Folks,
I apologise for coming back to the debate so late, and I hope you will
appreciate my position when I say that I was simply held up by school work.
All the same , both sister Jabou and Sanusi have raised  points which I
intend to address here. But before coming onto that, I wish to say something
in connection with another angle to the debate going on, in which Musa Jeng
(mose) insist he has(or would have) questions about Waa's politics.
Musa, like anyone of us has every right to raise questions pertaining to any
politician's politics. Suffice it to say that on this occasion he has not
raised any specific questions about Mr Juwara's politics. If he means to say
that he will continue to distrust Waa's politics, and he has the decency to
say so in public, then one would expect him to have a good enough reason for
such a position. A reason that he can publicly discuss without losing face.
However, Musa has written of Mr Juwara forming NDAM as if it is his personal
property. This is very wrong. NDAM infact was formed by a collection of
individuals in the Gambia and the diaspora. Thus it is again wrong to say
that it was formed by any one individual.
With regard sister Jabou's question pertaining to what to do in view of the
Jammeh regime's flagrant violations of the constitution and other laws of
the Gambia, the answer is as simple as this: let the masses defend the law.
For example, in the run up to 2006, through the coalition, the individual
political organisations and all civil society organisations, let us all
advocate for free and fair democratic elections. Then all of us should adopt
zero tolerance for electoral fraud, and be prepared to defend the will of
the people at all costs. I am convinced that the top brass of the APRC of
the AFPRC, does not believe in democracy. They would do anything that would
perpetuate their stay in power. They believe in terror and aggression, and
they would brutalize and murder us if that is what would brake our
resilience so that they can walk over us. Softly-softly politics will never
bring this regime down, it simply gives them the opportunity to spread their
nefarious tentacles in our society and strenthen their stranglehold on the
Gambia.
As for the reconstitution of the IEC which mr Juwara advocated for, it
envisages the inclusion of representatives of political organisations to the
membership of the IEC. The reality at the moment is that the IEC has a
chairperson who is known to be a defactor member of the APRC/AFPRC. His
neutrality in the execution of his duties has never been trusted, therefore
it would only be fair if the other political organisations in the country
are represented  in the IEC. This could also represent opening up the IEC
thereby effecting transparency.
It should be noted, in conclusion, that the urgency of the need for the
coalition to set up a machinery on the ground now cannot be exaggerated. I
agree with sister Jabou that we need an organisation like a coalition to
coordinate our struggle against injustice in the Gambia. This would improve
our chances for success in our drive for free and fair democratic elections.
The task at hand is a very difficult one. After having so many skeletons in
its  cupboard, it should be expected that the APRC of AFPRC  will make
dogged efforts to clink onto power even if faced with an overwhelming
challenge. But we should all take heart because this is a struggle between
right and wrong; the good and evil; a struggle to supplant a barbarous,
brutal, criminal and incompetent political leadership with a just and
efficient one.But the bottomline is, we must back our words with action. We
must not only make it obvious to the Jammeh regime that we are fed up with
its acts of injustice, but we should make it cristal clear to them that a
subversion of the will of the people will not be tolerated again.
Omar Joof.


>From: Jabou Joh <[log in to unmask]>
>Reply-To: The Gambia and related-issues mailing list
><[log in to unmask]>
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Re: Why the silence/Sanusi
>Date: Fri, 17 Oct 2003 17:56:49 EDT
>
>In a message dated 10/17/03 10:28:46 AM Central Daylight Time,
>[log in to unmask] writes:
>
>
> > If we Gambians hastily advocate for a United Coalition
> > without addressing the issue of Free and Fair
> > Election, then sorry we are bound to see Yahya Jammeh
> > re-elected due to our complacency.
> >
> > Lets all  NOW work for Free and Fair Elections in 2006
> >
> > Sanusi
> >
> > Sanusi,
>
>
>I just do not understand how we can address a free and fair elections under
>the APRC regime when these guyd ignore all laws and are bent on placing as
>many
>obstacles in the path of the opposition as possible. Perhaps there is a
>process that I am not aware of and which can be utilized to accomplish
>this?Perhaps
>some of you who know ways that this issue can be addressed can shed some
>light on this.
>
>
>Jabou Joh
>
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