Lasana, thanks for your response and I respect your position regarding PPP being an asset to the UDP, but I respectfully disagree. Regarding the mass dismissals, it is the very reason why most of us pleaded with the electorate to vote Jammeh out. Jammeh was unjustifiably firing folks prior to the election and would continue to do so after the elections, now that he has the mandate to misrule. I do not think the dismissals are due to dissatisfaction with his 52% victory, but rather, a continuation on where he left off. Unfortunately, we are going to see more of this irrational behavior as he is bent on suppressing all that are identified as his opponents, and the people that are doing the identifying are none other than our own Gambian brethren. We are our worst enemy. Regarding S.M. Dibba and PDOIS attacking the PPP record, I think it is their right to show the short comings of their opponent. Both the NCP and PDOIS were not part of the coalition, what do you expect them to do? I think you're under estimating the disappointment that a majority of Gambians feel against the PPP. Most see them as a party of do nothing and worst, they brought us Jammeh as a result of three decades of decay. It's a case of the "Ying and Yang", one in all and all in one. This is the time for critical self analyses of where we in the opposition went wrong in the last elections, and the UDP, being the biggest opposition party has to do a critical self evaluation if they are going to be successful in the future. If reports reaching us are accurate, S.M. Dibba has joined the APRC and that is one distraction that the opposition does not have to deal with. However, he is going to be a nuisance and another weapon that the APRC could use to attack the PPP record. Jammeh now realizes that it is more effective to use former PPP turn APRC to attack the PPP record. Some of us may not see the logic in that thinking, but it is a sure sell to the electorate. In my opinion, the UDP should focus on why they did not have the mandate of the people and do what ever it takes to win over a majority of the electorate, even if that means breaking ties with the PPP. Jasseh Conteh please advise us of the faith of your leader, S.M. Dibba. In my opinion, the opposition has only two choices. We either put aside our individual party preferences and genuinely work together to gain a majority in the house, or we continue our pursuit of selfish ends and loose everything in the process. It's up to us which path we follow. On that note, could you please advise me once again, where the UDP/(UDP, PPP, GPP coalition) stands regarding our proposal for a tactical alliance. Folks on the L want to do their part as a group, but we cannot do anything at this time until we know the intensions of the opposition parties. I also want to take this opportunity to appeal to the NRP and PDOIS to tell us where they stand regarding our proposal for a tactical alliance. It's been almost three weeks since Malamin Johnson sent out our petition to the parties and the silence is deafening. If reports about Dibba are unfounded, this appeal is extended to the NCP, too. Let me know your thoughts. Chi Jaama Joe Sambou >From: Lasana Jorbateh <[log in to unmask]> >Reply-To: The Gambia and related-issues mailing list ><[log in to unmask]> >To: [log in to unmask] >Subject: Re: UDP Complaints >Date: Sun, 25 Nov 2001 20:35:07 EST > >Joe >Forming an opinion from a distance could be misleading sometimes. But >believe >it or not, the PPP was and still is an asset for the coalition. Yaya Jammeh >may not have anything to say against Darboe and therefore consentrated all >his attact on PPP but he was not alone in that. Sheriff Dibba's ncp and >PDOIS >did the same. But despite all that, the UDP/PPP/GPP coalition would have >swept the polls had it not been some unscrupulous methods deployed by >Jammeh. > >Just look at the mass dismissal of civil servants; do you think Jammeh is >happy with his "victory"? He never expected a victory dispite all what he >did! >If the tactical alliance has to work, opposition parties have to work >together and not against each other as it was the case during the last >elections. > >S.M. Dibba and PDOIS have to focus on the government of the day and not the >former government. Also Sheriff Dibba have to abandon his reported >intention >of joining the ranks of the APRC. > ><<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>> > >To view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface >at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html >To contact the List Management, please send an e-mail to: >[log in to unmask] > ><<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>> _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp <<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>> To view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html To contact the List Management, please send an e-mail to: [log in to unmask] <<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>>