Mr. Sillah: I appreciate your logic and will be more than glad to answer some of your questions. 1)Being on the ground, so far i have not heard from neither Dibba nor NCP about a marriage with the ruling party. Instead Dibba's call on Jammeh as he put it "was to renew his faith in the path to democratic governance environment." But reading your message it seems that your party has infact gone into some sort of marriage with the ARPC. Is this your individual position or that of the party's? Answer: If I misled you, I am sorry. I had earlier said that if the marriage is approved by the NCP membership, I will strongly support it. I hope I did not mislead you. I cannot speculate the outcome, but I will endorse such a marriage. 2) Am informed by highly dependable and usually realible sources that all the opposition parties are to have a meeting tomorrow (thursday) for a possible strategic allaince. Are you telling us that your party has oupted out of the strategic alliance? Answer: I am not aware of such a strategic meeting that the NCP will attend. I hope I am right that NCP will not attend such a meeting. (3)You indeed called for an end to the unlawful hiring and firing of civil servants, respect for human rights and the rule of law. But interestingly during the campaign your party did not take resolute firm position on these issues either by uttarance or manifestation when it was in the opposition during the campaign. How when it is in marriage with the ruling party will it maintain a stance on these important pillers of a democratic state? Answer: In fact I had said that I will not be a prisoner of thoughts in my desire for a prosperous and democratic Gambia. I had said that the opposition is an integral part of nation building. I said that I will condemn any inconsistencies, these of course include arrests and firing within the civil service. NCP will do all it can to move the country to the center. Political arrogance has no place in a democratic society. (4)In the wake of the marriage that you talked about, what would become of the NCP as a political party? Will die a natural death or will it continue to maintain an independent bereau where it will still function as a party? Answer: I cannot predict what will happen tomorrow and years to come. I hope NCP will remain a separate entity, willing to participate in nation building. 5)Since the NCP could not muster 10% of the popular vote in the just ended presidential election, what weight interms of mutual issues of crucial government decisions will your party have because i guess these are some of the things you need to address in any political marraige Answer: Politics is compromise and understanding. No leader should promulgate ideologies that might induce fear. Politicians must be willing to navigate ideologies, but they have to be realistic in reaching a concesus for the interest of the electorate. (6)Since you said you are ready to pay a price for your choice (which i very well respect), how far are you ready to go in the face uncontrolled harassment and intimidation of opponents? Answer: I can categorically say that I will not hesitate to condemn political intimidation. An opposition today, could be a government tomorrow. We must be willing to reach out and work together as a team for the interest of The Gambia. I hope we can come to the realization that a political stance is a clear indication of character. We must be willing to respect each other. Our inner capacity reflects our interest for The Gambia. I hope we can realize that we are Gambians. Political differences should not deter us to logically view the big picture. Naphiyo, Comrade ML Jassey-Conteh Greensboro, NC/Kombo East Constituency -------------------------------------------------------------------- mail2web - Check your email from the web at http://mail2web.com/ . <<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>> 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] <<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>>