Dear all,
I concur fully with your analysis and the need for a united Opposition. I
would suggest that electability be determined by set criteria such as :

Excellent rapport with the electorate
Qualities of integrity , honesty and sense of justice
A fighter- Courage in exposing  the unscrupoulous and unprofessinal schemes
and scams of the Jammeh regime
Compassionate leader sensitive to the needs of the masses
A doer - ability to take on difficult tasks and to deliver
Aggressive advocate of the respect for the rule of law and human rights
Unifier
Calm and pleasant disposition
Performance in past elections

I'm only concerned that time is running out and the Oppostion barely has a
month to  come up with a consctructive strategy and a common ground

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: Decree 89 Politicians
>Date: Thu, 26 Jul 2001 09:44:18 -0400
>
>Yusupha, Jassey-Conteh and Sanusi, thanks for your contributions. It is
>indeed a no-brainer that the Opposition should present a united front in
>the
>coming elections. Even if one single Opposition political party was
>convinced that it can go head to head with APRC and win, it makes better
>sense to have the endorsement of other Opposition parties. We can only have
>one president at the end of the day. Why beat Yaya by 30% if you can beat
>him by 60% with the help of other political parties? Remember, we have to
>do
>everything to ensure that he does not steal the elections. I hope the
>leaders on the ground ponder this issue thoroughly and assess their chances
>of becoming the next president of the country. Like Jassey-Conteh said, at
>the end of the day, let us give the man/woman that is most ‘electable’
>against Yaya, the chance to be our next leader. I know this is easier said
>than done. But with the right heart, our leaders should NOT have
>difficulties doing what is right. I have always refrained from endorsing
>one
>Opposition political party at the expense of others.
>
>But I will shift from that posture now and categorically say that I will
>NOT
>support a resuscitation of the old parties to run in this presidential
>elections on their own or to lead the coalition. I must say that I am very
>disturbed by revelations from Gassama about what OJ was alleged to have
>said. Until I read the newspaper in question or hear the revelations from
>OJ
>directly, I will reserve some of my comments about this latest development.
>As far as I am concerned, I personally will NOT support a PPP presidential
>candidate or a PPP domination of the Coalition.
>
>As Yusupha said, it might be a controversial proposition, but the bottom
>line is that we need these politicians. They have traveled the terrain and
>they understand grass-root politics better than some of the politicians
>that
>recently surfaced in the aftermath of the Dictatorship. But these unique
>qualities of the Decree 89 politicians can be offered to the current
>Opposition without asking for a leadership role in the Coalition. Again, we
>can only have one president. Most militants in these old parties can only
>hope to become parliamentarians if they want to continue to contest in
>elections. Why not support a candidate that is going to implement changes
>that will make future elections freer and fairer? After the presidential
>elections, any party can contest the parliamentary elections on their own
>if
>they so desire.
>
>The reason I will NOT support a PPP candidature is simple. We do NOT have
>time to defend the PPP record. I hasten to add that the PPP record is a
>very
>defensible record in light of Yaya’s despicable record. But why waste time
>defending something we do NOT have to defend? Let APRC defend the PPP
>record
>since they are the ones with Buba Baldeh, Fatoumata Jahumpa and others and
>they are the party that inherited the corrupt civil servants. Why NOT go
>with a candidate that has a clean record APRC CANNOT attack? If Buba Baldeh
>can go to APRC and do the job he is doing for them without demanding that
>PPP dominate the APRC, OJ should be able to help the good forces without
>demanding a quid pro quo. It is the patriotic duty of these politicians to
>help us clean this mess. But even if we forget about honor and integrity,
>political smarts demand that the old politicians take a backseat. We have
>two months to the elections. During that time, we would rather talk about
>Yaya’s horrendous record in the past seven years than revisit PPP’s or
>NCP’s
>record in the past 30 years.
>
>Few months ago, Jawara himself stood in that conference room in London and
>urged the Opposition to unite. The same patriotism that visited him then
>should resurface and urge him to call for the same unity and campaign
>vigorously for ANOTHER Opposition candidate. As far as I am concerned,
>tactically speaking, only PDOIS, UDP and NRP leaders deserve to lead this
>Coalition. Privately, I was giving myself until the end of July to make a
>decision about the possibility of a coalition. I still believe that it is
>doable. I have confidence that the Decree 89 politicians and the current
>Opposition will come up with a consensus candidate. I have confidence that
>our leaders know that when push comes to shove, personal aspirations and
>egos have to take backseat. We have a mad man unleashed in our midst. If we
>allow Yaya to continue to lead us, next time he orders the massacre of
>defenseless Gambian children, it will be our collective fault. Yaya will go
>down soon, no matter what. These elections might be our only chance to get
>rid of him somewhat peacefully.
>
>I anxiously await definitive word from SM Dibba, Assan Musa Camara and OJ.
>I
>also hope that the current leaders are aggressively working behind the
>scenes to convince these politicians to support a united Opposition led by
>either PDOIS, UDP or NRP (which ever has the most ‘electable’ candidate).
>KB
>
>
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