Hi! Frightening events in The Gambia seem to be overtaking my ability to express surprise. The latest is a rather serious one that reminds me of what I saw in Jamaica in 1987. The campaign for the Jamaican elections had just begun and hearing the announcement on radio of a JLP rally, I asked our guides whether they could take me there because some top artists of the time were to perform there. They told me not to even think about going near a political rally in Jamaica, as it is usually so violent. Sure enough, gunmen killed all 13 people on board a van coming back from that same rally. Being a reggae fan, I asked our driver to take me to the ghetto so that I could experience the true Jamaica as we were staying in Beverly Hills. He took me together with some colleagues to Trench Town, Dungle and Tivoli Gardens. What I saw there shocked me. On the walls in different areas were written political slogans like "JLP Rules Here" etc. The party symbols were drawn. I asked why each area had these things written and the guy told me that these were party strongholds and being in a JLP area and making the PNP sign or saying something in support of PNP would almost certainly mean being shot or seriously beaten. The Jamaican political parties had sponsored different gangs and armed them heavily to defend their territories. It was therefore akin to suicide to say PNP in a JLP area and vice versa. Is this what is emerging in The Gambia? I hope the UDP would not be tempted to recruit the equivalent of the 22nd. July Movement. I hope the government takes immediate actions to ensure that law and order prevails. We have just witnessed a terrible period in which the students were killed. The number of people who are going to be involved in the campaigns is going to be much larger than the student demonstrations. If the political parties sponsor lawless groups to sabotage their opponents, the consequences would indeed be dire. Calls have already been made on this list for violence to meet violence. I truly hope and pray that that will be avoided at all costs. The onus is therefore on the government to ensure that law and order prevails so that we don't have a Jamaica-type situation in The Gambia. Thanks. Buharry. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html ----------------------------------------------------------------------------