In spite of my self imposed hiatus, I have been a 'peeper' of the main site 
of late.   Observing the debate rage on has been an interesting experience 
since it has shown me some of the inherent disadvantages in thinking too 
alike.   This phenomenon which some may call cabals, niches or 'online 
friendships sealed in blood' is, in my opinion, an impediment to progressive 
ideas resulting from dissenting views, as slight as they may be.

Case in point, the recent merciless lambasting of Kebba Jobe, AKA Daddy Nying 
and Kebba Joke.    The man has obviously shown that his affiliation with the 
APRC regime is very conflicted one.   He has openly accepted some of the 
wrongs of the regime but refuses to blame Yahya Jammeh on the basis that he 
does not solely comprise the APRC.  According to Jobe, the blame must be 
shared roundly.   What is wrong with this picture?   In my opinion, nothing. 
  The human rights situation in The Gambia is the same as in other African 
countries where atrocities are sanctioned daily by perfectly 'legitimate' 
regimes.   Point is Jobe is no different from many other Gambians who support 
the present regime based on the premise that their overall record outweighs 
the evil perpetrated by this regime.   In this light, lambasting Jobe really 
serves no purpose because it will not change a thing when it comes to the 
minority of people who subscribe to his school of thought.   Yet, we keep on 
lambasting away, wasting bandwidth in the process while neglecting the up and 
coming election which will determine the future of the Gambian people for the 
next 4 or 5 years.   Because of this conformity or 'thinking alike' issue, 
this diversion becomes less easy to realise and I believe the ruling party's 
political pundits are simply using the Gambia-L as a testing ground for some 
of their soon to be deployed political strategies.

Another pertinent issue is the state of our opposition parties and their 
apparent disregard for the 101 of political strategies.   Some of their 
representatives, like Ebrima Pesseh Njie, are no more than rubber stamps who 
will not hesitate to switch allegiances when the going gets tough or the 
money gets too enticing.   This cross-carpeting problem has reared it's ugly 
head before, but the UDP simply will not learn and continue to make the same 
mistakes by appointing less than worthy characters who not only change 
faction, but also sully the party's image.    The recent antifeminist 
utterances of people like Wu Jawara  do a serious disservice to the 
opposition in a country where women are perhaps among the most oppressed in 
the World yet make up over 50% of the voting population.  Should it take a 
rocket scientist to figure out that the women of The Gambia not only deserve 
equal representation in political positions, but bureaux, ministries and 
movements which will make sure every effort is made to improve the status of 
women back home?   IMHO, a well learned man like Ousainou Darboe, would never 
make a political gaffe like this one.   It is his troops (MPs etc.) who need 
to be reined in to show the unity of a party which speaks responsibly in one 
voice.  Again, we see these gaffes but the few who speak are quickly silenced 
by the overwhelmingly unitarian cabal.  

The issue of political strategy when it concerns campaigning and elections 
also comes to mind when one studies the latest trends of the UDP.  After the 
outcome of the last by-elections as a result of the unfortunate death of 
several UDP members, it  became painfully apparent to me that the party did 
not adhere to a strategy which was borne out of any type of detailed 
analysis.   When one compares the amount of people who actually voted to 
those who actually voted, it becomes obvious the voter turnout was extremely 
low.   Based on analysis from Foroya, 1056 people did not vote in Kiang East. 
  This amounts to slightly more than ¼ of the registered voters in the area, 
a significant number which could have made all the difference.    Even so, I 
am convinced an equally large amount of residents of these areas did not 
vote.   Interestingly enough, the voting patterns of Gambians during PPP days 
are strikingly similar to the voting patterns shown in the 1997 elections.   
The opposition won in most of the same places where they had strongholds, the 
numbers were roughly equal and the reasons for losing were virtually the 
same.   But, here on the Gambia-L, we cry voter buyout and such without 
bothering to look closely at the numbers.   Again a dire consequence, of 
conformity of thought and an acceptance of the status quo without question or 
because this person said so.

In conclusion, I would like to conclusively again reaffirm my opposition to 
the present regime.   Gambians should not settle for less than we deserve.   
But the overall picture is dire.   There seems to be an apparent lack of 
political gain (in the true sense) coming from the main opposition party.   
The only headway being made is by PDOIS, a statistical nonentity in Gambian 
politics.   For this reason, I think a UNITED front is the way forward for 
change back home.   I would also implore on all members of the L to put on 
their thinking caps (so to speak) and come up with their own ideas/reasons on 
how to overcome this terrible situation.   Let us avoid where necessary this 
overly 'thinking alike' affliction which tends to stifle forward thinking.

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