*Ten reasons Gambians must vote for Ousainou Darboe**
   *
   *By Mathew K Jallow**
   *
   Barely two months ago, Yahya Jammeh told one of his minions to ask Moses
   Richards to
   write a letter of apology to him and beg for mercy. Yahya Jammeh was
   faced with one of
   two alternatives; to either free Moses Richards from Mile 2 Prisons, or
   face the full wrath
   of the Gambia Bar Association’s threat of strike action at the
   judiciary. Moses Richard’s
   apology letter, which Jammeh asked for, was meant to give him an excuse
   to free Mr.
   Richards and not seem like he capitulated to the Gambia Bar Association
   demands.



Now again, it is déjà vous all over. Last week, Yahya Jammeh told his
mother to ask him to go on what he calls a “thank-
you” tour of the country, but rather than tell her son privately, Mrs.
Asombo Bojang curiously went to the media to
broadcast her message. Here again Yahya Jammeh needed an excuse to eat his
words and not look like the liar he is,
after he told Gambians in a rather rudely and insultingly manner some
months ago that he would not campaign for re-
election this year. It all boils down to one thing; despite his mad tirades
and public blusters, Yahya Jammeh is a weak
wreck.

Yahya Jammeh will give in under the slightest internal pressure because he
knows the military and security forces will
side with the people in the case of a showdown, and are in fact waiting for
an excuse to help the civilian population get
rid of Yahya Jammeh once and for all.Equally important still, politically,
he is in trouble and his reckless tirades against
the Mandinka majority are predicated on the fear that the Mandinkas will
coalesce around Mr. Darboe and help give him
an easy victory in the polls. How I wish he is right. The fact that in the
recent past, countless opposition parties in Africa
have done what seemed so impossible; defeated incumbent regimes, many of
which had been in power for decades, is
not lost on Yahya Jammeh. And unlike previous elections, this year, the
Gambian electorate is very animated and alive
to what is at stake this year and we can only hope they will not give in to
fear and the pressures of  Yahya Jammeh’s
“chiefs and so-called governors.”

Fellow countrymen and women, the more than 400,000 registered voters, who
did not cast their ballots in 2006, have a
patriotic obligation to go to the polls this year and vote for UDP’s
Ousainou Darboe. This year, I have broken ranks with
my party leader Hamat Bah at the NRP to support Ousainou Darboe because he
has a better chance of unseating
Yahya Jammeh. Nearly two months ago, I was engaged in discussions with
Ousainou Darboe, Omar Jallow (OJ) and
Hamat Bah to help bring them together, but Hamat Bah’s demand to be the
coalition’s choice for the presidential
candidacy was irrational and unacceptable. The end result is that in my
support for Ousainou Darboe, I chose practical
common sense over tribe, friendship and party affiliation. I am calling on
all Gambians to do the same. For those who do
not know the Ousainou Darboe I grew up and went to high school with; the
Ousainou Darboe raised in a Wollof-Catholic
family by the late United Party leader, Pierre S Njie; the Ousainou Darboe
married to two wives none of who is a
Mandinka; one being Wollof, and the other an Aku; the Ousainou Darboe who
himself raised a Fula girl in his household
to adulthood; and the Ousainou Darboe whose United Democratic Party leaders
consists largely of Fulas, Wollofs and
Akus; and not Mandinkas as his opponents maliciously often insinuate, is
the best and most qualified man vying for the
presidency of our country in these elections. I have complete faith in his
ability to administer our government in an
effective manner, but above all, reunite all Gambians again as one family,
irrespective of tribe, religion or political
affiliation. As a Fula, I am appealing to all Fulas across the country,
especially the Fula Kundankees to put aside the
temptation of tribal affinity and vote for Ousainou Darboe. The Fulas,
Mandinkas and Wollofs in particular must speak
with one voice and vote for UDP’s Darboe. I call on Gambians to vote for
UDP’s Ousainou Darboe for the following
reasons.

As a man born in the heart of Fulladou, Ousainou Darboe does not subscribe
to the delusional notion that Mandinkas
own The Gambia as many older Mandinkas have insinuated in the past, so
minority tribes; in particular the Fulas and
Wollof, will not have that to enrage and anger them.
As Head of State, Ousainou Darboe will ensure the rights of the minority
tribes are protected.
An Ousainou Darboe government will be represented by every Gambian tribe;
not just the majority Mandinka he belongs
to as Yahya Jammeh has done with his Jola tribe.

Ousainou Darboe is well educated and understands government more than Yahya
Jammeh who has not education or
an understanding of government and how to govern effectively.
Unlike Yahya Jammeh, Ousainou Darboe will have a plentiful and ready supply
of well educated Gambians both at home
and abroad who will help to rebuild our country from Yahya Jammeh’s ruinous
reign.
Under Ousainou Darboe, true democracy will flourish, tourism will return
much stronger that it had ever been,
investments will flow in from Europe and America to create employment
opportunities for our youth and Gambians with
knowledge and expertise from every tribe will runs the country.

Under Ousainou Darboe, the presence of a completely free media will
accelerate the diffusion of information and
knowledge so Gambians at home don’t continue to remain ignorant as they
have been the past seventeen years.
The nature of Ousainou Darboe’s character and personality will ensure that
no single tribe is marginalized and there is a
level playing field for every Gambian to achieve their dreams.
Ousainou Darboe is one of the nicest persons Gambians will have an
opportunity to know, a man who smiles easily but
can be tough if needs be.

With Ousainou Darboe as Head of State, arrests, detentions and
imprisonments of innocent citizens will come to an
END; murders, executions and tortures will STOP; the fear, intimidation and
ceasure of citizen property by those in
uniform will end; and Gambians will once again be free to criticize their
government, go about their business without the
hassles of police, military and security check point everywhere. In short,
under Ousainou Darboe the younger
generation will for the first time taste what is like to be BORN FREE in
your own country.

-- 
*
*****************************************************************************
GOD BLESS THE GAMBIA.
LET US JOIN HANDS AND SUPPORT SHEIKH PROFESSOR DR. ALH YAHYA JAMMEH (NASIRU
DEEN) TO BUILD OUR COUNTRY. *


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