Dear Editor,

This is a response to Burama Jammeh’s lengthy rambling on Lawyer Darboe which was published by your online medium.

Unfortunately Burama Jammeh appears to be clueless about UDP politics. Nothing you attributed to Darboe here was about him or by him. These are UDP’s own politics decided upon by its own executive and central committee. For example, Darboe and Dembo By-force opposed the 2002 parliamentary elections boycott initiated by Lamin Waa Juwara but the executive decided otherwise.

In respect of becoming a UDP candidate in any given election including presidential elections, there are procedures in place for that and they have been around since the inception of the party. The UDP also held several congresses to elect an executive since its inception. So it is these processes that have been the determinants of who becomes a leader or candidate of the UDP. This has been demonstrated over and over and it doesn’t matter that Darboe has been chosen on several occasions. He did not, will not and has never imposed himself on the UDP. As a matter of fact, he was invited to join and lead the party the first time he was chosen. 

The Zimbabwe analogy is stupid. UDP has no history of arm struggle and Darboe has never been president. UDP is for term limit for elected presidents. 

Some of these ‘kotokays’ are just bitter that they didn’t get an Ambassadorial appointment phone call from Darboe. Unfortunately, Darboe can’t recommend an entire country for ambassadorial appointments.

I’m not interested in responding line by line but to the misleading insinuation that this is about Darboe and his interest as he put it, rather than Darboe just being a part of the democratic body politics of the UDP. The rest of his essay is just not worth my response. And for Burama’s information, we will be choosing Darboe again as UDP flagbearer in 2021. Inshaa Allah!
#DesperateBYMscallywags

Suntu Daffeh 
UDP Member and Supporter