Pah:

I read with interest your posted message on
Hon. Almamy Touray's expulsion from UDP.  You
indicated that one of the reasons was that
Hon. Touray did not follow party rules of
conduct and also was silent during the passage
of the last controversial bill in the legislature.
You further stated that he was working with the
enemy forces against the interest of UDP.

I am really concern about the subjective
interpretation by the UDP leadership in this
situation.  Hon. Touray was elected to represent
the people of Niani.  His duty as a member of the
legislature is to interpret legislative issues
objectively and if he fails to do sure, he has
breached a contract with his constituency.

I am further concern that with the present state
of affairs in our country, the opposition should
be engaging in building a family tree rather than
cutting it down.  I do not condone Hon. Touray's
behavior, but I am concern with the lack of
independence that elected members must exhibit
during parliamentary proceedings.  No elected
representative should robber stamp any initiative
endorsed by his or her political party.  As we
reach a finer moment in our struggle, we need to
embrace each other rather than destroy the
bridge building initiative that the opposition
started.

In this analysis, I condemn the leadership of UDP
for expelling Hon. Almamy Touray.  Hon. Touray has
all the rights to be a renegade member of The
Gambian legislature.  I have not heard from the
speaker or the clerk of the legislature of any
violations committed by Hon. Touray.  If it is
true that the gentleman did not violate any
parliamentary proceeding, then the UDP leadership
acted unwisely to expel Hon. Almamy Touray.  It
seems that the UDP leadership is enabling a void
in inflicting a serious wound to the image of its
party.  Though I am a passive supporter of UDP, I
have a duty to disagree in principle in expelling
a member of The Gambian legislature from an
opposition party trying hard to unseat a dictator.

Naphiyo,

Comrade ML Jassey-Conteh

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