Jammeh Should Go Back To The Barracks - Alhaji Mass Jobe A veteran politician and a UDP stalwart, Alhagie Mass Jobe, has called on President Yahya Jammeh to go back to barracks, arguing that Jammeh cannot rule this country. Mr. Jobe made this call at a mass opposition rally in Banjul, where thousands of UDP supporters converged last weekend. Addressing excited UDP supporters, Mr. Jobe said the APRC, which is headed by President Jammeh, has lost the support of Gambians and are now worried. Mr. Jobe, who was applauded by his audience, warned against vote buying adding that Gambians should not compromise their franchise for just D25. He argued that it is grossly wrong for one to engage in such activities. He told his supporters that any leadership that embarked on vote buying has lost the support of the masses. He claimed that the APRC would regret its existence as most of its youths are now defecting to the opposition UDP. Jobe also strongly criticised the recent increment of transport fares, which he said is causing hardship to the country. Also speaking at the rally was Dembo Bojang, National Assembly member for Bakau, who warned Bamba Manneh of the NIA against what he called 'terrorrising the people of Bakau.' "He came late at night to Bakau, terrorising the people, asking them to join him at the NIA. We the people of Bakau are not the least scared," said Mr. Bojang. He alleged that the State is using the NIA to intimidate people. He added that the Jammeh administration is election shy, but argued that elections must be conducted in the country and that there must be counting on the spot. Addressing the rally, Kassa Jatta implored the people of Bakau to resist any NIA arrest. He called on his constituency to beat any NIA officer who comes to arrest them or to go for their families if they should be arrested. Kassa Jatta has alleged that he was seriously tortured while in NIA custody, saying, "We are ready to die for this country rather than submit to Yayha Jammeh's rule again." He claimed that the APRC administration lacked respect for democracy, rule of law and human rights. Earlier on, Pesseh Njie dismissed local press reports claiming that the UDP had got new fleets of vehicles. In response, he also alleged that Tombong Saidy of the GRTS recently travelled to Spain to get 10 buses for the APRC. Mr. Njie, a former Parliamentarian in the ousted PPP administration, told his audience, "We will explain to you later how those buses were acquired." For her part, Aji Sukai Naka, a prominent UDP stalward, said the APRC recently organised a meeting on her street in Banjul, but due to poor attendance, the meeting was turned to a 'furral'. She also picked on the NIA, saying that they have started arresting and detaining government opponents, as elections are getting near. She reminded the NIA that they would be held accountable for their actions. In his remarks, Lamin Dibba, National Assembly member for Central Baddibu, called on the people of Banjul to vote for the opposition in the coming elections. He assured the UDP leadership that they would capture 90 percent of the votes in his constituency. _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------