QUESTION NO. 2: ".... has it ever occurred to you that maybe your strategies
are too modest to remedy the magnitude of barbarism represented by the
callous APRC? Suppose your plan A doesn't work, what is your plan B, or
other alternatives if you will?"

ANSWER: Our strategy is to empower the people mentally, economically,
politically, socially and culturally. The people cannot be empowered
economically, politically, socially and culturally until they are
enlightened and organised. Our primary task to deal with the APRC is to
enlighten and organise the people so that they will be able to put in office
a government they are proud to call their own.

Our strategy is, therefore, not modest. We conceive it to be indispensable
in addressing the Gambian situation. What in fact we consider to be
absolutely necessary is the intensification of our strategy of enlightening
and organising the people. This plan is the key plan and all other
alternatives rest on this plan. An enlightened and organised people can
adopt different tactics in imposing their will. An enlightened and organised
people can remove a government through the ballot box. An enlightened and
organised people can send a government that rigs elections packing. The
latter has been seen in Philippines and so on and so forth.

It should, however, be borne in mind that enlightening and organising the
people is not simply transmitting words to them. It is being involved with
the people in all aspects of their life. It may require challenging
authority and putting any necessary pressure that addresses the people's
concern for each given moment in a manner that will win popular approval.



QUESTION NO. 3: "....what is your assessment over these mediation tactics
and what in your humble opinion, is the ultimate solution to these besetting
dilemma?"

ANSWER: I do take note of the fact that petitions are being written by
concerned persons. My assessment is that those who send the petitions are of
the impression that this can serve as a form of pressure to bring about
change in The Gambia. How it will bring about change can best be answered by
the petitioners. My assessment is that some people believe that change can
best be brought about by isolating the country and turn the head of state
into an international prairie.

In short, there are some with the notion that if investors and aid are kept
away and the regime exposed as a violator of human rights, it may be easy to
make it to tumble. This is one conception.

The other conception is that deprivation of aid does not harm governments
but the people; that it often gives governments excuses of their own policy
failures by claiming that they are by-products of sabotage; that isolating a
country encourages some form of nationalistic rhetoric among leaders and
claims of successes in defying an international community where no pride is
due.

My humble opinion is that the Gambian people are the basis of change; that
their enlightenment and organisation provide them with the means for their
ultimate liberation. International solidarity should be sought to expose and
isolate institutions and practices that are destructive to the people.
Concerted national and international actions should always be taken to
create a greater environment of civility so that more work can be done to
enlighten and organise the people for change.

In short, pressure can serve its chief significance if it is directed at
creating the type of environment that will empower the people to take charge
of their own destiny. Pressure can never bring change for a people. It is
the people themselves who can bring lasting solution to their problems.

QUESTION NO. 4: (There is no question 4)

QUESTION NO. 5: "Mr Sallah, for some of us who really have lost hope in
peaceful negotiations and having a fair election,what reassurance can you
instil in our oppressive minds?"

ANSWER: Mr Makaveli, election is simply a mechanism for the peaceful
transfer of the authority of representation. The most ideal state for
elections is where people are totally free from inducement or intimidation
and have total access to information from all those who seek representation
in order to be able to make informed choices.

History, however, has shown that those who are hungry for power hardly
create conditions that are ideal for elections to take place. Inducement and
intimidation are tools to cling on to power. Notwithstanding, history has
made it categorically clear that no amount of inducement or intimidation can
bar a people from bringing change when they are determined to do so.

Power, therefore, lies with the people. Inducement only works when people do
not treasure their liberty. Intimidation only works when people are ignorant
of their worth. When people know who they truly are and what they are worth,
they will not cower before any human being on the face of the earth.

It is our duty to help bring our people to such a level of political
maturity. That is the ultimate solution. May I just give you an example.
Many people often refer to Baba Jobe when they talk about the July 22nd
Movement. However, he conceded defeat when he stood against Kemeseng Jammeh.
I guess the lesson is clear.

It is not my duty to give reassurance. My duty is to contribute to the
development of the political maturity of the Gambian people. It is their
emboldening to be the true architects of their own destiny which should give
us assurance.



QUESTION NO. 6: "Mr Sallah, what exactly is working so well for PDOIS that
makes you believe you have the potential to lash out the opposition at the
ballot boxes? Where is PDOIS' rank in the polls today? Why not simply form a
unified party among others in the opposition against APRC and ensure voter
confidence and a subsequent victory for all in the struggle?"

ANSWER: We do not have any system of polling voters. The objective of PDOIS
is not to lash out the opposition. The objective of PDOIS is to convince the
people that our programmes will lead to their mental, political, economic,
social and cultural empowerment and development.

To win an election requires taking voters from different constituencies, as
well as convincing the non-committed voter. Some of the opposition parties
do have their own constituencies but will find it very difficult to draw
voters from other constituencies because of their method of politicking.
There is all indication that PDOIS can draw voters from many constituencies
as a symbol of unity.

Consequently, in our view in the first round of voting, it will be
politically suicidal for PDOIS to work under the umbrella of any political
party or front. We want our programmes to be clearly understood by the
people so that we can be sure of what policies to formulate if the people
were to give us a mandate to represent them.

We believe PDOIS is making progress because of the numerical growth of our
Committees for the Enlightenment of the People. We started as a small group
with very little resources and functioning under a very hostile political
climate. You would recall Jawara's call to the electorate in 1992 that even
if they did not vote for the PPP, they should not vote for PDOIS. I guess
you know what I mean when we assert that we were fighting an uphill battle.
We are still fighting an uphill battle. However, the numerical strength of
our forces is greater now than before. The commitment is greater now than
before.

Our confidence is rooted in the fact that we could win the Wuli seat without
inducing or intimidating anyone against political parties like APRC which
utilised the resources of the State and assimilated all the apparatus of the
regime it has overthrown, and the UDP which was a coalition of the political
parties Jammeh tried to destroy. In Serrekunda East, in the National
Assembly election, we again had the largest number of votes among the
opposition even though we did not intimidate or induce anyone.

Since we could make headway without much resources and organisational
expansion, we believe that with the organisational expansion we have made
now we will be able to perform remarkably well as we gain more material and
human resources to perform our tasks.


QUESTION NO. 7: "Mr Sallah, in very simple term, do you think Yahya will
lose this election or do you believe like the rest of us that he should be
taken out by force? Yes/ No and Why?"

ANSWER: My humble opinion is that many Gambians want change. How that change
is to be brought about cannot be determined by one person or group. Whether
we know it or not, some people will be plotting to overthrow a government;
some will be organising the people for electoral change; some will even have
one foot in one and another foot in another.

PDOIS'  strategic objective is to empower the people. This means that we are
opposed to any form of taking over power in isolation from the people. Hence
in our view, the task is to build up our support base among the people so
that they can effect change. There is no doubt that the people who put those
votes in Sidia's ballot box in Wuli to ensure his victory can also do so in
any other part of the country to ensure his victory in a presidential
election. In that respect, we see it as our task to ensure that what
happened in Wuli has a multiplying effect throughout the country. In our
view, if PDOIS wins an election no one dares to stand and say that we have
not won the elections and not face the eviction order of the people like
Marcus and the rest.

Whether others will use force or not is their prerogative. In our view, we
will never represent the people without their mandate. This is our
principle.


QUESTION NO. 8: "Mr Sallah, the events of the tragic death of the student
demonstrators, the death of Ebrima Barry, the alleged rape of the young
school girl, the abduction of Dumo and others,the murders of Koro Ceesay &
Co. and  the recent attack on Radio FM,to name a few are all master-minded
by this despotic regime. Could you possibly tell me if any form of justice
has yet been served on any of these cases? No one from my knowledge have
been held accountable for these heinous crimes yet the Govt. assured no
stones will be left unturned. 'Same Yahya Jammeh = Same Judicial System' per
se?"

ANSWER: Mr Makaveli, the fundamental reason why we have established a
political party is because of our conviction that this government is not
capable of enlarging the liberties and prosperity of the Gambian people.
Governments can represent a people satisfactorily but can also misrepresent
them. Our duty is to keep a file of the records of a government. It is these
records that should help the people to make informed choices.

What is important is to ensure that governments are held accountable for
their deeds.We, as a people, must become more alert in the face of
government excesses. Such excesses can only lead to the consolidation of a
government if it leads to a culture of silence. I must say, Makaveli, that
despite the excesses, Gambian society is more vocal than it has ever been.
People are more alert and more informed that they have ever been.  The
government will ignore the pressures put by the people only at its own
peril.

I am convinced that the more mature we, in the opposition, become the more
impossible will it be for the government to compensate for its excesses by
providing tractors, etc. and other amenities.

It is also important for Gambians to establish different centres of power to
monitor the governance environment in the country. A fact-finding mission
from a committee of concerned Gambians from abroad could throw light on some
of the happenings you have mentioned and give independent assessment of what
had been done.


QUESTION NO. 9: "Mr Sallah , even as I mention before that the debate
between you and Hamjatta was to me very intellectually enticing, what if any
do you think would come out of the debate that will help us remove Yahya out
of office? Are you still pursuing the challenge/debate or are you presently
more concerned about issues of higher priorities since the elections are
almost here?"

ANSWER: Debates are meant to expose contradictions in policies, programmes,
tactics and strategies. Of course, they can serve to broaden the horizons of
our minds.

My debate with Hamjatta was not simply designed to be an intellectual
exercise. There is a constituency abroad which is very significant in
explaining what goes on in The Gambia and in providing material and human
resources to facilitate the development of political parties.

The debate would have simply served to help explain PDOIS' external
personality and expand our constituency abroad which is so vital for our
work at home. Herein lies its significance.


QUESTION NO. 10: Mr Sallah, Does the fact that not you, but Sidia Jatta
running for the presidency, sort of limited your zeal to find aggressive and
feasible means to do everything necessarily to make sure Yahya didn't last
this long or is it simply PDOIS' philosophy of it's up to the people to lead
themselves?Enlighten me, Sir."

ANSWER: Mr Makaveli, as far as principles, strategies, tactics, programmes,
policies and practices are concerned, there is no division between Sam Sarr,
Sidia Jatta, Halifa Sallah, Dr Omar Touray and so on and so forth. We have
always done what is necessary and are still doing what is necessary for the
Gambian to realise that no extravagant leadership can ever ensure the
progress and prosperity of our people, including Yahya's. Sidia has done
this by giving example in the way he utilises his income from the National
Assembly.

Leadership is to provide examples and PDOIS has been providing such examples
in practice. Not a single event has ever taken place in this society where
PDOIS is found to be twiddling its thumb. We are always up and about to deal
with all concerns of the people.

Leadership means not falling behind the people and not marching too far
ahead but to be with the people and showing the pitfalls of actions while
being ready to engage in any action that serves the interest of the people.

Finally, it is important to indicate to you that what kept Yahya here is his
capacity to assimilate all the institutions, people and practices that he
has found when he took over power. He still has grip over the opinion
leaders, the traditional rulers and many other sectors of Gambian society.
He has learnt to accumulate and take bags of sugar to mosques, dish out
money to opinion leaders in order to maintain his control.

Unless we acknowledge the fact that there are forces in Gambian society
which have been manipulated from the very beginning to have vested interests
in preserving Yahya in power, we will be thinking that we are combating a
giant oppressing Liliputs rather than interests which come together when
they are confronted with situations which could lead to a threat in pursuing
those interests. We are battling social forces which keep personalities in
power and not just those personalities in isolation from those social
forces.

Greetings.

Halifa



----- Original Message -----
From: Mr Makaveli <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Wednesday, August 23, 2000 3:52 AM
Subject: 10 Questions To Halifa


> Mr Sallah,
>
> Knowing that time may not allow you to respond to every issue,I
nonetheless
> would like to cease a moment or two from your busy work load and see if
you
> could elaborate your views on issues of concern to me and am sure to many
> Gambians

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