As the opportunity for an Alliance started to look like a reality, hope
for a new Gambia towards a constitutional democracy was becoming a
reality. But for the past 7 days, I have been woken up from that
beautiful dream. The story of Ralph Nader, the Green Party liberal
candidate who denied us the Presidency, is going to be a replay come
October 2001 in the Gambia. God forbid!

This of course can be avoided, but it is going to take political
maturity, sense of fairness, political realism and a viable political
strategy. A political Alliance can still be put together, but for that
to happen the protagonists need to focus on how to effectively bring
about that reality.  The political reality is that the only way a new
Gambia can be created come October 2001 is through the formation of an
Opposition Alliance. It is also a political reality that the October
2001 election is not a referendum of who should be the next President,
but a referendum on dictatorship or constitutional democracy. An
Alliance victory will bring about a new Gambia on a new path to law and
order, and justice for all. I would like to take this opportunity to
talk to the protagonists in this unfolding drama, Mr. Sidia Jatta, Mr.
Ousainou Darboe, Mr. Hamat Bah and Mr.S.M. Dibba.

SM.Dibba,

Gambia politics has always been your life, and you have contributed and
dedicated all your life to it, and it would be very unfair to question
your commitment and your believe, or to even doubt that you have what it
takes to lead the Alliance. You are a political heavy weight and whether
you become President or not, you will always be regarded as someone who
has contributed immensely to the political landscape of this country.
Gambian History cannot be written without you being one of the main
characters. Gambia is at a crossroad, and we need a formidable
Opposition Alliance to bring about constitutional democracy that we have
never had. And for that to happen we need to elect a candidate that have
been active recently for the past seven years, and also with a very good
chance of electability. It is not about whom is more qualify; it is
about the safe strategy to win come October 2001. The Alliance cannot
win without you, but now is not the time to settle old scores because
ultimately the country you always loved will pay a heavy price. When
your epithet is written you will not want to be remembered as the person
that contributed to Gambia becoming a pariah nation like Sierra Leone or
Liberia? Gambia under Jammeh for another five years is too much of a
risk to take. The Jammeh take over was something most of us supported,
but that Jammeh revolution we all yearned for is long gone and we are
stuck on a dangerous path.

Mr. Darboe,

Even though, I always believed that Gambia could only move forward with
a real future after the APRC era, I have always had my scepticism with
the UDP party. I was one of the victims with the held view that UDP is
the party of the disgruntled PPP people who are very much interested in
coming back for the big payback. Gambia cannot go back to the PPP yeste
year, and as the new slogan from the –L, Gambia needs to go forward.
After I met you personally in Atlanta, I came to know Darboe the Man,
who is driven by his commitment to Justice. The bottom line is, you are
definitely the best person who can lead the Alliance to victory. It is
also a political reality that the PPP party can play a major role in
contributing to this victory.  But strategically, you cannot embrace the
PPP party at the expense of all the other parties; even the perception
of it can bring about the old rivalries that you personally have nothing
to do with it. Mr. Darboe, now is the time to lead. You go and sit down
with each of the players and look them right in the eye and tell them
why you think you are the best person to lead the Alliance, and what it
would actually mean for their individual party platforms and proposals.
You personally need to remove all these so-called handlers with lots of
political baggage and engage SM Dibba, PDOIS, and NRP. Sir, if you
cannot convince these three people, please tell me how do you expect to
convince a million electorate. Sir, now is the time to take charge, and
avoid perceptions that can be strategically disadvantageous.

PDOIS

This is my party, and I have no illusion that PDOIS is not fighting for
the leadership slot. They are interested in message, substance, and what
Mr.Sallah calls the enlightening and empowering of the people. Meeting
Mr.Sallah this summer in Washington DC  “Up and Close” gave me an
opportunity to see the Man, the message, and that was what I attempted
to put forward when I wrote the piece to the –L couple of months ago. I
found it very troubling when I read some of the unfair attacks Hamjatta
likes to level against Halifa, and inasmuch as I agree with Hamjatta’s
ultimate suggestion for a united Alliance, he is dead wrong in his
characterization of Halifa and PDOIS. But PDOIS needs to be very careful
with this one, although PDOIS has a true message, but perception can be
very powerful and can ultimately become the truth. PDOIS cannot be seen
as the Party that was not only soft on Jammeh for the last seven years
but also contributed to their re-election. It is a fact that a PDOIS
party platform cannot be implemented in a Jammeh administration, but can
definitely have a chance in the next Administration. I have also read
PDOIS’s latest proposal for the Opposition Alliance, and it can be a
starting point, although I have a problem with the idea of bringing a
new person to lead the Alliance. Mr.Sallah, I sat with you at the back
of an SUV for over an hour, and some of this drama unfolding was touched
on. Whatever reservation you have with the proposed Alliance, and I am
absolutely sure it is not a fight for a PDOIS person to be on the
leadership slot, but pragmatism should be paramount. At this juncture it
makes sense for Darboe to lead because he is the best candidate that has
a chance to win with the support of all the other political partys. This
is at least a safe bet for the creation of a constitutional democracy
for a new Gambia. It is a reality in the Gambia that any aware and
honest Gambian knows that, our party, PDOIS is the true party with the
message, the honesty, the commitment that can ultimately bring about the
Gambia that all our neighbors in the sub-region will emulate.  But at
this critical juncture, our effort should be directed to the removal of
the APRC government. Whatever needs to be done to make happen should be
the crux of all the strategy.

Gentlemen, Gambia needs you now than ever, and now are not the time to
straddle. Let us as quickly find a common ground that is at least
acceptable to all for the formation of the Opposition Alliance. Let us
do that for the sake of the children that lost their lives in the April
10 massacre.

Musa Jeng

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L
Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html
You may also send subscription requests to [log in to unmask]
if you have problems accessing the web interface and remember to write your full name and e-mail address.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------