In a message dated 24/08/2001 11:40:31 GMT Daylight Time,
[log in to unmask] writes:


> <<  We in NCP are not opposed
> to an Alliance.  We are, however, opposed to this suicidal
> marriage between the UDP and PPP.  We want equity and
> fairness.  A PPP comeback will result in retaliation,
> especially on APRC's supporters. >>


Jassey-Conteh,

Can you kindly enlighten us on this so-called "suicidal marriage between the
PPP and the UDP"? How did this come about? Who concocted the conspiracy? Who
was present at the concoction of the conspiracy? Who said what?

You don't do yourself any good when you continue to ramble incessantly about
rehashed APRC rumours and still expect to command the respect of your
presumed allies - in this case those who support the Alliance. It is
certainly the case that the way Alliance progressed into being leaves much to
be desired and i would dearly have loved to see things go in a manner more
agreeable to democrats. Given the premise and my convictions as a liberal, i
support the current Alliance because i knew they made a wise choice in Mr
Darbo and given the expediency involved in the negotiations, it was never
going to be your ideal democratic convention. Some political parties,
consumed by their desire to pose and grandstand, want a royal banquet to
announce the formation of the Alliance. When this royal treatment was not to
be the case, they resorted to their usual escape routes: oh, well they were
always left in the dark about the negotiations; then they can feign ignorance
and proclaim that in principle they are not opposed to Alliance. That escape
route is simply exhausted. I propose that even if their demands of royal
treatment were met, they will always have something rolled up their sleeves
to use in a plethora of demurrers. With this kind of attitudes towards
cooperation, when will an Alliance come to being, especially when elections
are but two months away? The fact of the matter will always be that after the
abrogation of Decree 89 and the resuscitation of the PPP, some parties were
never going to part of a political alliance that has the heavy presence of
the PPP. This will remain the incontrovertible fact. This fact plus their
deep seated ambivalence on the Jammeh question are the reasons why they are
not part of the Alliance and will never be part of it.

 But the idea that the Alliance is a PPP concoction is silly stuff. The fact
will always remain that Dibba lost out because he wasn't able to garner
enough votes from those present at the meeting; and since he seemed to be
under the impression that he SHOULD lead the coalition, this was not
acceptable to him and he walked out in anger and then came up with wild horse
conspiracy theories of PPP back-stabbing. This is the incontrovertible fact
that cannot be spun. As it is, this endless post-mortems of the Alliance's
birth and trading recriminations serves none but the dictatorship. As i
understand it, talks are still going on and there is a glimmer of hope that
Dibba and the rest of the Opposition - genuinely opposed to Jammeh - could be
coopted into the scheme of things. I pray the current deadlock in the talks
become a things of the past and a broader Alliance is in place before the
elections.

Let me end this by categorically stating that i support no particular party.
Any party that is resolutely opposed to Jammeh and has no ambivalence
whatsoever in the fight to decapitate the dictatorship, is my party. My
allegiance is to the Gambia and the Gambian peoples. Matter of fact, the only
party that i have never attacked on this forum is the NRP. I repeat it is
Jammeh and all he stands for that i'm interested in bludgeoned to death; and
any party that resolutely embarks on a crusade to fight Jammeh, has my
support. This is my position vis-a-vis support for particular political
parties in the Gambia.

All the best,

Hamjatta Kanteh

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