In spite of my self imposed hiatus, I have been a 'peeper' of the main site of late. Observing the debate rage on has been an interesting experience since it has shown me some of the inherent disadvantages in thinking too alike. This phenomenon which some may call cabals, niches or 'online friendships sealed in blood' is, in my opinion, an impediment to progressive ideas resulting from dissenting views, as slight as they may be. Case in point, the recent merciless lambasting of Kebba Jobe, AKA Daddy Nying and Kebba Joke. The man has obviously shown that his affiliation with the APRC regime is very conflicted one. He has openly accepted some of the wrongs of the regime but refuses to blame Yahya Jammeh on the basis that he does not solely comprise the APRC. According to Jobe, the blame must be shared roundly. What is wrong with this picture? In my opinion, nothing. The human rights situation in The Gambia is the same as in other African countries where atrocities are sanctioned daily by perfectly 'legitimate' regimes. Point is Jobe is no different from many other Gambians who support the present regime based on the premise that their overall record outweighs the evil perpetrated by this regime. In this light, lambasting Jobe really serves no purpose because it will not change a thing when it comes to the minority of people who subscribe to his school of thought. Yet, we keep on lambasting away, wasting bandwidth in the process while neglecting the up and coming election which will determine the future of the Gambian people for the next 4 or 5 years. Because of this conformity or 'thinking alike' issue, this diversion becomes less easy to realise and I believe the ruling party's political pundits are simply using the Gambia-L as a testing ground for some of their soon to be deployed political strategies. Another pertinent issue is the state of our opposition parties and their apparent disregard for the 101 of political strategies. Some of their representatives, like Ebrima Pesseh Njie, are no more than rubber stamps who will not hesitate to switch allegiances when the going gets tough or the money gets too enticing. This cross-carpeting problem has reared it's ugly head before, but the UDP simply will not learn and continue to make the same mistakes by appointing less than worthy characters who not only change faction, but also sully the party's image. The recent antifeminist utterances of people like Wu Jawara do a serious disservice to the opposition in a country where women are perhaps among the most oppressed in the World yet make up over 50% of the voting population. Should it take a rocket scientist to figure out that the women of The Gambia not only deserve equal representation in political positions, but bureaux, ministries and movements which will make sure every effort is made to improve the status of women back home? IMHO, a well learned man like Ousainou Darboe, would never make a political gaffe like this one. It is his troops (MPs etc.) who need to be reined in to show the unity of a party which speaks responsibly in one voice. Again, we see these gaffes but the few who speak are quickly silenced by the overwhelmingly unitarian cabal. The issue of political strategy when it concerns campaigning and elections also comes to mind when one studies the latest trends of the UDP. After the outcome of the last by-elections as a result of the unfortunate death of several UDP members, it became painfully apparent to me that the party did not adhere to a strategy which was borne out of any type of detailed analysis. When one compares the amount of people who actually voted to those who actually voted, it becomes obvious the voter turnout was extremely low. Based on analysis from Foroya, 1056 people did not vote in Kiang East. This amounts to slightly more than ¼ of the registered voters in the area, a significant number which could have made all the difference. Even so, I am convinced an equally large amount of residents of these areas did not vote. Interestingly enough, the voting patterns of Gambians during PPP days are strikingly similar to the voting patterns shown in the 1997 elections. The opposition won in most of the same places where they had strongholds, the numbers were roughly equal and the reasons for losing were virtually the same. But, here on the Gambia-L, we cry voter buyout and such without bothering to look closely at the numbers. Again a dire consequence, of conformity of thought and an acceptance of the status quo without question or because this person said so. In conclusion, I would like to conclusively again reaffirm my opposition to the present regime. Gambians should not settle for less than we deserve. But the overall picture is dire. There seems to be an apparent lack of political gain (in the true sense) coming from the main opposition party. The only headway being made is by PDOIS, a statistical nonentity in Gambian politics. For this reason, I think a UNITED front is the way forward for change back home. I would also implore on all members of the L to put on their thinking caps (so to speak) and come up with their own ideas/reasons on how to overcome this terrible situation. Let us avoid where necessary this overly 'thinking alike' affliction which tends to stifle forward thinking. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------