I wish to begin by making it known that the views, opinion, perspectives or
even conclusions i am about to express herein are entirely and strictly mine
and therefore does not attempt to represent the standpoint of any other
person or group of persons.

Brother Joe states:

>I hear a lot of people talk about the boycott being successful and I'm
>wondering what success are they talking about. For, their voting members
>have been disenfranchised;

In the first place, all the opposition parties should have boycotted the
Presidential election owing to the president's unconstitutional sacking of
the Chairman IEC, the right Rev. Bishop Tilewa Johnson and other senior IEC
officials. The failure of the opposition to close ranks and vigorously
challenge the constitutionality of that indefensible act meant that
president Jammeh fulfilled the pillar in his game plan to unfairly influence
the outcome of the vote. The ultimate reason why President Jammeh gambled on
and succeeded in replacing the independent-minded Rev. Johnson with his
tried and tested puppet that the current electoral commision is, was
potrayed during the ultimate night preceding the presidential poll. In the
afternoon of the same day in question, Mr Roberts assured Gambians that only
individuals whose names appear on the electoral list would be qualified to
vote and rightly so but then he conspired with the APRC to reverse a
decision he had made barely 12 hours ealier. Was that a characteristic of an
Independent Electoral Commission just as stipulated in the provisions of the
supreme Laws of the Gambia?
Some may wonder what is my point in arguing over spilt milk, after all the
Presidential election is now history and Yahya Jammeh has been re-elected
and even congragulated by Ousainou Darboe who is supposedly his worst enemy.
In spite of the apparently manipulated electoral process, the presidential
candidate of the UDP in the national interest congragulated President Jammeh
but i was awed when a so-called intellectual of all people in his
post-presidential election analysis on this forum cited fear for his own
security as being the possible reason for Lawyer Darboe's congratulatory
message to President Jammeh.  Lawyer Darboe extended an olive branch to the
president but what was the latter's reaction? He authorised his personal
security apparatus to abduct and subject UDP party militants in the length
and breadth of the country to all forms of inhumane treatments and
conditions. Some of those abducted were held in incommunicado for months,
without being charged.
As if that was not enough, the Electoral commision was also busy conniving
with the APRC fixing the voters register on the pretext of  voters
transfers. When the UDP smelt the rat of another clear attempt to influence
the outcome in favour of the APRC particularly in UDP strongholds, Mr
roberts outrightly dismissed the concerns of the UDP without mounting any
investigation into them. Under that context, the UDP would have made a fool
of themselves to contest the National Assembly polls. The very low voter
turn out demonstrate that inspite of all the propaganda and falsifications,
the boycott has been a success in its impact, at least from the perspective
of the UDP. It also demonstrates that the UDP is still the largest
oppsostion party in the Gambia.
Governance is more about the people than insitutions of government. The
instution of lawmaking are shaped by people, the MPs are there to serve the
interest of the people but this doesn't mean that the people have
surrendered their rights or voices to their representatives for the entire
5-year tenure of parliament. No, on the contrary any decisions made in
parliament should represent the majority will of the people derived from a
continous process of consultation between MPs and their constituents.
Unfortunately, for most of the APRC parliamentarians, their votes will be
dictated by the President Jammeh alone and not those whom they purport to
represent. Had they listened to the people, there would have been no
indemnity Act from killing in our statutes.

Joe stated:
In my opinion, boycotts are followed or
>preceeded by
>civil disobedience.  If they believed that things were rigged, then do like
>other oppositions in other countries that want to boycott and demonstrate
>against the system to create an athmosphere that the observers if any,
>would
>have to address or at the very least the international community would have
>to weigh in, just like is going on currently in Zimbabwe.

Knowing the brutal and reationary nature of the regime based on the evidence
of the various crimes they committed against their innocent and unsuspecting
compatriots, it would be unwise to pursue this course at this stage of the
struggle. In the first place, the IGP would not issue a licence for any
political demonstration against the APRC and only an irresponsible party
would under such a climate risk the lives of their supporters by exposing
them to death squads. We must learn from the past or be doomed. Certain
circumstances demand unique tactics, which is exactly what is expected of a
mature leadership.

You stated:

>let none tell me that that would have caused bloodshed, for Jammeh's convoy
>was blocked at the Sere Kunda Junction during the Presidential election
>campaign and nothing happened.  That is an excuse that have been abused and
>is getting real old.

Joe, If you truly believe that this is just an excuse, why don't you try to
go and spearhead a demonstration against Jammeh in Banjul. I bet you will be
very fortunate to see daylight again. As president Jammeh would say " you
will go six feet deep".
President Jammeh is a tyrant but not a crazy tyrant. His convoy was blocked
and his death squad did not open fire on the crowd only for reasons of
Jammeh's safety. His security was massively outnumbered and sorrounded by
the crowd on all sides on that encounter and had the squad unleashed their
weapons on the crowd, there was every likelihood that the President would
have been crushed in the ensuing pandemonium. Eye-witnesses told me that
Jammeh thought the mostly UDP crowd would attack his convoy and that he was
outwardly scared, typical of the coward he is. What happen subsequently at
Talinding? didn't they openfire and killed a UDP supporter. Yes indeed,
because they calculated that they would not be endangering their own lives.

No matter what, The yoke of oppression must be shattered.

BMK



Sheriff has already used most of that milage
>too.  Now
>that the UDP does not have any members in the parliament who is going to
>listen to them especially when folks are worrying about where their next
>meal will come from?  Compounding to that, you now have Jawara jumping
>ship.
>  That to me translate as the death of what's left off the PPP in the
>coalition, for the following was to Jawara and not OJ.  President Wade's
>trip to The Gambia is also a political point in the APRC score card.  Now
>that the international community is signing all kinds of deals with Jammeh
>and his rubberstamp parliament, what is the victory in this for Gambians in
>general and UDP supporters in particular?  The worsening economic
>conditions
>in the country might also be in favor of the APRC because you cannot tell a
>hungry person to not take bread from anyone including the APRC should bread
>presents itself, from the vintage point of the marginalized, poor, and
>hungry of our lot, not to mention the opportunists abound.  We have to see
>things from the viewpoint of those that are in the trenches and not some
>where out west.  Five years is a long time in the eyes of our people given
>our economic state.  These are my opinions regarding the boycott and would
>entertain alternative view points from mine.  Hopefully those in the know
>regarding the inner workings of the UDP can help me clear the fog.
>
>
>>From: Musa Jeng <[log in to unmask]>
>>Reply-To: The Gambia and related-issues mailing list
>><[log in to unmask]>
>>To: [log in to unmask]
>>Subject: Recent trip to Gambia continues
>>Date: Sat, 16 Feb 2002 20:53:24 -0500
>>
>>There are other aspects to my recent trip to The Gambia that I intend to
>>share with the Bantaba. Hopefully, these other contributions will not
>>ignite the emotional and passionate earthquake the first one has
>>generated.
>>
>>I was in the Gambia during the National Assembly Elections, unfortunately,
>>unlike the Presidential elections, this was one election that political
>>junkies like myself hated to see. It was a political reality that the UDP
>>boycott had a tremendous effect to the whole election process, especially
>>in the Greater Banjul Area. The interest level was very low, and the
>>election rally coverage on TV was really boring at best. For me, I tried
>>to
>>remain focus listened and watched many of the rallies, and to try to enjoy
>>and understand political campaign Gambian style. On one of the coverage,
>>for the first time I saw and listened to Mr.S.M.Dibba and it was sad. SM
>>Dibba, one of the greatest opposition leaders that the country ever had,
>>has now become a praise singer to the status quo. The issues are gone, the
>>principles fading away, and he is still running against his nemesis
>>ex-president Jawara. One may ask, why the sudden change of hearth? Simply,
>>there is nowhere else for SM Dbba to go. The man has become a deadwood who
>>has spend all his political capital and needed to be rescued. One of the
>>realities that daunted on me was that, Gambia’s political generation has
>>shifted and changed, the Jawara’s and the Dibba’s do no longer carry that
>>emotional following.
>>
>>There were lots of spinning about the boycott. The APRC was spewing the
>>argument that the only reason the UDP boycotted the elections was because
>>of the lack of funds, especially when they are absolutely certain of not
>>to
>>carry a single constituency. According to them, the UDP, who is still
>>wrestling with their presidential disappointment, is in no situation to
>>launch a countrywide election campaign, both emotionally and financially.
>>As for the UDP, their spin was, the IEC has conducted itself and has
>>allowed the institution to be used by the APRC to orchestrate a flawed
>>registration process. According to them, the process is so flawed and
>>rigged that it undermined the usefulness in participating in a process
>>that
>>is already stacked against them. The issue of voter registration switching
>>to constituencies that the opposition has a chance of carrying, and the
>>IEC’s playing along with the APRC government was enough reason to boycott
>>the elections. There were charges and counter charges about the boycott.
>>The political reality was that, the boycott was very effective and has
>>definitely affected the voter turnout and has brought into question the
>>legitimacy of the whole election process. The APRC did not come into power
>>through the ballot box; therefore any election boycott fairly or unfairly
>>would definitely brought into question the fairness of the process. The
>>other point was how would this boycott affect the UDP as a political
>>party?
>>Is this the beginning of the end to the UDP party? These are the very many
>>questions that only time will tell.
>>
>>Halifa’s Sallah finally winning a seat in the National Assembly was the
>>best news of my entire trip. As a PDOIS supporter, this win was a therapy
>>for all of us and a well needed win. It reaffirmed our beliefs to the
>>Gambian people, and maybe, difficult as it might have been over the years,
>>especially with election disappointment after and other, maybe the PDOIS
>>message has been slowly seeping through to the Gambian people.  It is a
>>political truism that elections have been won in the Gambia because of
>>these fundamental factors: securing vote from a core constituency, and
>>this
>>is usually done by appealing the tribal sentiments of the group; using of
>>finances and resources, basically appealing to the vulnerability of “what
>>is in it for me syndrome”; the creation of structures—selecting of your
>>own
>>Division Commissioners, Alkalos, Community leaders and youth
>>organizations;
>>and having the power structure of government behind you. This is the
>>political reality that PDOIS had to deal with for the last two decades,
>>and
>>yet still staying far away from these political dynamics as possible. For
>>the APRC, like the PPP before them has used these unfair incumbency
>>advantages to the fullest. Even Hamat Bah, the one person that was touted
>>for his performance during the Presidential elections, has taken his notes
>>directly form the APRC playbook. The candidate has put a TV set with wheat
>>grinding machine in every hamlet in Upper saloum, and in a very subtle way
>>has appealed to the tribal sentiment of his tribe, the Fulas. Just like
>>the
>>jolas voted for Jammeh in droves, the Fulas were also attracted to Hamat
>>Bah, the Pularr candidate. And let me be very clear, I am not suggesting
>>that Hamat Bah is a tribalist, but with subtlety has exploited the tribal
>>benefit to the fullest. And this also goes for the UDP, they have
>>exploited
>>the tribal leaning to garner vote. Only PDOIS of all the parties cannot in
>>no way no how be associated with capitalizing on tribal politics.
>>
>>Halifa sallah-PDOIS won the Serekunda seat strictly on principles and
>>issues. Every voter that walked into that voting booth and voted for
>>Halifa, voted his or her conscience. Yes, it has taken fifteen years, but
>>commitment, honesty, decency and staying with strong political beliefs
>>have
>>prevailed. Who are these Gambian people that voted their conscience? For
>>the first time, with excitement and exuberance I walked into the PDOIS
>>headquarters at Churchill’s Town. The compound was full with mostly poor
>>average Gambians, no prominent socialite or celebrity, and one of them in
>>particular caught my eye. He is one of the voters of conscience. He is a
>>handicap gentleman with walking and speech disabilities. He strolled past
>>me giggling uncontrollably, with emotions and tears hogged Halifa and
>>would
>>not let go. As I continued to watched him, I can see that this win meant a
>>lot to him, not because Halifa appealed to this tribal sensitivities, or
>>promise of financial gain or a job, but Halifa and PDOIS represent what is
>>good and ideal for all Gambians. Like me, the man is stung with what I
>>called the PDOIS bug. The PDOIS bug reinforces the importance of
>>commitment, truthfulness, honesty and the ideal Gambian democracy that
>>will
>>bring about political stability and an environment of socio-economic
>>development. There was one general consensus among all Gambians, including
>>APRC supporters, and that is if anyone deserves to be in the National
>>Assembly is Halifa Sallah.
>>
>>When I finally sat down to talked to Halifa, and this was just after him
>>(Halifa) going through an interview with GRTS, the man was definitely in
>>demand. Clearly, my point to him was that he has always been a national
>>leader and this win has definitely raised that political reality. As a
>>PDOIS supporter, we are interested to see more of PDOIS seats in the NA,
>>but also there is a tendency that he would be bugged down with big
>>national
>>issues at the expense of representing Serrekunda Central. There is the
>>expectation that both him and Sedia are going to take leadership role on
>>issues of national importance, and this might affect their elected role as
>>representative of Serrekenda Central and Wuli respectively. And wouldn’t
>>this tendency to get bugged with big issues jeopardized their elect
>>ability
>>next NAM elections. As usual, the response was vintage Halifa, “I am
>>elected by the people of Serrekunda Central for the next five years and I
>>am going to concentrate my energy an commitment to just that. Any
>>re-election in the next five years will have no bearing to my
>>responsibilities. Immediately, I will be putting together committees of
>>people in Serekunda Central and together we will start addressing the
>>issues confronting our community and development efforts” (Well, reading
>>from Malick Kah contribution, the formation of these committees have
>>already begun). What is very consoling to me from my trip as far as
>>politics in the Gambia is that, as far as we still have the Halifa’s and
>>the Sedia’s, there is hope that our political process will eventually be
>>cleansed and we can all work towards creating a better tomorrow for our
>>children.
>>
>>Thanks
>>
>>Musa JEng
>>
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