Let me start by thanking the entire participants in the ALD celebration this past weekend. I thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to join us during our annual Gambian ALD reunion.

I want to set the record straight regarding the ALD symposium last weekend. The ALD organizing committee is a non-partisan organization and the symposium was NEVER intended as a campaign event for a united opposition. This was communicated to all parties (APRC, UDP, NRP, and PDOIS) well before their confirmation to participate in the symposium without objects.

Our goal was to provide all parties an opportunity to present their agenda for the Gambia and to have a civil conversation with the audience on Democracy, Human Rights, and the up coming election. All parties and members of the Gambia-L were informed about the invited participants and there was not a single objection from any party. The question then was the possibility of convincing all parties to participate and we succeeded.

Comrade ML Jassey-Conten's statement on the ALD being a two-man initiative is absolutely nonsense. Gambians on the L and around the D.C. area were invited to meeting in preparation for the ALD. Their decision not to participate for whatever reason (s) is beyond our control.

We were communicating directly with Mr. Ousainou Darboe regarding his participation. We learned of his decision to pull out of the symposium from the Gambia-L. When we called and talked with him that night, he never mentioned any replacement for him and I'm sure Mr. Darboe knew that Mr. Saihou Mballow and other UDP officials including Ousainou's brother were in the U.S. In fact, Mr. Dardoe's brother was a panelist among with Dr. Nyang and Dr. Saine during a conference we held two years ago at Howard University.

The absent of a UDP representative was the fault of the UDP. If you can recall, Mr. Darboe was the first panelist to confirm only to pull out three days before the event.  This was after meetings with members of Congress, the State Department, and NGOs were scheduled and confirmed for him. It was after we informed him that all parties will be represented in Washington but UDP that he decided to rush to Washington. We were racing against time because the event started very late as a result of people arriving late as usual. Because of the time factor, our first priority was on the party representatives from Gambia and not on reading a statement that can be photocopy or posted on any website/distribution list for anybody to access.

I called upon the UDP leadership to explain to the people the reason(s) for pulling out of the symposium on the day and after the time they were scheduled to arrive in Washington.

I appreciate all the criticism for I am not perfect. I love to listen to other opinions because it helps me understand people's reactions and also help me to be more tolerance. We have done our best and whether you appreciate it or not, we will keep on trying.


James Gomez, Jr.
ALD Coordinator

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