"The leadership of the UDP/NRP Alliance is very conversant with the laws  of 
The Gambia and in particular laws regulating and governing election  matters. 
Probably if the views of some people who are part of the UDP/NRP  Alliance 
were heeded the legal and constitutional mess created by the  registration of 
NADD would have been averted."


 
Well, in view of the above pronouncement, the billion dollar questions I  
would like to ask are these. If the intentions of the UDP/NRP to forge  an 
alliance with the other opposition parties were sincere and genuine and  They were 
not seeking and have never sought power for its sake as  they say, then one 
must necessarily ask:
 
1. where were all these learned legal minds who claim to  be "conversant with 
the laws of 
The Gambia and in particular laws  regulating and governing election matters" 
when the formation of NADD was  presented to them and they accepted it?
 
2. Where were these capable legal minds when the MOU was being put  together 
so they could lend their legal expertise to make sure they applied the  above 
mentioned knowledge to ensure no problems arose with the terms outlined in  
the document?
 
3. And even if these capable legal minds did not take part in formulating  
the MOU ( and if so, then shame on them) where were they when it was time to  
review it and make sure that nothing jeopadizes this golden opportunity for all  
those who profess to love and dedicate themselves to the service of our 
country  and our people to join hands and pool resources together to save mother 
Gambia  from the APRC beast that is devouring our country and our people on a 
daily  basis? Surely nothing could be more urgent or more important for all 
patriotic  sons and daughters who are not driven by personal aggrandizement and 
lust for  power to make certain that this document was in order?. Surely no one 
with  such legal expertise or who has such legal expertise available to them  
should ever have to affix their signature to a document they  vehemently 
disagree with, especially a document that spells out an agreement  such as this if 
your intention was to really abide by the agreement?
 
3. Where were they when the registration of NADD as a political  party was 
proposed to them and upon reviewing the MOU, their legal  expertise led them to 
the conclusion they are now claiming as the reason  they left NADD? Then what 
exactly was the reason they did not scream as  loud as possible to oppose it 
for the sake of salvaging the alliance for the  interest of Gambia and the long 
suffering Gambian public if their intentions in  this regards were genuine? 
 
4. Where were they when they held a grand signing ceremony of the NADD MOU  
kindling a hope in our people that they later trampled upon?
 
5. Where were they when they jointly agreed to sponsor candidates under the  
NADD ticket?
 
One would have thought that these capable legal minds who want to lead a  
country forward would have never agreed to put pen to paper to sign unto  
something that their legal expertise told them was flawed in the first place  instead 
of using it as an excuse after the fact or was that the plan?
 
Besides,  UDP & NRP were still in NADD after the same  court ruling that Mr 
Darboe is quoting as the reason they cannot  re-join NADD now was made and they 
still went on to field a NADD candidate  in the by-elections. Why did they 
not leave NADD there and then even if their  legal expertise missed all the 
above mentioned opportune times to object to the  MOU up to that time?
 
The proposal by the UDP/NRP alliance to have NADD join them and just leave  
the rest of the details to be worked out according to the constitution is not  
one made in good faith by someone who wants to  see the opposition  unite  or 
who wants to see real change in our political system, nor  does it reflect the 
legal expertise that is being claimed here because our  constitution is in 
tatters and anyone who wants to conduct business under a new  government 
according to the present constitution that Yaya Jammeh has  altered beyond 
recognition to legitimize his criminal acts against our people  signals a scary prospect 
indeed. 
Such a proposal in my view was put forth because the UDP/NRP  alliance is not 
interested in any reconcilliation of the opposition to  save Gambians from a 
brutal dictatorship. They simply still foolishly think they  can win come 
September or they think they can bamboozle their colleagues in NADD  to surrender 
to them and tote the line like Mr Hamat Bah so Ousainou Darboe  can fulfill 
his dreams of becoming President.
 
 They knew no one in their right minds who had the interest of our  people 
and our country at heart would agree to such a preposterous and  insincere 
proposal. 
 
This agenda of the UDP/NRP alliance is clearly manifested in this  response 
and in the almost daily.barrage of UDP/NRP supporters' writings on this  list 
as well as in other Gambian online papers where they shamelessly engage in  
manifesting the most blatant hatred, mostly towards the person of Halifa Sallah  
that I have ever seen Gambians engage in even at the expense  of sounding 
totally clueless about what it is that really matters  here. And what is it that 
Halifa Sallah and NADD are guilty of except  wanting the best for all Gambians 
and having the capability and competence to  bring about such change? 
 
What a shame that when our country and our people are at their most needy  
hour, all these biased, power seeking and yes tribalists have to offer us  is a 
daily dose of hatred for their compatriots that is so evident in their  
writings in which one can clearly see that it is certainly not  intelligence and a 
dedication to what is best for all Gambia's people that  guides them, but 
rather the propagation of self interest even at the expense of  our national 
interest. The question we must make sure we ask ourselves in the  face of such is 
this. Can we in Africa afford to continue to lend our support to  such backward 
thinking individuals and still hope to have results that are  different from 
what we have had for far too many years and which has  brought us to where we 
are today? As someone said, to engage in that exercise is  the definition of 
insanity.
 
If Gambians want to see a change that is real, and not just another window  
dressing exercise with dubious agenda, a change that is sincere, genuine and  
something they can truly experience, and which will come as a  result of the 
work and dedication of capable and truly dedicated people  whose only desire is 
to do what is best for ALL Gambians regardless of ethnic,  religious or tribal 
affiliation, a Gambia where you do not have to be  afraid to speak your mind 
or support the political party of your choice, then  PLEASE DO SOMETHING GOOD 
FOR YOURSELVES AS WELL AS ALL YOUR FELLOW GAMBIANS AND  VOTE FOR NADD come 
September 22!!
 
 
Jabou Joh

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