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Special Election 2011: What is the chaff from the grain?
Tuesday, 17 May 2011 01:01
(Jollofnews) - Less than six months before the November presidential elections, Gambians are yet to have any clue about
the strength of the opposition or how APRC’s new political strategy is going to look like, leaving us reeling with mountains of unanswered questions. It looks evident that our divided opposition members are adamant in their inability to put aside their selfish interests and field in a formidable candidate against President Yahya Jammeh. These passive politicians are simply giving an easy ride to Mr. Jammeh to consolidate his grip on power with everything un-Gambian.In this two-piece commentary, I intend to delve into the core issues biting politicians from both camps. In so doing, I will unveil everything crucial, including the skeletons they hide in their cupboards.
The opposition
The Gambian opposition can best be described as the “well-nurtured goose that failed to lay golden eggs.” They comprise of seasoned political brains, fully in touch with everyday lives of the people from all strata of life in the Gambia. Their background encompasses the length and breath of the country. Among them are the best communicators and sincere advocates of honesty, devotion, patriotism, and accountability in leadership. Some of them have not only led inspiring lives of example but also inspire generations. They are endowed with excellent virtues, unprecedented self-discipline and abundance of integrity. In a nutshell, morality in leadership in today’s Gambia can only be found in our opposition camp.
However, one now wonders why the opposition have not been able to put meaning to all these attributes to turn the tide around and get rid of APRC’s bad system and leadership. The opposition politicians know the issues and can communicate very well. Each of them has a strong followership base, yet they have not managed to be electable. Why?
There might be many reasons for this development but it’s my conviction that the opposition have lost sight of one the basic, indispensable elements of mass mobilization - unity.
Everywhere in the world, one thing that brings a government to listen is a united people, though no government wants a united public against it. Unity inspires, drives out individual fear, energizes and motivates a people towards achieving a mission and vision because they will do everything they can to remove all the obstacles on their way. You can have all the best words expressed in the best form, but you cannot get people on your side if you lack the ability to rally them behind a common goal. Of course, this is not a new lesson for the opposition.
Their inability to unite therefore is the key problem tearing them apart. I think the problem has to do with their ego. The NADD train that crashed in the run-up to the 2006 elections exposed the opposition as a group of people, who like children, would not see the bigger picture but would project their ego, and prefer to go alone. Well, you can do that if you are choosing to stay on your own but not when you are looking for the majority of people to vote for your project. If they are to be worth their salt, at this very moment they should demonstrate the first sign by forming a single bloc in the form of party agents to monitor the registration process, to avoid corrupt registration practices. Didn’t they realize that they have more work to do than the APRC, which has everything it needs to win the election – resources, state machinery and apparatus? The party is good at selling its message to voters, especially as regards to its so-called development achievements since July 1994, a day that coup everything we are proud of, including our good cultures and values. We have addressed this issue in this forum before. All what the opposition needs is to rally around one person who would not be scared to trek the entire country and denounce what they believe is the negative attitude of the APRC everywhere – bantabas, soccer pitches and wedding ceremonies. Let the opposition make ordinary Gambians feel their presence, boldness and reliability. In that, they must prove that no amount of fear, intimidation or harassment can distract them or stand on their road to success. With such spirits, they will be able to challenge power of incumbency and demand the right to hold rallies without attached strings; they can also fight for access to the public media, financed and operated by taxpayer’s money. They must shun or shy away from any form of provocation, insults or violence. This does not mean they should not fight back any attempts to block them from campaigning freely. I want them to remember the sayings of Napoleon Hills, author of Science of Success, “put fear behind and see how quickly the door of faith opens in front of you.”
Our opposition must also guard the tone of their language. For them to regain their feat in the political battle ground, they should fine-tune their language and in the process, all edit messages geared towards polarizing the masses. Genuine and honest politicians center their message on issues instead of tribal or religious affiliation, an ugly trend becoming entrenched in African politics. Watch out for the message to the APRC coming soon.........
Written by Yusupha Cham
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