Hi!
    Frightening events in The Gambia seem to be overtaking my ability to
express surprise. The latest is a rather serious one that reminds me of what
I saw in Jamaica in 1987. The campaign for the Jamaican elections had just
begun and hearing the announcement on radio of a JLP rally, I asked our
guides whether they could take me there because some top artists of the time
were to perform there. They told me not to even think about going near a
political rally in Jamaica, as it is usually so violent. Sure enough, gunmen
killed all 13 people on board a van coming back from that same rally.
    Being a reggae fan, I asked our driver to take me to the ghetto so that
I could experience the true Jamaica as we were staying in Beverly Hills. He
took me together with some colleagues to Trench Town, Dungle and Tivoli
Gardens. What I saw there shocked me. On the walls in different areas were
written political slogans like "JLP Rules Here" etc. The party symbols were
drawn. I asked why each area had these things written and the guy told me
that these were party strongholds and being in a JLP area and making the PNP
sign or saying something in support of PNP would almost certainly mean being
shot or seriously beaten. The Jamaican political parties had sponsored
different gangs and armed them heavily to defend their territories. It was
therefore akin to suicide to say PNP in a JLP area and vice versa.
    Is this what is emerging in The Gambia? I hope the UDP would not be
tempted to recruit the equivalent of the 22nd. July Movement. I hope the
government takes immediate actions to ensure that law and order prevails. We
have just witnessed a terrible period in which the students were killed. The
number of people who are going to be involved in the campaigns is going to
be much larger than the student demonstrations. If the political parties
sponsor lawless groups to sabotage their opponents, the consequences would
indeed be dire. Calls have already been made on this list for violence to
meet violence. I truly hope and pray that that will be avoided at all costs.
The onus is therefore on the government to ensure that law and order
prevails so that we don't have a Jamaica-type situation in The Gambia.
Thanks.

Buharry.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L
Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html

----------------------------------------------------------------------------