Dear Musa and UGOA,
Your conference sounds very successful according to the article below and I
congratulate all of you for a job well done.
I would like to purchase a copy of the video tape but I want to know if you
have some in PAL for those of us in Europe or you only have them in NTSC
standard?

BTW, I hope you consider inviting PDOIS too next year.

regards,
Momodou Camara

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Juwara Returns From US With Stark Message

The Independent (Banjul)
NEWS
July 12, 2002
Posted to the web July 12, 2002

By Lamin M. Dibba
Banjul

Gambians in Atlanta in the United States have only a stark message for the
APRC government in that it has woefully failed to either stabilize or improve
The Gambia's economic situation, according to Lamin Waa Juwara.

Juwara who is the organising secretary of the United Democratic Party (UDP)
was representing the Gambian opposition in a symposium by the United
Gambian Organisation of Atlanta on July 5 2002.

He said he has returned from the United States with a stark message
purportedly from Gambians abroad that in view of the dropping standard of
living in The Gambia the APRC government can no longer offer a creditable
guidance to the nation.

According to Mr. Juwara the APRC was also represented at the symposium
attended by high profile Gambian academicians based in the United States
chiefly among them Dr. Abdoulie Saine.

Dr. Saine delivered a paper on the current political situation in The Gambia in
a well-attended meeting.

Juwara said there was a consensus from the attendees that the government
of President Jammeh has not lived up to its promise of improving the
economic condition of Gambians, adding that eight years of promise has
been superseded by eight years of disastrous economic misapplication. He
said Gambians in the United States are exasperated over the fact that the
economic situation continues to deteriorate as the local currency takes an all-
time dive. He said although the Gambians he met admitted that they were
not in the country they are convinced that poverty and other economic
malaise continue to take their tolls on ordinary Gambians, for which the
APRC government must take the blame.

According to Juwara some said it was the biggest gathering of Gambians in
the United States. He said in attendance also were members of the Gambian
Democratic Forum many of who were supporters of the former ruling party.

'It was also clearly spelt out that the opposition in The Gambia such be more
active' he said.

The highlights of the meeting was the presentation by two Gambian women
Siga Jagne and Sofi Ceesay who have been campaigning to raise funds to
help victims of the April 10 and 11 student unrest.

Mr. Juwara added that at the conference pictures of alleged atrocities
committed on innocent Gambian students were shown on a projector.

According to Juwara those present had demanded from groups that the
$20,000 accepted from Jammeh be returned to him since they felt that the
money could have been better spent on the victims of the April 2000 incident.

'They are waiting for Jammeh's proposed visit to Atlanta in September when
contrary to information he (the president) has been receiving his support is
very negligible' he said.

Juwara was also invited to a conference organised by The Gambia Freedom,
Democratic Movement (GFDM) based in Washington DC to discuss issues
pertaining to The Gambia.

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