Lamin Manneh

I think you have said it all for me. I was thinking of
posting a similar email on the "L" but yours is quite
adequate.

Comrade Conteh

I have noticed your concern about the forthcoming
elections. Eventhough, we have had series of
disagreements on the way forward for the opposition,
at no time did I consider you as an opposition within
an opposition. Instead, I consider you as someone so
eager to see that Yahya is overthrown through the
ballot-box,  come October 2001. It would therefore be
dishonest for anyone to consider you as an opposition
within an opposition. I share most of your views on
the situation before July 22 1994. For your
information, I have never supported the PPP regime. In
fact, during my first voting experience in 1987, I
voted for the opposition in both the Presidential and
Parliamentary Elections. Talking about an United
opposition brings back memories as to how I exercised
my vote for parliamentary election for the Serrekunda
West Constituency. For your information, I was a young
ardent supporter of GPP led by that decent politician
Assan Musa Camara. Although GPP had a candidate for
the Serrekunda West,Sam Pierre Mendy, I decided to
vote for Gibou Jagne the NCP Candidate, who won with a
majority of 190 votes. This is a clear manifestation
of tactical voting, since I knew that a vote for the
GPP candidate would be a waste vote. In fact most of
my colleagues casted their vote for the parliamentary
elections along those lines.  Your views therefore on
a united opposition is all geared towards ensuring
that a successful  tactical voting mechanism is in
place to unseat Yahya through the ballot box, it does
not at any cost illustrates your dissent within the
opposition camp, but it is one of caution which all of
us take note of.

On that note it would be premature for anyone to brand
you as an "enemy within". I have read all your emails
and cannot at anytime regard them as Anti- Opposition.
99% of us within the opposition have been campaigning
for political tolerance and if your views are not
tolerated, then surely we should give up the struggle
to unseat Yahya through the ballot box. If we intend
to muzzle any one with different views as to winning
the election, then surely we are moving towards
dictatorship.

With this in mind, I urge you not to think otherwise
but to take note of Lamin Manneh's advise and move
forward. Dissent within the opposition is not a crime,
it's only a crime when the enemy gains from it.

To refresh your memory; Come October 2001, Gambia must
be free as Yahya must go

Long Live Gambia
Long Live Democracy.

Have a wonderful day

Sanusi



--- Lamin Manneh PF <[log in to unmask]> wrote: >
Mr. Conteh, your position is cleared. The opposition
> must be prepared to
> accept public criticisms just like any other ruling
> party. That is the
> beauty of democracy. Although openness and frank
> discussions are vital
> ingredients of any democratization process, my only
> concern is that some
> issues are so sensitive that they don't need to be
> initially discussed on
> this or other public forums.
> One correction though, the Bojangs of Brikama are
> "Tonso"(bat) Bojangs
> not of Sankaranka Madiba Conteh. Asked Ousman Jallow
> Bojang or Saffo Dembo
> Santang Bojang.
> Cheers
> PF Manneh
>
> >From: Jassey Conteh <[log in to unmask]>
> >Reply-To: The Gambia and related-issues mailing
> list
> ><[log in to unmask]>
> >To: [log in to unmask]
> >Subject: I am not any opposition within the
> opposition
> >Date: Sat, 16 Jun 2001 19:40:59 +0800
> >
> >Comrades:
> >
> >Today is Saturday, June 16, 2001.  After speaking
> >on the phone with Brother Saul Khan, I promised to
> >write and set light to my position, relative to my
> recent condemnations of
> >the UDP leadership.
> >
> >Some years ago in The Gambia, we were touched by
> the
> >deaths of Messrs Saul Samba and Matarr Sarr.
> >According to Sir Dawda's spokesman, Brother Matarr
> >Sarr shot and killed Saul Samba, when the latter
> >came to arrest him.  I vividly remember Gambians
> >crying in Banjul because that was the first time
> >in the history of The Gambia, a Gambian had
> >opened fire on another Gambian.
> >
> >After Saul Samba was laid to rest, the rack and
> file
> >in  Banjul and the rest of The Gambia demanded that
> >Matarr Sarr be given a decent funeral.  I was
> >among numerous Gambians who shouted insults to
> >the Jawara government.  On our way to the Moslem
> >cemetary, we met Jawara and the rest of the PPP at
> >the site without incident.  Brother Matarr Sarr was
> >laid to rest and we came back to the streets of
> >Banjul without any incident.  We quickly went on
> our
> >responsibilities.  That was The Gambia I grew up in
> >and that was The Gambia we are fighting to restore.
> >
> >On July 22, 1994 I was moved to tears when a
> legally
> >elected government was overthrown.  On my many
> >journeys in search of truth, justice, compassion
> and
> >democracy, I met Tombong Saidy at The Gambian
> Embassy.
> >It was a confrontational meeting because Tombong
> >devied all odds and lied to me about the quality of
> >life that Gambians would endure.  My meeting again
> >with him in Miami, Fl. was the same.  I remember
> talking to Gambians at a
> >dance about the
> >dangerous trend of events that our country would
> face.
> >I was fortunate to meet many Gambians who thanked
> me
> >for what I challenged myself to do.
> >
> >A few years ago when we met at the US state
> department
> >to demonstrate, we again joined together because we
> >love our country.  A demonstration my Jalibaa at
> The
> >Gambian Embassy was an event that I am still proud
> >to say was a strategy that made me realized that
> >this war against tyrant Jammeh cannot be fought on
> >individual satire.  My love and admiration for
> >Sister Soffie Ceesay is still cemented and will
> never
> >go away.  Soffie I kept on saying to myself is the
> >Hilary Clinton of The Gambia.  My deepest question
> to
> >myself was, is she married?  I hope brother Sarr is
> >not offended.  Truted Comrade Ous Mbenga is an
> elder
> >who I have the deepest respect for.  I really was
> >moved when he introduced himself because my famous
> >teacher at Saint Augustine's was his late dear
> brother, Mr. Ebou Mbenga.  I
> >will never set foot in
> >The Gambia without setting foot at his grave.
> Cousin
> >Ousman Bojang is no stranger to me.  I am a Conteh
> >and he a Bojang.  Historically, the Bojangs were
> the
> >ones who changed their names from Conteh to Bojang,
> >meanin "ebotojang".  No Bojang from Brikama will
> >visit Faraba Banta without setting foot in Conteh
> Kunda.
> >
> >My tape on democracy is still the guiding principle
> >for my decision to join the movement in restoring
> >sanity to our country.  I talked about the need for
> >unity.  I believe that without a unified
> opposition,
> >the dictator of kaninlai will steal the election.
> >
> >I am not here to win favors or make friends on the
> >motion of not telling the opposite of the truth.  I
> am not here to subject
> >Gambians into believing that
> >we should give a blanket support to the UDP.  I am
> not
> >here to defend a single opposition party.  My
> >responsibility as a crusader of democracy is a
> >struggle that I maintain to remain consistent.  I
> have
> >the desire that we are making a calculated mistake
> >in not asking the UDP to clearly define how it can
> >win.  We are making a serious mistake in not trying
> >to reach out to the barred politicians.  Why do I
> have
> >to ignore Hon. Ousman Jallow (OJ), a Gambian who I
> >worked with at the then Gambian Commercial and
> >Development Bank?  I know OJ and I trust OJ. Why do
> I have to take an
> >entity approach in setting strategies for the
> eventual failure of our goals
> >and objectives?    What is wrong in calling for
> uniting?  What is wrong
> >telling Gambians that the UDP individually cannot
> win the election?  Why do
> >we have to take a position of indifference and
> mortgage our future to a
> >political party that we have not met the leadership
> at the ALD symposium to
> >engage with the other leaders of the opposition.
> It is not fair to give a
> >blanket support to the UDP.  Why ignore Hons. Hamat
> Bah and Sidia Jatta and
> >Brother Halifa Sallah?  At least NRP and PDOIS were
> present at the
> >symposium.
> >
> >My position is clear.  I am of the opinion that we
> >need a united effort against the dictator.  When
> >everything settles, and the dictator steals the
> >election, what are we going to do?  Will we blame
> >Ousainou, or will we blame ourselves?  I know some
> >are saying that I am giving more leverage to the
> >APRC in attacking the UDP.  I would rather say the
> >truth than say the opposite.  Where is our value
> >system?
> >
> >At times in situations of concern, there are some
> >individuals who are guided with the negative
> principle of self promotion.
> >There are some who
> >have decided to join this struggle because they
> want
> >a Gambia with dignity.  There are others who are in
> >this thing because of no position.
> >
> >I hope I have not offended anyone.  I hope we will
> >begin to understand that our struggle to unseat the
> >dictator must be done collectively.  Election
> without a unified opposition
> >equals more years of terror under the dictator of
> kaninlai.  I hope I am
> >wrong. God please help us.
> >
> >Naphiyo,
> >
> >Comrade ML Jassey-Conteh,MBA
> >Greensboro, NC/Kombo East Constituency.
> >
> >
> >--
> >
> >_______________________________________________
> >Get your free email from
> http://mymail.earthlink.net
> >
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> >
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=== message truncated ===




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