PDOIS is the Only Genuine Gambian Party - Sidia Jatta The Independent (Banjul) July 2, 2001 Posted to the web July 2, 2001 Ali Jawo Banjul, the Gambia The PDOIS congress held in Taibatu, Wuli on Friday June 25 was the occasion for a particularly strongly worded speech by the party's presidential candidate Sidia Jatta who said that his party is the only genuine political organisation in the country that can "thrash out" the long-running problems of Gambians and end the misery of poverty and destitution. Mr Jatta who is also the National Assembly member for Wuli said PDOIS is a party for mature and progressive-thinking individuals who would not live by exploiting the Gambian masses or trading insults and accusations with the hope of discrediting their opponents. Mr. Jatta said PDOIS as liberators take pride in being different from the other political parties in The Gambia in view of their strenuous dedication to the general welfare of all Gambians. He described the other political parties as wearing gowns of destitution, ignorance and egoism. Mr. Jatta said his party is peopled with genuine politicians who are not interested in the accumulation of personal wealth, a situation which he believes is characteristic of the other political parties. This he argued is being exemplified in the National Assembly where he said he is the only politician standing for the interest of Gambians. Mr. Jatta also spoke of the gradual development of his party "from a seed to a trunk" that serves as a unifying force for the Gambian community, which he described as a melting pot of different ethnic groups. The Wuli assembly member said the economy is declining, culminating in the deteriorating standard at health facilities across the country. On the educational sphere he said the university is like a mushroom which is nominal. Mr. Jatta said the National Assembly is an institution of sacrifice for the greater good instead of a position for flamboyance at the expense of the state. As the only assembly member who deposits part of his salary to the Wuli Development Fund Honourable Jatta vowed to serve his constituency as long as the Wuli electorate entrusts him with their constituency. He said he would neither intimidate his opponents nor rob his people of their wealth. He hoped that by the end of the congress delegates would have been able to devise ways of redressing the helpless circumstance of their own people in line with PDOIS' conviction to "free the masses from the sea of ignorance, destitution and mental trauma". He said they are teachers and learners who have ultimately realised the situation that election can spawn. The congress, which ended yesterday July 1 at the village makeshift dispensary received a high powered delegation from the six divisions of The Gambia. _________________________________________________________________ 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. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------