Mariama, thanks for your response to Jabou.  Though your response is directed to Jabou, I also think it applies to all Gambians and on that basis I would like contribute to the dialogue.  The question that I'm grappling with is, yes, we can move on with the three party union we currently have, but is that going to give us victory?  If all the opposition parties have a following of some sort, how do we expect to win with only a three party union?  The only party in that union that I can attempt to measure their support based on the last presidential elections is the UDP and correct me if I'm wrong, but they gathered about 25% of the votes in the last elections.  If you also believe that PDOIS connected with only 25% of the voters, are we assuming that these people are going to vote for the Union?  At this point we do not know whether all, some, or none of the supporters of the UDP/NCP are going to vote for either parties.  What is the representation of the NRP?  Do we know?  Are we assuming that the AFPRC has no support?  Does the PPP have a following?  GPP is not even active as a party.  The referee is not counted in a teams line-up.  If we agree that a big chunk of the PPP supporters are singing Jammeh praises, what makes us thing that the current union can make it without at minimum an understanding with the other three opposition parties.  Since none of us in the Diaspora is going to vote, what is the pulse of those that matter the most in our interest to win - the Gambian electorate?  The important thing here is not whether OJ, Camara, and Darbo agree, but do Gambians buy into that agreement, right or wrong?  So, you see, once we start to divide the electoral pie, we realize that we need to work together.  Even though the parties may have fundamental difference, we still need for them to collude (all six) to make sure the Thugs are run out of town.  We have to have some back-up support.  At minimum, the parties need to make sure that the AFPRC does not have even 30% of the vote.  So even if they agree to disagree when they meet, that is fine.  They would need each other in the case of a run-off.  However, the way things are going, we might not be even lucky to have a run-off, much more victory.  In sum, we can move on, but at what price?  Please let me hear your thoughts on these issues.

Chi Jaama