Mr. Owens:
Sometimes I wonder how you interpret ideologies. One
need not unilaterally agree 100 percent positions taken
by his or political party.
I am still a staunch NCP supporter, but would rather
take the big picture approach in defining the role
opposition parties should play in our struggle. We are
one Gambia and one people.
It does not make sense to participate in a presidential
election without setting conditions. Our attitudes and
willingness to unite and take every issue from
logically points will invariably help us. If we fail to
take this approach, we are doom to fail come October. By
the way, I have yet to see your name on the contribution
list. May I suggest that while you aspire to do the talk,
kindly do the walk?
My position is a boycott.
Naphiyo,
Comrade ML Jassey-Conteh
------Original Message------
From: =?iso-8859-1?q?Sanusi=20Owens?= <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask]
Sent: May 18, 2001 11:42:00 AM GMT
Subject: Re: My opinion. - Kebba Dampha
Comrade Conteh
I have been following this debate but could not bother
to keep quiet on this issue of vote-buying.
Most of us define or regard vote-buying as the system
whereby a voter receives cash in exchange for
abstention. I am afraid under the dubious political
tactics used by the PPP/APRC respectively, it is not.
Vote-buying as I said to Yus consists of
inducing,bribing voters. This practice has always been
unlawful even during the PPP era.
Comrade Conteh
I understand you were a staunch militant of NCP in its
hey days. NCP have never advocated for a boycott
except on one occasion when it decided not to
participate in the Local Government Elections of
1982/1983. They decided to boycot on the grounds that
the Gambia was still under a state of emergency.
Coming to this talk of boycotting an election, we are
million miles away from it. The Opposition must first
come up with proposals before advocating for a
boycott. At present, Halifa Sallah has given us
PDOIS's position concerning the forthcoming elections,
UDP/NRP are currently challenging the sacking of
Bishop Johnson as IEC Chairman. What we have not seen
yet is the holding of a multi-party conference to
remedy the situation.
With this in mind, the question of boycotting should
be put on hold.
Have a wonderful day
Sanusi
--- MLJ Conteh <[log in to unmask]> wrote: >
Mr. Owens:
>
> Your analysis on vote buying and comments by
> Yankuba Touray is serious. How can the opposition
> guarantee a free and fair election?
>
> My position is that the opposition must set
> conditions
> and if they are not agreed to, the best way forward
> is
> to boycott elections. It does not make sense to
> participate in an election when the APRC exhibits
> intolerance and a desire to violate elections laws.
>
> Naphiyo,
>
> Comrade ML Jassey-Conteh
>
> ------Original Message------
> From: =?iso-8859-1?q?Sanusi=20Owens?=
> <[log in to unmask]>
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Sent: May 18, 2001 9:47:43 AM GMT
> Subject: Re: My opinion. - Kebba Dampha
>
>
> Yus
>
> I have enjoyed your arguments with KB but I beg to
> defer with your analysis.
>
> Vote-Buying was certainly the main cause for the UDP
> to lose its Kiang seat. It seems you have literally
> confined vote-buying to that of cash in exchange for
> abstaining. I am afraid vote-buying goes beyond
> that.There are other devices which constitute vote
> buying. A classic example is where a voter is given
> cash and being told to swear by either the koran or
> bible to switch allegiance to another party. Its a
> pity your beloved grand father(RIP) is no longer
> with
> us, he would have been in a better position as to
> tell
> us how GPP were losing possible strong-holds to PPP
> due to vote buying during the 1987 General Election.
> Seats like Kantora, Lower Niumi, Fioni East, Kantora
> were easily won through vote-buying.
> Based on information received from reliable sources
> vote-buying was used to capture the Kiang seat. This
> practice is however illegal under the Elections
> Decree
>
> 1995.
> Another factor which contributed to UDP losing this
> seat was the inducements imposed on the people of
> kiang. Didn't we hear Baba Jobe urging Fabakary
> Jarjue
> to stand down from the contest and will be offered a
> lucrative job within APRC, What do you call this?
> This
> is actually illegal according to the Electoral laws
> of
> the Gambia. I am sure you will call it another piece
> from Radio Kang Kang but please go through the
> archives of www.africanews.org and you will notice
> what I am certainly stating. With regards to your
> claim that how come UDP retained Central Baddibu, we
> heard Suku Singateh NAM of Lower Baddibu promising
> 200
> former supporters of UDP from Njabakunda that they
> will get tractors if they vote for APRC. Is this
> legal or not? based on the provisions of the
> Election
> Decree, APRC were breaching the rules by making some
> economic threats.
>
> Yus
>
> I am pretty impressed with your statistics but find
> it
> difficult to concur that UDP would have lost if
> there
> were no VOTE-BUYING/INDUCEMENTS.
>
> Have a wonderful day
>
> Sanusi
>
>
>
>
> --- Yusupha C Jow <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > KB:
> >
> > I was going to respond to your post yesterday but
> my
> > postings had reached the
> > daily quota (6) by the time of your last posting.
> > So my responses were
> > rejected by some silly message which informed me
> > that only the list manager
> > was worthy of this privilege ( more than 6
> > messages).
> >
> > It is extremely refreshing to see you partially
> > emerge from the shell called
> > 'voter buyout'. At least you have acknowledged
> the
> > possibility of other
> > reasons for the loss.
> >
> > The premise for the buyout theory is extremely
> shaky
> > for several reasons:
> >
> > 1. The number of absentees was roughly equal to
> the
> > amount during the
> > parliamentary elections in 1996. That time
> around,
> > almost 800 voters were
> > absent. The opposition won then. Was there voter
> > buyout then too? Or does
> > this strengthen the 'voter apathy' theory which
> > others have postulated as a
> > reason for low voter turnout?
> >
> > 2. Let's assume that your buyout theory is
> > legitimate for a minute here.
> > Don't you think claiming all 1000 of the absentees
> > to make up for the 800
> > vote loss is pushing it a bit too far? This would
> > assume a 100% voter
> > turnout, an unprecedented event in the history of
> > The Gambia and the World
> > perhaps. Even if 801 out of the 1000 absentees
> > voted for the UDP resulting
> > in a 1 vote margin for the opposition, a record
> for
> > voter turnout would be
> > set (over 95%).
> >
> > 3. On the alleged confessions of Baba Jobe and the
> > APRC, we need more hard
> > evidence than a story from Radio Kang Kang. The
> > fact remains that there is
> > no hard evidence which supports these claims. An
> > admission to vote buying by
> > the APRC, would be grounds for the UDP to go to
> > court for the reversal of
> > election results. Why didn't the UDP take up this
> > strategy if there was hard
> > evidence that this was indeed true? You call this
> > irrefutable evidence! And
> > no Jokes from Jobe please.
> >
> > 4. On the thousands of voter card story, it sounds
> > like those extremely
> > frivolous Bantaba or barber's shop topics which
> have
> > no basis. There are
> > just too many frailties with this story and it
> would
> > be an absolute waste of
> > time trying to point them out. A school kid of
> > about 12 would be able to
> > figure this one out.
> >
> > 5. The Kebba and Baldeh money exchange deal is a
> > remote possibility. But
> > taking this as gospel is to assume an overwhelming
> > majority of Kiangkas have
> > no integrity or common sense. This is hard to
> > believe because from my
> > experiences in The Gambia, people still do have
> > pride despite the
> > overwhelming amount of poverty there.
> Nevertheless,
> > this contrived story
> > loses its credibility completely when you state
> that
> > Kebba, despite being an
> > APRC supporter, was somehow part of the entourage
> > which delivered the pile of
> > uncounted ballots rumored to be in the 1000s to
> the
> > UDP candidate. And I am
> > accused of speculating here?
> >
> > Let's look at your other reasons for a moment
> here:
> >
> > Tribalism is not illegal in The Gambia in the same
> > way racism is not illegal
> > in the USA. If your allegations are true, Buba
> > Baldeh lead a dirty campaign
> > but this is nothing new to politics back home.
> > Yahya Jallow (ex-comissioner
> > of Basse) was one of my father's best friends. He
> > is definitely an excellent
> > gentleman and probably would not associate with a
> > party stooped in tribalism.
>
=== message truncated ===
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