The worst thing that could have happened to the opposition in recent times
is the repeal of decree 89 by the government. Decree 89 gave many of our
opposition stalwarts a common interest by being grouped together against a
common enemy. Now that what bound them together so closely has evaporated,
the opposition seems to be at the cross-roads. While Mr. SM Dibba and Hassan
Musa Camara are studying President Jammeh's pronouncement on the issue, it
has been rumoured in town that OJ and Ousainou Njie are comtemplating
forming a new party. The resurrection of the PPP, though doubtful, cannot be
ruled out. Some are saying that a merger or strategic/tactical alliance
between the UDP, GPP and NCP also seem unlikely. Some are even speculating
that the repeal of decree 89 may be the last nail in the coffin of the NRP.
Another scenario is what effect a resurrected NCP would have on the UDP.
Meanwhile the clock is ticking and the APRC are delivering on their promises
to the Gambian people.

Have a good day, Gassa.

>From: Dampha Kebba <[log in to unmask]>
>Reply-To: The Gambia and related-issues mailing list
> ><[log in to unmask]>
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Decree 89 Politicians
>Date: Wed, 25 Jul 2001 12:24:47 -0400
>
>I join Jessey-Conteh in his call to Decree 89 politicians to join the
>current Opposition to unseat the Dictatorship in the country. Clearly,
>these
>politicians belong in the Opposition. After all, Yaya stole power from them
>in 1994 and continues to this day to lie about their record. So, apart from
>low-lives like Buba Baldeh, all these politicians should NOT associate
>themselves with the people that usurped power from a democratically elected
>government.
>
>What we have here, is Yaya yet again administering another nail in his own
>coffin. The moron’s calculations are going to backfire big time. APRC knew
>that so long as this Decree was in place, that will taint the entire
>elections process even absent of tangible evidence that the ballots were
>rigged. Yaya and his cohorts might be stupid, but they know that much. With
>the Decree in place, the Opposition need NOT prove vote rigging on Election
>Day or months leading to elections in order to convince the international
>community that the elections was NOT free and fair. So, Yaya decided to
>lift
>the unconstitutional ban imposed on certain Gambian politicians in order to
>preempt charges that the elections were rigged. This is all that this
>gimmickry is worth. The Opposition will not point to Decree 89 to justify
>rigging. But as the powerful UDP ‘open letter’ showed, there are numerous
>other things we can point to in order to show that the elections are being
>rigged. To name a few: the chaotic re-registration exercise. Lack of media
>access. Lies spread on GRTS on a daily basis regarding ‘defections’ to the
>APRC. Gabriel Roberts’ attempts to tamper with ballot boxes. Arrest and
>unlawful incarceration of the APRC opponents. Rampant bribery to win
>support
>for the government. So, Decree 89 (one form of rigging) might be gone, but
>we have other things to deal with. The bottom-line is that Yaya CANNOT win
>a
>free and fair election in the country. The moron knows that and all his
>supporters know that. He has nothing to offer us beside misery. He has
>stolen from our people and continues to brutalize innocent Gambians. The
>High School dropout does NOT have a vision that can move the country
>forward. Decent Gambians have no reason to vote for him. Knowing that, he
>will try to use intimidation, bribery and criminal behavior to win the
>elections. It is incumbent on decent Gambians to ensure that the man does
>NOT force himself onto us. We do NOT need a child-murderer that goes around
>ordering the slaughter of innocent and defenseless children as our leader.
>
>I am encouraged in my belief that this decision about Decree 89 will
>backfire on Yaya, when I read Gambian newspapers and saw that Assan Musa
>Camara spoke to Jawara about the Decree. APRC is calculating that they can
>split the Opposition by encouraging the ex-politicians to resuscitate their
>old parties. The Decree 89 politicians must not fall for this cheap
>gimmick.
>It is their patriotic duty to join the Opposition and help clean a mess
>they
>somewhat helped create in the first place. The Decree 89 politicians should
>all rally behind one presidential candidate that is going to be fielded by
>the current Opposition. Once that president is in place, all politicians in
>the country can participate under any banner they want come the
>parliamentary elections in January 2002. Now is not the time to revisit old
>rivalries and resuscitate old parties. In the same spirit that the Decree
>89
>politicians and the current Opposition converged in London on the same
>platform, they should come together for the larger Gambian good. APRC
>CANNOT
>withstand an assault from a Coalition of ALL political parties in the
>country. The writing is clearly on the wall that Yaya’s days are numbered.
>Here is a chance for the Decree 89 politicians to vindicate themselves by
>joining the current Opposition behind ONE Presidential candidate to unseat
>Yaya. The current Opposition should announce a SINGLE candidate as soon as
>possible and seek the endorsement of the PPP, NCP and GPP Decree 89
>politicians. We need NOT drive away these Gambians from the home they
>belong
>naturally: the Opposition. OJ should be encouraged to go to Serrekunda and
>partake in an Opposition rally and canvass with Opposition leaders. S.M.
>Dibba should go to his people in Banjul and Baddibu to campaign for the
>Opposition. Assan Musa Camara MUST neutralize Buba Baldeh. The current
>Opposition should go after these leaders vigorously and convince them to
>join the Opposition. We need them.
>KB
>
>
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