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Guest Editorial: The Cost Of A Divided Opposition
Tuesday, 25 October 2011 21:09
In any normal genuine democracy such as ours claim to be, the opposition is a national institution, tasked to scrutinise
and help the citizenry to hold the ruling administration to account. Like the ruling party, the opposition's performance is monitored and queried by the citizens. The opposition also should help shape opinion against government policies that the citizens feel is bad or wrong. This can be done through mass campaign on the mass media, demonstrations and seminars and rallies as well as parliamentary debates.This is what obtains in a normal democracy. In the Gambia however, the opposition is saddled with the fundamental problem of not been able to exercise these rights for fear of brutal reactions from the other side, the ruling party. After all there have been evidence in abundance that the APRC government has no tolerance for dissent and legitimate opposition. Almost all present opposition leaders have once been locked up by the APRC government at one time or the other, for doing exactly their national duty, criticising the regime. The agents of mass communication, journalists too, have been sacked, arrested, tortured, sent into exile and in a few cases killed. This means that one of the most effective tool in democracy, the media, is crippled.
Against this background therefore, it would be unfair to squarely blame our opposition for not been as active and vocal as they should have been. They are simply dealing with a system which does not play according to the rules of the game. A system which understands only force and therefore if one does not have that force or is not willing to use that force to counter the regime, one's work would be difficult if not impossible.
However this said, the opposition should not be entirely free from blame because of certain inexcusable attitude and stupidity on their side.
Even in the abundance of evidence that the majority of Gambian voters prefer change; the opposition failed to inspire this majority to vote in 2006 and is likely that they will fail again in 2011. The first lesson the opposition should learn is that the cost of their disunity is fatal to the progress of the Gambia as it will condemn the nation to another five years of dictatorship, to put it mildly. The best way to confront a political group is to be united and work in unison. How could intelligent people in lawyers, teachers and philosophers failed to understand that anyone of them is better than the leaders of APRC? This is crass stupidity which they should be ashamed of.If Lawyer Darboe and his handlers fail to realise that UDP alone cannot beat APRC, Halifa and the rest too must realise that they carry the hopes of the nation and history would not forgive them for pursuing empty agendas to the detriment of the nation. What good does it serve when one spent decades working towards a goal and then let the prize slip away because of childish bickering? Remember, a united opposition means massive voter turnout and fragmented opposition means mass voter apathy and lack of interest: The future generation is waiting to judge you just as they are judging the APRC.
Note: The opinion expressed here does not reflect those of Jollofnews; It is a guest editorial which anyone can write provided it is civil and in public interest!
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Comments
Just my advice.
The Memorandum Of Understanding (MOU) signed by the Convention Camp is indeed very PROGRESSIVE....I hope the convention goes well and a credible candidate, preferably from outside the parties,emerges to lead the nation into this crucial battle....
Whoever emerges as flag bearer will be required to sign and be bound by this document...Atleast,Gambian s will know what they are voting for when they vote for the UNITED FRONT...
Wee,sleekit cowrin timourous beastie,
O' what a panic in thy breastie.
Thou need na start awa sae hasty, W'...bickering brattle.
I wad be laith to rid an' chase thee,
W'...murderin prattle.
I'm truly sorry Man's dominion,
Has broken natures social union.
An' justifies that ill opinion.
Which makes thee startle,
At Me.
Thy poor earths companion...
An' fellow mortal.
So in conclusion....if he wants to drive the Wazungu out of Africa...
What is to stop the Wazungu to drive Africans out of Europe?
Comment:
Well Muzungu,Is not to drive you out but to recall your mind that we are not still in the era of your ancestors which you are still trying to impose on us that you are a good Samaritan while in reality you are coming for your interest but in a different way.
That is why, I want to let you know that, some are keenly watching with our African Telescop !
And the song of the Machine Gun is here to recall our minds of your sins in the Southern part of Africa
And here again I say: Umshini Wam, Umshini Wam .. Umshini Wam Wi Baba !
In the service of mother Africa I remain
What really grips my stomach about Lalo Kebba...is the fact that when I was traveling thousands of miles to bring sporting goods cash and trophies to the Gambia's kids.
Comment:
Well Ama Bhulu, Let me ask you for how does it grips your stomach, Causing a diarrhea or what kind ?... Ha ha ha !
Quote Again:
He was in the next field...training Gambian kids to hate the Wazungu...to the tune of "Machine gun Daddy"
Comment: No not only the Gambian Kids but the entire mother African kids to bring back that AK 47 your ancestors produced to kill us, So it will now be turn on you Ama Bhulu, if that what you mean then ok let it be !
Well those marathons you're doing to bring those gifts, if you check in reality, the end will always be your personal interest. pls forgive us with such tunes, we are tired of hearing it.
why not give them to the children in Musselburgh or Arbroath ?
If I as a whiteman..made similar comments about black women...as Lalo Kebba does...religiously...against whites.
You could quite rightly accuse me of homophobia, racism with a very unhealthy if not "dangerous" outlook on life.
God forbid.
What really grips my stomach about Lalo Kebba...is the fact that when I was traveling thousands of miles to bring sporting goods cash and trophies to the Gambia's kids...
He was in the next field...training Gambian kids to hate the Wazungu...to the tune of "Machine gun Daddy"
So in conclusion....if he wants to drive the Wazungu out of Africa...
What is to stop the Wazungu to drive Africans out of Europe?
The evils of appartite, segregation and discrimination against whites...
is just as bad as what we the youth of the 1960's...marched against for blacks...
Poor wages indeed for the cause of equality.
But you should draw a line between the perpetrators of these evils and the general public. You cannot blame all Africans for the atrocities of Idi Amin or all Germans for the evil deeds of Adolf Hitler.
Comment:
How on earth can you compare Alhajj Idi Amen and the Ama Bhulu blood ?
Idi did it exclusively but these Wazungu did it generally.
So will you make a general thing to be private, Alhajj Idi Amen did it to only the Baganda-land, when Hitler was drinking Tea in most part of Wazungu-land and still you want to give them the same level.... May God forgive you Bax"
The Ama Bhulu agenda will be discover one day and we will all regreat it on that day, when there will be no time for us to solve it, So better the few challenge them for them to know that, some are watching keenly !
In the service of the truth I remain
Watch the news,Lalo,and see him thousands of Europeans and Americans are either demonstrating or speaking out against the actions and policies of their governments around the world... I was just watching George Galloway on Press TV and how he is staunchly defending the rights of the voiceless,Europ eans,Africans,A rabs,Indians,in his show.
Comment:
Well Brother, If Iam not current with the news, do you think the ideas Iam giving here will match with the present activities ? So to asking me of watching the news is out of point.
And don't call it disrespect, you are speaking from the bottom of your Heart so I have to respect that.
But do you know why these Ama Bhulu cannot bear when you critisize them, because they know that what this man is saying is deep in their Hearts if not even more than what he is saying.
The Wazungu pretents are more than their realities....Cont..
Sir Winston Churchill
British politician (1874 - 1965)
Surely,you cannot disregard all these people and the efforts they put in the struggle. Whilst you and I sit behind the comforts of our keyboard (no disrespect meant) these people are actually out making their voices, sometimes even receiving police battens.
We really shouldn't be painting all and sundry with the same brush...
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