Comrades:

Today is Saturday, June 16, 2001.  After speaking
on the phone with Brother Saul Khan, I promised to
write and set light to my position, relative to my recent condemnations of the UDP leadership.

Some years ago in The Gambia, we were touched by the
deaths of Messrs Saul Samba and Matarr Sarr.
According to Sir Dawda's spokesman, Brother Matarr
Sarr shot and killed Saul Samba, when the latter
came to arrest him.  I vividly remember Gambians
crying in Banjul because that was the first time
in the history of The Gambia, a Gambian had
opened fire on another Gambian.

After Saul Samba was laid to rest, the rack and file
in  Banjul and the rest of The Gambia demanded that
Matarr Sarr be given a decent funeral.  I was
among numerous Gambians who shouted insults to
the Jawara government.  On our way to the Moslem
cemetary, we met Jawara and the rest of the PPP at
the site without incident.  Brother Matarr Sarr was
laid to rest and we came back to the streets of
Banjul without any incident.  We quickly went on our
responsibilities.  That was The Gambia I grew up in
and that was The Gambia we are fighting to restore.

On July 22, 1994 I was moved to tears when a legally
elected government was overthrown.  On my many
journeys in search of truth, justice, compassion and
democracy, I met Tombong Saidy at The Gambian Embassy.
It was a confrontational meeting because Tombong
devied all odds and lied to me about the quality of
life that Gambians would endure.  My meeting again
with him in Miami, Fl. was the same.  I remember talking to Gambians at a dance about the
dangerous trend of events that our country would face.
I was fortunate to meet many Gambians who thanked me
for what I challenged myself to do.

A few years ago when we met at the US state department
to demonstrate, we again joined together because we
love our country.  A demonstration my Jalibaa at The
Gambian Embassy was an event that I am still proud
to say was a strategy that made me realized that
this war against tyrant Jammeh cannot be fought on
individual satire.  My love and admiration for
Sister Soffie Ceesay is still cemented and will never
go away.  Soffie I kept on saying to myself is the
Hilary Clinton of The Gambia.  My deepest question to
myself was, is she married?  I hope brother Sarr is
not offended.  Truted Comrade Ous Mbenga is an elder
who I have the deepest respect for.  I really was
moved when he introduced himself because my famous
teacher at Saint Augustine's was his late dear brother, Mr. Ebou Mbenga.  I will never set foot in
The Gambia without setting foot at his grave.  Cousin
Ousman Bojang is no stranger to me.  I am a Conteh
and he a Bojang.  Historically, the Bojangs were the
ones who changed their names from Conteh to Bojang,
meanin "ebotojang".  No Bojang from Brikama will
visit Faraba Banta without setting foot in Conteh Kunda.

My tape on democracy is still the guiding principle
for my decision to join the movement in restoring
sanity to our country.  I talked about the need for
unity.  I believe that without a unified opposition,
the dictator of kaninlai will steal the election.

I am not here to win favors or make friends on the
motion of not telling the opposite of the truth.  I am not here to subject Gambians into believing that
we should give a blanket support to the UDP.  I am not
here to defend a single opposition party.  My
responsibility as a crusader of democracy is a
struggle that I maintain to remain consistent.  I have
the desire that we are making a calculated mistake
in not asking the UDP to clearly define how it can
win.  We are making a serious mistake in not trying
to reach out to the barred politicians.  Why do I have
to ignore Hon. Ousman Jallow (OJ), a Gambian who I
worked with at the then Gambian Commercial and
Development Bank?  I know OJ and I trust OJ. Why do I have to take an entity approach in setting strategies for the eventual failure of our goals and objectives?    What is wrong in calling for uniting?  What is wrong telling Gambians that the UDP individually cannot win the election?  Why do we have to take a position of indifference and mortgage our future to a political party that we have not met the leadership at the ALD symposium to engage with the other leaders of the opposition.  It is not fair to give a blanket support to the UDP.  Why ignore Hons. Hamat Bah and Sidia Jatta and Brother Halifa Sallah?  At least NRP and PDOIS were present at the symposium.

My position is clear.  I am of the opinion that we
need a united effort against the dictator.  When
everything settles, and the dictator steals the
election, what are we going to do?  Will we blame
Ousainou, or will we blame ourselves?  I know some
are saying that I am giving more leverage to the
APRC in attacking the UDP.  I would rather say the
truth than say the opposite.  Where is our value
system?

At times in situations of concern, there are some
individuals who are guided with the negative principle of self promotion.  There are some who
have decided to join this struggle because they want
a Gambia with dignity.  There are others who are in
this thing because of no position.

I hope I have not offended anyone.  I hope we will
begin to understand that our struggle to unseat the
dictator must be done collectively.  Election without a unified opposition equals more years of terror under the dictator of kaninlai.  I hope I am wrong. God please help us.

Naphiyo,

Comrade ML Jassey-Conteh,MBA
Greensboro, NC/Kombo East Constituency.


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