Thank you guys for sharing this valuable information with the sensible people of the world. I love hearing people talk sense. This is the type of information sensible Gambians on the L need to hear. Please consider me a member in this organisation. I am ready to contribute anything to support this organisation. May ALLAH bless our mission! Jimo Kejera >From: Pasamba Jow <[log in to unmask]> >Reply-To: The Gambia and related-issues mailing list ><[log in to unmask]> >To: [log in to unmask] >Subject: The Establishment of a PDOIS Support Group >Date: Thu, 8 Jun 2000 01:07:56 GMT > > THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A PDOIS SUPPORT GROUP > >Drawing lessons from Halifa Sallah's speeches in Washington D.C and New >York > that as member of the PDOIS leadership that; the Gambian people must not >surrender their sovereign rights to determine the affairs of their country >to a small group they called politicians as if it is the birth right of a >few to lead the country but must accept that they have a voice and power to >dictate where their country is to head to; > that keeping the people ignorant has enabled a few people at the helm >to subject them to inducement and intimidation in order to seize their >birth right to determine how their country is governed; > that economically the Gambia is sinking and what is seen as development >in the Gambia is a by product of heavy borrowing amounting to 1800 million >dalasis between 1994 to date; > that with an inherited debt burden of 3000 million dalasis, Gambia now >has to settle 4.8 billion dalasis worth of loans; > that the state employs less than 15,000 employees while the private >sector employs approximately 20,000 in a situation where the 132,000 >children in our primary schools in 1996 would be seeking employment within >the next ten years; > that democracy must be more than mere voting every five years to retain >or change faces; > that it should be a tool of empowering the people to gauge the >programmes of political parties and make informed choices; > that PDOIS aims to provide a new kind of leadership to the Gambian >people; > that its concept of democracy is that the people must both be >enlightened and empowered to select committees at the village and ward >levels to take part in monitoring the development projects at that level >as well as safeguard the rights of the residents; > that the income of representatives must be proportional to the income >of >other professionals in the public service and should be required to put >the >national interest before their personal interest; > that constitutions and electoral laws and other instrument of >governance or representation should be made known to the people so that >political leadership will not be mystified. > That PDOIS aims to promote awareness for each Gambian to refuse to be >any ones tool to get to power; that it strive to eradicate politics base on >ethnicity, religious bigotry, gender chauvanism and any other form of >sectionalism; that it hopes for the emergence of a Gambian who is >conscious of ones worth and the importance of being a part of a nation, >Africa and progressive humanity; > that in the economic sphere PDOIS calls for the management of public >finance and public corporations in such a way that they facilitate the >growth of productive base of the national economy; > that foreign investment will compliment and not be a substitute for >self >reliant initiatives, that all economic actors and actresses would be >encourage to corporate to enhance production and greater welfare and >security; > that loans and aid will be a supplement to self reliant initiatives >rather than a basis of indebtedness and conditionality; > that PDOIS calls for a government which can earn the respect of the >African and international community because of enlarging the awareness of >the Gambian people and ensuring their complete control of the Gambia >through >various forms of peoples participation schemes that could serve as an >example of a country where leaders are humble servants of a people; > that PDOIS calls for a government where the leaders would prefer to >resign when they are confronted with conditionalities that will not serve >the interest of the people; > > > We the people who are convince of these opinions have decided to >established a PDOIS SUPPORT GROUP with the following objectives; > To ensure; > 1. That we give the widest dessemination of all information produced by >PDOIS so that the disinformation regarding PDOIS policies , positions and >programmes would be eliminated. > > 2. That Gambians in the US are informed of all developments in the >country irrespective of party affiliation or political opinion or >otherwise so that they can make informed choices. > > 3. That resources are mobilised to support the Nursery schools, Adult >literacy programmes, Civic education initiatives, Disaster relief projects >and other activities designed to strive or enlighten the people to be free >from ignorance. > > 4. That Gambians take part in struggling for standards of governance to >be established irrespective of party affiliation so that we can always act >in common to combat human right abuses and other and other abuse of >authority. > > 5. That the Gambians abroad can come together to influence the >independent electoral commission to implement the powers given to it by >section 141 of the Election decree to facilitate the participation of >Gambians abroad as voters in presidential elections. > > The group has the following contact addresses at the moment to >facilitate >coordination of activities pending its further restructuring by those who >will become members. > > >Contacts: > >Pa Samba Jow Mbye Ceesay >(763)531 8216 (614) 818 9474 > [log in to unmask] >________________________________________________________________________ >Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com > >---------------------------------------------------------------------------- > >To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L >Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html > >---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html ----------------------------------------------------------------------------