I read, with keen interest, the many analysis of the most recent
presidential election.  I was going to leave the issue to rest because it
has been dealt with at length, but, again I felt that there are some very
important factors that were not mentioned or I might have missed in the
archives.  If this is a repetition of some of the issues that you have
already discussed, I appologize for clogging your boxes.

Being in The Gambia during the election period and attending countless
rallies by various political parties, I had a first hand knowledge of some
of the events.  Not that my opinion is any more credible than any others,
but my opinion is based on personal observation and numerous discussions
that I had with Gambian citizens in the country.

 I have to agree with those who highlighted the damage that the PPP caused
the coalition.  To understand the situation, we have to put politics aside
and reason the situation objectively.  It has been an open secret long
before the annulment of decree 89 that the UDP and PPP were having a
liason, infact the two were so intertwined that they were almost
inseparable.  Most Gambians were of the opinion that the UDP was only a
proxy of the PPP.  It has been highly rumoured that the PPP formed and
bankrolled the UDP, thus the latter was very dependent on the former.

I think this relationship between the UDP and PPP was the reason why the
oppositions could not forged a full-blown coalition.  The UDP was so
dependent on the PPP that they could not afford to go ahead with the other
oppositions without the blessing of the PPP.  Darboe is a gentleman, but he
was caught in a political dilemma where he had to choose between the PPP
(because of his loyalty/obligation to them) and the rest of the
opposition.  Over the years, the PPP had invested so much in the UDP that
they could not afford to see other political parties reap the benefits of
their long held investment.  Thus the two of them (PPP&UDP) decide to go it
alone in secret by sidelining the rest of the opposition (with the
exception of GPP).  They thought it was a risk that was worth taking, only
time did prove them wrong.

A lot of Gambians, atleast in private, felt that the formation of the semi-
coalition was nebulous and suspicious; this was confirmed during the
campaign when the former PPP stalwarts were resurrected and they seem to
have dominated the UDP agenda ever since their liason was legitimize with
the annullment of decree 89.  The rest of the opposition parties felt
deluded and spoofed, perhaps rightfully so, by the alliance......and the
rest is history.

On another related issue, I think most Gambians in the diaspora have
underestimated the Gambian electorate.  The people may be poor, some
illiterate, without the comforts of the west but they sure think
rationally.  Intelligence and rationality are two different things, what
our people lack in western knowledge they make up in their common knowledge
(rationality).  To say that the people are ill-informed, illiterate,
unprincipled, vote selling citizens is egregious and outright erroneous.

Besides those with vested interest in the APRC and the UDP, the average
Gambian knows that both the two main political parties campaigned very
negatively.  Anyone can pick and choose which party to blame, but during
the campaign trail both parties were using tribalist sentiments,
encouraging violence, and prepared to do whatever it takes to win.  One
cannot help but to be dissappointed by the way the two parties conducted
themselves, and this was cheered by both their leaders and militants.
There were threats and counter threats from both sides and the doomsayers
were making the most apocalyptical prediction ever imagined.

The voters felt like they had to choose between two evils, but they had to
choose the lesser of the two.  Most people that I spoke to had this to say:
they knew the APRC and their record, but cannot imagine what will befall
the serene nation if the UDP/PPP won and they had to make good of their
threats by going after young men with guns.  You may not be able to imagine
their rationality if you live in the diaspora, but if you lived in the
Gambia throughout the campaign, have your entire family in the country, you
cannot help but to admire/respect their wisdom and sagacity even if you
disagree with their decision.

Throughout the country, especially in the rural areas, people of all
political affiliations were gathering in mosques/churches on a daily basis
imploring God to save the nation.  I have attended close to half dozen
prayer sermons were people prayed not for any party but for whatever
outcome will bring peace.  Whether their/our prayers have been answered or
not I cannot tell, but their intentions were apparent, and thus the Gambian
voters were/are not any less unprincipled than anyone who claim that they
have done the greatest wrong imaginable.

Sorry for the lengthy sermon, I just think it is fair that we weigh all the
facts without any bias and malice so that we can respectfully agree to
disagree.  Whilst making our judgements, we have to be sensitive of the
concerns of our fellow Gambians who do not have the privileges that most
Gambians in the diaspora are enjoying.  At this point, it matters not
how/who we want to win but rather how we can forge a meaningful
relationship so that we all can enjoy the tranquility and prosperity that
all we all deserve.

Cheers
Mariatou

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