Great contribution Boye.I was not very surprised by PDOIS's conduct.
The Minister of justice in the Gambia is commending the party for not attending
the meeting. I hope every Gambian will interpret that for themselves.
Mori
----- Original Message -----
From: babucar k jaata
To: [log in to unmask]
Sent: Wednesday, March 07, 2001 2:32 PM
Subject: Re: FWD:On The Meeting Of Gambian Opposition Parties In London
As a concern citizen of The Gambia, I feel it necessary as an obligation to reply to this message or mail. I would also like to question the stand of PDOIS in The Gambia politics at the moment. At this stage, we do not need undercover (sheep in wolves clothing). I would also like to ask the PDOIS membership whether they are the one who is authorizing our well-known intellectual - Halifa Sallah to talk on their behalf. This is because i personally do not understand his stand point as at now. Halifa we know you are an intellectual but I will assured to you that despite all that, you are entittled to your own ideas as anyone else.
I was well informed that all efforts had been made to see you attend the meeting of the Movement for the Restoration of Democracy in The Gambia proof futile for the reason best known to you. So if you sit on your computer in the PDOIS office thinking that you can get deceive the Gambian people by critising that the meeting is link with the former ruling party, you are fooling yourself. We know for the fact that you are a wolve in sheep clothing.
The point on how the British MP can make changes in the Gambia politics do not sounds much to you but instead the Gambia people. Fine lets assumed that this is correct: why do you and your party want then to introduce a solicalist system of government in the Gambia which is also a foreign concept. You should have introduce or contact the Gambia people what type of government they need instead. I personally disagreed with your views towards this meeting and am sure is been condemed by most Gambian in and abroad.
You have a duty to do which you show deaf ear to, that is the conory reprt had been rejected by the government and sitl you did not say anything about it expect coming out with another proposal that they should form a Truth and Reconciliation Commission. This commision I believe if formed will call on the same witnesses to testify so it will be repeating the same job or task. I know for the fact that you do not say anything about the rejection of the report for the following reasons:
i) you are a single person so you do not know the cost, energy and efforts involve in bring up a child as you never had one.
ii) You do not have any dependant (children)at the moment so you do not care what happens to the students on the April 10th and 11th incident.
Only two of this factors clearly shows your stand point on this issues. I beg if you were at the meeting it would have been more important to tell this message to your fellow Gambians point blank. Even one of the opposition members- Hon. Hamat Bat pointed out that the ruling APRC should have been invited so that answers could be heard form some of the questions involved. This is because most of the questions could have beed answered easily by the ruling APRC themselves.
On my final note, I would therefore put it to you that you should have attended the meeting rather than sitting in your office where it will be too easy for you to say anything you like like me now without anyone condeming you. I feel so dissappointed if our our country's best interlectuals like you think in this manner and also bad to direct this mail to you particular. I know by now you will be looking into your vocabulary and the advanced dictionary to find heavy words inorder to impress people in your reply which I don't care about it. What I beleive in simple and clear english explanations as they will be qoated from someone else.
I thank all the members of this web, and all those who have contributed in one way or another to make the meeting successful. God bless you all and Happy EID-ADHA.
Your brother
Babucar Boye Jaata
>From: Momodou Camara
>Reply-To: The Gambia and related-issues mailing list
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: FWD:On The Meeting Of Gambian Opposition Parties In London
>Date: Wed, 7 Mar 2001 14:33:29 +0100
>
>The following is culled from Burning Issues (FOROYAA Publication) Wednesday, 7
>March 2001
>
>*********************************
>
>On The Meeting Of Gambian Opposition Parties In London
>
>Dear Editors,
>We have been hearing about a meeting between Gambian opposition parties at
>the house of commons in Britain. It is not clear to me whether PDOIS was
>invited or not. It is also not clear what the meeting was all about.
>Gambians are very much interested in knowing PDOIS's position on the
>meeting.
>
>The rumours are many. Some claimed that the opposition parties are calling
>on the British government to put pressure on the Gambia government to remove
>Decree 89. Others are saying that the meeting intends to call for
>intervention of the British government in pressurising the Gambia
>Government to have greater respect human rights and democracy.
>It would be appreciated if FOROYAA explain PDOIS's position.
>A concern citizen.
>
>
>FOROYAA's Explanation
>Some Gambians in Britain such as James Bahoum who is the chairman and Chogan
>who was once Deputy Inspector General of Police have established a movement
>called Movement for the Restoration of Democracy in The Gambia. MRD. The
>movement saw a British member of parliament to lobby for his support. As the
>reader knows Gambian members of National Assembly do ask questions and speak
>on certain subjects at the national assembly . The British member of
>parliament can also question the policy of the British government on Gambia
>in parliament with the view to influence the policy.
>
>According to John McDonald, the MP for Hayes and harlington there are many
>Gambians refugees resident in his constituency. He therefore saw the need to
>get briefings from representatives of the Gambian opposition on the plight
>of the Gambian people.
>
>Mr. McDonald therefore convened a meeting on Wednesday 28 February 2001 at
>committee room 10 at the house of commons to which representatives of
>opposition parties were invited to brief him.
>
>While PDOIS has no objection for any Gambian abroad to try to promote good
>governance in the Gambia for PDOIS representatives to leave the Gambia only
>to brief a British MP on what is happening in the Gambia so that he can
>raise parliamentary questions when the opposition has earned so much respect
>from the British High Commission to the point that the high commission often
>reacts to any deterioration of the democratisation process would tantamount
>to acknowledge of impotency. Such briefings should be done by Gambian
>refugees who should be contributing their quota at that level.
>
>PDOIS considers its self to be more effective in promoting change in the
>Gambia than a British MP. In our view, the limited work of trying to promote
>the restoration of democracy in the Gambia should be done by human rights
>advocacy groups. PDOIS is engaged in the work of transforming the Gambia. We
>are now building grassroot committees for the enlightenment of the people.
>
>What we need from Gambians are resources to carry out the work at a much
>faster pace. PDOIS is capable of challenging the APRC regime. We cannot be
>intimidated by any one. PDOIS recommended for the banned politicians to
>cooperate to have a test case, for example any one of them especially
>Sheriff Dibba could have put up his candidature for Central Baddibou to see
>whether the IEC will reject his nomination papers or not. He could have even
>withdraw his nomination papers if it was accepted. On the other hand, he
>could have gone to the supreme court for further declaration on the
>constitutionality of decree 89 in light of the rights to stand for election
>granted by section 26 of the constitution and paragraph 6 of the second
>schedule which requires the modification of laws to suit the provisions of
>the constitution.
>
>PDOIS is willing to support any move to ensure that only the Gambian people
>will decide who should represent them. PDOIS considers it to be outright
>tyranny for any political leadership to arbitrarily exclude any other
>Gambian from exercising their right to stand for elections. Regardless of
>how we see the PPP, PDOIS holds that it should be left to defend its record
>before the people if it has any record to defend. PDOIS maintains that the
>APRC's draconian decree is unconstitutional and should be challenged. It is
>an obstacle to the democratisation process. If all parties were allowed to
>operate freely after the transition Gambia would have now had a political
>atmosphere under which the parties would be pulling their records before the
>people and be judged on the basis of the merits of their programmes instead
>of the situation we have now when human rights issues are the burning
>issues. The APRC needs to gain maturity after 6 years of AFPRC and APRC
>government. Going into hysteria just because those it bans are holding a
>meeting in London is not the answer. The answer is to lift the ban and then
>get the mature party supporters who can argue their case against the other
>political parties in order to win the support of the people.
>
>PDOIS also call on opponents of the government to trust our own abilities to
>change the country. We must not undermine our achievements. We must not see
>our salvation to depend on a British MP. We must show that we are capable of
>defending the sovereignty of this country. We must therefore rely on our
>people for change. Gambians abroad should know that they do not have
>impotent opposition parties who need to be rescued by British MPs. What
>they need to do is send resources to the parties of their choice to
>facilitate a change of government.
>
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