Mr Conteh, I honest to goodness just wish I could for one moment fathom
exactly what it is you want for Gambia and the people trying to do their best
to make it a better place. For all the postings you send on Gambia-L and the
meeting I had with you when you came to DC for the ALD you still strike me as
an enigma. I am tempted to believe that you are passionate about removing the
murderous regime of Yahya Jammeh and restoring a constitutional democracy and
that is a goal you share with an overwhelming majority of your fellow
citizens including the politicians on the ground. Where I think  where you
depart with most people is your quixotic and inflexible approach to
formulating a solution. Does it ever occur to you that people generally have
to be persuaded to come to a concessus? You do the Gambian cause no good by
engaging in an orgy of self defeating harangue. You have every right to
strongly take objections to the direction any political party takes, but it
is utterly unfair for you to boil down our entire national question to your
own opaque vision. You convince yourself that for reasons you have not shared
with members of this list that the political parties are steadfastly refusing
our collective call for a coalition. This is not true and you know it. You
have personally met with Ousainou Darboe and he has told you that all of the
opposition parties should come together to mount a united front and that he
and his party are not only committed to such a front but they were actively
pursuing that goal. He also told you the UDP is undertaking the talks with no
conditions. He also told you he has had some progress with the NRP and would
issue an invitation for all the opposition parties to meet as soon as he
returns to Gambia. You have similarly heard Mr Halifah Sallah and Mr Hamat
Bah articulate their positions regarding our calls for a united opposition.
Our role as advocates of this important goal is to keep nudging these
politicians towards our desire for  a single front. Condemnations and
propounding far fetched theories about the presumed motivations of
individuals or parties is not the right way to get the job done. You have no
facts to support your unfounded fears. You imply that the UDP is pursuing a
selfish agenda by going to Gambians around this country and soliciting their
support and explaining their vision for the Gambia. Since when is it
inappropriate for politicians who by definition must interact with the
citizens they seek to represent to go around and do just that? I have
attended three such meetings in Newyork , DC and North Carolina and I will
tell it is participatory democracy at it's best.You have got to help us all
achieve our objectives for the only country we have within the context of
what is possible and rational. You cannot force the party of PDOIS to
promptly set aside their strong convictions that it is more democratic for
all parties to test their strength in the first round of voting and then
consider an alliance on the second round. This argument of theirs has merit
even as I believe that Gambia is facing existential issues in the upcoming
elections making defeating a government of criminals and murderers a much
higher priority than validating the finer accoutrements of democracy.My task
and that of others should hence focus on persuading PDOIS that a Gambia
grounded on full-fledged democracy would best serve the legitimate interests
of all political parties. In the end good ideas and the people who strongly
advocate them is what is going to lead our people to better horizons.
Misdirected outrage will do you and the causes you advocate no good. I
suggest this as friendly advice because I know deep inside you do care. Of
the thousands of Gambians in these United States, you are among the few who
propose to actively work for change and it is my wish that you settle for a
mode that can bring the most success.
Karamba

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L
Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html
You may also send subscription requests to [log in to unmask]
if you have problems accessing the web interface and remember to write your full name and e-mail address.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------