Sanusi, My good friend, registering a political party is not mutually exclusive with forming a political alliance. Infact, it only make sense to register, and then by virtue of that existence, form an alliance with the other parties. Thanks Musa Jeng Sanusi Owens wrote: > Mariama > > Thanks for your wishful thinking. Unfortunately, the > news we are receiving from home does n't look for a > United Opposition. It has been reported in the press > that PPP and NCP have began submitting their papers > for registration.(SEE www; ffdig.org.)One would have > expected these unbanned politicians to emulate Assan > Musa Camara's decision not to register until after the > Presidential Elections but to my disappointment, I am > smelling a dead rat here. > > It is on those grounds that I shall not criticise > Foroyaa for issuing such publication. The truth of the > matter is that some of our politicians are > underestimating the struggle to unseat Jammeh. > Believe me, it is not going to be an easy one to start > with. The unbanned political parties should take note > that they can't solely rely on past support acquired > during the first republic to unseat Jammeh. Instead, > they will have to convince the Gambian electorate, > that they have a better political agenda for the > Gambia. Since there are already 4 political parties > in the opposition, one would have expected these > politicians to join forces with them in coordinating a > programme for an alliance against APRC, but it seems > the politics of ego is certainly undermining our hopes > for a united opposition, I hope not. > > The challenge lies on us now to start making petitions > to the unbanned political parties about the need for a > united opposition or else chaos for The Gambia as > Jammeh would win, hands down. > > UNITED WE STAND, DIVIDED WE FALL > > Have a wonderful day > > Sanusi. > > --- Mariama Diop <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > > Dear Hamjatta, > > Thanks for your constructive analysis. Your > > suggestions could definitely > > help reinforce efforts geared towards forging a > > stronger Opposition alliance > > and defeating Yaya. > > > > warmly, > > mariama > > > > > > >From: Hamjatta Kanteh <[log in to unmask]> > > >Reply-To: The Gambia and related-issues mailing > > list > > ><[log in to unmask]> > > >To: [log in to unmask] > > >Subject: Re: BURNING ISSUES FOROYAA Publication > > >Date: Sun, 12 Aug 2001 20:49:52 EDT > > > > > >For a paper that has more than a decade's > > experience in reporting and > > >commenting on topical issues, Foroyaa seriously > > goofed here by allowing its > > >columns to be reduced to being a mere recycling > > factory of APRC rumours and > > >conspiratorial innuendoes. Instead of Foroyaa > > getting first hand > > >information > > >from the individual parties and personalities it > > reported about, it relied > > >primarily on second hand accounts of events and > > inferring from them grossly > > >erroneous stuff on the intent, manouevres and > > actions of some Opposition > > >heavy weights. Foroyaa certainly doesn't help the > > collective spirit when it > > >tendentiously make conspiratorial what is at best a > > genuine effort in the > > >preliminary engagements of ironing out wrinkles > > that have the potential of > > >hindering coalition progress. That is to say that > > it is perfectly normal > > >that > > >before formal negotiations take public form, > > backroom horse tradings - that > > >are invariably raucous and having the negative > > impact of throwing poor > > >light > > >on the collective spirit if conducted in the public > > eye - have to run their > > >course before the shape and form that the > > collective spirit will take is > > >announced to the public. Foroyaa's whining or > > lamenting at this backroom > > >horsetrading denotes and betrays its innocence in > > political negotiations. > > > > > >Insidiously, and with great literary adroitness, > > Foroyaa tried to paint a > > >patrimonial picture of Hassan Musa Camara's > > informal appointment as the > > >'political fixer' to work on narrowing down the > > differences between the > > >different Opposition parties. Camara's appointment > > as a political go > > >between > > >to finesse a common platform of action for the > > Opposition signally > > >represents > > >the recognition that such a role invariably > > involves negotiation skills and > > >a > > >lack of direct interest in who heads the Opposition > > Alliance. Camara, by > > >virtue of decades experience as a public figure who > > had served all areas of > > >gov't and led a mainstream political party and the > > fact that he is > > >ineligible > > >to contest the current presidential elections, was > > better predisposed than > > >anyone else to play this role without any ill-will > > towards and or fearing > > >or > > >favouring any political grouping. This is the > > context of Camara's current > > >role. It is not so much the 'patrimonial kingmaker' > > Foroyaa subtly and > > >deceptively tried to implant in its readerships' > > minds. > > > > > >Moreso, if Foroyaa was irresponsible and lazy in > > its reportage and > > >commentary > > >of the Opposition Alliance issue, it was > > surprisingly sulking and hubristic > > >in the way it expects cooperation to eventually > > take form and work. For > > >instance, Foroyaa commented that: > > > > > >"UDP has held rallies and invited opposition > > parties to join them but this > > >had not materialised. Analysts observe that unless > > the opposition reaches > > >an agreement on a presidential candidate it is not > > likely to have a joint > > >rally which gives the impression that a particular > > aspirant's candidature > > >has been endorsed. What is therefore of paramount > > importance is discussion > > >to determine whether a coalition is to be forged or > > not." > > > > > >Above all, this passage demonstrates the extent to > > which, say, the UDP is > > >ready to sell the message of cooperation. Foroyaa's > > assertion that the > > >UDP's > > >invitation has, as of yet, not materialised is a > > bit disingenuous. Perhaps, > > >as it applies to the PDOIS, it is true that the > > UDP's invitation has, as of > > >yet, yielded no dividends. But it is a matter of > > public record that UDP > > >rallies have and continue to be graced by such PPP > > heavyweights like OJ and > > >NCP or GPP stalwarts alike. Which takes me to > > Foroyaa's dissembling > > >argument > > >on why the UDP's invitation has, as of yet, not > > materialised; i.e., because > > >there has been no agreement on an Opposition > > Alliance for the presidential > > >elections, such invitations will remain unreturned > > or never materialise. > > >The > > >fact that PDOIS has been invited to a UDP rally and > > declined it and > > >wilfilly > > >reports it in its political organ, Foroyaa, does it > > no favours. > > >PDOIS/Foroyaa > > >also does itself no favours if it willing to sulk > > rather than proactively > > >engage its Opposition colleagues in what could be > > the beginning of a > > >fruitful > > >cooperation. For instance, if the UDP invites it to > > join it in a rally, > > >PDOIS > > >ought to accept the invitation and use it as a > > basis to explore ways in > > >which > > >it can stamp out misconceptions, mistrusts and > > misunderstanding that > > >continue > > >to stand between the different parties. Likewise, > > to see how cooperative > > >the > > >UDP is, PDOIS then can return the UDP's compliments > > by inviting the UDP to > > >join it in a similar forum. That way, we are no > > longer talking about > > >parties > > >communicating through third parties; rather, we are > > beginning to see a > > >whole > > >new mechanism that would greatly help foster common > > understanding on the > > >way > > >ahead. The collective interest and or spirit is > > neither served by column > > >inches of regurgitated APRC rumours or inferring > > from these rumours grossly > > >erroneous stuff about Opposition players and > > consituents. Mistrusts and > > >misunderstandings feed from such a parlous way of > > comminucation. And most > > >definitely not the prudent way to build common > > bridges to cooperate. > > > > > >Foroyaa also lamented that to this day, an agenda > > or a framework has yet to > > >be worked out to form the basis for an Opposition > > Alliance. Again, PDOIS > > >should not whine or sulk but seize the initiate and > > proactively come up > > >with > > >an agenda which it can publicly propose to the > > other parties. That way, > > >PDOIS > > >would be at the forefront of Opposition thinking > > and would not be reduced > > >to > > >chipping sulkily at what others have publicly > > tabled for the Opposition > > >Alliance. PDOIS has the intellectual muscle to come > > up with a programme > > >that > > >it feels would be the correct basis with which the > > minimalist programme it > > > === message truncated === > > ____________________________________________________________ > Do You Yahoo!? > Get your free @yahoo.co.uk address at http://mail.yahoo.co.uk > or your free @yahoo.ie address at http://mail.yahoo.ie > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- > > 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. > ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------