Folks, this is very encouraging. Who would have thought that a coupists nominee for interim president can be rejected by an adhoc committee that mirrors public opinion in Africa? Well, it is unfolding in Bissau. All the more reason why we need to see the events there as an opportunity against corrupt leaders and tyrants. The people are going to decide their destiny and they are not going to kowtow to any bandits. It is this process that we need and are going to have in Gambia, soon. I am optimistic about the future of Bissau. Please read on Nominee for Interim President Rejected This Day (Lagos) September 24, 2003 Posted to the web September 24, 2003 Paul Ohia With Agency Report Lagos A candidate nominated by the coup leaders in Guinea Bissau to head the interim government, Antonio Sangha, was rejected yesterday by an adhoc committee set up to ratify the appointment. The committee which acted in consonance with public opinion said the businessman was an ally of coup leader, General Verissimo Correia Seabra. Seabra, who declared himself acting head of state, told visiting Senegalese interior minister, Macky Sall, on Sunday that he was willing to step aside to let a civilian become interim president. He also gave the same pledge to Mozambican parliamentary affairs minister, Francisco Caetano Madeira, who arrived as an envoy of the African Union. But military leaders in the small West African nation remained locked in discussions with the leaders of 17 political parties on Monday over what form the new government should take and who should become president and prime minister. Sources at the meeting said opinions were divided over whether Artur Sanha, secretary general of the Social Renovation Party (PRS) of deposed president Kumba Yala should become prime minister, they added. The sources said Sanha was the clear favourite for the job, but some participants objected that he was not politically independent. Others meanwhile expressed concern over charges that Sanha had killed Florinda Baptista, a woman with whom he reportedly had a relationship, while he was interior minister in 2001. Sanha was sacked by Kumba Yala soon after her death, but court proceedings against him were dropped for lack of evidence. Correia Seabra, the chief of staff of the armed forces, ousted Kumba Yala in a bloodless coup on 14 September to prevent this former colony of 1.3 million people from sliding into political and administrative chaos. Kumba Yala was elected with a strong majority in early 2000, but soon alienated most of his former supporters. He dissolved parliament in November last year after it passed a vote of no confidence in him and then delayed four times the holding of fresh legislative elections. Kumba Yala also engaged in endless cabinet reshuffles and his bankrupt government owed soldiers, civil servants, teachers and hospital workers several months of pay arrears. An ad-hoc commission of political leaders and military officers chaired by Jose Camnate Na Bissign, the Roman Catholic bishop of Bissau, proposed on Friday that fresh parliamentary elections should be held in six months time and presidential elections a year later. It also recommended that the interim government be held accountable to a Transitional National Council, a broad-based council of civilian and military representatives which would act as a nominated legislature and consultative body until the holding of parliamentary elections. Sall told the Senegalese news agency, APS, after meeting Correia Seabra on Sunday that he had passed on a suggestion from Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade that the Guinea-Bissau army should establish a military watchdog committee to ensure that the transition process was properly implemented. _________________________________________________________________ Frustrated with dial-up? Get high-speed for as low as $29.95/month (depending on the local service providers in your area). https://broadband.msn.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ To Search in the Gambia-L archives, go to: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/CGI/wa.exe?S1=gambia-l To contact the List Management, please send an e-mail to: [log in to unmask] To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~