Folks, yet another example of the wisdom of coming together to root out
tyranny.  That is the only hope for many countries in Africa, Gambia
included.  Currently, your fellow citizens in Atlanta are working on
bringing us together to give Gambians a fresh start at progress and we need
to support their efforts.  I urge all that can attend to come and share your
thoughts with your people.  Those that cannot make it we understand, and I
hope that you support the effort from afar.  However, to those that are bent
on destroying this initiative, I say you'll have to go through all of us to
be able to do that, and from the support expressed, you'd be a fool to try
any foolishness.  It's your right to not participate, but we will be damn to
let any try to sabotage this goodwill.  We shall be free.  Please read below
the Ugandan attempt and the Kenyan experience.


Opposition to Form Coalition


The Monitor (Kampala)

February 16, 2004
Posted to the web February 16, 2004

Mwanguhya Charles Mpagi & Isaac Mufumba
Jinja

Seven opposition groups met here at the weekend and agreed to form a
coalition to fight the Movement government in the 2006 general elections.

The secret meeting at Crested Crane Hotel that ran from Friday to Sunday
attracted representatives from seven opposition groups popularly called the
Group of Seven or G7.


A statement issued yesterday after the talks said: "We have recognised the
need for co-operation in our search for genuine multiparty democracy in the
country and agreed that that co-operation should be enhanced and
formalised."

A key opposition official who attended but declined to be named told The
Monitor: "It is part of a series of strategic meetings we shall hold
countrywide to dislodge the dictatorship."

The G7, which is currently involved in talks with government about the
roadmap to multiparty politics in the run-up to the 2006 general elections,
includes the Democratic Party, the Uganda Peoples Congress, the Reform
Agenda, The Free Movement, the National Democrats Forum, the Conservative
Party and the Justice Forum.

Kenyan lessons?

An official at the talks said the coalition, while still subject to
modifications, is likely to resemble the National Rainbow Coalition (Narc)
that brought Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki to power in December 2002, ending
Mr Daniel arap Moi's 24-year reign.

The recommendations from the Jinja retreat, which was attended by mainly
middle-cadre leaders, are to be tabled before a summit of senior opposition
officials to discuss and possibly adopt.

Terego MP Kasiano Wadri, who attended the meeting, called on his fellow
politicians in the G7 to swiftly identify a candidate to contest for the
2006 presidential elections under the banner of the coalition.

Relevant Links

East Africa
Uganda



In 1996, DP, UPC and CP formed the Inter Political Forces Committee that
jointly backed the candidature of DP chief Paul Ssemogerere for that year's
presidential election.

He lost to President Museveni, who won by more than 75 percent of the vote.

_________________________________________________________________
Get fast, reliable access with MSN 9 Dial-up. Click here for Special Offer!
http://click.atdmt.com/AVE/go/onm00200361ave/direct/01/

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To Search in the Gambia-L archives, go to: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/CGI/wa.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://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~