Saiks,
Very timely piece of thought on the opposition in the Gambia. The mistake within NADD is clear to all now. It would have been better for the purpose of strategy, to allow Darboe to take over as flag bearer of NADD without any fuss, to face the APRC. I can not see how Darboe with the biggest opposition party in the country was expected to surrender that capital to any smaller party within NADD. Secondly, for tactical reasons, Darboe was in a better position to capture rural support than any one Within NADD to dislodge the APRC from power. So for me the arguments among the parties that formed NADD about a flag bearer was not necessary so far as NADD was formed to struggle for social justice Gambians have been deprieved for long time. After the APRC, the next step for the parties is another matter to be dealt with. Whatever the end result, it is to allow the growth of the democratic system.

Yes, you are right that time, resources and individual sacrifices were made, specifically for those in the diaspora. My biggest concern is how this disappointment could translate into the disillusion of the electorate back home. NADD raised their hopes and dashed it out within the same moment. The next thing for the electorate is to not bother to vote. That benefits the APRC and a disaster for any one who cares about justice. What the parties need to do now is to rally in defence of Femi Peters and challenge the unlawful chages against him. This is one case that can rejuvnate mass support for the parties which will enbolden them to defy the regime openly in organising mass rallies for campaigns, since the regime is doing the same thing with National TV and radio. Defiance is the next step to show this chap that the myth around him is over. Yaya need to be tested to see whehter he can kill or imprison the whole the country.For the parties to remain silent and weak in the midst of these social, economic and political disaster in our country will allow only two things to deal with the situation:

1) The first one is that the deepening crisis could end up producing the calibre of Charles Taylor and the dissatisfied masses will follow him. The types of Charles Taylor can only emerge in a situation where the opposition is weakened and the will of the people so suppressed that the will to struggle is overtaken by the will for survival, and the suppressed people waiting for an opportunist to free them.

2) The second thing is that internal brutalities of the regime can lead to an unrest that the regime itself can not control. An unrest that has no regard for the inept opostion and lacks a proper leadership to give it a direction. In such situations, anarchism will replace genuine leadership and will threaten the stability of Senegal. Anyone can guest what that will lead to and I will leave that aside for the time being.

It is the duty of the oppostion parties now to organise and prepare to deal with the national problem we have in hand now before it becomes a bigger one that they may even lead to thier own demise.

Good work.
Wassa.

From: [log in to unmask]
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [>-<] What next UDP
Date: Sun, 6 Dec 2009 15:17:08 +0000

I am not interested in NADD,this was the organisation that exposed the opportunism of Gambian politicians. Now much of what we know about the crisis within the NADD was that there was power struggle, who will be the flag bearer. If there was much interest in defeating Jammeh, such should have been a formality and northing else, not even a detail discussion. Daboe should be the Flag bearer period, his party was the largest and still the biggest both in parliament and outside. If other political parties doubted this why did they not suggest a local elections and ask the Gambian People(their voters) who they want to be their Presidential candidate. All these were not happening but instead they caged themselves in absorbed formalities, confusing and fooling us who were mobilising support,funds and other resources, making us to believe that there were other fundamental questions that needed to be resolved. Now we know that it was their own political desires to become the next " his excellence" rapped up in every colour of "divine purity" that caged them. I would not have been shocked or surprised if what breaks up NADD was the question "what will happen after the elections ?" For all political parties involved have the right to voice out their expectations as to what should happen after the election.

Never ever has there been a challenge to the powers of professor Jammeh as we have recently seen by the defiance rally held by the UDP ,these are new times and a new reality.

Some few months ago ,whiles visiting the Gambia, in a discussion with a friend, a UDP militant, he explained to me that they met with the newly appointed Inspector general and very clearly informed him that with or without approving their next application to hold a political rally, they will go ahead with the rally. Honestly I did not take that discussions seriously, for me this was just another UDP rattling, they will never ever dare challenge the powers and authority of the Dear Leader. I was wrong, they did it, and it now need some reflections from some of us who never supported the UDP.

Perhaps I was having the April 10/ 11 in mine of which I was a witness to, when defenceless students were brutally gunned down by matured men. But the fact is that, the struggle to end Jammehs rule has reached another stage which must be exploited to the maximum. The torture that many activist were subjected to, the illegal arrest and detentions of political activist, the dead of KC and the murder of Dyda, the on slaughter on journalist, the demonstrations in New York, London, Washington, Oslo etc, the tireless voices of the opposition in the International, the collection of signatures and contacts with different authorities in the US and UK, known and unknown, and many other forms of exposing the brutality of the jammeh regime has now bear fruits and it is this that the UDP timely read and reacted to,I have no choice but to credit them for this brave move. They have demystify the powers, the African magic of our Dear Leader .Now the UDP must take a responsible leadership ,take us to the logical conclusions of this march, to a new level.(I am not discussing anything with regards to my political opinion as to the capabilities of the UDP in bringing about a meaningful change in the lives of the Gambian People)

The UDP promised to continue to defy the powers of the state(APRC in this case) that continues to unlawfully deny them the right to hold political meetings, if they seriously mean it, then all the other political parties should do the same. They should mobilise their supporters and apply for a permit to hold rallies and if they are deny on no genuine grounds, they should go ahead. This will be a form of solidarity with the UDP and a challenge to the authorities to recognise and respect the rights of free people, a basic human right. The corned and weaken APRC is on the defensive, the court case against Femi Petters is a sign. They knew that this meeting was going to go ahead, they did not bring the military in the street to intimidate and or gun down the people as they did to the students. If they UDP is planning another political rally, if the authorities deny them a permit to hold the rally and they decide to go ahead with it,they should invite the political leaders of all the other oppositions parties to come and speak in the rally.

I have my doubts if that will happen, they will be allow to hold the meeting ,but we also know that the APRC regime loves adventures and the Brave Dear Leader who some time back promised to wipe out on the face of the Earth and un named country, if that country mess with him, must be full of confidence to face the whole world and plus the Gambian masses.

If little UDP can defy his powers ,if he is wise enough or having good advices, it is now time for him to reassess his rhetoric. If barely a 6 months will not pass without news of a certain military high ranking official been arrested or sacked, the very people who will be leading his war or on slaughter, as a trained military officer, he should know that his military power base is very weak.

Will the other political parties join the UDP in this new stage of political development in the country ? they should be able to do so by dropping their ego, their ambition of becoming the next "His Excellence", which is more of dream than a reality at this moment of the political situation in the country. It is with this reality that we should confront the parties we support and demand that they act, if our immediate political interest is to see the back of the APRC regime and bring sanity to the country. They should mobilise their members to attend the next court case of Femi Petters, they should release statements of solidarity with the UDP and promise the Authorities that they too will use the same method if ever they are deny permit to hold political rallies. My opinion, anything less will be another political rambling towards the next elections.