Mr. Bahoum, your official response to the FOROYAA article of 7 March 2001 has been reviewed. It is a long time since I visited the L. My attention was drawn to the article at Radio One FM. It is unfortunate that our correspondence would be characterised by such misunderstanding. Notwithstanding, I read good faith in your attempt to show that our position was misleading. I hope you will take the time to answer few questions for us since we are after clarity. 

I must say that I need adequate feed back from you in order to have the basis to analyse your response in good faith. The reason for this is simple, I left the Gambia for Ghana on the 25 February and came back on the 3 March. I had the opportunity to have concrete information on the London Briefing Meeting on my return. The issue became a matter of concern to the Central Committee after the SoS for Justice gave a press conference. At the Central Committee Meeting Sidia Jatta did produce a letter which was addressed to him by a British MP. The letter reads:

''Dear Colleague,

"The Campaign to Restore Democracy in The Gambia"

Briefing Meeting to be held on Wednesday 28th February at 7.30pm Committee Room 10 at the House of Commons

"I am inviting you to a meeting to discuss the current crisis in democracy in the Gambia and to meet representatives of the Gambian opposition parties and the newly formed Movement for the Restoration of Democracy in the Gambia.

The withdrawal of basic civil liberties freedom within the Gambia large gone unreported in the in the British media. However the cancellation and rigging of elections, the imprisonment and harassment of opposition parties and the use of physical violence against opponents by the current regime are escalating.

In order to draw attention to the plight of the Gambian people I have convened this meeting to receive briefing from the opposition representatives. Also speaking will be Jeremy Corbyn MP and Diane Abbot MP and various human rights groups working in this field.

I look forward to seeing you in the night

Best wishes,

John McDonnell MP''

After he read the letter, he explained to the Central Committee that he could not understand the logic of a British MP inviting him to go all the to the House of Commons just for a briefing. He added that he received the letter from his pigeon hole at the National Assembly. 

He questioned why any one would invite him to give briefing to an MP in London. In the discussion which followed, we endorsed the position that even if the matter was brought to the Central Committee prior to the Meeting, no PDOIS member of the Central Committee would disagreed with his position. Despite the fact that I did not have background information on the London Briefing Session inadvance, I must say that I agree whole heartedly that it constitutes lack of National Self Respect to expect a personality like Sidia Jatta to accept to leave the Gambia to give briefing to a British MP. Let me add that Hamat Bah was from Taiwan prior to attending the briefing session. He was there with Tamsir Jallow - Majority Leader, Kemeseng Jammeh, the Minority leader and other MP. Sidia did not go because he simply did not want to be tourist in Taiwan while there is work to be done in the Gambia. Tickets have been given to MPs to go to Mecca. Sugar is often distributed by Jammeh at the national Assembly which MPS receive without party consideration. Sidia is an exception. We have our standards. Those who consider our posture as arrogant are free to hold on to their opinion. In fact, Jawara is lucky that he had Hamat Bah instead of a PDOIS representative present. I am fully ready to take on all those irresponsible persons who have decided to make misleading remarks to try to question PDOIS's integrity. Your movement was on the right track when it took the transparent posture of informing all Gambians what its aims and objectives are. I am sure all members of the Central Committee endorse the aims and objectives of your movement. However, we cannot endorse your deeds in advance. We reserve the right to study your activities and take our posture on a case by case basis.

What is surprising to us is your attempt to give the impression that we are hostile to your movement because of our attitude towards the London Meetings. It is equally outrageous that you linked the London Meeting to a discussion we had when I attended the Labour Party Congress in Britain. It constitutes crude logic to give the impression that our posture regarding the London Meeting reflects our posture towards your movement. The reason for this assertion is simple. At no time did PDOIS receive any correspondence from the Movement for the Restoration of Democracy indicating that it has organised a briefing session to which a PDOIS representative is invited. The only letter that was received by Sidia Jatta is from a British MP, full stop. Are you now telling us that your movement was behind the invitation. The letter stated categorically that your movement it self was an invitee of the British MP. 

Before going to response to the immature remarks by Hamjatta who never grows up and who never hesitates to thumb the dictionary to lift mountains and hills of pedantic remarks to throw at people, I would want you to answer these two simple questions: Who was the organiser of the London Meeting? If the London was not a briefing session organised by a British MP, then what was the purpose of the London Meeting? 

Greetings 

Halifa 

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