Buharry &  Sidibeh,

 
The power struggle between the different opposition camps made  the 
opposition leadership loose their heads a long time ago and forget that this  alliance 
was supposed to have the purpose of being a temporary fix towards  a longer 
term solution, simply pooling the voting bases of the  various opposition 
parties  to unseat a dictatorship and freeing  our people from the grips of the 
brutal and mad dictator and then  leveling the playing field for all to eventually 
freely participate  later, instead of the process being a fulfillment of 
someone's dream  of coming to power. It was supposed to be a tool that would 
eventually  benefit the Gambian people, not any individual politicians' or group's  
"window of opportunity" to grab power, and with this mad rush for power, one  
wonders if those so hell bent on being the leader would not embark  upon all 
manner of games to stay in power once they come to  head a transitional 
government if it means so much to them.Will  it become an avenue to gain the unfair 
advantage and hang on for  decades like Yaya and the PPP before them? Are 
these guys really  sincere about this alliance and will whoever finally wins this 
rat  race they have created honor the terms of the MOU  once they come into  
power or is it just a facade, a masquerade while they are  busy trying to 
out-wit each other behind the scenes and as soon as any of  them finds a tromp card 
to  use against the others, an avenue to go it  alone, they will go off on 
their own? If they ever come to a  consensus, will the MOU be honored by the 
"winner" once an  election is won by NADD or will it be thrown into the dustbin 
once the  goal is accomplished while the winner embarks on orchestrating 
another long  term multi decade reign?  One truly wonders given the current  
situation.
 
The MOU has limitations on future political activity that it places on  the 
flag bearer and the un-ending power struggle that anyone with a brain knew  
would lead to just the fiasco we are witnessing was the reason that a flag  
bearer without affiliation to any opposition party made sense and would  have been 
readily accepted without question by these politicians if they had the  
interest of the Gambian people instead of their own interests at heart. Instead,  
they set out to carve a way for them to assume power and that may infact end up  
defeating the purpose of the alliance.
 
Their egos, quest for power and the belief that any power, even if it is a  
temporary one and even if it contradicts everything the effort  was supposed to 
accomplish, belongs to them and them only got in the way.  This was evident 
and the hand writing was on the wall when they registered NADD  as a political 
party instead of an alliance and it became evident that they  wanted to draw 
from amongst their ranks to run an interim government. That  was when I lost 
all hope in this venture knowing the inevitable power struggle  that will ensue 
and here we are.  
 
This gave the regime an excuse to set them on a course the  effects of which 
they are still reeling from.  That gross mistake  which I believe was fueled 
by each opposition  party viewing this an as opportunity to be in power and  
being damned if they were going to let anyone other than them come to power  
when they view that position as rightly belonging to them; is what has led  NADD 
down a path that is the opposite of what is written in the MOU they  signed 
and it is amazing how this major contradiction is just brushed  aside by the 
very people who authored the agreement they all signed. Are these  guys so power 
hungry that they cannot even bring themselves to provide an  opportunity that 
may enable an interim government that is not drawn  from their ranks to come 
in to save our people from a major crisis that may  very well bring carnage to 
our country? Anyone who stands in the way of such an  opportunity does not 
have the right to represent themselves as a candidate to  represent the Gambian 
nation and it's people. Political leadership in a  democratic society is a Job, 
paid for by the people,  not an  inheritance.
 
One cannot help but ask if some of these politicians are so power hungry  
that they are willing to give up any future political activity within their  
respective parties just so they can be President or is this  situation a 
manifestation of their lack of sincerity towards  this alliance and an indication of 
things to come?
 
Because a power struggle between these opposition parties was as inevitable  
as day succeeding night, for them to choose a flag  bearer with no political 
allegiance to any of the opposition has been  and is the only possible solution 
here and even the terms of the MOU leaves no  doubt that this was the idea 
because of the restrictions on future  political activity that it places on the 
flag bearer.
 
Yaya Jammeh is ready with traps for each of these opposition  politicians at 
every turn and I must say the course the NADD leadership has  taken so far has 
given him and continues to give him all the tools he needs to  sabotage this 
alliance, but the opposition is so blinded by the quest for power  that they 
don't seem to care that they are giving  Yaya endless  tools to use against 
them and in the meantime, they have forgotten that  they serve the Gambian public 
and this is about the welfare of that public and  not that of the 
politicians. One has to wonder if we should not be asking these  guys who they represent, 
the public or themselves?
 
On the other hand, we are also witnessing some people on this forum  
attempting to muzzle journalists when the criticism and commentary from these  
journalists is directed at a politician they support. When the same people  who have 
been ranting and raving along with the rest of us about the misdeeds of  the 
APRC regime with regard to human rights and press freedom are asking  
journalists to refrain from commentary on what can only be described as a major  crisis 
for the Gambian people, are we then to believe that such  supporters of any 
future government will not engage in the same suppression  of press freedom. 
Are we not to wonder if a request for a journalist to  refrain from commentary 
on issues of the day today will not turn into a visit in  the middle of the 
night and a trip to mile 2 for journalists tomorrow if  the same people find 
themselves in positions of power?
 
 No wonder Africa is in such a mess when we  view the politicians in our 
corner as being above reproach and matters  that should be for public debate are 
conducted behind closed doors and we do not  practice what we preach. So 
freedom of the press is good only when it  criticises our opponents and contains 
what we want to hear?  Whoever engages in that double standard does not have good 
 intentions for that is a guaranteed recipe for the creation  of monsters and 
dictators and yet we say we want change and progress.  So long as we continue 
to view criticism of our politicians and holding  them to account as acts of 
hatred and our political allegiances/affiliations are  not dictated by the 
pursuit of truth, justice and fairness for  all and that which is for the good of 
all Gambians, but instead are  dictated by affiliations based on self 
interest, we are fooling no one but  ourselves into believing that we are striving 
for a society  where  true democracy will exist. So long as we continue to 
refrain  from speaking truth to power and those aspiring to represent us because of 
the  protection of some potential future personal gain, we will continue to  
create a mafia like culture and cronyism in politics and any claim of  
engaging in a struggle for a free and democratic society is nothing but  empty 
hypocritical words because we simply exchange one self interest group  for another 
if we are guided by that philosophy. 
 
Are our politicians so feeble that any criticism and scrutiny by the  people 
throws them into such a crisis that they will become confused and  are not 
able to make the right decision or do those who are busy telling  journalists and 
the Gambian public to shut up have hidden agendas that they are  afraid would 
be exposed if the journalists and the people are free to make  commentary and 
express their views and observations and speak their mind? 
 
So long as we fail to resolve to stand for the truth, speak the  truth and 
demand nothing but the truth from those who seek to  represent us, we will 
forever be going around in circles no matter what  illustrious pronouncements about 
justice, freedom and progress we continue  to make. It will all be just empty 
words while we keep repeating the same  miserable cycle and the people we 
profess to love so much and whose  interest we supposedly have at heart keep 
suffering. So far, It is quite  evident that it is not about the interest of the 
people that our  politicians and their under-studies have in mind because we 
are at the eleventh  hour with the APRC regime and the people cannot take 
anymore and the politicians  are fighting over power.
 
Jabou Joh
 
 
In a message dated 1/22/2006 4:51:21 P.M. Central Standard Time,  
[log in to unmask] writes:

I don't  understand why career politicians within NADD would want to 
lead it now  given that they would not be able to participate after five 5 
years. I am  therefore appealing to all concerened to think strategically and 
 
selflessly and put the interests of the country first. This is the best  
opportunity the opposition has. If this opportunity is squandered, all I  can 
say is "Lord have mercy on The Gambia." Thanks and have a good  evening.



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