Thanks Beran for forwarding this. This is good advise from Juwara. Those
meek politicians that let Yaya ban them should have defied the ban a long
time ago. Instead of taking the government to court to try and prove a
negative, they should have simply engaged in political activities and see if
the government will take them to court. That is how you fight that piece of
legislative thrash that tried to ban politicians. That law is toilet paper
and should not endure in court. The politicians it affected should just go
ahead and participate in politics and see what is going to happen to them.
The government cannot use the decree to stop the politicians from
participating. Rather than taking the government to court and seeking a
declaration, the opposition politicians should make the government the
aggressor by forcing the government to take them to court and try and rely
on a clearly unconstitutional piece of garbage.
Am also glad that UDP is willing to hold the IEC partly responsible for what
is going to happen in the next elections. If Johnson is not up to the job,
he should resign now. This time around, even if Yaya puts a gun to his head,
he should not allow the military to rig the elections. The opposition should
put the IEC in between a rock and a hard place. If the IEC wants to play
ball with the military, the people should pounce on both the IEC and Yaya.
Under no circumstances should the opposition let Johnson impose on them the
ridiculous campaigning rules he is imposing on the contestants in the Sami
elections. We should continue to fight Yaya and his collaborators every step
of the way.
KB


>From: "Jeng, Beran" <[log in to unmask]>
>Reply-To: The Gambia and related-issues mailing list
><[log in to unmask]>
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: FWD:Juwara Urges Others to Defy Ban
>Date: Tue, 31 Oct 2000 09:19:00 -0500
>
>Juwara Urges Others to Defy Ban
>
>
>
>
>Daily Observer
></publishers.html?passed_name=Daily%20Observer&passed_location=Banjul>
>(Banjul)
>October 30, 2000
>Banjul
>The UDP's Lamin Juwara has asked President Yahya Jammeh to explain why Buba
>Baldeh, a former minister of the overthrown PPP government, is allowed to
>campaign for the APRC while Sheriff Dibba, Assan Camara, and Omar Jallow
>and
>other PPP ministers, continue to be barred from dabbling in politics.
>The UDP's Lamin Juwara has asked President Yahya Jammeh to explain why Buba
>Baldeh, a former minister of the overthrown PPP government, is allowed to
>campaign for the APRC while Sheriff Dibba, Assan Camara, and Omar Jallow
>and
>other PPP ministers, continue to be barred from dabbling in politics.
>Speaking at a rally at Kanifing, Saturday, Mr. Juwara called on all banned
>politicians to "immediately unban themselves and participate in Gambian
>politics."
>Unfair elections The UDP propaganda secretary has urged the chairman of the
>Independent Electoral Commission, Bishop S Tilewa Johnson, to ensure free
>and
>fair elections in the forthcoming elections.
>"I want to inform Tilewa Johnson that we will not settle for anything less
>than
>a free and fair elections. If there is no free and fair election, we will
>protest and whatever happened, Johnson will be held responsible," Juwara
>said.
>He claimed that the last presidential election was characterised by
>electoral
>fraud and massive vote- rigging. Juwara claimed the UDP candidate, Ousainou
>Darboe, defeated APRC's Yahya Jammeh in the 1996 presidential election.
>Juwara said his party will not allow a recurrence of the alleged 1996
>electoral
>fraud.
>He cited Cote d'Ivoire where a popular uprising ousted the military ruler,
>General Robert Guei, who declared himself winner when only eight per cent
>of the
>votes cast were counted after a sham election. Juwara said, "A revolution
>has
>taken place in Cote d'Ivoire. The same revolution will happen here." Juwara
>said
>once the IEC announces election dates, his party will demand "equal access
>to
>Radio Gambia and GRTS. We will start with that first before we go to the
>polls.
>If there is no free and fair elections, whatever happened in this country,
>no
>one should blame us for that. No one will cheat us again. No one can
>manipulate
>elections in this country. We are ready to die for The Gambia. That is why
>we
>are here," Juwara said.
>Carrot and stick Addressing the meeting, Ousainou Darboe criticised
>President
>Jammeh for saying on his recent OEMeet the People's Tour' that people who
>do not
>vote for him (Jammeh) will not benefit from his development package.
>Mr. Darboe also questioned the constitutional relevance of President
>Jammeh's by
>saying it was a political tour de force .
>"Under the constitution, President Jammeh is required to present himself as
>the
>head of state of The Gambia while on the tour and not as APRC party leader.
>What
>we have seen on this tour is that the APRC went on campaign.
>They were not out to listen to farmers' needs and concerns, they went to
>find
>votes, but people up-country will never give their votes to Yahya Jammeh
>again,"
>Darboe said.
>Darboe alleged that president Jammeh has not gone for tour for the past two
>years and attributed this to farmers nuts not being purchased.
>Darboe said he supported President Jammeh's statement that "the soldiers
>are our
>sons, people should not belittle them, people should not insult them
>because
>they are working for the government."
>But he criticised the soldiers who took to the road at Yundum dancing,
>while
>welcoming President Jammeh at the end of the first round of his tour.
>He said a disciplined force should not behave in that manner. He urged the
>army
>chief of staff, Colonel Baboucarr Jatta, to advise his personnel to desist
>from
>meddling in partisan politics if they want to command respect from all
>Gambians.
>Works Mr. Darboe said a UDP government will introduce an integrated urban
>development project and nationwide infrastructural development projects.
>The UDP leader also deplored the current road conditions in the country,
>particularly in the Kanifing municipality.
>He added that a UDP government will also address the energy crisis, by
>providing
>"adequate and constant electricity."
>He also deplored the recent demolition of beach bars.
>
>
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