A veterinary Doctor friend of mine who works for the ITC once told me how he
enjoyed being a vet. Being a vet, according to him, gave one the opportunity
to understand people. He opined that as a vet you deal with so many animals
that you come to quickly understand them and can easily relate to them.

There is no doubt in my mind that the current disarray within the opposition
is caused by none other than Sir Dawda, a vet by profession. he knows the
mentality of our people so much that he can mesmirize the majority into
believing that the best thing that ever happened to The Gambia was the PPP.
He knew from day one that the for the PPP to stand any reasonable chance of
coming back to power they needed the support of those who, while not
necessarily in support of the PPP, do not support the APRC either. The
question now arises as to which of the opposition parties is in a better
position to provide that support base and therefore the best target for a
merger (hostile take over if need be). The PDOIS is definitely not a
candidate because of their ideology. The GPD and NRP can also be discounted
because of their limited support base. The NCP could also be counted out
because of the unbridgeable gap between SM Dibba and the rest of the PPP
leadership.

Now, what does the PPP do? Being the strategist and vet that he is, he
figured out very quickly that for the PPP to make a comeback, it was
necessary to alienate the NCP. He knew very well that because the NCP are
dead opposed to another PPP government and the fact that the major
opposition party was composed of mainly NCP supporters and some PPP
supporters, they had to neutralize the NCP as quickly as possible. This was
easily achieved by threatening to resurrect the party and throw sand into
the 'cherreh' so to speak unless the UDP saw some sense in embracing it even
if it had to be at the expense of the NCP. The PPP told the whole world that
they sponsored the UDP during the past presidential and National assembly
elections and that they still had all their political machinery in place as
well as the resources to pose a formidable challenge to the APRC. The
prospect of that happening would have evaporated any chance that the UDP
might have had against the APRC. Next, they played Dibba against his former
allies by supporting a UDP presidential nominee in return for what, we are
yet to know. For anyone to think that the UDP/PPP "alliance" is anything but
a merger/takeover must be in cloud cuckoo land. People like Dampha will try
to hoodwink people by telling us otherwise but all one needs to do to see
this is to review the reports from their Brikama rally of last weeekend. For
every UDP official that spoke, three former PPP ministers spoke. It is also
important to note that with the exception of Darbo all tried to sell the
PPPlegacy of peace, tranquility, human rights and rule of law. None promised
to do anything for the country. I stand to be corrected. The good thing is
that most Gambians already know this and will not allow it. As far as people
on the ground are concerned the socio-economic developments that have taken
place during the last seven years under the APRC provide enough reason to
vote for them. THE FIRST REPUBLIC IS DEAD, LONG LIVE THE SECOND!!!

Have a good day, Gassa.



>From: TOMBONG SAIDY <[log in to unmask]>
>Reply-To: The Gambia and related-issues mailing list
><[log in to unmask]>
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: WHY, JAWARA, WHY
>Date: Thu, 23 Aug 2001 06:10:03 -0500
>
>Below is an article in this week's edition of WEST AFRICA MAGAZINE (page
>10,
>issue No. 4289, 20th-26th August 2001)
>
>
>Why, Jawara, why?
>
>Adama Gaye
>
>THIS IS THE MOTHER OF ALL COMEBACKS, and may be the biggest failure in
>perspective.  The man who ruled The Gambia from 1965, when this tiny West
>African nation (less than one million inhabitants and roughly 10,000 sq km)
>became independent, to 1994, when he was toppled in a military coup, has
>decided to stage a comeback.  Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara, if all goes
>according to what is believed in his country, will join the political pack
>and re-engage in active internal politics.  At 77 years of age, he is keen
>to take on his military successor turned civilian ruler, President Yahya
>ammeh, who is less than 40 years old.  Is this revenge, nurtured by the
>souvenir of the humiliating coup d'etat suffered by a man considered,
>rightly, as the father of Gambia's independence?  Or is it the ultimate
>expression of his genuine commitment to public service?
>
>But will Jawara be successful?  Will he be referred to after the October
>2001 presidential election as the comback veteran?  Or is this a foolish
>adventure for an old man who has lost all sense of reality after several
>years of exile in England?
>
>When I heard the news of Jawara's decision to return to the political field
>as a potential presidential candidate, I had to pinch myself.  How come an
>old man considers it wise to be a contender in a presidential race that
>should feature younger generation leaders?  At his age, people generally
>enjoy their retirement and take care of their grandchildren or even the
>great-grandchildren that, in his case, he must have been fortunate to have.
>
>But no, Jawara wants to occupy the political centre stage again.  This is
>certainly not the best move by someone who should have learnt better from
>life and experience.  Maybe that is how dinosaurs behave.  Or is it just
>another example of how difficult it is to adapt to this fast changing world
>for one of those people who claim divine right to rule their countries?
>
>Too bad for a man whose name brings back memories of those leaders who have
>long been forgotten unless they were very effective while in office.
>Jawara
>could have kept his place in the not so crowded gallery of leaders retained
>by history if he had understood that his only duty was to remain the father
>of The Gambia's independence and the man who did his best, mistakes and
>achievements included, to steer his country's first moves in the comity of
>nations.
>
>Jawara's contemporaries were, in Africa, the likes of Senegal's Leopold
>Sedar Senghor, Kenya's Jomo Kenyatta, Cote d'Ivoire's Houphouet Boigny,
>Ethiopia's Haile Selassie, to name but a few.  He belongs to that
>generation
>of leaders associated with the first years of Africa's march on the
>international scene.  On the world stage his counterparts included, among
>others, China's Mao Tse-tung, America's Lyndon Johnson, France's Charles de
>Gaulle and Britain's Edward Heath.
>
>So why on earth does he believe it is not yet time for him to abide by the
>famous Shakespearian saying that everyone should exit the stage after
>having
>played their role?
>
>That is not Jawara's idea.  He proved that while in government.  He
>announced in 1991 that it was time for him to leave the political scene
>voluntarily, only to "change" his mind quickly when, he said, people
>"forced" him to remain.  Did he seriously believe that without him there
>would be no The Gambia?  Since 1994, life has continued - new roads, new
>schools and other projects have emerged.  The Gambia continues to be a
>reality.  Nobody demonstrated to have Jawara back in power.  So his
>self-declared Messiah status, his ambition to lead his People's Progressive
>Party (PPP) - the former governing party - again, show how the man likes
>power.  Nothing else.
>
>Jawara should go and rest.  His family and friends should tell him that.
>The
>international community too.  It is time for him to rise above the
>pettiness
>of politics and understand that whatever his noble goals for his country
>are, he should channel them through other people, younger people, leaders
>with drive, strength and vision for The Gambia.  Who can doubt that there
>are plenty of other Gambians who would be honoured to stand for the
>presidential race and give a more credible run to the current President?
>
>Jawara runs the risk of being disgraced like other leaders who staged
>failed
>  political comebacks, such as Kenneth Kaunda in Zambia, Pinto de Costa in
>Sao Tome, Yakubu Gawon in Nigeria, and outside Africa, Bolivia's Hugo
>Banzer, who comebacks turned out to be a total disaster.
>
>No matter what one may think of Jammeh's rule in The Gambia, it is a pity
>that Jawara is falling victim to greed for power.  The road to dignity is
>to
>go back home as an elder statesman and be welcomed that with all the honour
>and respect due to his past role in the independence struggle and in the
>service of The Gambia.  The younger generation, including Jammeh, could
>benefit from his advice.
>
>Those who tell him that he is the only one who can defeat the current
>President because of supposedly solid support from the Mandingo group are
>fooling him.  Other people in his party deserve to be given a chance,
>unless
>Jawara did not do anything to nurture them for governance while he was in
>office.  Sir Dawda Jawara, it is time to rest, and learn from dignified
>African leaders, like Nelson Mandela, who left power without turning back.
>History is on their side, not on the side of those who cling to power at
>all
>costs.
>
>
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