Conteh,

Thank you for your dedication to the efort towards justice and progress.
I believe that the reason we Gambians have the situaion we have at hand today
is because we have the tendency to sit around waiting for others to do
something,  and we fail to realize that we are teh masters of our own destiny.

This effort to realize a coalition is far greater than any one individual,
and as Gambians, we do not have to wait for anyone to determine for us whether
we can participate in any effort towards self determination because then that
would defeat the actual purpose of the entire venture, and it is the actual
reason why we end up with leadership we do not want and why we always feel as if
we are helpless when we are not.. Anytime we let a few people elect themselves
to represent what we think and want, we are contributing to the perpetration
of the political hegemony we say we are trying to bring to an end. Needless to
say, we cannot and must not let that happen.
Let us take the initiative to extend an invitation to all our compatriots who
want to participate in  debating the issue and  put our ideas to paper to
submit to the opposition parties and work in conjunction with them towards
rescuing our country from a dictatorial government and other dictators in the
making.

The issue of raising  funds is the final part to this effort. Right now, we
need to gather Gambians together to come up with our vison of a roadmap to the
realization of this coalition, it's composition, focus and agenda for paving
the way to a brighter future.
The people on the ground are willing,  and we need to get to work.
We need the participation of all Gambians all over the World who have
interest in contributing to a brighter future for our country.
I appeal to all those who are concerned and want to participate in this
effort to send me a private email so that we can discuss how organize ourselves and
how to move forward. Once we have something concrete in place, we can then
move on to the business of raising funds.

Jabou Joh

In a message dated 8/16/03 8:04:10 AM Central Daylight Time,
[log in to unmask] writes:>
> Joe:
>
> I had written to you explaining my frustration and a question posted to you
> about a tentative coalition summit that you indicated a while back.  Sister
> Jabou and Mr. M. Sidibeh had also provided valuable suggestions.  I hope we
> can come to the realization that differences yield solutions.
>
> I hope we can revisit the fund drive and coalition platform initiatives.  I
> want to make it clear that each of us has a role to play, regardless of our
> differences.  I also want to make it clear that our efforts for a coalition
> can only prevail if we are inclusive.  If we pick and choose who we associate
> and communicate with, we will fail tremendously.
>
> Our country's problems should be collective.  This effort should not be
> regarded as a vocation for a selected few.  If we refuse to hear disagreements
> and suggestions from those who disagree with us, our effort to defeat Jammeh
> will be fruitless.  It is of no value that we ask Gambians to contribute
> financially, when we operate from an exclusive front.
>
> We can continue to condemn the APRC government in all efforts, but our
> unwillingness to be inclusive will equate a defeat for us at the polls.  Question
> is ask: How can one trust an effort when those requested to contribute cannot
> make suggestions?
>
> From my intepretation, I have noticed a sense of segregation on the part of
> some who are supposed to rise above politics for a better Gambia.  It is
> frightening that we engage in such, when we are calling for a democratic Gambia.
> This in my view is discriminatory in its entirety.
>
> This sense of feeling is frustrating, but I just cannot hide it. I must also
> be willing to do my part for a better Gambia, regardless of being critical
> of the whole initiative.  Democracy without criticism equals an APRC
> government.
>
> We will collect funds locally in Raleigh, NC, but we hope  representatives
> of the opposition can visit us.  We are also against the idea of lodging any
> representative in a hotel.  We feel that we need to minimize our expenditure
> so that resources collected can be used in needed areas.  We also want the
> leaders to know the community, sit, laugh and hear from them informally.
>
> I stand to affirm that I will remain critical of the whole structure until
> the citizens in diaspora are allowed to convene and given the opportunity to
> address critical issues facing a tentative coalition.  My position is that we
> should employ communal efforts in engaging Gambians.
>
> Issues facing us must be addressed.  What is the platform for a a coalition?
>  How long should the nominee serve?  How many terms should the nominee
> serve?  How can we meet the leaders of the opposition or their representatives in
> the U.S.?  We do not want to hear from only one political party.  We want to
> hear from all of them.
>
> Naphiyo,
> Comrade ML Jassey-Conteh
>
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