Yero I entirely associate myself with your excellent comments on the Letter. LJD's handwork is always moderate, restraint and pleasant. Thanks Suntou On Sun, Sep 4, 2011 at 12:25 AM, Y Jallow <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > > > Well put bro Haruna! Our friend LJD put a lot of work in the piece. To > single out some areas that clearly standout will rob the master piece its > magnificence and historical importance, so I dare not try. I will be on > records to say, it is one of its kind -to read and wallow in soaking tears > down the cheeks in hope and prayers over Gambia's predicament. Without a > doubt, we don't deserve a day of Jammeh. My reason for this is simple. > Jammeh has pushed Gambians in a number of ways beyond elasticity limit, > especially the human rights violations. Such has become the center of what > landed him among the ten most horrible dictators.****** > **** > I only hope that Gambia's opposition gets the clues to the puzzles > expressed. In that, a united coalition is the only way forward and a threat > to Jammeh’s tyranny. With unity, there is high probability that Jammeh can > be sent packing with his entire worrisome heavy burden, and we don’t want a > bit of it. Something is clearly lurking in the wilderness for Gambians, and > that is to say, if we fail to unite around a peaceful democratic means to > unseat Jammeh, we will live to regret the terror on the citizenry, more than > already seen. Moreover, we won’t be able to convince anyone not to deal with > Jammeh by any necessary means, including the method he (Jammeh) himself came > to power through. Personally, I will forgive any such person(s) who deals > with Jammeh in a similar, in realization of a true path our citizens, and > our generations to follow. We’ve seen what has happened in other nations, > mainly the Arab dominated regions. It is like a sweeping tsunami, and its > eye is headed to other nations as well. In the end, the brute Jammeh himself > cannot be controlled on his thirst for more blood and being that spiteful > killer serpent lying in wait for innocent Gambians. And he is not satisfied > and will never be satisfied. The only hope and solution is unity. Do we as > Gambians find it that hard to unite such that it cost us more terror? If I > were ask who wants freedom? Everyone’s hand is up, but how come we cannot > unite? The answer is only with those few or many that choose division over > unity. **** > ** ** > Down with dictatorship!**** > Down with Jammeh and desperate cronies!!**** > Forward with unity!!!**** > ** ** > **** > In anyway, thank you LJD for the beautiful thoughts. I am participating in > its mass distribution. **** > ** ** > ** ** > Thanks for space-**** > ** ** > Yero**** > > *There is no god but Allah (SWT) and Muhammad (SAW) is His messenger. Fear > and Worship only Allah alone!* > > > ------------------------------ > Date: Sat, 3 Sep 2011 12:30:53 -0400 > From: [log in to unmask] > Subject: Re: [G_L] Open Letter to Opposition Leaders Reportedly Engaged in > Exploratory Unity Talks > To: [log in to unmask] > > > Wonderfully constructed Mr. Darbo. Your open letter presents the argument > for a united opposition with the proper dose of humility and urgency. The > temperament is exquisitely respectful and encourages serious consideration > by any sober citizen. > > I will do my part, in amicus, to persuade the honourable gentlemen of the > UDP, NRP, PDOIS, and GMC that an electoral project in opposition unison, is > verily the only option. Thank you for your efforts and consideration. > > Haruna. > > -----Original Message----- > From: Lamin Darbo <[log in to unmask]> > To: GAMBIA-L <[log in to unmask]> > Sent: Sat, Sep 3, 2011 5:10 am > Subject: [G_L] Open Letter to Opposition Leaders Reportedly Engaged in > Exploratory Unity Talks > > *Adrift in the political waters: the crushing humiliation awaiting a > fragmented opposition on November 24 * > > * * > > “*The lesson is clear, we cannot fight in > isolation**”* > > Dr Fox, *The Gambia Echo* > > In just over two months, The Gambian elects a Chief Executive for a fresh > five year term. If the country’s opposition leaders continue their current > conduct in refusing even to engage each other in purposeful talks, much less > agree the architecture of a united front against an all-powerful incumbent, > the person who assumes the mantle of President will not be Ousainu Darboe, > leader of the UDP. He will neither be Hamat Bah of the opposition NRP, nor > Halifa Sallah of PDOIS. > > A fragmented opposition on November 24 can deliver only one outcome, and > that verdict will not be what a suffocating nation yearns for. If only to > restate what, to a person, observers at home and abroad accurately surmised, > there is no question a fragmented opposition will comprehensively collapse > in any, and all efforts, to electorally consign APRC to the archives of > Gambian politics. Such an outcome cannot, under any plausible reasoning, be > assignable to the electoral appeal of His Excellency Sheikh Professor Alhaji > Doctor Yahya A J J Jammeh, Nasiru Deen (the Professor), but to the > decidedly one-sided nature of Gambian public life, with the state, and its > entire coercive arsenal, controversially concentrated in one person. > > Indeed, the current crop of *bona fide* opposition leaders expressly > preamblised in the Memorandum of Understanding of the defunct NADD that “no > single opposition party can put an end to self perpetuating rule given the > culture of patronage, intimidation and inducement that has already taken > root in the political life of the country”. Clearly this prognosis is as > relevant today as it was in 2005. In light of this admission, it is > extraordinary that 2011 is shaping to be a possible four-way contest for the > presidency of the Republic of The Gambia. Without question, an opposition > vote split three ways, will go down in humiliating defeat to the APRC. And > it cannot be overemphasised that in an unrelenting dictatorship, the > presidential contest offers absolutely no consolation prize! > > A political environment anchored in lawlessness and self perpetuation, with > their full panoply of attendant perversions of democratic accountability, > cannot but further corrode the fabric of our public life. And a state of > affairs where a sizeable segment of the population accepts governmental > heavy-handedness as normal, and the majority lives in fear, cannot, in any > way, be a harbinger of pleasant tidings for Gambian polity. In light of our > quite precarious existence, it is astounding that opposition Gambia - having > explicitly recognised that alone as entities, none can compete with that > juggernaut of the Gambian state, *aka* the Professor, and his ruling APRC > - are still bent on a fragmented presidential contest in a mere three > months. > > Our country resides at somewhat of a permanent crossroads since 1994, but > an explosion in civic awareness meant a decision must now be made to vacate > that location and continue the national political journey. Will the decision > to leave the fork in the road be made by Professor in a trademark > unilateralism that cements his notion of himself as embodiment of nationhood > and national security, and of all that is good for Gambian republicanism. Or > will the decision be made collaboratively in genuine national conversations > in the scant months, weeks, and days, to November 24?. > > For now, that decision lies mainly with the Professor as sole custodian of > our national police power. After November 24, the journey must continue, and > depending on the reality, or perception, surrounding the outcome of the > presidential poll, in a potentially more chaotic, free for all manner. > Travelling the latter route will almost certainly end in regrettable tragedy > for The Gambia, not necessarily in the immediate aftermath of the polls, but > somewhere along the inevitably arduous stretch to 2016. > > Notwithstanding the potential disaster of cohesive collapse heralded by the > storm clouds over our national space, a fully united opposition front > against the Professor on November 24 can avoid the tragedy of unrest > inherent in limitless executive power. Regardless of the ultimate outcome > under a united front, the opposition performance could be compelling enough > to materially enlarge the democratic space by eliminating the extreme > manifestations of arbitrary executive conduct from Gambian public space. > > Even accepting that Diaspora Gambia’s views on the slow pace of opposition > unity talks for the presidential contest may irritate some party leaders, I > reject the contention that the decision on whether to unite or not remains > their exclusive prerogative. As stakeholders, the opposition’s supporters > are entitled to a say on how the November elections ought to be contested, > and our verdict is a near unanimous call for unity. It is my view that, as > the victims of tyranny, and the intended beneficiaries of dislodging APRC > from our councils of state, any project in this regard is our enterprise. > Clearly crucial to providing direction and momentum to the ultimate success > of that enterprise, the party leaders are nevertheless mere trustees of a > vital national project. As fiduciaries, their duty is to the people they > intend to liberate from the clutches of tyranny. Their duty is to us, and we > accordingly have standing to challenge their vision on the way forward. I > urge Gambians to do precisely that in this crucial period for unification > negotiations! > > Notwithstanding the public pronouncements of opposition leaders > provisionally committing to a united front, they may still be of the view > that referring to 2011 as a make or break year mischaracterises the > magnitude of our national condition. Even to the casual observer, the > overwhelming evidence of the gathering storm over our national space must be > obvious. The relentless atmosphere of repression is simply not sustainable, > and something has clearly got to give. On the grounds that no Gambian > deserves to suffer in a civil conflict over the absence of genuinely > inclusive and participatory democracy, I still contend for the proposition > that the electoral process must be the principal route and a united front > the main vehicle for ushering in change. Against a fragmented opposition, > however, it is delusional to even suggest the electoral vulnerability of > APRC under our first-past-the-post system. In the best of current political > circumstances, no single party can come close to effectively challenging the > APRC electoral machine. . > > And so they are not amiss in anchoring their hopes and policies firmly in > reality, national leaders who toy with any form of parochialism are better > advised to accept that Gambia’s communities are eternally damned to a common > fate, whatever that may be. We are condemned to survive or collapse as a > national community, not as communities within a nation. Sink or swim, we > must experience our plight as a collective. That fate is absolute and allows > for no variation whatsoever! > > Never in doubt about the agonising challenge of fashioning a workable > united front, I am nevertheless of the firm view that those who aspire to > the rarefied task of directing the destiny of a nation must be mature and > pragmatic enough to appreciate and navigate the bottlenecks inherent to a > project of such critical import. We are alive to the reality that a deal for > a united front is bound to present special problems of intense agony. > However, trapped as we are in a totalitarian system without independently > viable institutions, the challenge for our opposition leaders is akin to > that of America's founding fathers, those architects of statehood who carved > the world's most distinguished political jurisdiction out of extremely acute > conditions. Their enduring legacy is not the phenomenal and extraordinary > material prosperity of the United States, but the creation of a nation of > laws, and a land, even if at incremental paces, of liberty. > > There is no defensible rationale to suggest that Gambians are incapable of > instituting a governmental system based on the rule of law. The notion, in > some quarters, that God installed the Professor and that we are therefore > divinely required to accord him unquestioned obeisance until the naturally > ordained time for his departure, must be rejected as manifestly stupid. > Every people have control over their destiny, and as God does not install > despots, He leaves them in place for as long as they remain unchallenged. By > our apathy we allowed despotism to thrive wonderfully. As a people we chose > failure in permitting the Professor to exercise a fierce stranglehold over > our public life. It is therefore not contentious to argue that we have a > right to redemption through a united opposition front for 2011. > I have no hesitation in commending our opposition leaders for the very idea > of united front exploratory talks on this third day of September 2011, but > the Gambian populace will reserve its accolades for the final ratification > of an enterprise whose true significance, in the fullness of time, will rank > for us as among the seminal political achievements and events of human > history. A wrong turn and our accelerating demise into a failed state will > be confirmed beyond question. The relentless repression of the Professor’s > APRC regime threatens a national break up and opposition leaders must never > share in that responsibility by scuppering the only peaceable strategy to > rid The Gambia of persistent repression. > > In light of the intricate challenges threatening our nation's very > survival, the current crop of opposition leaders have a special rendezvous > with destiny. I implore them to follow the stars that will lead to a new > dawn for The Gambia. I hope they follow the path of courage and > determination and Gambia shall forever be grateful. A nation's hopes for > peaceful change are solidly in their hands. How tragic if that sacred trust > should be desecrated for want of political courage and vision! > Ala *The Gambia Echo’s* Dr Fox, the lesson is indeed clear that we cannot > fight in isolation. What Ousainu, Hamat, Halifa, and their colleagues in > lesser parties do may constitute part of their leadership prerogative, but > opposition foot-soldiers are calling for nothing short of a genuine united > front against Professor Jammeh in the November presidential contest. > > I sincerely hope you can give us a united front! > > > Lamin J Darbo > > > > > > ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤ To > unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web > interface at: http://listserv.icors.org/archives/gambia-l.html > To Search in the Gambia-L archives, go to: > http://listserv.icors.org/SCRIPTS/WA-ICORS.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://listserv.icors.org/archives/gambia-l.html To Search > in the Gambia-L archives, go to: > http://listserv.icors.org/SCRIPTS/WA-ICORS.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://listserv.icors.org/archives/gambia-l.html > > To Search in the Gambia-L archives, go to: > http://listserv.icors.org/SCRIPTS/WA-ICORS.EXE?S1=gambia-l To contact the > List Management, please send an e-mail to: > [log in to unmask]¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤ > -- www.suntoumana.blogspot.com ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤ To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://listserv.icors.org/archives/gambia-l.html To Search in the Gambia-L archives, go to: http://listserv.icors.org/SCRIPTS/WA-ICORS.EXE?S1=gambia-l To contact the List Management, please send an e-mail to: [log in to unmask] ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤