News coming from Banjul that the phones of Alliance members were inundated
with calls from APRC supporters pledging support to the newly formed
Alliance, is quite welcome. People that were lured to the AFPRC/APRC through
intimidation and bribery now have confidence in the numbers in the
Opposition Coalition. If GRTS was to parade all these former AFPRC/APRC
supporters, Gambian viewers will be watching TV round the clock. Yaya is
finished. People now see a viable movement that can unseat Yaya.

As we look forward to Sunday and the launch of the official Alliance
campaign, all the APRC grassroots that are changing allegiance as we
write/speak should be encouraged to go to the rally on Sunday. No amount of
intimidation and thuggery can stop this momentum in the Opposition. All the
leaders should come on one platform and support Darboe on Sunday.
Subsequently, the whole country should be toured to spread the Opposition
message.

Our message is an INCLUSIVE one that looks FORWARD. We want to parade
Darboe’s stellar credentials. He brings to the job immense experience second
to none in the country. He has fought hard for many victims in the country.
Stood on his two feet and worked for an honest living outside the
governments of the day. His dedication to his clients (including SM Dibba,
Pap Cheyassin Secka, the late Malick Lowe, to name a few), is unquestioned.
I have all the confidence in the world that given the chance to lead, Darboe
will treat ALL GAMBIANS as his clients. He will fight for them to better
their lives. He will fight for them to ensure that no ones fundamental human
rights are violated. The man that gave many Gambians pro bono services to
fight for their cattle, land, etc, will selflessly fight for our poor
farmers and their children; for their health and education.

As we move to Sunday, I hope Alliance members will come up with genuine
ideas to support the Alliance leader. Darboe should pledge to wipe out
corruption in the country and restore law and order. The butchers that
slaughtered our children should be brought to justice. Darboe should give
our farmers a clear blue-print that will show the farmers that their
groundnuts will be bought at competitive rates INSIDE The Gambia. Darboe
should tell the poor people in the country that he will NOT steal their
money to open Swiss Bank Accounts. Instead, he will revive the tourist
industry, restore Gambia’s GOOD NAME in the international community, and
help remove the sanctions imposed on our people thanks to Yaya’s
Dictatorship.

In short, Darboe will revive our battered economy and engage in meaningful
development projects that will NOT have the net effect of rendering our
people poorer than they were seven years ago. The Alliance has a tent that
has rooms for all Gambians from all walks of life. The Alliance should stay
away from divisive politics; pitting one ethnic group against another or
pitting one ‘class’ of people against another. The Alliance should be
interested in uplifting ALL GAMBIANS. Even the criminals in the current
regime have rights. When we catch up with them, we should show them how law
and order is administered in a country. The contrast between Yaya and Darboe
could not be clearer. You have on the one hand a thug who came to power
through the barrel of the gun; a High School drop-out with no relevant
experience before 1994; a man who in 1994 did not have a savings book. Today
he boasts of being the richest man in the country while his people are
getting poorer. A mental midget that CANNOT move the country forward.

On the other hand you have Ousainou Darboe; a legal luminary, with immense
experience. Spent the best part of his life defending victims of oppression.
A self-made man that NEVER stole from our people. Smart fellow that can
formulate policies to move our country forward. While Yaya is surrounded
with High School drop-outs and thugs like Yankuba Touray and Baabaa Jobe,
Darboe has heavyweights with the wherewithal to move the country forward.
The choice CANNOT be easier. The message has to be given out to the
Gambians.
KB


_________________________________________________________________
Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp

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

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.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------