From the Gambia net website. President Yahya Jammeh has been for sometime now under pressure. This pressure has been mounting to a climaxing finale with the current London meeting between The Gambian opposition and the British MPs. Events have succeeded one and another in many areas. The energy crisis, last year's Groundnut Season, the students demonstrations, the Basse incident, the reception of Government's decision on the reports on the April 10 and 11 events, the Casamance and Guinea Bissau debacle, the issue surrounding the death of the two UDP MPs and the remake about this year's Groundnut Season. And now, some influential British MPs are mounting a serious campaign against his administration. The man is really under pressure. Who to blame? Of course the cohort of advisers of the past two years or so who must have failed him. Or as many people believe, is it a case of no adviser at all? Maybe it is too late to apportion blame. Now what is important is for Jammeh to address these issues with the seriousness and urgency they demand. The farmers problems must be tackled in the most satisfactory manner. The minister is meeting the press today and we hope he gives us a true picture of the situation and a final solution to this vexed issue, which has been with us since last year. On the recommendations of the Commission of Enquiry, we hope government would live up to the aspirations of the people. On Casamance and Guinea-Bissau, we hope they would offer their assistance in the spirit of good neighbourliness and stability of the sub-region without fanfare. Now, on the London meeting and in fact in correlation with the recent visit of Secretary General Mc. Kinnon, government should endeavour to repeal, as a matter of urgency, the decrees that are inimical to good governance. For The Gambia to take a rightful place in the comity of nations, the government must be prepared to play the governance game by observing its rules. For instance, in an international match, The Gambia can only file 11 players for a football match and not 30 or can only file 6 players for a basket ball match and not 2. The answer then to the London meeting and CMAG is the observance of the Harare Declaration. Now, CMAG is an arm of the Commonwealth where we might have sympathy but the British MPs can spearhead the unleashing of devastating measures against the government. - We do not need to catalogue the type of measures but they are many. Suffice it to mention the one that provides for travel embargo. - "The First Law of Journalism:to confirm existing prejudice, rather then contradict it." LONDON MEETING: A SHAME FOR GOVERNMENT- LAWYER DABOE Posted Friday, March 2, 2001 by Editor UDP's Lawyer Darboe has said the British House of Commons' meeting with Gambia's opposition parties on the "current crises in Democracy in the Gambia" should be a source of shame for the APRC government. He was speaking during an interview with The Point at his Kairaba Avenue residence on Monday. Darboe believes that for the British House of Commons to invite opposition parties in the country to a briefing meeting in UK clearly spelt out the type of government currently in the Gambia. He said the APRC government has very little respect for the norms of good government, adding that the regime has also reduced some Gambians into slaves in their own country by preventing them from taking part in politics. Some Gambians, he noted, had been excluded from standing as candidates or sponsoring candidates during elections. Such people, Mr. Darboe pointed out, were not allowed to even attend political rallies. The UDP leader said the invitation extended to them shows that some people outside the Gambia are concerned about the state of affairs. He disclosed that his party would be represented by Kemeseng Jammeh who would go with a prepared statement on issues relating to governance in the country, which he described as very bad. Darboe emphasized that if the UDP were to be at the helm of government, the present meeting with the opposition by UK House of Commons would not have been convened since their government would be a model worthy of emulation by others in terms of good governance and democracy. The UDP government, he said, would even set a two-five year term limit for its presidency. He further said their civil service would be better organised, better motivated and well-disciplined. Meanwhile, NRP's Hamat Bah is said to be presently in London, and will be attending the meeting as well. - _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.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 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. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------