Gambia </west/gambia/index.html>

Mass defection to UDP in CRD
The Independent <http://www.qanet.gm/Independent/independent.html>  (Banjul)
May 26, 2000
By Lamin Dibba
Banjul - Large numbers of people in Niamina and Fuladu in the Central River
Division have defected to the UDP following a provincial tour by UDP leader
Ouasainou Darboe last week.
Many residents of Kudang, Mamut Fana, Manneh Kunda, Darn Wollof, Madina, Sari
Pateh, Sari Bakary, Sri Pajinkey, Sandabare and Dunbun kunda were reported to
have defected during the UDP tour.
Alhagie Basara Ceesay, speaking at a rally in Kudang last Friday said they had
not wanted to defect to the UDP but, because there was no opposition candidate
in the last general election, the APRC government had paid little attention to
their welfare.
He said the most serious government failure was its role in the groundnut
crisis. He also claimed their chief and the National Intelligence Agency
frequently threatened residents of Kudang with imprisonment at Janjanbureh if
they commented negatively about the government.
'Enough is enough, all forms of harassment and oppression were levied on us, not
to talk of torture, most especially during Major Bojang's time as Commissioner
in CRD,' he alleged.
In Manneh Kunda, Malang Jabang said the message from his village was that they
had all defected to the UDP and would 'forever rally behind Ousainou Darboe.'
'The APRC is dying and I urge all to join the UDP before it is too late,' he
said at the village meeting.
He added that the government's failure to buy their groundnuts was the main
reason for their defection.
UDP leader Ousainou Darboe, speaking at Kudang last Friday, said he was not
surprised at the defections as 'truth is everlasting'. Mr. Darboe said he
welcomed them but warned that 'the UDP is not like the APRC or any other party
where selfish interest is the order of the day. We will not throw money in the
street when we have a lot to do to meet the demands of Gambia's people, who
since 1994 were deprived of their dues as human beings.'
He also said membership of the UDP would not guarantee impunity from the laws of
The Gambia and urged the supporters to be law-abiding.
Darboe told the gathering that the chiefs, police, commissioners and the NIA are
all civil servants and governments 'come and go but the people stay'. He said
civil servants should be very careful in their actions if 'they want to enjoy
forever.' He made reference to Major Bojang who was Commissioner in Janjanbureh
but was 'one fateful day kicked out by Jammeh' and last month's dismissal of
Local Government minister Lamin Kaba Bajo as examples of the insecurity of such
public offices.

Copyright (c) 2000 The Independent. Distributed via Africa News Online
(www.africanews.org). For information about the content or for permission to
redistribute, publish or use for broadcast, contact the publisher.

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