > talking about one post:
> > >President. Only one person can be president. Sidia
> > Jatta and Halifa Sallah
> > >and SM Dibba CANNOT be president at the same time.
> > Any person voting for
> > >these people will be registering a ‘wasted vote’.
> > But worse still, any vote
> > >that is NOT given to Ousainou Darboe, is a plus for
> > Yaya. I hope that the
> > >NCP and PDOIS supporters realize that if they
> > persist in this avenue they
> > >would be as responsible for the ‘election’ of Yaya
> > in the same way as APRC
> > >supporters.
> > >
> > >This appeal is a good faith appeal, premised on the
> > belief that every vote
> > >is important. The Opposition Alliance should seek
> > to capture every vote.
> > >That should be the target. I am confident that at
> > the end of the day
> > >commonsense will prevail among Gambians. Gambians
> > will realize who among
> > >all
> > >the Opposition candidates is more ‘electable’ and
> > rally behind him. I
> > >frankly cannot understand how a man like Dibba can
> > honestly claim that he
> > >earned the nomination. I look forward to hearing
> > the rationale he is going
> > >to give for his stance. I saw Buhary’s optimistic
> > view and I sure hope that
> > >he is right. However, something tells me that Dibba
> > might have read too
> > >much
> > >into PDOIS and APRC propaganda that UDP is made up
> > mainly of NCP
> > >supporters.
> > >To Dibba, I will say that the same people that are
> > now saying that UDP is
> > >NCP incarnate, were at one time saying that UDP
> > was/is a PPP front. The
> > >truth of the matter is that UDP is a broad-based
> > Party made up of GAMBIANS
> > >that do NOT like the AFPRC/APRC government;
> > Gambians that want to move
> > >forward and lift our people up from poverty and
> > destitution and mayhem. UDP
> > >is a front for PPP, NCP, PDOIS, and GPP. The UDP
> > membership is made up of
> > >people from ALL the political parties during the
> > Jawara era, just like APRC
> > >is made up of people from all the aforementioned
> > parties. So this notion
> > >that Dibba has to snap a finger and get NCP
> > supporters from UDP, is
> > >ludicrous. I hope at the end of the day,
> > commonsense and patriotism visits
> > >Dibba. I hope people like Dembo Bojang (UDP MP in
> > Bakau) convince Dibba to
> > >do what is right. The man has NOT earned the
> > presidency. I also sense that
> > >the parties that decided not to join the Coalition
> > are also calculating
> > >that
> > >even if they do not join, they will benefit from
> > concessions made to
> > >parties
> > >like the PPP. For instance, the constitutional
> > changes in the transitional
> > >period will benefit all parties. But PDOIS and NCP
> > have to realize here
> > >that
> > >people will NOT forget this treacherous stance. At
> > the end of the day, UDP
> > >might implement a level playing field, but the
> > parties that did NOT join
> > >the
> > >Coalition will be reminded about their stance when
> > it is all said and done.
> > >When the field is level, we will tell the Gambian
> > people on whose side
> > >PDOIS
> > >and NCP was during the battle to unseat Yaya.
> > >
> > >Hamjatta, like you, I am totally disappointed in
> > PDOIS’ encore of their
> > >stance during the London Briefing. Here we go again
> > with form over
> > >substance. I cannot believe that PDOIS will use
> > such a spurious excuse in
> > >order not to partake in a Meeting of this
> > magnitude. A Meeting that will
> > >determine the future of our country. They would NOT
> > attend because they did
> > >not get a letter from Assan Musa Camara? What’s
> > next? Had the letter
> > >arrived
> > >by post, would they have insisted that they want a
> > courier delivered mail?
> > >This is preposterous. And to add insult to injury,
> > they pretend that people
> > >were working behind their back. PDOIS was aware of
> > the Meeting slated for
> > >Thursday. When that did not materialize, because as
> > you said Hamat Bah was
> > >out of town, PDOIS was also informed about the
> > Monday Meeting in the same
> > >way others were informed. Instead of getting to the
> > substance of the
> > >matter,
> > >they are preoccupied by form. Sent journalists to
> > ask Darboe whether he
> > >received a letter from the convener of the Meeting.
> > This was all to show
> > >that Darboe was given preferential treatment in
> > order to prove PDOIS’
> > >childish case of being left out. When they realize
> > that
>=== message truncated ===
>
>
>____________________________________________________________
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