Sanusi,

My good friend, registering a political party is not mutually exclusive with forming a political alliance.
Infact, it only make sense to register, and then by virtue of that existence, form an alliance with the other
parties.

Thanks
Musa Jeng

Sanusi Owens wrote:

> Mariama
>
> Thanks for your wishful thinking. Unfortunately, the
> news we are receiving from home does n't look for a
> United Opposition. It has been reported in the press
> that PPP and NCP have began submitting  their papers
> for registration.(SEE www; ffdig.org.)One would have
> expected these unbanned politicians to emulate Assan
> Musa Camara's decision not to register until after the
> Presidential Elections but to my disappointment, I am
> smelling a dead rat here.
>
> It is on those grounds that I shall not criticise
> Foroyaa for issuing such publication. The truth of the
> matter is that some of our politicians are
> underestimating  the struggle to unseat Jammeh.
> Believe me, it is not going to be an easy one to start
> with. The unbanned political parties should take note
> that they can't solely rely on past support acquired
> during the first republic to unseat Jammeh. Instead,
> they will have to convince the Gambian electorate,
> that they  have a better political agenda for the
> Gambia.  Since there are already 4 political parties
> in the opposition, one would have expected these
> politicians to join forces with them in coordinating a
> programme for an alliance against APRC, but it seems
> the politics of ego is certainly undermining our hopes
> for a united opposition, I hope not.
>
> The challenge lies on us now to start making petitions
> to the unbanned political parties about the need for a
> united opposition or else chaos for The Gambia as
> Jammeh would win, hands down.
>
> UNITED WE STAND, DIVIDED WE FALL
>
> Have a wonderful day
>
> Sanusi.
>
> --- Mariama Diop <[log in to unmask]> wrote: >
> Dear Hamjatta,
> > Thanks for your constructive analysis.  Your
> > suggestions could  definitely
> > help reinforce efforts geared towards forging a
> > stronger Opposition alliance
> > and defeating Yaya.
> >
> > warmly,
> > mariama
> >
> >
> > >From: Hamjatta Kanteh <[log in to unmask]>
> > >Reply-To: The Gambia and related-issues mailing
> > list
> > ><[log in to unmask]>
> > >To: [log in to unmask]
> > >Subject: Re: BURNING ISSUES FOROYAA Publication
> > >Date: Sun, 12 Aug 2001 20:49:52 EDT
> > >
> > >For a paper that has more than a decade's
> > experience in reporting and
> > >commenting on topical issues, Foroyaa seriously
> > goofed here by allowing its
> > >columns to be reduced to being a mere recycling
> > factory of APRC rumours and
> > >conspiratorial innuendoes. Instead of Foroyaa
> > getting first hand
> > >information
> > >from the individual parties and personalities it
> > reported about, it relied
> > >primarily on second hand accounts of events and
> > inferring from them grossly
> > >erroneous stuff on the intent, manouevres and
> > actions of some Opposition
> > >heavy weights. Foroyaa certainly doesn't help the
> > collective spirit when it
> > >tendentiously make conspiratorial what is at best a
> > genuine effort in the
> > >preliminary engagements of ironing out wrinkles
> > that have the potential of
> > >hindering coalition progress. That is to say that
> > it is perfectly normal
> > >that
> > >before formal negotiations take public form,
> > backroom horse tradings - that
> > >are invariably raucous and having the negative
> > impact of throwing poor
> > >light
> > >on the collective spirit if conducted in the public
> > eye - have to run their
> > >course before the shape and form that the
> > collective spirit will take is
> > >announced to the public. Foroyaa's whining or
> > lamenting at this backroom
> > >horsetrading denotes and betrays its innocence in
> > political negotiations.
> > >
> > >Insidiously, and with great literary adroitness,
> > Foroyaa tried to paint a
> > >patrimonial picture of Hassan Musa Camara's
> > informal appointment as the
> > >'political fixer' to work on narrowing down the
> > differences between the
> > >different Opposition parties. Camara's appointment
> > as a political go
> > >between
> > >to finesse a common platform of action for the
> > Opposition signally
> > >represents
> > >the recognition that such a role invariably
> > involves negotiation skills and
> > >a
> > >lack of direct interest in who heads the Opposition
> > Alliance. Camara, by
> > >virtue of decades experience as a public figure who
> > had served all areas of
> > >gov't and led a mainstream political party and the
> > fact that he is
> > >ineligible
> > >to contest the current presidential elections, was
> > better predisposed than
> > >anyone else to play this role without any ill-will
> > towards and or fearing
> > >or
> > >favouring any political grouping. This is the
> > context of Camara's current
> > >role. It is not so much the 'patrimonial kingmaker'
> > Foroyaa subtly and
> > >deceptively tried to implant in its readerships'
> > minds.
> > >
> > >Moreso, if Foroyaa was irresponsible and lazy in
> > its reportage and
> > >commentary
> > >of the Opposition Alliance issue, it was
> > surprisingly sulking and hubristic
> > >in the way it expects cooperation to eventually
> > take form and work. For
> > >instance, Foroyaa commented that:
> > >
> > >"UDP has held rallies and invited opposition
> > parties to join them but this
> > >had not materialised. Analysts observe that unless
> > the opposition reaches
> > >an agreement on a presidential candidate it is not
> > likely to have a joint
> > >rally which gives the impression that a particular
> > aspirant's candidature
> > >has been endorsed. What is therefore of paramount
> > importance is discussion
> > >to determine whether a coalition is to be forged or
> > not."
> > >
> > >Above all, this passage demonstrates the extent to
> > which, say, the UDP is
> > >ready to sell the message of cooperation. Foroyaa's
> > assertion that the
> > >UDP's
> > >invitation has, as of yet, not materialised is a
> > bit disingenuous. Perhaps,
> > >as it applies to the PDOIS, it is true that the
> > UDP's invitation has, as of
> > >yet, yielded no dividends. But it is a matter of
> > public record that UDP
> > >rallies have and continue to be graced by such PPP
> > heavyweights like OJ and
> > >NCP or GPP stalwarts alike. Which takes me to
> > Foroyaa's dissembling
> > >argument
> > >on why the UDP's invitation has, as of yet, not
> > materialised; i.e., because
> > >there has been no agreement on an Opposition
> > Alliance for the presidential
> > >elections, such invitations will remain unreturned
> > or never materialise.
> > >The
> > >fact that PDOIS has been invited to a UDP rally and
> > declined it and
> > >wilfilly
> > >reports it in its political organ, Foroyaa, does it
> > no favours.
> > >PDOIS/Foroyaa
> > >also does itself no favours if it willing to sulk
> > rather than proactively
> > >engage its Opposition colleagues in what could be
> > the beginning of a
> > >fruitful
> > >cooperation. For instance, if the UDP invites it to
> > join it in a rally,
> > >PDOIS
> > >ought to accept the invitation and use it as a
> > basis to explore ways in
> > >which
> > >it can stamp out misconceptions, mistrusts and
> > misunderstanding that
> > >continue
> > >to stand between the different parties. Likewise,
> > to see how cooperative
> > >the
> > >UDP is, PDOIS then can return the UDP's compliments
> > by inviting the UDP to
> > >join it in a similar forum. That way, we are no
> > longer talking about
> > >parties
> > >communicating through third parties; rather, we are
> > beginning to see a
> > >whole
> > >new mechanism that would greatly help foster common
> > understanding on the
> > >way
> > >ahead. The collective interest and or spirit is
> > neither served by column
> > >inches of regurgitated APRC rumours or inferring
> > from these rumours grossly
> > >erroneous stuff about Opposition players and
> > consituents. Mistrusts and
> > >misunderstandings feed from such a parlous way of
> > comminucation. And most
> > >definitely not the prudent way to build common
> > bridges to cooperate.
> > >
> > >Foroyaa also lamented that to this day, an agenda
> > or a framework has yet to
> > >be worked out to form the basis for an Opposition
> > Alliance. Again, PDOIS
> > >should not whine or sulk but seize the initiate and
> > proactively come up
> > >with
> > >an agenda which it can publicly propose to the
> > other parties. That way,
> > >PDOIS
> > >would be at the forefront of Opposition thinking
> > and would not be reduced
> > >to
> > >chipping sulkily at what others have publicly
> > tabled for the Opposition
> > >Alliance. PDOIS has the intellectual muscle to come
> > up with a programme
> > >that
> > >it feels would be the correct basis with which the
> > minimalist programme it
> >
> === message truncated ===
>
> ____________________________________________________________
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