Malanding,
        All the questions you asked are  intricately tied to the question of 
sovereignty and sovereign being. People who  are capable of making their own 
decisions, and to what extend those decisions  impact on the overall dynamics 
of changing the course of our political  history. 
    
      Consider the political history of the  Gambia, and the kinds of 
relations that has ensued between those who govern and  the people; the 
characteristics of those relations, and how far they have gone  to perpetuating a status 
quo that is both entrenched and ingrained in the minds  of people. 
 
       The Gambia is a very diverse  country both in terms of people and 
their interests relations. This diversity  and interest relations does impinge on 
the political reality, such that overtly  or covertly it does influence and 
shape the outcome of our political  deliberations. The question therefore is: 
does this diversity and interest  relations shape the outcome negatively or 
positively? 
 
       From my own standpoint, and I believe  from the standpoint of PDOIS, 
the most fundamental question is the unifying  factor; the one constant that 
holds the country together. A political order that  is rooted in law, and a 
constitution that embodies the aims and aspirations  of our diverse interest. 
 
       The question why  PDOIS can or cannot seemingly make an impact for the 
last 20  years, should be considered within the context of the various 
possibilities  you have explored. Is it because of tribal politics or political 
ignorance? Is  it because of a lack of good delivery system or that the message 
was too complex  for people to understand? Are there any metrics to gauge the 
impact of  PDOIS's effectiveness or lack thereof to the people? 
 
     The only way I can respond to the metrics of  gauging the effectiveness 
of PDOIS's orientation programs, both social and  political, is to look at it 
from an analogous viewpoint. If you have a well  of knowledge, and a lot of 
people drink from that well, how are we going to know  the people who drank from 
the well if they didn't say so themselves. 
 
     Unfortunately, there has never been any recourse  in which PDOIS or any 
other person for that matter can carry out polls or  surveys to determine the 
effectiveness of their programs or policies. However,  there are some which 
are quite visible. Also, a lot of people have gained from  PDOIS's political 
orientation, including my humble self.  Again how can you  quantify that without 
carrying out a poll or survey to determine who and  how many are they. May be 
you should conduct a poll or survey, and we will all  learn from it.
 
     Rene



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