YAHYA JAMMEH'S ADRESS TO THE NATION 27TH SEPTEMBER 1996-WHERE ARE WE NOW?! (PART ONE) OPTV, once again says hello to everybody and then knocks on Mad Yahya's door reminding him that never will we give up.This a mission that has been approved by all good people and God,because God sides with the people.Here below we will reproduce verbatim mad Yahya's speech which he shamelessly delivered in 1996 immediately after stealing the elections.He stole power, stole elections and then stole sanity.Please take note of the highlighted places in green and red and then see OPTV'S analysis in the next postings (PART TWO) which will follow suit immediately. Mad Yahya's words in 1996 Verbatim........ ADDRESS TO THE NATION BY HIS EXELLENCY YAHYA A. J.J.JAMMEH,PRESIDENT ELECT,27TH SEPTEMBER 1996,FOLLOWING THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS Fellow Gambians, I am here this evening to thankfully mark with you yet another great leap forward in our transition to the Second Republic we the Gambian people are creating for ourselves and our children. As I proudly pointed out in one of my recent statements,we the people of this country are making a name for ourselves. We successfully carried out a peaceful revolution,thereby bringing about the political,social and economic reforms we have been yearning for. This very crucial Presidential Election we have been painstakingly organising and preparing ourselves for has now been held in an atmosphere of comparative peace and tranquility.There were, admittedly,a few violent incidents;but even by our high Gambian standards,our performance is certainly worthy of emulation far beyond our shores. The gentle vigilance of the security forces on the one hand,and the law- abiding nature of the Gambian people on the other,combined to ensure that there were no major incidents despite the usual over-excitement and rivalry associated with party politics especially during an electioneering period. All the registered voters were free to vote for the candidates of their choice,following the vigorous nationa-wide politcal campaigns. Those persons and political banned from participating in the political activities were so dealt with in accordance with the recommendations of National Consultative Committee and the the Commissions of enquiry,and in the national interest.The need to ban political parties or individuals is not peculiar to The Gambia,and those countries criticising us know this and indeed,resort to such measures when they consider them necessary in their own interest.These countries have their own banned parties and detainees.It is only the justification that differs from country to country including those criticising us. There is also the fact that the number of persons banned in this country in insignificant, and their followers were told by the Provisional Independent Electoral Commission(PIEC),quite categorically,they could regroup under a new party name.Those who wished to do so did just that,but happened to be the minority.The majority knew better. Fellow Gambians, I am glad that the great majority of you voted for me and for what the Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction Party stands for.The APRC stands for continuity,that is the continuation of the reforms,rectification and socio-economic development we have been successfully engaged in during the past two(2) years.Although a lot has been achieved during the transition period, very much remains to be done.Your decision to let us continue our fruitful efforts to develop the country and raise the standard of living is thus wise and patriotic.We are therefore willing to continue our faithful service to you and the motherland with even greater dedication. With the Presidential Election too now,behind us,together with the numerous objectives in our Transition Programme achieved earlier,only the Assembly Elections now remain. The Local Government Elections do not form part of the transition Programme,and will therefore take place as soon as possible after the first meeting of the new Assembly.As far as the transition is concerned therefore,our final national duty is the pending General Elections.I am confident that we will perform this remaining duty in the same satisfactory manner in which we discharged those before it. The Elections will be another very important democratic exercise even though cabinet ministers,will not be elected Members of the National Assembly.The work in the Assembly will be as important as ever,and great importance should therefore be attached to the Elections.I will not say more about the General Elections at this stage.Suffice it to say that pending the holding of the Elections,the cabinet has become the sole provisional governing body.The Armed Forces Provisional Ruling Council stands dissolved,the existing transitional Cabinet having taken over over all its functions and responsibilities.The latest significant development in the evolution of the Second Republic further demonstrates that we were soldiers with difference.We unflinchingly committed ourselves to the implimentation of the Transition Programme.We sighted the second Republic from a point some distance march,marked by the referendum,and and now we the people of the Gambia are,by the grace of Allah, are about to make our entry with joy;a joyous entry indeed,but with humble thankfulness to Allah for granting us the foresight and determination to work hard and relentlessly towards our objective,and the tolerance and understanding without which we would not have been able to continue to march forward together as one people despite our political and ethnic differences.Immediately following the General Elections,I will communicate with you again and outline,in greater detail,my Government's policy for the Second Republic. Our policy during the past two(2) years has been based on our commitment to Reform,Socio-economic Development,Transparency and Accountability.As we our achievements so far have been to your like and obvious benefit,we will naturally maintain that policy while improving it even further.I will not disclose more at this stage.It goes without saying that what we could not do within our crowded Transition Programme,we will endeavour to do during the additional time now available. Similarly,our Foreign Policy will remain generally the same,based on our principle of friendship and peaceful coexistence with all countries irrespective of religious,ideological and ethnic differences. I again withhold further disclosures until I address you again after the Elections. I must sieze this opportunity,however,to thank those countries and International funding Agencies who stood by The Gambia during our critical and difficult Transition Period.Without the understanding,help and encouragement of these countries and Agencies,the transition would not have bee so very successful despite the obstacles others deliberately put in our way. I also thank all those here in The Gambia who helped in one way or another to make the Presidential Elections a success.In particular,I thank the chairman of the Independent Electoral Commission for successfully carrying out their onerous task. The difficulties experienced by the commission exclusively relating to its funstions,that is within its terms of reference,will be looked into in order to eliminate them for the purpose of the forthcoming Elections.Other problems and anomalies experienced by the electorate and the other public authorities such as Divisional Commissioners,the ministry of Justice and the security Forces will likewise be looked into. In conclusion,Fellow Gambians,I thank you for all you have done for the motherland during the transition period.I thank those of you who voted for me.I look forward to serving you and all other Gambians.By majority you have all jointly elected me as First President of the second Republic.In democratic elections,no voters lose since the outcome is the collective will of all. My thanks are therefore extended to all. In the cicumstances I urge each and everyone of you to relax once more and go about your business in peace. Why did the Gambia Radio and Television Services(GRTS) not!!! project the same camera on Darboe,Bah,Jatta to deliver their speehes live and direct? Mad Yahya was a president-elect so all those party leaders could have contested the results before the swearing in ceremony or even after that! This uncompromising and threatening speech was why the APRC dogs at the time were quick to say that Darboe ran and was hiding.Darboe knew exactly what he was doing! He received threats from the july 22nd boys that he was going to be killed.Darboe could not have ignored the advices of securoty experts like Siaka Sonko and others. The faces of other opposition members were briefly shown thanks to Nana Ama Ofori Atta.Infact that was almost nothing because she did so when she was passing by interviewing people in the streets!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Nana has obviously been ejected from the TV well before Bora Mboge came.She is now running a private company Vinasha productions. Those who believe in God prosper without mad Yahya! Nana succeeded in shooting a movie THE GAMBIAN COP and it was aired on British TVS. The tapes that show these things are still in the archives of the GRTS library and can be retrieved to show that OPTV is relaying the facts as they were written by mad Yahya and cronies in our sad country's history.It was after those so-called elections that one of mad Yahya;s ministers angered the APRC stalwarts because he was seen on TV dancing MOOLAYE CHEGGIN a style that was introduced into The Gambia by Seengalese drumbeat. That caused rumours and then eventually made the minister lose his position! Ofcourse being over zealous and shameless before an excited dictator was not good in those circumstances. That very minister is back today and we all know what mad Yahya was saying against him at that time.Mad Yahya has no colours he lies and bends the gang's rules when someone makes him happy during ataya sessions. Show me in Yahya's speech where he refered to those who opposed him with any word that calls for reunion and peace. It was after those so-called elections that mad Yahya called the opposition members unwanted elements of the motherland who were going to be insignificant before the 33 seats of the APRC so-called parliamentarians! Sedia Jatta of PDOIS reacted and told Yahya that the single seat of PDOIS was enough to swing the APRC and throw them out!!!!!!!!! Sure Sedia was right. How about now? Where is Baba Jobe? Where is Suso? Where are the other APRC parliamentarians? Where is Foday Makalo,and what was he accused of after leaving the APRC bureau in Banjul? How about the mayorship of Banjul? The answers to these questions will justify that Sedia was right. Today Haiti's Aristide bowed and OPTV was convinced that was going to happen. Yahya is yet to face the necesary forces from the people that is why he is stiil playing with our lives! Certainly mad Yahya himself knows that those who compose OPTV are far more strong-headed than he is and I swear by the Almighty mad Yahya will see the flames when and where he does not expect them . Binneh S Minteh New York University. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ To Search in the Gambia-L archives, go to: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/CGI/wa.exe?S1=gambia-l To contact the List Management, please send an e-mail to: [log in to unmask] To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~