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UDP/ UK: Communication Paper- December 2010
Wednesday, 01 December 2010 01:51
UDP/UK was founded in February 2010 as an affiliated body of the United Democratic
Party, The Gambia’s largest opposition party. The group was formulated by Gambian citizens living in The United Kingdom, who are concerned by the degrading state of democracy and governance in their country, The Gambia, since the military coup that brought President Yaya Jammeh to power in July, 1994. UDP-UK having recognised the level of threat the APRC regime poses to The Gambia’s notoriety as a peace loving and just society which has hitherto been a forerunner of democracy and democratic values in the African continent, is concerned that;
I. President Jammeh came to power, first and foremost, by force of arms and has since continued to use threats to bully the Gambian people to submit to his rule.
II. The APRC government has established a sham democracy in The Gambia, with a parliament made up of the president’s cronies and stooges who rubber stamp everything he brings to the House and dance to his tunes all night long.
III.The APRC regime disenfranchised Gambian citizens living abroad, who contribute tremendously to national development, by denying them their constitutional right to vote in public elections. All countries in our sub-region have preserved the voting right of all their citizens whether living at home or abroad.
IV. The APRC regime consistently works toward the destruction of opposition parties and any other progressive movement that holds divergent and dissenting views to that of the government.
V. The regime is also hell-bent on muzzling press freedom with utter disregard to due process. The arbitrary closure of the Private FM Radio Stations, Citizen FM and Stud FM, and the Independent Newspaper are typical examples.
VI. Arbitrary dismissal in the civil service, unlawful detentions and disappearances of Gambian citizens are now endemic leading to increased fear and insecurity of individuals in the country.
VII.Poor management of the Gambian economy characterised by excessive borrowing and conspicuous consumption, is fuelling hardship for ordinary citizens who have to endure daily increases in cost of basic commodities and services.
VIII. Meanwhile, President Jammeh who in the early days of his unlawful usurpation of power, campaigned on the slogan of fighting to end corruption and the flamboyant indulgence of public servants, has now become one of the richest, if not the most, political leaders in our sub-region.
IX. The politicized nature of the Gambian Public and Civil Service is encouraging the type of political bullying that is forcing many public and civil servants as well as members of the security forces to personally deliver free labour on the president’s many farms.
X. President Jammeh, as head of state and government, also has his business tentacles extended virtually to every sector of the Gambian economy competing with small farmers, bakers, transporters, butchers- the list goes on- and often pushing them out of business and livelihood.
The United Democratic Party [UK Chapter] urges all Gambians to take cognisance of the fact that every day, month and year of the APRC misrule is sowing seeds of long term damage to the tranquillity of our society and thereby putting the future of our children and grand children at risk. We therefore have a historic responsibility to work together as Gambians, to save the future of our great country. In this respect, UDP UK calls on all Gambians, both at home and abroad, to join the UDP and its leader, Alhagi Ousainou Darboe, in their bid to constitutionally remove the APRC government from power in this upcoming 2011 presidential election. We consider this to be the fierce urgency of now.
The United Democratic Party has pledged, if elected, to [among other things]:
- Make credible political and constitutional reforms that would nurture in a vibrant democratic society based on respect for the rule of law and the fundamental principles of democratic representation, and in which citizens are able to exercise their fundamental rights and freedoms without undue state interference.
- Introduce a presidential term limit into the constitution [this would be an entrenched clause] as a way of ending the culture of self perpetuating rule.
- Strengthen and safeguard the independence and integrity of the judiciary particularly the criminal justice system.
- Make tangible investment in the productive sectors of the economy so as to stimulate growth, and to judiciously appropriate taxpayers’ money.
- Create an environment conducive for enabling Gambians of every background to participate effectively in the socio- economic and political developments of their country.
- Extend voting right to every Gambian living abroad.
- Adopt a decentralised form of local government administration that provides significant autonomy to our local government institution.
2011 Presidential Election; the Defining Moment
UDP UK is currently co-sponsoring a Voter Engagement Initiative recently launched by the UDP as part of preparations for the 2011 Presidential Election. The purpose of this programme is for the leadership of the party to meet voters in their villages and towns, and to listen and share with them the party’s ideas for a Gambia that offers a better future to her children.
The initiative involves a weekly constituency visits by the party leader using a light convoy, and covering approximately 1800 villages and towns throughout the length and breadth of The Gambia. The cost of this programme is estimated to be D50, 000 per month, and is expected to run right up to the 2011 Presidential Election.
The solution to the difficult circumstances we face as a nation is in our collective hands and as a result, all of us must assign ourselves a role in the shaping of our country’s future. It is for this reason that we urge all Gambians living in the United Kingdom and mainland Europe to assert ownership as sovereign citizens and join us in an aggressive fundraising campaign to support this programme. Anyone interested in making donation[s] to the campaign or would like to support the Voter Engagement Initiative in another way or form, is hereby urged to contact the UK coordinator by email; This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or by phone on [+44] 07581329381 or [+44] 07760969367
UDP-Sweden
We are delighted to inform our brothers and sisters [Gambians] living in Sweden and other Scandinavian countries that UDP Sweden Chapter is now up and running. Those of you who would like to join the chapter and help bring it up to speed are hereby urged to contact the interim coordinator, Mr. Kebba Sanneh, by email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
Kebba is an enthusiastic political campaigner with vast experience and wisdom under his belt. He is a well educated Gambian, and has being involved in political organising for many years now. He is currently the Campaign Manager of a leading Swedish- Gambian politician.
With Kebba’s expertise, we are confident that UDP [Sweden Chapter] will soon become a vibrant chapter that adds value to the party [UDP] as a whole. We urge all supporters and Sympathisers of the UDP in Scandinavia to give Kebba their unreserved support. The ultimate aim is to formulate a chapter based on democratic principles and the ideals of the parent body, the United Democratic Party. We wish you all the best in this very noble endeavour and look forward to reporting your progress to the Secretariat in Banjul.
Long lived the United Democratic Party!!!
And long lived our Republic!!!
Thank you.
THE END.
Issued by UDP UK
London, United Kingdom
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Comments
In respect of opposition coalition, what I understand to be their position is that there should be an all inclusive opposition alliance headed by the udp as the biggest opposition party. They argued that this is the universal norm and I agree.
Sidia said all the parties should adopt Nadd. Wait a minutes; UDP and NADD contested the 2006 election and UDP had almost five times more votes than NADD, and he expects UDP to join Nadd? That is like Hilary Clinton offering the vice presidency to Barack Obama when in fact, it is the latter who had the most votes. It doesn't work like that, am afraid.
Thanks
Forming a coalition based on a big or small party mentality, is equally, a non starter. It is best to put individual/party interest aside and put the national interest foremost.
But being 'SopeeUDP',I can see where you are coming from.
Thanks and keep it up.
By the way, the statement did not exclude the possibility of a coalition with other parties.
Thanks
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