Hmmmm!

 "Fatoumatta Jallow" <[log in to unmask]> wrote:



> Amadou, i know some people would  bend their heads down when they read
this. saying something is onething but adhering to it is another. Are we
being let down by those who did not adhere to their words?
>
>   Amadu Kabir Njie <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>   It's barely a year ago!
> Regards,
>
> Kabir.
>
>
> OPPOSITION PARTIES UNITE
> By Surakata Danso and Sarjo Camara
>
> Representatives of five opposition political parties appended their
signatures on an agreement known as the Memorandum of Understanding at Palm
Grove Hotel on Monday 17th January 2005 in the presence of supporters and
independent observers. The Memorandum of Understanding is supposed to bind
the five political parties in their pronouncements and actions during the
period of their union.
>
> The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) establishes an alliance known as the
National Alliance for Democracy and Development (NADD). NADD is not only
interested in replacing the ruling party but to effect far reaching changes
in governance. Hence, according to the MOU the goal of the alliance is to
put an end to self-perpetuating rule and unsure the empowerment of the
people. Furthermore, a presidential candidate shall be selected in due
course but in the spirit of averting self-perpetuating rule the elected
president is not permitted by the MOU to serve for more than one term or to
even give support to a presidential candidate. The members of the executive
who comprise two members of each political party emphasized in their
statements that NADD has come into being in order to carry out
rectification.
>
> The signing ceremony was opened by the chairman of the provisional
coalition Mr. Assan Musa Camara. He was later elected as the chairman of
NADD at the end of the signing ceremony. His opening statement is published
in this issue. After the opening statement the entire text of the MOU was
read by the Coordinator of the provisional coalition Halifa Sallah. He was
later elected Coordinator of NADD. After this two representatives of each
political party was invited one after the other to sign the MOU. The party
leaders were then called upon to sign a declaration committing themselves to
the letter and spirit of the MOU. The ceremony ended with a press conference
by the coordinator.
>
> NADD COORDINATOR HOLDS PRESS BRIEFING
>
> Halifa Sallah, who as on Monday elected Coordinator of the Opposition
Coalition, has indicated that the National Alliance for Democracy and
Development (NADD), which will be registered as a political entity, will
have its own colour, emblem and motto.
>
> Sallah said the Presidential Candidate for the Alliance in the forthcoming
presidential election will be selected by the Executive Committee of the
Alliance by consensus, and if that fails, they will resort to primaries.
>
> "The term of the first President Elect of the Alliance will be only one
five year term, and that person is a candidate of the Alliance, and will not
support a political party and will not stand for a second term," he
remarked.
>
> Sallah said the Memorandum of Understanding signed by the leaders of the
various political parties will be translated into local languages and Arabic
and published for every Gambian to have access to it.
>
> "There will be a mass distribution of this memorandum. We will be
translating it in the local languages and put it in cassettes, and
disseminate the cassettes. We want the people to understand what the
Alliance is all about, to see that it is above political parties. It is a
supreme organ to which all member parties agreed to surrender part of their
sovereignty. We want that to be understood. At the launching, its motto, its
emblem, its symbol and colour will also be disseminated," he remarked.
>
> He said the Technical Committee will work out a Code of Conduct and each
party is supposed to take that Code of Conduct to sensitize its members, so
that if they stand on a political platform that will guide them.
>
> "In that sense, we hope we will introduce a new brand of politics in The
Gambia, one that is based on maturity, one that is based on the popular
interest. Lastly, the state media is supposed to disseminate divergent views
according to section 207 of the constitution. That is the requirement. We
are going to insist on that. We want to be seen as an alternative
government," he posited.
>
> He said they will appeal to the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) to
reconvene the multi-party committee so that all political parties will meet
periodically to look at the democratic process.
>
> "Democracy is more than voting. The whole process of public sensitization,
the whole process of how you translate your programme to the people matters
and the Elections Decree which the IEC is supposed to administer states
categorically that the objective of a political party is to disseminate its
programmes and policies to the wider public. This means the state media
should be open and we are going to work very hard to make sure that is
respected," he remarked.
>
> STATEMENTS BY POLITICAL LEADERS
>
>
> STATEMENT BY LAMIN WAA JUWARA OF NDAM
>
> What we have formulated here today is a commitment to make sure that we
free our country. Ho Chi Minh of Vietnam once said that the freedom of the
Vietnamese people is as precious as the life of each and every Vietnamese.
We are undertaking to free the Gambian people. This is a task that no
individual can accomplish alone. It is a task for the entire Gambian people,
including those on the other side of the political divide. We want them to
come and join us. What is at stake here is not an electoral alliance. It is
more than electoral alliance. What we want to achieve is to make sure we
prevent what has happened in our sister republics from happening to The
Gambia. And the only way to do that is to be united, to stand and be counted
and wake up from our slumber. That is the message to be given to every
Gambian in every hamlet and we will not spare any effort not to do that.
>
> Our lives have been reduced to arbitrary arrests, detentions, torture and
imprisonment. The time has come for the Gambian people to show the rest of
the world that Gambia has been sliding gradually to conflict. We are people
of peace and we will make sure that we stem that process and restore sanity
in our home. What I have seen today and in the past months have done a lot
to give us courage, because people of conscience have started to speak. You
must remember, there is no easy road to peace. What we are doing today is
not just electioneering but to rectify everything that has gone wrong so
that we will gain our respectability among nations despite our small size.
>
> HON. HAMAT N.K. BAH, SECRETARY GENERAL, NRP
>
> We in the National Reconciliation Party have accepted the idea of an
alliance of opposition parties in our beloved country because it has become
a successful method of removing incumbents from power. Besides, this unity
has become a necessity in the interest of strengthening our democracy. Our
party is convinced that if the alliance succeeds it is capable of creating a
secure society where people can participate either directly or indirectly in
every aspect of national development without fear of intimidation or
harassment.
>
> Mr. Chairman, colleagues in the prospective alliance, invited guest,
ladies and gentlemen, Gambians are more than ever before longing for a
Gambia devoid of tribalism, provocation, character assassination and
impunity. We are fighting for a Gambia that would be endowed with a
leadership that would be sensitive to the plight of their people, a
leadership that would manifest total respect for human and peoples' rights,
good governance, the right to freedom of _expression and of the press and
divergent views as enshrined in our constitution. And more so respect for
the legislature and the judiciary. A leadership that would preserve and
depoliticise our traditional institutions so as to strengthen national
unity. Production center for the sub region for employment generation.
>
> SIDIA JATTA, CHAIRPERSON PDOIS
>
> This signing ceremony is not a drama. We are not actors and actresses. You
are not spectators. This is history in the making and we are all part of the
process.
>
> This is why we became a Republic in 1970. We moved from a country where
sovereignty resided in the British crown to a country where sovereignty
resides in the people and the country. They should say how this country is
to be governed. Any government must derive its legitimacy from the people
and it can only maintain its legitimacy by enhancing their liberty and
prosperity. This is why we in PDOIS are inspired by the goal of the
Alliance. "The goal of the Alliance is to put an end to self-perpetuating
rule, ensure the empowerment of the people so that they can participate in
sustainable development."
>
> Empowerment is what the sovereign citizens of the Gambia lack. This is why
they are yet to fully become the owners of the country. An owner must have
the power to decide what is to be done with his or her property. The Gambian
people are yet to display such sense of ownership of the Gambia.
>
> An owner must be able to hold those he/she entrusts with the management of
his/her property accountable. The people in the Gambia are yet to assume
such a responsibility. The fact each of us should realize is that the
Gambian people have the power to check any abuse of authority by their
leaders. This is why they have the power to cast their vote every five
years. They can change representatives who happen to misrepresent them every
five years. This is why they should see their vote as means of expressing
their power and have their say on how their country is run and who will run
it on their behalf, it does require insults, slander, antagonism,
sectionalism, tribalism, religion and intolerance. This is the moment of
truth and the moment of decision. The Alliance should give the facts to the
people and the truth shall enable them to know how to exercise their
sovereign powers to determine who is to be given their affairs.
>
> We in PDOIS have long advocated for the slogan that representatives are
mere public trustees or servants of the people. This is corroborated by
section 112 of the constitution, which states:
>
> "The responsibilities of the members of the National Assembly shall
include the following -
>
> (a) all members shall maintain the dignity of the National Assembly both
during the sittings of the National Assembly and in their acts and
activities outside the National Assembly;
>
> (b) all members shall regard themselves as servants of the people of The
Gambia, desist from any conduct by which they seek improperly to enrich
themselves from the people, and shall discharge their duties and functions
in the interest of the nation as a whole and in doing so shall be influenced
by the dictates of conscience and the national interest."
>
> This is the type of leadership that the country needs in. the 21st
century.
>
> We in the PDOIS are inspired that we have not come together to form an
alliance just to share positions and benefits. We have mutually pledged that
the protection of the people and National -Interest shall be our supreme
goal. We have made our goals public so that our practice shall be judged by
our precepts. We vow that we will never be found wanting in backing percepts
with practice. This is the challenge posed by our generation. We want to
assure all of you that we will equal the challenge.
>
> MR. OUSAINOU DARBOE, SECRETARY GENERAL AND PARTY LEADER OF THE UDP
>
> It is with a great sense of pride and achievement that I participate in
this historic and groundbreaking event. It is an event that is the climax of
months of frank and sincere discussions among the five signatory Parties.
This has been possible because of our patriotism and the love we have for
our dear country. This event demonstrates that the opposition parties in the
Gambia can subordinate party interests to supreme national interest and this
is what makes it extremely significant.
>
> A few years ago, indeed a few months ago, nobody would have thought that
this was possible. As a matter of fact, when the inter party talks began
skeptics prophesied that they will lead to nowhere. They had under estimated
the yearning of the majority of the Gambian people for a better Gambia, a
Gambia in which peace will reign in the streets and in all corners, a Gambia
where the rule of law will be supreme, and where there will be justice and
fair play for all citizens, a Gambia where there will be tolerance and
understanding at all strata of society, a Gambia where security for every
one is assured. This is the new Gambia' that we aspire to create for
ourselves and for generations yet unborn.
>
> Mr. Chairman, as we append our names and signatures to this Memorandum of
Understanding, we open a new page in this country's history. We are
confident in the rightness of our cause and the justice of our mission. We
believe that this is the right path to rescuing our country from the
decadence and ruin in which it has been plunged. The present Administration
has failed this country and the entire country is crying out for change and
this Alliance we have just established will serve the Gambian nation as the
vehicle for the change it so much needs and deserves.
>
> Mr. Chairman, today we rededicate and once again commit ourselves to
bringing change through the ballot box, change with the consent of the
people, the will of the people and the hearts of people.
>
> Let the whole world bear witness that we, representing the majority of the
Gambian population, have solemnly decided to come together and work together
for the common good of all Gambians and we invite all Gambians who have
concern for the welfare and future of this country to join us in this
crusade to salvage our country and re establish the lost dignity and respect
for all Gambians both within the country and abroad. This is a sacred duty
for all Gambians
>
> This event is as significant as it is historic. Never in the annals of
post colonial history has any country in Africa or anywhere else,
experienced a situation when all parties outside the government came
together to form an alliance. We know therefore, that we will succeed
because the masses are with us and behind us.
>
> Omar A. Jallow (O.J.) Secretary General of the Peoples Progressive Party
>
> Today is a good day, because it has taken almost two years for us to get
to where we have gotten to today. After painstaking and genuine negotiations
on the way forward, after months, and weeks and days and nights of placing
together a plan of action for the people of this country, who have called on
us to come together as one party, I can today say that we have answered that
call. Today Ladies and gentlemen we (NDAM, NRP, PDIOS, PPP and UDP) have put
our differences aside, focused on our common objective, which is the common
wish of most Gambians and joined forces to form a National Alliance for
Democracy and Development (NADD).
>
> It is this because the youth, women, and men of this country yearn for an
opportunity to choose a better alternative party in a little less than
twenty months from now. The past and the present situations in Gambia have
taught us that things cannot continue as they are. The Gambia cannot afford
to continue to be governed the way it has been. As long as our schools
remain over crowded, our teachers and nurses under paid, our youth
unemployed, our civil service politicized and inefficient, our media
threatened, freedom to state what is right censored, our nation divided, our
economy collapsing, and poverty rising, the future will remain bleak.
>
> And that is why we all must move in a different direction; a new direction
that seeks to improve the lot of the majority. A future that guarantees
opportunity to all, for all, and by all to speak freely, live freely, and be
able to provide for one's family daily.
>
> Today is a good day, ladies and gentlemen, because we have seen the light
peep over the dark clouds that have covered this nation for over a decade
now.
>
> We have heard the rolling thunder pass over the land and yet we fear not
its threats but are emboldened and encouraged by this new dawn. From this
day on we know we are living in a time of rejuvenated hope, a time of work
together for the common good. A time of sincerity to our selves, to each
other and most importantly to those who have asked for this Alliance, the
Gambian People.
>
> The Gambians abroad have also played a key role in strengthening the need
for a viable, vibrant and emboldened alternative in Gambian politics. Our
thanks go to all of them who have supported, challenged and facilitated in
many ways the journey that has led to this new arrival today NADD, since the
first forum two years ago in Atlanta.
>
> Ladies and gentlemen, in the coming months NADD will need every single
person that wants this country to move forward; toward a direction of
justice, freedom, economic opportunity, liberty, and security for all,
irrespective of gender, creed, economic status or ethnic origin. We will
need the intellectuals, the professionals, the artists, the laborers, the
market women, the farmers, the youth groups, the unions, the associations,
village communities and everyone, to come together and join NADD in this
journey toward 2006.
>
> We will unveil the manifesto, choose our candidate and ask for volunteers
to help with fundraising, campaigning and voter mobilization as well as
civic education. There is much work to be done. But we started years ago,
even though this is just the beginning, a new day has come- for you, for me,
for all of us, for our children, for The Gambia our homeland, because today
is a good day!
>
> ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤
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