Political parties attend peace and reconciliation platform Politicians sometime become less mindful of the interest of citizens and people in the country to live in peace, which will guarantee the possibilities of prosperity and national unity. This view was expressed by Ousman Manjang a member of a group of concerned citizens which organized a consultative meeting with political parties at the Amnesty International office in Bakau on May 30. All political parties, with the exception of PDOIS sent representatives to attend the meeting. However according to the organisers, PDOIS did not send a representative on a matter of principle until the courts resolved the issue of the dismissal of Bishop Solomon Tilewa Johnson as chairman of the IEC. The IEC however were also invited to attend the meeting but they did not turn up. Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Mr. Manjang said such a meeting was necessary because "we live in a turbulent sub- region with wars and conflicts, with all sorts of trouble for the civilian population. He went on to say that peace is an obligation and the right of all Gambians and people interested in the future of the country, adding that the framework will guide political parties and politicians to be mindful of the need to create peace so that the country does not slide into chaos like other countries in the sub-region. Furthermore, he said they have agreed to form a permanent consultative committee to be more representative with people from civil society and religious groups. He noted that all the political parties in the land have shown interest to pursue the matter and create a level playing ground for a peaceful electoral process. In his turn, the secretary general of Amnesty International Mohammed Lamin Sillah skimmed over the document, which outlined the framework for the possibilities of creating the spirit on a platform for reconciliation, peace and democracy. He said The Gambia is due for elections this year and tensions have been mounting to heights and are becoming unbearable and that it was cause for concern to many citizens. Mr. Sillah pointed out that things would deteriorate unless conscious efforts are made by all political parties and people to arrest the situation. Referring to the Basse and Numuyel inter-party clashes and the tension that flared up from the Kiang and Badibou by-elections, which he said were like a general rehearsal for future conflicts and a premonition of how bad things can go. "This is an early warning sign for observers to wake up and call for peace-loving Gambians that something has to be done if the country's peace and stability is to be maintained and the nation to be kept intact. He asserted that peace is the most valuable asset of this country and was hard-won by our ancestors. He also said that all must be aware of the fact that The Gambia belongs to all those who were born, live and work in it and that the trend of things today may lead into a major conflict situation in which we all will be losers and none the winners. "We must all be determined to prevent such a national disintegration of our peace-loving country and people. The framework submits proposals for consideration by leaders, political parties and the civil society; that the effort of the IEC in creating an inter-party consultation mechanism be strengthened; that a national conference of all stakeholders on peace and reconciliation be convened with a view to moderate political animosities; a national workshop of party workers, campaign activists, polling agents and staff be held for the promotion of peace, free and fair elections. The APRC were represented at the forum by Kebba Kinteh; the NRP by Dembo Fatty and the UDP by Lamin Waa Juwara. Mr. Emanuel Joof, legal officer of the African Society of International and Comparative Law moderated the meeting. _________________________________________________________________________ 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 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. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------