Buharry,

Your lack of panic and sober analysis in this development is
commendable.Some of us on the L has talked about formulating an alliance
between political parties but lacks proper understanding of what it entails.
If anyone on this forum thinks that because of the need to get rid of the
current regime is eminent and should therefore be obvious to all opposition
parties to form an alliance , is not real. We have sited the Senegal
experience a lot , but even with that , Djibo Kah and his party decided not
to be with the opposition alliance for reasons best known to them. The
Senegalese people made their choice and it was with the alliance. The
Gambian people will make their choice with or without an alliance. What our
people need is an inform choice.A choice that is not based on the politics
of tribalism or ethnicity ,a choice
that addresses the needs of the people ,and this choice has to be made under
a free and fair environment. I call on the gorvernment,particularly
President Jammeh to facilitate this free and fair environment , for the
people to make their inform choice. Whomever
the people chooses is the choice and should be accepted by all as the choice
of the people.
The Gambia must be in the list of countries that makes their inform choice
under a free and fair environment.The country should not make the list of
countries where war , ethnic conflicts ,injustice ,and various human rights
violations is the order of the day.

Beran

>From: Momodou Buharry Gassama <[log in to unmask]>
>Reply-To: The Gambia and related-issues mailing list
><[log in to unmask]>
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Re: Breaking News:A Split In The Opposition?
>Date: Tue, 14 Aug 2001 14:01:59 +0200
>
>Hi!
>     While this walkout by S.M. Dibba might look disastrous on the surface,
>I don't think we should panic. I believe that this is more of a tactical
>move than a desire to split the opposition. Mr. Dibba knows by all
>indications that his chances of winning the elections are rather slim. This
>is due to numerous facts. Among them are:
>1. He has been out of politics for numerous years.
>2. He has kept absolutely quiet during the years he was banned whilst
>people like O.J., Halifa Sallah, Ousainou Darboe, Hamat Bah etc. challenged
>Jammeh on numerous occasions thus gaining them the image of being fighters
>for the rights of Gambians. He will therefore have an uphill task of
>gaining the trust of Gambians.
>3.Time is not on his side. He does not have sufficient time to put in place
>an effective machinery to enable him to outplay the APRC, UDP etc. I do not
>know if he has the resources, but it will take a lot to create a campaign
>machinery as effective as that of the APRC or UDP within such a short
>period.
>4. Ousainou Darboe's presence on the political scene for the past years and
>his numerous battles against the government on human rights and other
>issues have gained him a lot of support. A lot of this support comes from
>former NCP supporters. Even though Dibba might be able to take some NCP
>supporters from Darboe, it would be an illusion to expect to get back all
>NCP supporters in light of the fact that he has been quiet and inactive for
>so long. I believe that O.J. would have a better chance of being elected
>than Dibba because he was widely known during the Jawara era. Add to this
>is the fact that he was the most vocal and challenging of all of the Decree
>89 politicians. The realities on the ground however made the PPP declare
>its support for Darboe.
>
>     The above and other factors make it an uphill task for Dibba to expect
>to win the elections. While the NCP might have been the major opposition
>party during the Jawara era, the UDP has taken its place during the Jammeh
>era. Dibba therefore knows fairly well that Ousainou Darboe as a
>presidential candidate has more chances of winning than he does. One has to
>however use all the chips in one's block during negotiations. If Dibba had
>accepted Darboe's nomination on the spot, a calculation may be that he
>might not have been able to gain major concessions in a future government
>of national unity for his party. By walking out and knowing that he might
>be able to split the opposition vote, Dibba is hoisting himself in a
>position from which he can negotiate more favourable conditions. Dibba
>knows that his party is important in a coalition and that his walkout will
>not be the end of attempts to get him to join a coalition. He is probably
>waiting with conditions on a piece of paper for the delegation or phone
>call encouring him to join. This is about politics, negotiation and the art
>of gaining concessions. We should therefore not be surprised if we hear
>very soon that Dibba has accepted Darboe's nomination. Have a good day.
>
>                                                      Buharry.
>
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