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Momodou
Denmark
11737 Posts |
 Posted - 12 Oct 2010 : 19:58:09
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Below is an interview the Voice had with the grassroots supporters of parties.
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Darboe Urged To Support Agenda 2011,
As Party leaders asked to put differences aside
Sympathizers of the United Democratic Party (UDP) and the National Alliance for Democracy and Development (NADD) have urged lawyer Ousainou Darboe to support Agenda 2011.
Agenda 2011 is an initiative of Mr. Halifa Sallah, the secretary general of the opposition party, People’s Democratic Organisation for Independence and Socialism (PDOIS). The Agenda is precisely an advocacy tool to promote a transitional ‘government of the people, for the people and by the people’ through a single candidate for the opposition in the 2011 presidential election.
Mr. Darboe is the leader of the UDP, Gambia’s biggest opposition party and some of his party sympathizers has decided that their party leader support Agenda 2011 to achieve what they called ‘the betterment of all Gambian people’.
In interviews conducted by The Voice Newspaper, Kebba Touray, a resident of Tallinding who identified himself as a UDP supporter, said Mr. Darboe should join the Agenda 2011 campaign.
“It is very clear that without a strong opposition force, the ruling alliance for patriotic re-orientation and construction (APRC) will remain leading the country forever,” he said.
According to him, the problem is that the people of this country (Gambia)
-are politically ignorant and it is the duty of politicians to educate their followers about their rights.
“Agenda 2011 is a very good tool to achieve this goal of educating the electorate, because the opposition may not have the means to do so, but with a document before them, it will be easy”, said Mr. Touray.
Musa Krubally, who described himself as ‘a real NADD supporter’ called on Mr. Darboe to support Agenda 2011 and campaign for the betterment of all. “What the Agenda is saying is simple, let opposition parties support and promote the Agenda on their own platforms and later come together and put forward one candidate for the presidential elections,” he said.
According to him, when opposition leaders converged behind close doors to select a leader for NADD in 2006, it was unfortunate that it could not work and others breakaway. This time, he said it is the supporters who will select their choice of candidate. This is what Agenda 2011 is calling for”, he said.
Krubally thinks that Darboe should support Agenda 2011 because it does not belong to any party, it belongs to all Gambians.
Ebrima Sanyang said he is a supporter of the UDP, but said he will be very disappointed if opposition leaders failed to come up with a concrete decision or a strong coalition in the forth coming race for the presidency.
He said supporters have already lost confidence in political leaders because many believe that they are there for their selfish interest instead of that of The Gambian people. While calling on opposition leaders to unite, he said the UDP may have the highest number of supporters but that does not matter.
“What matters is that let them come together as one family and as Gambians who want the betterment of the country”, he said.
For him, opposition leaders should forget about what has transpired and work towards supporting Agenda 2011. “Bringing personal problems into this will not help in any way. Let them pack that aside and look at the interest of the people behind them and that of the country,” he stressed.
He added: “If they do that, then they will regain the confidence of the electorate and they will surely win.”
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A clear conscience fears no accusation - proverb from Sierra Leone |
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