‘No Funds For UDP’s Chosen Rep’

momodou sannehThe party explains reasons for its absence at the Gambia Civil Society Forum 

The Gambia’s main opposition United Democratic Party has explained reasons for not being able to participate in the Gambia Civil Society Forum held in New York on October 1st. In a press release, published verbatim below, the party said the organisers of the program would not agree to fund the trip of Honorable Momodou Sanneh, the man who was chosen to deputise the party leader, on the grounds that the nomination came “when the organization was already over budgeted”. 

UDP Press Release On The Non-Participatioln At The Civil Society Forum 2/10/2015

Earlier this month UDP received an invitation from Dr. [Amadou] Scattred–Janneh to a meeting called Civil Society Forum on the Gambia being organized to discuss matters relating to the political situation in the Gambia in New York. It was learnt that leaders of other Gambian opposition parties were also invited.

Initially, the UDP Leader [Lawyer Ousainou Darboe] accepted  the invitation and had planned to attend personally. However, due to unexpected circumstances beyond his control, he couldn’t make the journey to America. The National Executive of the party nominated Honorable Momodou Sanneh as a replacement and communicated this change to the organizers of the meeting in good time, at least some days prior to the meeting date. In response, the organizers indicated their inability to fund Honorable Momodou Sanneh’s trip on the grounds that the nomination came “when the organization was already over budgeted”.

The party leader and the UDP National Executive found this reason rather strange since there must have been a budget set aside to cover the Party leader’s participation, i.e. airticket, hotel accommodation etc. Selective and substitutive representation of an organization at such fora is common and understandable practice, and usually accommodated.

Secondly, with the nomination of Honorable Sanneh, the UDP would have been adequately represented, like the other participating parties, by a top official, who would have been endowed with full powers by theExecutive and Party Leader to speak for and act on behalf of the United Democratic Party. Thirdly, Honorable Sanneh, it should be noted, is one of the most senior members of the National Executive of the UDP and was the former Minority Leader in the National Assembly. He is therefore, in his own right, an astute and very knowledgeable politician who would have brought immense knowledge and experience to the proceedings of the New York meeting which would have definitely enriched the discussionsand widen its results.

We all know that multi-party democracy and competitive liberal electoral politics can hardly work without organized political parties. They provide the platform for like-minded citizens to participate collectively in a political process that would otherwise be left in the hands of a small elitist group, detached from the masses of citizenry.

The UDP reiterates its long held willingness and readiness to participate at all times in any forum aimed at discussing ways and means of rescuing our country from the clutches of tyranny and decadence.

The UDP hopes that with this statement, the subject of its non-participation at the New York meeting which has led to certain innuendoes and mischaracterization in the media would be laid to rest.

Finally, we extend our felicitations to the organizers of the Civil Society meeting for organizing this encounter bringing together Gambian stakeholders and friends of the Gambia and others to discuss issues of the Gambia’s present problems and its future.

UDP DIASPORA
10/3/2015

Ends

56 Comments

  1. Lafia Touray la Manju

    Amadou Scattred Janneh of all people. He can do something like this?? Sometimes it makes me wonder what has become of Gambians. If lawyer Darboe cannot attend, what is the problem with him been substituted by the UDP???

  2. i think one should hear from both parties before making any comments.

  3. Alimatou Sarr

    This is a very serious issue. We hope Dr. Janneh and team will come with their own version of the story and if they don’t, then they have demonstrated bias and unfair treatment of a major player in Gambian politics. I am delighted that the UDP has cleared itself otherwise it will shoulder the blame. We can only win in our fight to defeat Monster Jammeh if we organise ourselves well and unite with clean hearts. I am really dumbfounded to the core.

  4. Baboucarr Samba

    Waw! So these organisers hatched a sinister plot against Darboe? Do they want to force his hands to agree on opposition unity? They got themselves bursted. That’s not the way to do things after all Darboe doesn’t own UDP. Whoever the party nominated should be given whatever was allocated for Mr. Darboe. I will sum it up in few words: it is hypocrisy at work. Period! We cannot maslaha with truth.

  5. Lafia Touray la Manju

    Amadou Scattred Janneh’s father was a strong Jammeh supporter in Gunjur uptil the time of his death. With that in mind, maybe I shouldn’t be surprised. These are the kind of people who will always scupper any prospect of opposition unity in the face of a tyrant.

    Thank

  6. Lafia and co please reserve your subjective comments until you hear from both sides. Using inflammatory language without getting the whole story from both sides is counter productive and only proves how bias you are when it comes to UDP.

  7. Lafia Touray la Manju

    Abdou, how did you know that I haven’t heard from both sides?? Do you know my connection with Amadou Janneh group, if any?? Was the whole issue not on Fatu radio last week?? Clearly, you are simply making a wild assumption without basis.

    This issue is nothing but a treachery against UDP and lawyer Darboe and I am no longer surprised that it came from Amadou scattered Janneh given his father’s history with UDP supporters in Gunjur. He is probably taking a revenge.

  8. Paul Mendy

    Something is definitely wrong with the struggle. We need an honorable person to coordinate our efforts . A person that has no baggage

  9. Dodou Jawneh

    Could the problem be with the organisers’ policy of funding only party heads rather than party leaders? If so I have a problem with that because leadership role in the party does not rest with only the flag-bearer, and other party leaders’ participation could be as fruitful as the flag-bearers’. Hon Sanneh is one of the leaders in the UDP. The other danger is that such thinking and the policies they generate can fuel a dreaded elitist approach within the ‘struggle’ and in the wider Gambian political process.

  10. Lafia Touray la Manju

    A combination of jeggan grey-Johnson and Amadou scattered Janneh can only produce a dreadful result. It was a conspiracy, folks

  11. Lafia…

    Stop this blame game and tell us what info you have to support your claims of “conspiracy and revenge..”

    It seems to me that the only reason UDP was not represented at this event was because Mr Darboe could not travel due to unforeseen circumstances.

    To try to portray this as a “conspiracy” against the UDP, is to imply that the organisers have fore knowledge of whatever will hold Lawyer Darboe at home..That will be indeed rediculous..

    Until you tell us what your info is or we hear from the organisers, we shouldn’t doubt the reasons advanced by the them to the UDP..

    @UDP statement…”In response, the organizers indicated their inability to fund Honorable Momodou Sanneh’s trip on the grounds that the nomination came “when the organization was already over budgeted”.

    Though the UDP feels that the funds allocated for Darboe’s travel.and attendance could have been used for their official, it should also be noted that transferring pre-booked arrangements, like air tickets and hotel accommodation is not always straightforward and may incur additional charges in most cases…

    So let’s accept the explanation given to the UDP by the organisers, until someone proves that to be wrong with authentic proof..

    • Luntango Suun Gann Gi

      My in-law, the solution is simple: Lafia and the rest of the “blah blahs” should just put their hands in their pockets and fund the UDP man’s trip! Easy!

  12. Lafia Touray la Manju

    Bax, there was no pre-booked ticket for Darboe, accordingly to my UDP contact.

    This is just a two men conspiracy between Amadou Scattred and Jeggan Grey-Johnson and against lawyer Darboe and UDP. If it was about charges, they would have stated that to the UDP.

    And by the way, in every organising of this nature, there is always something reserved for miscellaneous expenses which are by nature not within initial planning. So there is no excuse for this.

    Do Amadou and Jeggan want to tell us they lack every good value Gambians are known for: respect, honesty, dignity, integrity and discipline.

    Thanks

  13. Lafia Touray la Manju

    And by the way, change of name on hotel accommodation or air tickets does not normally attract charges as long as it is not for say from minor to an adult or vice versa. It is change of dates or location/destination that normally attracts charges. It is normal for companies to swap names on air tickets. It does not attract charges.

    Thanks

    • Dodou Jawneh

      This is way too inflammatory. Too many conspiracy theories that cannot be substantiated. Remember this is a mere conference in New York and does not in anyway signify the end of Jammeh’s tyranny that we are all fighting. The real battle is to be fought not in New York but in Gambia. These two people you are pointing fingers at, I believe are true gentlemen and are fighting for the best interest of The Gambia. Organising events of every kind are fraught with all kinds of hiccups, and we simply have to learn our lessons and move on.

  14. Lafia , I think it is better for us to have evidence before we conclude that it was conspiracy against UDP or lawyer Darboe. Trying to blame Dr Janneh before hearing his side of story is unfair. What connection did the term ” creole ” has to do with these two individuals ? We should stay away from using tribe as a reason for conspiracy against UDP or lawyer Darboe because it is not a good way to go.

  15. The episode smells like a misunderstanding that inevitably sheds a discomforting light on the organisers. The communication alias transparency in such cases, requires a forthcoming and extensive communique in advance to dispel any claim of unfairness in retrospective.
    Beyond that, I am the opinion that the episode laid bare the ills UDP is having in selecting a successor to Mr. Darboe. The presidential election is barely a year away and the biggest party is still at ills presenting their flagbearer. The civic-forum for example, would have being an excellent opportunity for the designated flagbearer to present his/her credentials to the gambian diaspora.
    We must continue to remind ourselves that succession planning is the most important task of a leader or an association. Our own sir Dawda Jawara is the testimony to how badly wrong that can go resulting in pushing a whole country off the cliff.

  16. Lafia Touray la Manju

    Max, have a look at what I said about creole values; respect, honesty, dignity, integrity and discipline, before you start going on with your tribal bigotry.

    Amadou and jeggan contravene every good creole values stated above. Jeggan in particular has a panchant for misrepresenting everything UDP stands for because of his loathe for the party, which is well known within UDP.

    Amadou Scattred on the other hand, is probably taking a revenge because of his late father’s history with UDP supporters in Gunjur.

    These two are no gentlemen as far as I am concern.

    Thanks

  17. Lafia Touray la Manju

    It was a conspiracy folks. And the aim was to set the Diaspora against the UDP. Otherwise, how did it ended up on Faturadio where it stir up an unnecessary and pernicious controversy.

    Thanks

  18. It is quite obvious that the UDP leader was invited to this event and that he accepted the invitation…

    What prevented the UDP Leader from attending this event, is what the UDP described as, ” unexpected circumstances beyond his control “..

    The UDP indicated that they nominated a replacement and communicated this info to the organisers at least some days prior to the date of the meeting…

    The organisers responded that they could not do the adjustments as they were already over budgeted…

    As far as I can see, there does not appear to be.any misunderstanding whatsoever, or even the slightest hint of a conspiracy…It just seems to be lack of resources to meet the cost of changing pre-booked arrangements, as.the organisers indicated..

    I dont know what world Lafia lives in, but I cannot believe that up to “some days” prior to an international conference or meeting, no bookings were done for people needing visas, accommodation and air tickets to attend…

    Even if.people.like Lawyer Darboe have long term visas and don’t need to apply for visas to travel abroad, flights still have to be.booked…and planes are not minicabs that you can just jump on…unless you are loaded and I.dont think the organisers are loaded..

    So Lafia should desist from.this little games of viewing national.issues through ANTI-UDP “glasses”…Let’s give credit to genuine efforts by individuals and groups to advance the Gambian struggle..

  19. Lafia Touray la Manju

    Bax, they were given at least 10 days notice and no adjustment was required. All that was required is change of name from: ANM Ousainu Darboe to Alhagi Momodou Sanneh. That’s it. No charges, no nothing and no even drawing on the mischelleneous budget.

    Instead of doing what was right and replaced Darboe with Sanneh, Amadou Scattred who was probably taking revenge, and his group decided to use this as an opportunity to set the Diaspora against the UDP and lawyer Darboe. This is exactly what they tried to achieve and that is why the issue was on fatu radio where it generated a pernicious controversy out of nothing.

    You just don’t want the truth to be told, bax.

    Thanks

  20. Lafia Touray la Manju, I think inline with Dodou in particular, & the rest of commentators’; until established, there’s yet to ascertain any conspiracy hatched by ‘Dr Amadou Janneh & co’…

    Momodou Alieu Janneh, Amadou’s father commonly referred to in Gunjur as Modaliue, was strong PPP supporter, & right-hand man of late MP Famara Wassa Touray of Kombo South; Famara wassa boraba was a founding member, & strived to establish the PPP party; Famara Boraba was pushed out for welcoming Assan Musa Camara in his home in Gunjur when Assan turned opposition which infuriated sir Dawda Jawara & other PPP stalwarts; Assan paid a surprised unarranged passing courtesy call on Famara, as former colleagues, when he Assan was in Gunjur for a tour of region…

    Reluctantly, when Famara couldn’t convince them that it’s innocent passing visit when he received Assan on humanitarian grounds, he agreed to resign on grounds he be given say & part play in choosing his successor; by which time Mbemba Jatta was handpicked for being married to a Jawara family Mariama; Modou Alieu was reportedly Famara & kombo South committee’s choice for replacement; on divided supporters, Modalieu then contested on NCP ticket & conceded to Mbemba Jatta…

    Then came the illegal illegitimate EVIL kanilai Devilish Bandit & cohorts in uniform; then Modaliue embraced afprc, in turn of “my enemy’s enemy is my friend”…

    Some of afprc committee meetings were said to be held in Modalieu’s compound before, but Dr Amodou Janneh discovered & talked his father to stop; this was before Dr Janneh become minister, per the information I had;

    Dr Janneh, my information has is a Gunjur born Mandinka, the father born in Kosemarr URD or URR…

    The reality is for the Goals of the Struggle to conform to inclusive approaches; moving away from rigid dominative individual personalisation of communal issues & entities, to disseminate, & delegate responsibilities, for establishing social cohesive structures, ensuring smooth coordination of collective mobilization of resources & communications, for successful communal salvage reclaim of the motherland…

    The Organization Committees should create miscellaneous catering in budgets, to be facilitative in such delegation replacements in future, meetings, forums & disseminations…

    Only then can Gambians ensure chained coordination of Struggle & smooth transitions for better Gambia…

  21. Faturadio is a news medium that can choose any topics for discussion..

    You did not see any conspiracy when the same Faturadio chose PDOIS (Mr.Malick Kah incident) and CODEG misunderstanding for discussion…Instead, you celebrated the fact that Faturadio dedicated airtime to discuss the issue..

    Stop this anti-UDP crap that you put forward when things don’t go your way…This was just a meeting to highlight abuses, repression and corruption in the country..

  22. Lafia , as civilized people we should desist from making controversy or conspiracy if we want to advance democracy in our country . Viewing everything as anti -UDP without any evidence to substantiate that claim is malicious and I think you should present your evidence if you want to be taken seriously . The mere fact that you mentioned creole values with association with these two individuals indicate your tribal bigotry. Dr Janneh’s father maybe have been Jammeh’s supporter but Dr Janneh himself Is sacrificing and suffering more than most Gambians in the fight against military dictatorship . Therefore it is silly argument to indicate that UDP not attend New York meeting is a revenge or conspiracy against lawyer or UDP .
    Lafia said ” it was a conspiracy folks . And the aim was to set the Diaspora against the UDP “. Do you think diaspora is homogenous group who can all agree on conspiracy against lawyer Darboe or UDP ? Don’t you know that UDP has many supporters in various groups ? Present your facts before you state inflammatory comments about people who are working everyday to bring change in The Gambia .

  23. Lafia Touray la Manju

    Bajaw, there is a reason why he got that “Scattred” right in the middle of his name. You won’t make me to go into his family history as that is not necessary.

    Thanks

  24. Luntango Suun Gann Gi

    Well, well, well, wonders never cease! Even Bajaw is talking some sense!! Now stop your idiotic tribalism Lafia.

  25. Lafia, I believe I know much about the Scattred middle name too but even that doesn’t make him Creole; it’s the culture of the individual that makes who he is, not surname or middle names anymore…

    We have been there before; a middle or surname doesn’t determine one’s tribal inclination anymore; Dr Janneh is Mandingo just like anyone else…

  26. Lafia Touray la Manju

    Max, you don’t get the point. The point is that when these people were informed about lawyer Darboe’s none attendance, they saw an opportunity to set the Diaspora against the UDP by ensuring that there was no replacement and no UDP representation. This is what played out on fatu radio and generated a pernicious controversy out of nothing just to put the UDP in a bad light. That was the conspiracy folks.

    Thanks

  27. Luntango Suun Gann Gi

    Lafia, on a final note, I see no “conspiracy” here. I would go further to add that THE UDP PRESS RELEASE ITSELF IS A MISTAKE because it made “a mountain out of a mole hill”.

  28. Lafia, you can’t blame anyone for UDP personification of party, where one individual is the “alpha & omega”, as has been; it’s been an individualistic domination of UDP leadership from inception; the individualistic personalisation of parties have indeed hindered development & political progress in societal advancements world over, not just in Gambia…

    Just as Kinteh posited above, UDP too, just like most opposition parties, has to be vibrant in decentralization & delegation of responsibilities for smooth transition of your party’s successful attainments, as major players in Gambian polity, confronting murderous kanilai dictatorship in Gambia; the opinionated commentators critical of UDP on faturadio are entitled to opinions; which doesn’t necessitate any “conspiracy theory” on the part of Organizers against UDP…

    This is why some of us believe, the notion of the Struggle to conform to inclusive approaching henceforth; this will ensure to established cohesive social structures, necessary for sustained development of societal advancement, beyond salvage reclaim of Gambia from the poisonous jaws of the Murderous kanilai alligator…

    The Struggle must be determined to ensure & adapt, to be critically inclusive, for sustainable successful restoration of sanity & rule of law, from the salvage reclaim from Murderous kanilai Tyrannical Syndicate & beyond; only then can we ensure sustenance of democracy in Gambia…

  29. Lafia Touray la Manju

    Bajaw, the issue is not about tribe anyway even though your assertions about Amadou are wrong. I know better.

    By the way, Scattred is not his middle name but his surname. They added Janneh to it and there is a reason for that too.

    I only reference the Creoles only to showcase their well known very good and well cherished values: honesty, respect, dignity, integrity and discipline, which these two sons of theirs, jeggan and Amadou Scattred, decided to blatantly flout to hatch a conspiracy against UDP and lawyer Darboe. Nothing bad or derogatory was said about the creole ethnicity.

    Again, you will not force me to go into Amadou’s family history as that will be unnecessary, disproportionate and not relevant to the issue or Amadou’s own character and behaviour in this matter.

    Thanks

  30. Lamin Tambajang

    In all fairness, the UDP is a party that has always believed in a democratic process even in their monthly meetings. And the decision to delegate Momodou Sanneh demonstrate the leadership shared responsibility. However, inclusiveness in any organisation demands that one be a member of such an organisation.
    This principle is not merely applicable to the UDP, but to any political party for that matter. And the notion of prominent leadership is a hallmark in even advanced democratic societies. Ed Miliband in U.K was seen as unelectable, whilst his elder brother David could have been elected, So Gambians need to smell the coffee and understand that, leaders matter and people look at the leader sometimes.
    On the event organisers, Lafia may have gone a bit far with conspiracy, however, the fact that, the organisers did not accommodate Momodou Sanneh means, they were happy with inclusion of Lawyer’s Name to bring onboard other players but then decline to address Momodou Sanneh’s trip.

    This is a fault line. However, the event is not far off to others which may not yield absolutely nothing. The impact on Gambia’s political meetings and discussions should take place in the Gambia. It cannot be micromanaged from America or Europe.
    Dr Janneh will gain by increasing his profile and tapping into more fund to go about his advocacy, but the immediate political future of the Gambia remains unchanged. The other Delegates, OJ, Hamat, Tambajang again will take very little home. Hamat may be a little, but OJ and Tambajang are uninfluential and unknown quantity on the ground. Nobody of substance listen to them or follow them, so the Fatu radio discussion hosted by Mamasarr may have been the reason for a UDP clarification, because i heard many mischaracterization usually spearheaded by OJ’s U.S supporters who felt that, OJ’s main constituency is in diaspora and they will do anything for him to get the diaspora glory.
    Mr Karamba, a mild and sober UDP supporters wanted to clarify issues, but he was accused of defending UDP. Hello, what was OJ’s boys doing?
    The event now is a wait and see. Most of the participants are civil society campaigners who solicit funds just like any organisation, so it is for their own good that they attend such events. As Gambians we commend the global human rights organisations for helping us isolate Jammeh even more.
    But the discussion is about transition, leadership or opposition unity, it was about highlighting the deteriorating human rights situation on the ground. Any other assertions are mere conjecture. Hence, the words on Faturadio was that, Madam Tambajang was brought to be touted as a possible neutral candidate. How can she be a neutral candidate when she is always hand in glove with OJ and his little brigade?

  31. Lafia Touray la Manju

    Lamin Tambajang, hold that bit for a moment. Time is not yet recipe for a showdown with OJ and his boys. We are collecting very sensitive information about them at the moment and also looking forward to the great showdown. It’s going to be a rout against Mr Bigmouth (OJ) and his boys.

    I was not far with the conspiracy claim. It is what I called it, a conspiracy between Amadou Scattred and Jeggan Grey-Johnson.

    Forward with UDP and Lawyer Darboe

    Thanks

  32. Lafia Touray la Manju

    Bajaw, we love, respect and admire our party leader, lawyer Ousainu Darboe but our party is not personalised. He is elected to his position and is only carrying a mandate with the consent of the party. God bless him.

    You guys are just envious of his political weight.

    Thanks

  33. Lafia Touray la Manju

    Madam Tambajang’s son, Modou Ann, once announced that he was going to pack-up Jammeh if he, jammeh, did not pack up voluntarily. Maybe Madam Tambajang is waiting to be a neutral candidate after his son delivers on his threat. UDP is the biggest party and if there is to be a coalition involving the UDP, the UDP will not only lead it but will also provide a candidate from within its ranks which madam Tambajang is not part of. She is not qualified under the residency requirement anyway.

  34. Lafia, if you understand what Mandingo say “don’t make me talk with my whole mouth”, you certainly don’t know more about the Scattred middle name than me; & it makes no relevance to the Struggle, does it…?

    You ascertained your tribal insinuations to your conspiracy theory by referring to both Amadou & Jeggan’s Creole lineages; towards UDP as political party, as you have always personified UDP to Ousainou the individual…??

    You can criticize both gentlemen & whosoever you deem fit; but not on unhelpful inflammatory tribal lines…

    Amadou’s father & grandfather Alh Janneh may have middle names but were Mandinka to the core, culturally & traditionally; Musa Saidykhan, for example, is a Mandinka isn’t he…???

  35. Lafia Touray la Manju

    Scattred is not a middle name but a surname, Bajaw. It is Scattred-Janneh. Watch that – in the middle. Janneh was added for a reason. Again, you won’t make me go into that. Anyway, it is not relevant.

  36. Lafia Touray la Manju

    Bajaw, I like referring to my own Mandingo lineage which I am very proud of. So maybe it shouldn’t surprise you that I referred to the good and well cherished values the Creoles are widely known for; respect, dignity, integrity and discipline.

    Thanks

  37. Lafia, you will find out, call it the double-barrel surnames, if you like, the middle or added, & what got you, aren’t relevant with determining one’s tribe anymore; hence I referenced Musa Saidykhan, par example…

    The same Gunjur kombo settlement, for example, got a vibrant Touray family, referred to as Sey Kunda; their history had their original surname as Sey, Fulani Tukulor; today they are Touray Manding Morri, without the Sey surname or middle name added, just like in Amadou’s case; despite being Touray, their compound remains Sey Kunda; Jabang kunda, another vibrant kabilo in same southern Kombo town, were originally said to be Jola, they are Mandingo tribesmen to the core today, that anyone can’t deny…

    Dr Janneh’s matrilineal family, Bajo kunda, otherwise Bayo occasionally, another vibrant family is Mandingo; both grandfather Alhaji Janneh, who originally had the Scattred surname, & Modou Alieu, the father, with Scattred Janneh, were Mandingo culturally & traditionally to the core, just like the few samples above, with no fuss about it…

    It’s unhelpful, & time to do away from politicising tribal sentimental inducements, innuendoes & instigations; we all exclaimed in unison, in condemning the Murderous kanilai Tyrant, for fanning divisive exploitative tribal sentiments & instigations; why do you think you can getaway with the same…?

  38. Lafia Touray la Manju

    It’s not relevant Bajaw. So you won’t have a full response from me for reasons that I have stated before and which needs not to be repeated.

    Thanks

  39. Lafia Touray la Manju

    If I can talk about the good virtues of my own tribe, The Mandinka, why can’t I talk about the good values the Creoles are widely known for??? When did talking good about a tribe or community became a bad thing?? You have a problem Bajaw. There is no conflict between tribes in The Gambia. All we need to do is to keep an eye on the mandinkaphobics who are hell-bent on insulting mandinkas for political purpose. I am sure you know my stand on that. I have zero tolarance for it.

    I noticed that the info you are providing about Amadou’s grand father is limited on purpose and also contradictory but like I said, it’s not a relevant issue and I will not take you on that.

    Thanks

  40. I have no relation to Dr Janneh, & family, neither vouching to defend him, nor tailor-made information to hide anything; for there’s no interests, nor any form of gains, for me individually, or anyone else, for that matter…

    I chanced to research, & made findings about Kombo Gunjur, & some of the inhabitants of the renown coastal town, which the Janneh family is one of…

    Lafia if you know anything else, why are you inimical with it…?

    Whatever you happened to come out with, will never change the fact that, Dr Janneh is Mandingo to the core, culturally & traditionally…??

    How can Mandingos successfully reprimand the Murderous kanilai Killer DEVIL’s divisive tribal sentimental inducements, when we have our own like Lafia on our hands…???

  41. Lafia Touray la Manju

    Lafia never insult any tribe neither did he express any derogatory remarks against any particular tribe. He is just comfortable talking about tribes because his conscience is clear. That can’t be said about Yahya Jammeh and other mandinkaphobics.

    And by the way, Lafia is also very proud of his mandinka culture, lineage and identity and does not hide it from anyone no matter what.

    Thanks

  42. Lafia Touray la Manju

    And by the way, thank for admitting your lack of knowledge about Amadou’s family. That was noticed from the word go. Again, that aspect is not appealing to me bajaw.

    Thanks

  43. Gentlemen do meet up in private for at-taya and work out what you know about Mr. Janneh’s lineage. It is fair to say that diversity is a win-win situation for all and even if Mr. Janneh’s family is of another descending, it is uplifting to know that today the family is considered to be from Gunjur. What is important to us all, is what he can contribute to bring about change to our country. But if we exhaust our energies on such a non-issue as first/second class mandingo, the end goal will be elusive. It won’t be worth the fight, for I wish for gambia to have enough space and equal opportunity for all within her border. We can uphold the cores of our respective cultures and at the same time stimulate progress in diversity.

  44. Whatever your superior knowledge about Amadou’s family is irrelevant, that, you can’t use to ascertain your cooked up Creole conspiracy theory against UDP, & Ousainou Darboe, in particular, personally, at least in this particular instance…

    You can only slander my condemnation of your act of tribal attacks on perceived opponents, base on assumptions & without backups with any factual evidence whatsoever…

    We surely must have very long rough ways ahead with the Struggle, if someone embroiling like you Lafia is to count, for any meaningful value to the Gambian Struggle…

    The encouraging signs are, as indicative in above comments, genuine Gambians can always see through divisive tendencies, wheresoever they comes from…

  45. Dodou Jawneh

    I have read Dr Janneh’s biography in which he provided detail account of his family origin. In reality you have to say he is Mandinka as much as the rest of you people. My own analysis of ethnic configuration of in our society is that almost all Gambians have dual ethnicity in much the same way as I have read in his story. The biography specified significant proportion of his family originating from Mandinka society where he himself grew up. How else do people define their ethnicity other than this? Not that there is anything wrong if he was another ethnic group. Just simply setting records straight.

  46. Bajaw…

    I think you must have realised by now that you are dealing with a guy who specialises in diverting discussions from main issues to personalities…

    He will.bog you down in this bottomless mire until the cocks crow…Talk about issues and he will disappear into thin air..

  47. Lafia Touray la Manju

    The conspiracy only concerns two men, Amadou and Jeggan, in contravention of the good values the Creoles are widely known for; respect, honesty, dignity, integrity and discipline. This is what I said and I can repeat anywhere without hesitation. So you cannot twist my words. I didn’t accuse the Creole ethnicity of any conspiring against Darboe.

    Only Amadou Scattred and Jeggan Grey-Johnson can flout the the good and well cherished Creole values like the way they did in their conspiracy against Darboe and the UDP. Shame on Amadou Scattred and Jeggan and God bless the Creoles apart from Amadou and Jeggan.

    Thanks

  48. Lafia Touray la Manju

    This obnoxious culture of accusing any mandinka who dares to speak, of tribalism is the Mandinkaphobics’ way of bullying Mandinkas into silence. My fellow Mandinkas, I ask you all never to accept tribal bullying. Speak your minds on national issues and fight is out with anyone who tries to bully you into silence. I am holding the flag here for you all and will never relent.

    Thanks

  49. I already known that Bax; it’s essential for the success of the Struggle; to engage such tribally divisive characters; an equivalent to Lies Dispenser Sam Sarr, & his Murderous Sadistic kanilai Devilish master; let them expose themselves in their acts & motives more, for all to see through them…

    Such cancerous elements mustn’t be left & allowed to derail our collective noble Struggle to better Gambia for all…

    Thank you all

  50. In any case, whatever the origins of Dr Janneh’s middle or surnames, what is indisputable is that he is Gambian to the core and he has spared no efforts to highlight the criminal and corrupt nature of the Jammeh regime, both at home and in the diaspora..regardless of his one time association with the same regime, which he probably regrets..

    What is also not in.doubt is that Dr Janneh is a member of a civil society association and is not known to openly associate himself with any political parties…hence charges of conspiracy against the UDP are malicious and baseless because creating dissatisfaction against the UDP does not profit him in any way, as far as I can see…

    Indeed, the UDP, being the main opposition party in The Gambia, should be involved in any political initiatives for The Gambia post Jammeh, but their absence from any such initiative should not be construed as a conspiracy, unless there is irrefutable evidence to support such allegations…

    Equally, disagreements amongst parties or their supporters is a vital constituent of an open and democratic society….

    It is incredibly amusing to read revelations of sensitive data collection against OJ and a threat of a show down between the UDP and PPP because of the expression of opinions which may not be kind to the UDP..

    More so because Lafia,.who made this revelation and threat, has always presented himself as a mere UDP supporter and not a party official…

    Two scenarios are obvious to me here..

    (1)…Either Lafia is not a UDP party official and has no influence over how decisions are made, and hence, he stands accused of being a loud mouthed empty barrel, for pretending to know how the UDP is planning to respond to OJ and “his boys”..

    (2)…Or, contrary to his assertions, he is actually a UDP official and knows what he is talking about in relation to their response to OJ and “his boys”..In that case, the UDP will.stand accused of intolerance to political disagreements and divergence of opinion on national issues..

    The UDP or any party for that matter, will be within its rights to take on the PPP or any groups if they (UDP) feel that they are in disagreement with comments or opinions expressed about them..

    But to clandestinely dig for dirt (sensitive data) against a potential political opponent, in order to neutralise him, regardless of the level of threat he poses to your political ambitions, is unethical, immoral and not the way we want to see politics post Jammeh. It certainly is not the kind of alternatives we aspire for The (new) Gambia, that will usher in the 3rd Republic..

    We.want a Gambia whose democracy is characterised by openness and a genuine desire to win hearts and minds, through superior politics, policies and programmes and not the “hanky, panky” politics of yester-years, which brought us July 22nd and beyond..

    I propose that we strip Lafia off the “Manju Touray” title because he has not behaved like a “Touray Manju”…He is a divisive figure..

  51. Lafia, you AREN’T more Mandinka enough than me; both my mother & father are all typical Mandingos as me…

    Any sane individual will know I can’t join in any connivance to desecrate my own tribe, nor any other tribe whatsoever they can be…

    The realistic approach is, for all genuine Gambians to see the broader Gambia, inclusive of all ethnicities; NO single tribe alone, can claim to own or advance Gambia singularly…

    In that we must be prepared to expose, uproot, & disown the malicious tribally driven elements in our midst, sowing discord to fragment the noble Struggle & Gambia as our community…

    God bless us all.

  52. Lafia Touray la Manju

    No no bax, Touray Manding Morri is precious to me. Strip me off something else but not my mandinka insignia. I don’t joke with that.

    You’re right in saying that I am no UDP official and certain have no influence over decisions made within UDP. I have admitted that myself anytime the opportunity arises.

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