Mr Sanneh:

I welcome you very dearly.  But the most crucial thing is to advocate total
unity within the opposition.  This is the time to start talking about it.

It does not make any sense the different routes  the opposition is taking.  I
am sick of hearing constant attacks within the leaders of the opposition.  I
hope they can come to the understanding that the further they disagree, the
longer they enable Yahya to evoke terror on Gambians.

We all need to wake up.  Let's be willing to reach out and rescue our country.

Naphiyo,
Comrade ML Jassey-Conteh

On Tue, 26 Nov 2002 11:27:09 +0100 Kebba Sanneh <[log in to unmask]>
wrote:

> After a long time out of the L, I just cannot
> stomach the disgusting state of matters in our
> country nor can I keep my mouth shut. It is
> time to realise that we better do
> something  about the hell boiling at the
> core of the volcanic political,
> economical,educational and health situation of
> the Gambia now before the eruption which could
> ultimately sweep everybody to hell.It is clear
> that all the signs of political instability in
> the Gambia are peeping their heads out. This is
> a very dangerous situation. The situation is
> apalling and slowly but surely
> getting out of control. This government
> failed the Gambians and unless and until these
> calculated mass punishment by  Jammeh and
> his criminals is stopped there is no way
> out for our country. By the way what is
> expected of a high school dropout and a
> national assembly controlled by such
> semi-educated,self cetered MPs? The truth is
> the Gambia is bleeding, staggering and slowly
> sleeping into unconscious. Lets join together
> to wake this very caring mother,THE GAMBIA.
> K.samuel. Sanneh
>
>
>
>
>
>
> >From: Ebrima Ceesay
> >Reply-To: The Gambia and related-issues
> mailing list
> >To: [log in to unmask]
> >Subject: My Thirty-Third Message To
> Gambians
> >Date: Mon, 25 Nov 2002 20:43:16 +0000
> >
> >My Fellow Gambians!
> >
> >Clearly, The Gambia is at a crossroads: it
> is in a decisive period
> >of its
> >history and, depending on the people, will
> either head further into
> >chaos,
> >or be rescued for a brighter future.
> >
> >Gambians are now confronted with the
> immediate task of saving their
> >country
> >– of taking it back from the hands of its
> hijackers, before it heads
> >for
> >further mayhem. Gambians are now challenged
> to be more proactive,
> >to take
> >the powers-that-be to task, to take their
> own destiny into their own
> >hands.
> >
> >The country has reached a point where the
> damage is almost
> >irreparable.
> >Under Yahya Jammeh, our nation has been
> brought to the verge of
> >ruin. Every
> >sector of Gambian life has been destroyed
> by Jammeh and his thugs.
> >The
> >economy, the education sector, agriculture,
> health services,
> >telecommunications, foreign relations, the
> judiciary – all are on
> >the point
> >of devastation. It will be a Herculean task
> to repair the damage.
> >
> >Who in his or her right mind, can deny the
> fact that Jammeh’s rule
> >is
> >characterised by repression, corruption,
> nepotism, tribalism,
> >tyranny,
> >incompetence and illegalities of every
> sort?
> >
> >People are no longer appointed to their
> jobs because of their good
> >qualifications and relevant experience.
> Their ethnicity and
> >sycophancy are
> >the key factors in their appointments to
> post.
> >
> >Eight years ago, Jammeh seized power
> promising accountability,
> >transparency
> >and probity. Today these slogans are empty
> words, and have been
> >dumped on
> >the garbage piles by the regime.
> >
> >Secrecy in government, lack of
> accountability, lack of probity: all
> >have
> >reached an unprecedented high. Jammeh, Baba
> Jobe, Lang Conteh,
> >Amadou
> >Samba, Tarik Musa, Yankuba Touray, Abdoulai
> Kujabi and their ilk,
> >control
> >The Gambia as if it is their own personal
> property.
> >
> >Each of these miscreants has stolen, and
> continues to steal, public
> >money to
> >the point that their greed is such that it
> could persuade them to
> >sell the
> >country itself to the highest bidder in
> order to fill their own
> >pockets.
> >
> >These people are criminals, and let them be
> quite sure that one day
> >soon,
> >they will be held to account for their
> crimes against The Gambia and
> >Gambian
> >citizens.
> >
> >Jammeh is a liar of the worst kind: he
> makes empty promises. Where
> >is the
> >electrification of 95% of our country
> promised for Year 2000 ?
> >Where are
> >the wage increases for public servants ?
> Where is the payment for
> >our
> >farmers’ groundnuts ? Where is prosperity ?
> Where is peace and
> >justice
> >within our country ?
> >
> >Today our agricultural sector is facing
> severe problems, and what
> >does
> >Jammeh do ? Well, he scapegoats the former
> Minister of Agriculture
> >Hassan
> >Sallah and blames the chaos on him ! Who is
> kidding whom ???!! The
> >deterioration in our agricultural sector
> can be laid fairly and
> >squarely at
> >Jammeh’s own feet.
> >
> >It is time for Gambians to wake up to the
> reality of life under
> >Jammeh.
> >This man does not have what it takes to
> lead us in the twenty-first
> >century.
> > This is a man who cannot run his own
> house, never mind a country !
> >
> >Under Jammeh, prices have sky-rocketed: a
> bag of cement is more
> >than 100
> >Dalasis; a bag of rice over 250 Dalasis; a
> bag of sugar (if you
> >can get
> >it) over 400 Dalasis: a small can of Peak
> milk 7 Dalasis: taxi
> >fares up
> >again: a journey from Talinding-Kujang to
> Banjul via Westfield
> >Clinic for 7
> >Dalasis one way. Every week, the amount our
> thrifty housewives need
> >for
> >fish money increases.
> >
> >The majority of Gambians cannot honestly
> say that they and their
> >families
> >eat well and live well in these terrible
> days ? Only cronies of
> >Jammeh and
> >his criminals have a comfortable life, and
> they are paying for it
> >with their
> >decency and with their souls.
> >
> >The unemployment rate continues to rise,
> and our vast numbers of
> >young
> >unemployed folk in particular are
> suffering. Even those
> >enterprising
> >youngsters who try to support their
> families by frequenting the
> >tourist
> >areas and earning a few Dalasis there, are
> now branded as "bumsters"
> >and are
> >being harassed, beaten, arrested and
> illegally forced out of public
> >areas by
> >the government.
> >
> >Shame on Jammeh and his henchmen ! They
> have let down a whole
> >generation of
> >young Gambians and condemned them to
> poverty or even worse, to
> >crime.
> >
> >The crime rate continues to spiral upwards,
> and we can no longer
> >blame
> >crimes on "foreigners". We need only to
> read the Court reports to
> >know that
> >many Gambians are now being found guilty of
> a range of
> >misdemeanours.
> >
> >Nothing is working in The Gambia: except of
> course, for those
> >decent and
> >honest citizens who struggle to keep
> themselves and their extended
> >families
> >fed, clothed, sheltered, educated and well.
> >
> >Without the vast sums remitted weekly and
> monthly to the country
> >from
> >Gambians and friends of The Gambia
> throughout the world, many more
> >families
> >would face disaster. But let us not forget
> those Gambian families
> >who do not
> >have a breadwinner in the Diaspora: how do
> they manage to survive ?
> >
> >The Gambian economy has been so badly
> mismanaged that Jammeh has
> >just
> >yesterday, banned the Finance Minister
> Famara Jatta and members of
> >his team,
> >from travelling outside The Gambia, until
> the Ministry can get its
> >act
> >together. Every day, the economy is
> deteriorating.
> >
> >People like Baba Jobe, Lang Conteh and
> Tarik Musa bring in goods
> >worth
> >millions of Dalasis, without paying one
> single butut in tax or
> >customs duty.
> > Baba Jobe alone owes Customs more than 30
> million Dalasis,
> >according to
> >government records ! People who know Baba
> Jobe can likewise avoid
> >paying
> >customs duties. This source of Customs
> revenue, once so lucrative
> >to our
> >country, has dried up in the avalanche of
> "free" imports for friends
> >of the
> >regime.
> >
> >Lang Conteh is running the Central Bank of
> The Gambia as his own:
> >he
> >controls all foreign currency, and takes
> the money to his and Baba
> >Jobe’s
> >Money Shop on Kairaba Avenue. What do they
> care about the rapidly
> >devaluing
> >Dalasis ?? They are the ones who are making
> thousands of Dalasis
> >worth of
> >profit from ordinary Gambians’ economic
> misery.
> >
> >The land scams which have taken place
> recently, especially in the
> >Tourist
> >Development Area, have netted Jammeh and
> his cronies millions. What
> >do
> >Jammeh and his kind care about the true
> owners of the land ? They
> >sell it
> >to the highest bidder. Shame on them.
> >
> >With regard to the Civil Service, standards
> have dropped to an all
> >time low.
> > The incompetence is unbelievable. Abdulai
> Kujabi and Yahya Jammeh
> >appoint
> >people based on their ethnicity and
> unquestioning support of their
> >regime,
> >and now never take into account the skills,
> qualifications,
> >experience and
> >dedication of their appointees.
> >
> >Jammeh continues to play the Islamic card,
> but his insincerity is
> >well known
> >to all of us. The Gambia is
> constitutionally a secular state, but
> >recent
> >Western intelligence reports which I have
> seen personally, now
> >categorise
> >The Gambia as an Islamic state. Jammeh is
> using Islam as a cover
> >for lining
> >his own pockets, and he is aligning our
> supposedly secular nation
> >with
> >fundamentalist states.
> >
> >Clearly, Jammeh has damaged our country,
> and if he remains at the
> >helm, then
> >there will be worse to come.
> >
> >It is vital that Gambians become proactive
> in defence of their
> >country. I
> >agree with Kebba Dampha’s point that UDP
> supporters should converge
> >on the
> >police station where Darboe is illegally
> held and demand the release
> >of this
> >Opposition leader.
> >
> >There has to be a direct challenge against
> Jammeh’s illegal acts.
> >If the
> >government is allowed to get away with
> Darboe’s arrest, then
> >everyone is
> >vulnerable.
> >
> >As for the APRC members of parliament:
> well, shame on them for
> >having
> >passed a law which allows the state to
> remand anyone charged with
> >murder to
> >be denied bail if the trial is unreasonably
> delayed. This is the
> >law which
> >means that Darboe is held on the trumped up
> murder charge.
> >
> >These MPs serve as rubber stampers for
> Jammeh’s rule. Let them be
> >quite
> >sure that one day soon they will be held to
> account for their
> >actions, and
> >brought to justice themselves. Today they
> bury their heads in the
> >sands of
> >sycophancy: tomorrow Gambian citizens will
> demand restitution from
> >them.
> >
> >We are all aware that Jammeh himself is a
> coward: his fear brings
> >about his
> >massive overreactions in every sphere of
> life. If Gambians were to
> >challenge him openly and without fear,
> Jammeh would step backwards.
> >
> >Of course, I urge Gambians to remain law
> abiding, but if their
> >rights and
> >liberties are constantly eroded and
> infringed, then Gambians should
> >make
> >their grievances known by means of peaceful
> demonstration and public
> >challenge.
> >
> >The Gambian people can do a lot to change
> the situation in The
> >Gambia, but
> >to be truly effective, they need to be
> guided and organised in order
> >to take
> >their destiny fully into their own hands.
> >
> >This is where the role played by an
> effective Opposition is so
> >crucial.
> >There are challenges to be taken up both by
> the Opposition leaders
> >and their
> >parties, and by the citizens of The Gambia.
> >
> >The levels of injustice in our country have
> reached new heights:
> >people are
> >arrested without due cause: they are held
> incommunicado and without
> >charge.
> >
> >Pause for a minute and reflect on the
> plight of people like Dumo
> >Saho,
> >Momodou Marenah, Ebrima Yarbo, Lt Omar
> Darbo, Lt Lalo Jaiteh. For
> >how long
> >have these men being wrongly detained ? For
> how long have they been
> >kept
> >from their wives and families ? For how
> long have they languished
> >in
> >appalling conditions in our prisons ? For
> how long is this terrible
> >state
> >of affairs going to be allowed to prevail
> ??
> >
> >I challenge every Gambian to send a protest
> letter to Jammeh, copied
> >to
> >international organisations such as Amnesty
> International, the UN,
> >the
> >European Union, the African Union, the
> British Foreign and
> >Commonwealth
> >Office, the US State Department. I urge you
> to demand the release
> >of all
> >those wrongly imprisoned detainees. I urge
> you to call for a
> >restoration of
> >full human rights for our citizens.
> >
> >We Gambians should be mounting a public
> relations campaign against
> >Jammeh
> >and his regime. Let us enlighten our
> citizens as well as the
> >international
> >community about the realities of Yahya
> Jammeh.
> >
> >I recently attended a seminar where one of
> the speakers spoke of his
> >amazement in encountering so many talented
> and skilled Gambians
> >working in
> >highly placed posts throughout the world.
> Wherever he went, he met
> >with
> >competent and hardworking Gambians working
> for many well-known
> >institutions. When he went on a field trip
> to The Gambia however,
> >he was
> >horrified at the lack of skilled Gambians
> on the home work front.
> >He met
> >with incompetents, mismanagers, and
> lack-lustre leaders.
> >
> >Our best citizens are getting out of the
> country and making a new
> >life
> >overseas. The speaker cited the case of Dr
> Lamin Sise, the chief
> >Legal
> >Adviser to the UN Secretary General. A man
> of Lamin Sise’s calibre,
> >skills
> >and character is desperately needed at home
> in The Gambia, but there
> >is
> >nothing to draw this man home.
> >
> >In The Gambia of today, Ministries are
> understaffed or filled with
> >feather
> >weights.
> >
> >I urge my Fellow Gambians to act on behalf
> of our beloved nation. I
> >urge
> >you all to challenge this dreadful regime
> and its leader. I urge
> >you to
> >work for peaceful change in The Gambia. I
> urge our opposition
> >parties to
> >lead the people in the challenges which
> face them.
> >
> >Unless we act together, and act now, then
> our nation will slip even
> >further
> >into despair and degradation.
> >
> >Let us unite against our common enemy,
> Yahya Jammeh, and let us lead
> >the
> >country into a brighter future for us all.
> >
> >God Save The Gambia.
> >
> >
> >Ebrima Ceesay
> >Birmingham, UK
> >
> >
> >_________________________________________________________________
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