• Regarding these comments in your own words; "PDOIS explains its Absence in Raleigh???????????????" What do you consider to be at conflict for resolutions (i.e. needs resolving) or what are we require to dilate on, weigh, balance, reconcile and/or bring in harmony "Consensus VS. Compromise"; already in gambia-l exchange forum and originally forwarded by you; WITHOUT ANYTHING FRUITFUL IN THAT DISCOURSE EXCEPT THE USUAL BANTER BETWEEN "PDOISARDS" Vs "UDPITES" PARTISANSHIP AND WITTICISM?


• You stated that " you (I) don't agree that PDOIS is the only Party with sound ideas on clarifying efforts of the opposition... " BUT PLEASE REFER ME UDP, NRP, GMC, PPP OR GPDP PROPOSALS ON RALEIGH CONFERENCE OR ANYTHING PUT ON TABLE (AVAILABLE IN PUBLIC DORMAIN); CLEAR-CUT, SPECIFIC AND ATTAINABLE; WELL DOCUMENTED AND ORGANISED AS PDOIS, FOR THE RALEIGH CONFERENCE; WITHOUT PUTTING EMPHASIS ON "BRAINSTORMING EXERCISE" BUT "PRAGMATISM" AND/OR ACTION ORIENTED CONDUCT?

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Originally posted by kobo

THE DISCOURSE HAS TOOK A NEW DIMENSION WITH THIS CRITICAL ARTICLE (COMMENTS & OPINION) FROM A PDOIS STALWART MILITANT AND DIASPORA PILLAR (USA LEADER). WHAT A BEAUTY FOR "EVERYONE RIGHT OF OPINION"; AGREE OR TO DISAGREE UNDER NORMS OF "DEMOCRACY" AND "FREEDOM OF SPEECH"

1. MAAFANTA.COM NEWS;

PDOIS Must Not Have Missed Raleigh by Modou Nyang

"The absence of PDOIS at the Raleigh conference in the weekend of 17th to 19th of May to engage interested Gambians on the way out of the political mess our country is embroiled into was a mistake that must not have happened. PDOIS (People’s Democratic Organization for Independence and Socialism), is the one party in the Gambia that since its emergence on our country’s political scene, that have been on the forefront of every single happening of national concern and struggle for the freedom and development of our people. As a result, abstaining to confer with fellow citizens notwithstanding the differences of views and opinions on the modalities to the roadmap for the liberation of our country may be, is not the PDOIS way and must not be repeated. PDOIS never shies away from engaging in the discourse for the way forward for our country and people, singularly because of its clarity of vision and mission to the path to salvage and put our country on the road to development. Therefore, missing out in Raleigh denied the party the chance and opportunity to yet again put forth its views before an interested party....."

More full information

2. SAME ARTICLE FEATURED BY KIBAARO NEWS AS;

• How PDOIS Shoots Itself On The Foot

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• Re: PDOIS must not have missed Raleigh by Halifa Sallah PDOIS Secretary General

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"It was a conference to search together for answers and not to direct angry invectives against each other. It should have been a unifying conference not a divisive one. It is unfortunate that you have used the language you did to interrogate what Mr Ousianou Darbo said. We would not use such a language against a person who has not given us any cause to do so. You as a Gambian citizen are entitled to the way you view things and make use of the English language. Prudence dictates that you weigh your words before putting them down." by Halifa Sallah PDOIS Secretary General

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• Invitation to Stockholm Diaspora Dialogue

• Event: Planning our Journey and Shaping our Destiny


• Invitation to Stockholm Diaspora Dialog 2013

• Regarding these comments in your own words; "PDOIS explains its Absence in Raleigh???????????????" What do you consider to be at conflict for resolutions (i.e. needs resolving) or what are we require to dilate on, weigh, balance, reconcile and/or bring in harmony "Consensus VS. Compromise"; already in gambia-l exchange forum and originally forwarded by you; WITHOUT ANYTHING FRUITFUL IN THAT DISCOURSE EXCEPT THE USUAL BANTER BETWEEN "PDOISARDS" Vs "UDPITES" PARTISANSHIP AND WITTICISM?


• You stated that " you (I) don't agree that PDOIS is the only Party with sound ideas on clarifying efforts of the opposition... " BUT PLEASE REFER ME UDP, NRP, GMC, PPP OR GPDP PROPOSALS ON RALEIGH CONFERENCE OR ANYTHING PUT ON TABLE (AVAILABLE IN PUBLIC DORMAIN); CLEAR-CUT, SPECIFIC AND ATTAINABLE; WELL DOCUMENTED AND ORGANISED AS PDOIS, FOR THE RALEIGH CONFERENCE; WITHOUT PUTTING EMPHASIS ON "BRAINSTORMING EXERCISE" BUT "PRAGMATISM", GOOD ACTION PLAN, A CLEAR ROAD MAP AND/OR ACTION ORIENTED CONDUCT?
  
  IN SIMPLE TERMS; WHAT DID THE PARTIES THAT ATTENDED RALEIGH PUT ON TABLE AS ITS PROPOSALS AND WAY FORWARD RESPECTIVELY? DID YOU GATHER ANYTHING FROM OTHER OPPOSITION PARTIES; AS CLEAR-CUT AS PDOIS? FORWARD THE "SOUND IDEAS" FROM OTHER OPPOSITION PARTIES ON THE RALEIGH CONFERENCE


QUOTING KARAMBA TOURAY PROMOTING THE RALEIGH CONFERENCE (here);

• "Consequently, the May gathering is the first time a concerted effort is being made to bring every constituency to sit at the table and together craft the way forward. The invitees include representatives of political parties, civil society organisations, journalists, individual activists, and unaffiliated citizens. The idea is to harness and aggregate what each constituency brings table to produce a specific action plan that we can all support and follow through. This strategy builds on earlier attempts which essentially put the fate of the nation in the hands of a handful of politicians and when that plan went awry it doomed years of hard work. The diverse and broad base nature of the undertaking would afford each constituency an opportunity to have their issues amplified by the whole group."


• " Our struggle needs all our people, the wise, the humble, the determined, the discouraged because we are the change we seek."


• "You can help the struggle quietly if that is what suits you and like liberation struggles the world over every individual effort counts a great deal."

SIMILARLY QUOTING GMC LEADER LAWYER MAI FATTY'S SOLIDARITY MESSAGE FROM THE GMC LETTER TO THE ORGANISERS AND PARTICIPANTS AT THE RALEIGH CONFERENCE (here);

• "Mr. Chairman, there is only one objective that merits exclusive focus: achieving total political change in our country. This effort must be championed and led by Gambians."


• "Here in Raleigh, we must pull our own weight and depend on it. We must make the necessary sacrifices ourselves, for no one shall fight our battle for us. By now, we must come to the inevitable realization that only we ourselves shall get the job, and we must assume that mindset supported by the right vision with targeted, pragmatic, result-oriented actions.".."This is time for action."


• "In charting a way forward, it must be understood and appreciated that your natural partner is the internal opposition on the ground. Let me trumpet it and clear here that there can be no successful political transformation that alienates the internal opposition, and by this I mean the opposition Parties on the ground. The international community will not open up to serious dialogue on the future of our country in any initiatives that set to render the internal opposition secondary. I know this."


• "For us to succeed, the Diaspora and the internal opposition on the ground must embrace each other, complimenting each other. We cannot succeed by mutual antagonism, mistrust, confrontation and competition.There was never a time, and there will not be a time during the struggle to cast aspersions on the internal opposition. The Gambian opposition, like the Diaspora reflects the nature of The Gambian society. We are what you are, so let us look inward. Yet there is hope. This Conference is intended to enable us banish negative values, and in their place enthrone a culture of cooperation and solidarity – working together in a united, concerted action as one entity, one people to deliver change to our citizens."


• "On the sensitive, but elusive issue of a united opposition on the ground, this is truly vital. It is the unanimous conviction of all stakeholders in the struggle for the opposition parties to unite under a single leadership. Speaking for our Alliance, we share this conviction."


• "Lastly, our view of a successful conference is one that sets up an umbrella entity with the primary objective of supporting the capacity of the internal opposition as well empowering their structures on the ground. The notion of a conference to empower a diaspora entity as the face and soul of the struggle seeking the blessing of the internal opposition leadership to facilitate the same would be an unrealistic expectation. Anything that has the potential to split us into them and us should not find its way either directly or subtly in our deliberations or Resolutions. Regular contacts, consultation and coordination based on mutual respect, should dictate dealings between both sides."


• 1. PLEASE BE REMINDED ON "WHY PDOIS WAS NOT IN RALEIGH?" ITS CONSIDERATION, DECISION, POSITION, RESOLUTIONS AND PROPOSALS FROM SALIENT QUOTES BELOW;
  
  "The PDOIS received a letter from the organisers of the Raleigh Conference inviting the Secretary General of PDOIS to a Conference to be held in Raleigh North Carolina from the 18th to 20th May aimed at deliberating on strategies and tactics on how to effect peaceful change in the Gambia."
  
  "After a careful review of your invitation it is deemed wise, right and proper to propose a different approach.
  
  It is proposed that the May meeting be transformed into a dialogue between Gambians of all political shades resident abroad with a view to reaching external consensus on the way forward.
  
  The resolutions could then be forwarded to the political parties at home for review in preparation for a dialogue between the political parties and the Diaspora which could be held at a later date."
  
  "Each political party would have adequate time to address the meeting and put its proposal across to promote consensus building."
  
  "It is important to convey to you that PDOIS is already part of an initiative which requests for the mediation of Reverend Jesse Jackson. We would like to exhaust this initiative in order to draw final lessons on what strategy and tactics we are to adopt to address the issue of democratic change in the Gambia. It is our humble opinion that it is irrational to travel across continents just to deliver such a message."
  
  "The Central Committee therefore resolved that it was not prudent to be a part of a brainstorming exercise on the way forward since it had the potential of exposing divisions rather than bridging the strategic and tactical divides on the way forward."
  
  2. THAT PDOIS FURTHER CLARIFIED ITS RESOLUTIONS FROM PDOIS (HALIFA) RESPONSE TO D.A JAWO; REVIEWED EVERY DETAIL UNDER 1. AND MAINTAINED SAME STANCE THAT;
  
  PDOIS stated that they (PDOIS) "received the invitation of the organisers we (PDOIS) did applaud their initiative."
  
  "The Central Committee of PDOIS met to review the invitation and came to the conclusion that two preliminary steps are necessary before such a meeting could take place in a manner that would yield the desired results of a national consensus on strategies and tactics for peaceful political change."
  
  PDOIS REMINED THE CONFERENCE THAT "First and foremost, the opposition at home had to arrive at a consensus on the way forward at the meeting or convey the wrong impression that they are so divided that they could not forge a United Front for Democratic change. "
  
  "Secondly, the Diaspora also had to meet and develop a consensus on the way forward failing which opinions could be so divided at the meeting that the way forward could become illusive."
  
  "Thirdly, we (PDOIS) envisaged that once the two consensuses are independently built the holding of a joint Diaspora–Opposition meeting to harmonise them into a National consensus would become feasible after the consensus at the Diaspora meeting is circulated and reviewed by each opposition party and discussion held among them reach a consensus before the National Conference. "
  
  "However in order to promote ownership of the process and engender a more formal arrangement for consensus building, we proposed for the Diaspora to meet and work out a consensus, the content of which would be conveyed to the political parties at home for review and decisions taken by their own organs in line with their party constitutions."
  
  PDOIS "further proposed that after taking their individual party positions on any proposal from the diaspora political parties at home could meet to discuss their party positions and form a consensus which shall then be followed by a Diaspora – opposition meeting that would entirely focus on concrete proposals for a consensus on the way to facilitate electoral reform or effect democratic change if proposals for reforms are rejected."
  
  "In this way no parochial difference would be entertained and the deliberations would be devoted solely on National consensus building."
  
  "Hence it is clear to all that we (PDOIS) have not only endorsed consensus building but have concretely stated how it could be done in a climate of serenity and sobriety, free from any acrimony and hair-splitting wrangling over issues that have no national relevance, as befits those who aim to engage in the most important task of our times, that of building a country fit for a sovereign, free , prosperous and dignified citizen to live in."
  
  "Hence the other parties too should now focus on telling the people what they intend to do differently from the existing ruling party to enhance liberty and prosperity."
  
  That "the resolutions of the conference.. (should) harmonized the objectives, strategies and tactics on how to bring Democratic change in the Gambia."
  
  PDOIS acknowledge "What is achieved is to start a consensus building process. The raw material for National consensus building is yet to be available. The organizers have made a good start just as we (PDOIS) predicted. Hence what you (D.A.Jawo amongst other detractors) should be calling or is the continuity of a dialogue and not the embracing of a finish product."
  
  3. AGAIN PLEASE BE REMINDED THAT FOR THE RALEIGH CONFERENCE PDOIS ACKNOWLEDGE AND ENDORSED THESE; IN LINE WITH WHAT PDOIS IS KNOWN FOR ITS ADVOCACY ON IDEALS OF "DEMOCRACY"; ESPECIALLY "the idea of popular sovereignty expressed by citizens" MEETING AT RALEIGH TOGETHER ON "COMMON PLATFORM" FOR A "COMMON GOAL"
  
  "Political practitioners and analysts should focus on the people if they want to understand the way forward for the Gambia."
  
  "Political leaders are not putting ropes on the necks of the people."
  
  "In most cases the pollsters are in a better position to determine the prospects of the leaders in politics than they themselves. It is the attitude of the people that should breed hope or hopelessness."
  
  "It is very clear that the people are in charge."
  
  "What they are looking for are leaders they could trust. The future is bright. No one could throw dust in the eyes of the people any more."
  
  "Neither the unity of the opposition nor its disunity is an obstacle or asset for change"
  
  "The change in Banjul is a clear indication that the future of this country lies in the hands of the people."
  
  "It is our humble opinion that every sovereign Gambian has an equal right to be the architect of our destiny. We could argue over strategy and tactics but should respect each person’s right to participate in determining the outcome."
  
  "While trusting that you will give due regard to our proposal, please allow us, dear compatriots, to convey to you the assurance of our highest consideration."