Friends,

Ebrima and Sanusi's revelation that notwithstanding the abrogation of Decree
89, many First Republic politicians are in effect still banned by other
obnoxious laws might turn out to be a blessing in diguise for the Opposition.
It might well be the case that there wouldn't necessarily be any fundamental
realignment of Opposition policies and or modalities for a tactical coalition
to absorb the Decree 89 politicians. Moreso, Decree 89 politicians will find
it enormously disabling to resuscitate whatever political fortunes they are
left with - INDEPENDENTLY or INDEPENDENT of the current cadre of Opposition
leadership.

Rather, the worst that can befell us is to have some of these Decree 89
politicians lured away by the APRC propaganda machinery and in essence
provide a potential split of the Opposition vote. Even this hypothetical
scenario has only remote chances of being the case. The reason for this is
both logically and morally construed. Reason being chiefly that I doubt very
much if these Decree 89 politicians would be suckered into an unholy alliance
with the APRC: Those who were more likely or prone to be suckered into such
an alliance have already been lured away. Buba Baldeh and Nafa Saho have
already joined the APRC with or without Decree 89. If ever there were others
that were ready to join the APRC, they would have done so on the cues of the
likes Baldeh and Saho. There is, therefore, no need to second guess where the
Decree 89 politicians are heading. Logically, practically and morally there
is no better bosom to accomodate their anxieties, hopes and fears than the
Opposition camp.

Since the law - as it is - largely negates any attempts by the Decree 89
politicians to mount presidential challenges to the incumbency of Jammeh, the
best that lies in front of them, is in the interim to informally associate
themselves with the current cadre of Opposition leadership and aid their
efforts in decapitating the dictatorship of Jammeh. That way, they will be in
a good stead to formally engage in politics in a post- Jammeh Gambia. What,
however, doesn't augur well is to have Opposition pundits second guessing the
intentions, wherewithal or the crimes of these Decree 89.

As everything Gambian goes, most certainly, we will have unproductive
elements engaging in the past-time of rehearsing and regurgigating the same
old anti- PPP sentiments when there are better things to be done with our
time, resources and energies. Worse, our resident historians will do their
damndest to attempt spark fruitless debates about the role of Decree 89
politicians in the current political mess. Fruitless debates that needless to
say, have the propensity to lull us unwittingly into what the APRC and Jammeh
loves best: What were the factors responsible for Jammeh stealing power from
the Gambian peoples in July 1994. Such stuff and story telling have only
academic importance and a great disservice to the efforts of the many who
have died, disappeared and made despondent by the Jammeh Madness. Those who
are genuinely concerned with the gradual withdrawal of basic Gambian decency
by the criminal syndicate that has since July 1994 held the Gambia and the
Gambian peoples hostage, would be expending their energies in formulating
ideas that help to deliver the Gambia and the Gambian peoples from such a
state of affairs.

All the best,

Hamjatta Kanteh

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