Jungle Fever,
I am happy that you are decent enough to acknowledge that they made mistakes! So did PPP, so based on that reality let us look forward and elect a new government.

Peace,
Mori Kebba Jammeh

----- Original Message -----
From: Jungle Sunrise
Sent: Thursday, August 30, 2001 11:58 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Fw: My 25th Message To All Gambians!!

Wishful thinking, but we will be waiting. Credibility, like trust, cannot be
forced down people's throath. All well meaning Gambians know that the APRC
government, depspite their mistakes, has made tremendous gains for Gambians;
especially in terms of education, health, energy, communications (road) and
agriculture. We have also never enjoyed such freedom of speach as we do
today. I am not saying that it is the best to expect from our government,
but let us please get our priorities RIGHT! They may have made mistakes down
the line, but to fight for the restoration of the PPP take-over of the UDP,
is a very risky thing to do, if you ask me. This alliance must put the
interest of the nation first. We cannot afford mistakes that may bring about
instability in the country.

To tell us that the UDP needs salvation from the PPP and not the PDOIS, NRP
or a full coalition, speaks volumes of them. The APRC may not be perfect,
but it is the BEST THING THAT HAS EVER HAPPENED to the Gambia, so far. Come
on folks, this government has invested more in education, health,
agriculture and infrastrucral develpoments than ever before. These
policies/dedication cannot be that bad! Let's be God Damn honest and give
the devil his due.

The private "media" has never been freer than before. Let's therefore please
use our skills for the best of the country and not to try to bring it down
for selfish reasons.

Have a goood day, Gassa.


>From: "Mori K. Jammeh" <[log in to unmask]>
>Reply-To: The Gambia and related-issues mailing list
><[log in to unmask]>
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Fw: My 25th Message To All Gambians!!
>Date: Thu, 30 Aug 2001 17:26:29 -0500
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: Mori K. Jammeh
>Sent: Thursday, August 30, 2001 4:54 PM
>To: GAMBIA-L
>Subject: Re: My 25th Message To All Gambians!!
>
>EBRIMA CEESAY WROTE
>
>
>"However, there are genuine fears (about the UDP/PPP alliance) in the minds
>of the electorate which Darboe needs to address, and the sooner the better.
>Perception is a very important thing here:  some would go so far as to
>claim
>that perception is reality.  We have to remember that Jammeh, all these
>years, has used the national media to sell the idea that the UDP is merely
>a
>front for the old PPP."
>
>
>"Furthermore, Jammeh has been very cleverly selling the notion that were
>the
>PPP to return to power, then there will be enormous instability and threat
>to peace in the country.
>
>Just yesterday, I spoke with a former colleague in The Gambia, and he
>expressed the widely held view that "despite my loathing of Yahya Jammeh,
>if
>the likes of Yahya Ceesay and BLK Sanyang return, then God help The
>Gambia!" "
>
>MY TAKE:
>
>Ebrima, let me beg to disagree with some of your analysis about the
>forthcoming presidential elections in the Gambia.No matter how much
>opposition alliance is formed, there will still be skeptics so long the PPP
>is concerned but all skeptics must also understand that the PPP did not
>file a presidential candidate, the UDP did. Even if the NCP/NRP would be
>alliance went through it will still be tough for Yaya to win this election
>with 50% because of the hell Gambians went through since 1994. You have
>already enumerated some of the outstanding blunders of this
>administration's dealings with our farmers, students, its own solders,
>civil servants etc. These issues will be the driving force behind the
>election, and when he fail to capture 50% then all opposition parties will
>be forced then to come together. This does not mean that they can't now.
>
>Keep hope alive,
>Mori Kebba Jammeh
>
>
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: Ebrima Ceesay
>Sent: Thursday, August 30, 2001 8:59 AM
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: My 25th Message To All Gambians!!
>
>My Fellow Gambians,
>
>Really, the whole world is in crisis, and is being polluted by leaders who
>are in the main, inept, often very corrupt, selfish and/or unilateralist:
>the actions of these leaders are plunging the world into unnecessary chaos.
>
>It is impossible to turn on the TV or read a newspaper without being
>bombarded with images of warfare, intolerance, overt racism and enormous
>human suffering. Poverty, famine, global warming, economic recession as
>well
>as armed conflict, are the realities for the world in 2001.
>
>Faced with these crises, it is time for the sons and daughters of the world
>who have clarity, who understand the dynamics and undercurrents of
>politics,
>who are genuine in their desire to strive for a better world, who have
>sincerity and integrity, to play a more significant, pro-active role in
>building a decent future for us all.
>
>Based on the way things are today, it is clear that if we leave things to
>our present leaders, then we shall all be dragged down into the abyss.  We
>therefore have to have the determination to find and support leaders who
>can
>make a REAL difference.
>
>All the negative "isms" (narrow nationalism, chauvinism, patrimonialism,
>regionalism, sectionalism, tribalism, racism) are scourges of the present
>day and manifestations of the failure of world leaders to serve the
>world’s
>best interests. Our leaders for the most part, just cannot deliver the
>goods!
>
>Consequently, the era when people could claim their disinterest in politics
>has to become a thing of the past if we really want a better future:  our
>daily lives are so affected by the decisions – good or bad - taken on our
>behalf by our leaders.  Politics should therefore concern all of us, if we
>want an assured future. Each of us has to care about our political future
>and take an active part to improve our prospects.
>
>In order to live in a better quality world, we have to elect leaders who
>are
>more capable of looking after our common interests. For instance, the
>unilateralism (evident in so many important world issues) displayed so
>tellingly by President Bush in the USA over recent weeks, is fraught with
>danger and risks.  Only this weekend, the Conference on Racism being held
>in
>South Africa, is being boycotted by the USA for fear that it will receive
>disapprobation for its current and past role in Israel and Palestine.
>
>Meanwhile in The Gambia, events of far-reaching political significance are
>unfolding. Elections are fast approaching and these past few weeks have
>been
>really tough for the Gambian Opposition parties.  Equally, they have also
>been tough for the APRC even if they are pretending on the surface that all
>is well with the party.
>
>Primarily, Sedat Jobe was forced to "resign" because Yahya Jammeh decided
>to
>"sacrifice" him after the decision to expel the Deputy British High
>Commissioner, Joshi Bharat, from The Gambia had backfired. However, there
>is
>also a secondary reason which I’ll address later.
>
>It is true that Sedat Jobe was not in the Gambia when the decision to expel
>Bharat was taken, but he was consulted from day one and he advised that
>Bharat be expelled from the Gambia. Now when things backfired, naturally
>Yahya Jammeh decided to "sacrifice" him to try and please the British (or
>just to use him as a scapegoat). But Sedat Jobe would never have resigned
>his post if he were not forced.
>
>Contrary to what some people think, Sedat Jobe lacks principles or
>integrity. In fact, Jammeh apparently wanted to sack him a long time ago,
>after there were certain sexual misconduct allegations made against Sedat
>Jobe while he was on a Gambian Government mission to Gabon.  The secondary
>reason why Sedat had to leave is because Jammeh was also not happy with the
>fact that Sedat has not been helping with the APRC campaign as Blaise Jagne
>did during last elections.
>
>Jammeh is panicked about the outcome of the forthcoming elections and he
>expected a technocrat like Sedat to mastermind his victory come October
>2001.
>
>Now there are reports that Blaise Jagne, currently serving as Gambia’s
>ambassador to the UN in New York, will be recalled to The Gambia to take
>over the Foreign Minister role.  For those who do not know, it was Blaise
>Jagne along with Dominic Mendy who masterminded the Jammeh/APRC election
>campaigns and "victory" in 1996/97.
>
>Therefore the fact that Baboucarr Blaise Jagne may well be brought back
>gives us an idea of the worry and fright being felt by Yahya Jammeh and his
>camp.  Jammeh, as desperate and anxious as he is today, needs the
>re-assurances and the coordinating efforts of Mr "strategist" Blaise Jagne
>in order to spearhead the 2001 presidential campaigning which Sedat Jobe
>has
>failed to give him.
>
>Interestingly, I spoke with a contact at the Commonwealth Secretariat in
>London very recently.  He said, and I quote, "Ebrima, you Gambians should
>stop under-estimating Yahya Jammeh politically.  He may not be a
>well-educated man, but politically he is shrewd and he has been playing all
>the right chords.  Look, in spite of Captain Ebou Jallow’s revelations,
>the
>student massacre of April 10/11th, the non-payment of farmers etc –
>despite
>all these things, Jammeh is still in power, is still manipulating, is still
>getting exactly what he wants."
>
>There can be no disagreement about this:  Jammeh is using every device in
>the book to ensure his political future, and he is doing it along with all
>the machinery of state to serve him and the APRC.
>
>The Opposition must therefore be well prepared in order to be able to
>unseat
>the travesty of a leader inflicted on The Gambia.
>
>It is regrettable that events have unfolded as they have done recently
>vis-Ã -vis the tactical Alliance of all the political opposition parties in
>The Gambia.
>
>For months, I and others contributing to Gambia-L, have been calling for
>the
>formation of a tactical alliance to see the back of Jammeh.  In fact, in my
>Twenty-fourth Message, I put forward a comprehensive package for an
>opposition united to defeat Yahya.
>
>If truth be told, the opposition in The Gambia has had the whole of last
>year to work out an effective alliance, but sadly and disappointingly, they
>did not set the ball rolling for this until Yahya Jammeh lifted Decree 89
>this summer.
>
>Jammeh knew exactly what he was doing. No wonder my contact at the
>Commonwealth Secretariat in London insists that "Jammeh is politically
>shrewd." If the opposition had formed (or attempted to form) an alliance at
>the time people like me and others were calling for it, perhaps the
>currents
>problems would not have arisen.
>
>Yahya Jammeh must be rubbing his hands together in glee at recent
>developments concerning the coalition of the UDP/PPP, and the
>non-participation to date of the PDOIS, NCP and NRP parties in this
>coalition.
>
>Jammeh knew, as Abdoulaye Saine has pointed out, that the lifting of Decree
>89 would put huge pressures on the opposition and would work to his
>advantage.  It seems that he was quite right in his assumptions.
>
>The PPP/UDP have merged or formed an alliance, and there are reports now
>that in similar fashion, the NCP and NRP will merge together as well.  This
>is not what we opponents of Jammeh have ever wanted or envisaged.
>Technically, what we are seeing are mergers, not tactical alliances formed
>for the explicit purpose of unseating Jammeh.  Jammeh understands full well
>the adage that goes, "Divide and Rule!"
>
>As for the GPP, they cannot say they are in the alliance if they do not
>formally re-register their party as a political party. If Assan Musa Camara
>fails to re-register the GPP, then it will be incorrect to say that the GPP
>is part of the alliance. He can be called the alliance facilitator or
>convener, but technically his party cannot be part of any alliance if it is
>not re-registered.
>
>If he fails to do so, then he will be like the rest of us:  interested in
>change but not a significant part of it.  His role could be a crucial one
>were he to re-register his party and join the coalition.
>
>I therefore urge the GPP to re-register as a political party, even at this
>late stage, although its leader Assan Musa Camara is constitutionally ruled
>out for the Presidency, because of his age.  Assan Musa was the original
>facilitator of the UDP/PPP merger/alliance:  if he does not register his
>GPP
>party, then it cannot be claimed that the GPP is part of the UDP/PPP
>grouping.  The danger will also be that people will perceive that the UDP
>has merged with the PPP, rather than serving as an alliance of parties.
>
>Some years ago, I was a Court Reporter in The Gambia, and I have seen
>Ousainou Darboe at work first hand. I know him to be a man of great
>intellect, integrity – firm, decisive, generous and honest. I know that
>no
>pressure groups can use him for their own ends at the expense of the
>Gambian
>masses.
>
>However, there are genuine fears (about the UDP/PPP alliance) in the minds
>of the electorate which Darboe needs to address, and the sooner the better.
>Perception is a very important thing here:  some would go so far as to
>claim
>that perception is reality.  We have to remember that Jammeh, all these
>years, has used the national media to sell the idea that the UDP is merely
>a
>front for the old PPP.
>
>Now that there has been an alliance or a merger between these two parties,
>many people perceive that the PPP is coming back: people are scared –
>they
>do not want a return to yesteryear.  They want an end to Jammeh and new
>beginnings for The Gambia: not a programme of restarts.
>
>
>Furthermore, Jammeh has been very cleverly selling the notion that were the
>PPP to return to power, then there will be enormous instability and threat
>to peace in the country.
>
>Just yesterday, I spoke with a former colleague in The Gambia, and he
>expressed the widely held view that "despite my loathing of Yahya Jammeh,
>if
>the likes of Yahya Ceesay and BLK Sanyang return, then God help The
>Gambia!"
>
>Darboe’s immediate task therefore is to strive for balance:  he has to
>use
>the wisdom and advice of some of these old PPP politicians, but without
>giving too much away.  He has to face the issue of how to take our country
>forward without the undue influence of the old PPP.
>
>Again, the answer or the ideal thing to do of course, is to establish a
>broad-based alliance of all the Opposition Parties.
>
>All the impressions I am getting from The Gambia at the moment, are that it
>is still not too late to form a much broader alliance:  the opposition
>groups in The Gambia, as I understand it, have not yet shut the door on an
>effective coalition.
>
>However, time is short and there is an urgent need for them all to come
>together again and to try to minimise their differences and to reach
>consensus on a Presidential candidate.  There is therefore the need to
>re-convene another meeting attended by all parties with a view to forming
>an
>all party alliance.
>
>There needs to be both flexibility of approach and a spirit of compromise:
>the opposition leaders have to understand that the alliance would be a
>short
>term measure to rescue the country from the long term disaster of Yahya
>Jammeh.
>
>Let us be in no doubt:  if we get it wrong this time, then we are facing
>another 5 or 7 (or more, if he tampers again with the constitution) years
>of
>Jammeh’s brutal and corrupt leadership, and all that this would entail
>for
>our country.  God spare us that!
>
>We have to be brave, resolute and forward thinking enough to put our
>differences aside for the time being.  Let Assan Musa Camara (or whoever is
>sincere) reconvene a forum for the formation of an ALL PARTY alliance.
>
>Let ALL the opposition parties be there, and let them transparently and
>democratically choose the best-suited candidate to stand in the
>Presidential
>elections against tyrant Jammeh.  It is vital that we have one presidential
>candidate of stature, who spans the range of opposition view and acts for
>all.
>
>At the same time as the leaders of the opposition parties and their aides
>are meeting, let there be an ad-hoc committee comprising technocrats from
>all the parties simultaneously working out the modalities of an
>alliance-led
>government.
>
>It is crucial that all opposition parties are seen to be interested in the
>success of a tactical alliance. Compromise should be the catchword.  The
>people do need direct evidence that all parties are interested in the
>practicalities of an alliance, and not just in their own rhetoric. There
>should be space and tolerance for divergence of views in an opposition
>united against Jammeh.
>
>If the Opposition gets it right, there is no way that Jammeh can possibly
>win. Under the new Constitution, the winning presidential candidate needs
>to
>have polled over 50% of the vote, and there is no way that Jammeh could
>come
>anywhere close to this percentage if there is a solid alliance.
>
>Jammeh himself understands this all too well, and he is doing everything in
>his power to divide the Opposition in order to split the electorate’s
>votes
>for the opposition.  Jammeh works on the principle that "united they stand,
>divided they fall".
>
>It is therefore imperative that the Opposition parties try and resolve
>their
>differences, in the best interests of our nation and its people.
>
>Again, do not get me wrong! Darboe is a good and able man:  he would be a
>good Presidential candidate. However, people’s impressions of recent
>events
>have been shaken and there is a scar left.  He now needs to address some of
>these fears/concerns in a bid to allay their fears or to reassure them that
>the UDP is not the PPP.
>
>In any case, he (or the chosen candidate of an all-party alliance) will
>need
>tact and diplomacy, as well as dogged determination to lead a united
>opposition alliance to victory in the October polls.
>
>It is do-able!  So let us bury our individual egos, and work together for
>the sake of our dear country.  If we do not get it right this time round,
>then we are facing a terrible future.  The Opposition really cannot afford
>to fail.  History has confronted them with this difficult task:  a task of
>finding a way of putting differences aside, and uniting in a spirit of
>compromise and common purpose.
>
>This is the urgent challenge facing opponents of Yahya Jammeh’s terrible
>regime.  The consequences of failure will be unbearable.
>
>My prayers are for my country, and for decent people to lead it forwards to
>a better future for us all.
>
>
>Ebrima Ceesay,
>Birmingham, UK
>
>
>_________________________________________________________________
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