UDP Bankruptcy Responsible for Election Boycott Juwara Fires More 'Shots' At
Darboe

The Independent (Banjul)
NEWS
August 16, 2002
Posted to the web August 16, 2002

By Sheriff Bojang Jnr
Banjul

Suggestions that the United Democratic Party is inching closer towards a fully
blown leadership crisis has been reinforced by startling revelations from Lamin
Waa Juwara that self-inflicted bankruptcy was the main reason behind the UDP's
boycott of the National Assembly and Local Government elections.

Waa Juwara who was recently accused by Ousainou Darboe's supporters of
attempting to oust their leader from the UDP's leadership, Wednesday revealed
to The Independent that D500, 000 (five hundred thousand dalasi) that was
earmarked as UDP deposits for constituencies in the National Assembly elections
were diverted to paying Darboe's tax arrears to the state to qualify him as a
presidential candidate in last October's elections, a deal which he said caused
the UDP to be so bankrupt that it could not pay the mandatory deposits for
constituencies in the National Assembly elections in January and the
councilorship elections in April. Mr. Darboe was in tax arrears of up to D543,
000 with interest, a default, which could have disqualified him to bid for the
presidency. He was sent a 'demand note' by the Commissioner of Income Tax to
pay. The arrears were as of June 4, 2001. On September 3 Darboe paid D100, 000
and was left to pay a balance of D443, 000, which was paid on October 17, a day
before the nomination for the presidential election.

'A small kitchen cabinet of associates within the UDP paid out of the party's
funds Ousainou Darboe's personal income tax arrears in the sum of D500, 000
accumulated over a period of five years. This rendered the UDP bankrupt and
serves as the reason behind the party's boycott of the National Assembly and
Councilor election' Juwara revealed.

Juwara said that he got to know 'this corrupt practice' two days before the
nominations for the National Assembly race, when the UDP had already deposited
D75, 000 for some selected constituencies.

'I was shocked, dismayed and felt betrayed because this action later cost us
dearly and almost brought the entire activities of the party grinding to a
halt' he claimed.

Juwara also recalled that in 1996 the UDP had paid over D400, 000 for Darboe's
personal income tax arrears to facilitate his bid for the presidency in that
year.

'It is conditional that before an aspirant can contest as a presidential
candidate he should have an income tax clearance certificate, therefore it must
have been deliberate that he defaulted twice on a personal basis to pay his tax
liabilities and wrongfully drew funds from the party to satisfy this personal
requirement. It wasn't surprising that the entire party was thrown into
confusion when political opponents got wind of this situation and began
asserting that Darboe had not qualified to contest as a presidential candidate'
Juwara added.

Asked what urged him to maintain support for the UDP despite Darboe's alleged
under-hand dealings that saw party funds being released to him on a personal
basis, Juwara said 'it could only have happened behind my back'.

'It is totally dishonest if we can cheat 48 National Assembly aspirants and
hundreds of councillorship aspirants of the party for the simple reason that we
have paid money to Darboe personally. How can we cheat our entire membership
both at home and abroad who has contributed their hard earned cash to the party
only to be spent on Darboe as an individual' he inquired.

'After this our National Assembly aspirants were put in some serious financial
difficulties. We nominated them on borrowed money without their knowledge and
some of them currently are indebted and the party is squarely to blame for all
this' he charged.

Mr. Juwara pointed out that in his capacity as the party's organising secretary
and as a senior member of the executive, he wouldn't know the present state of
the party's accounts, which according to him has never been submitted to a
transparent operation.

'I know that funds were raised both in the United States and Europe by Gambians
and well-wishers of the party. I also know that Gambians at home, both rich and
poor who support the party, made financial contributions to the party. But that
is all I know about the money' he said.

Juwara who opined that a party wouldn't operate effectively without
transparency or a committed leadership claimed that Ousainou Darboe and what he
called his small clique of loyalists have succeeded in destroying the party,
which was the only hope for those striving to dislodge the undesirable
political dominance of the ruling APRC.

Juwara who is still technically the organising secretary of the UDP, which is
the most populous opposition organisation in The Gambia, renewed his demand for
Darboe's resignation.

He argued that if Darboe were allowed to continue to lead the party, the UDP
would definitely be a dead political organisation. According to Juwara the
party under Darboe's leadership is terminally ill and unless there is a quick
change of the guards the party may not survive. Juwara said his last wish is
for the UDP to be rendered defunct alongside its first leader as had happened
to all political parties in the history of multi-party politics in The Gambia.

'UP died with its first leader, P.S. Njie, the Muslim Congress died with Garba
Jahumpa, the NLP died with Pap Cheyassin Secka, the PPA died with Sheriff
Ceesay, the PDP died with Dr. Lamin Bojang, the GPP died with Assan Musa
Camara, both the PPP and NCP are struggling to survive and may die with their
leaders' Juwara opined.

'For NRP and PDOIS, these are the only active opposition parties in the
political scene. The APRC will die in the absence of Jammeh' he averred.

Asked what he felt about comments made against him by former UDP Kombo Central
chairman, Dembo Ara Sanneh's in Monday's edition of The Independent, Mr. Juwara
said, 'ah! That's a minor issue. I don't want to speak on unimportant matters'.


Asked whether his attack on Darboe does not send the signal that he was on the
verge of launching his own party, Juwara said he would say nothing yet about
the possibility. The Independent is privy to information that Mr. Juwara was
about to form his own party, which would be launched in Jarra Soma although a
date has not been set.

Meanwhile Darboe told The Independent Wednesday that he was not ready to issue
any statement on the apparent rift among the UDP ranks. 'I will make my
response at the right time' he said.

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