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Spotlight, Opposition platform 2011
Wednesday, 01 September 2010 23:12
By Yusupha Cham First let me begin by extending great appreciation and thanks to the Save The Gambia Democracy Movement for their steadfastness in seeking and fostering opposition unity in the coming elections. This is a laudable action which all Gambians should be proud of.
In my view the disintegration of NADD, happening just after the APRC has already been caught by the tail, was the greatest case of a missed opportunity for Gambians. NADD was so enthusiastically received that Jammeh got panicked and resorted to strong arm tactics in an attempt to derail the inevitable spread of a viable alternative political group that was quickly dousing off his tyrannical rule.
Bye elections conducted after the formation of NADD clearly showed that the party was the greatest group in Gambia despite Jammeh's display of his ill-gotten wealth and misuse of our police and soldiers. The Gambian people were galvanized politically; where there used to be noisy APRC supporters, there now appeared fearless NADD supporters in the form of either a PDOIS, UDP or NRP Stalwart. I recalled one incident when a PDOIS supporter provided over D500 and some food to Kemesseng Jammeh's UDP militants waiting to be collected from Tallinding to vote at Soma. In Bundung, I also saw PDOIS and NRP supporters take lunch just outside the house of prominent big UDP compound. Political unity empowers and liberates the minds of even the most uninformed electorate.
The atmosphere was so full with excitement that even the most skeptical pundits started contemplating a peaceful change at the polls. But
then, boom! The heartache occurred. NADD split up over this or that issue. Though all the key players explained their side of the story and are still explaining, the majority of the people do not want to know who is right or wrong. They just cocooned themselves in their rooms in disappointment and forgo the polls. It was a futile exercise for the majority of Gambians to vote for a split opposition and so they stayed put. They wonder how intelligent people, in lawyers, sociologists, literalists, and seasoned politicians failed to rally behind one of themselves to wrest power from an insane man destroying their country. The episode was unbearable. It was painful to think how on earth did NADD leaders failed to realize that any one of them, Sallah, Darboe , Bah, then Juwara, Kemeseng (Mandela), OJ etc,, is far better than Jammeh. Rather they squabbled among themselves and haned power to Jammeh in a silver platter.
Indeed as admitted by even the NADD officials themselves, the amount of people who did not vote was more than Jammeh's and all opposition votes together. In simple terms all the absent voters were NADD supporters because Jammeh had mobilized all his supporters and even imported others from Cassamance. Even the simplest maths would get the sum right; NADD would have won by a landslide.
That is history now no matter how one feels about it. But what is even more disheartening is that the same ugly arguments that led to NADD's disintegration are surfacing again. Just read the tirades between PDOIS and UDP and you will feel sorry that intelligent people are more locked up in opposing one another rather than the system they vowed to be fighting. The way to get back those voters to be interested again is not by bickering and attacking and counter attacking. No. The surest way is to put behind the misunderstanding and jump on the same wagon, (literally on the same bus as Banka and others are suggesting).
Can someone tell PDOIS and UDP that anyone of them is good for Gambians. Anyone of them is better than Jammeh. Principles and ethics are important but they can wait until the river is crossed. Arguing until it is too late amounts to crass stupidity and Gambians expect better things from either of them. It is very simple, if Lawyer Darboe refuses to give way, because he thinks he has the most supporters, or is influenced by his diasporas God fathers not to play second fiddle to anyone, then more intelligent and sober guys like Halifa and others should see the bigger picture and behave more maturely and approve Darboe to lead until the monster is slain.
On the other hand, if Halifa or anyone in the opposition feels Darboe is not seasoned, not courageous or is chicken hearted, and that they would provide more inspiring leadership, then they must seek Darboe's corporation in full respect and deep understanding to ensure his faithful support. But the bottom line remains any of the opposition leader is far better than Jammeh. You see, what Gambia needs is not a Mandinga, Fula, Wollof, Serahuli or Jola consideration in selecting a candidate to oppose Jammeh. What we need is one who will have the courage and guts to inspire all to forcefully denounce Jammeh at every village and Bantaba.
Get on with that process now and people will follow you and stop explaining things that would only renew the internal rivalry. What made you to believe that people would understanding things now, which they failed to understand four years ago? All these talks are misplaced priorities that grown up men should be ashamed of.
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Comments
What can Rambo do for Gambia as president? What about moving Gambia into a developed nation. That requires something else. Solid Education and Work experience!! I was born in Bakau and have socialised with Ramba brothers from Bakau beach, Sunwing (sunbeach), Botanic Gardens to community centre, down to Bakau School. But to rule Gambia is another matter as said earlier. Maybe you choose him because you THINK he does not belong to your profiling of Gambians in one of your posting, which I doubt, coming from Bakau Sanchaba and knowing him since birth.
Yusupha said it again as it is; one got to prioritise strategies for successful outcomes. What the opposition leaders got to realise is Gambia’s bigger than individuals/even the political parties combined. Opposition leaders & their inner circles need to know none can have a better Gambia currently & as long as we remain under the Kanilai-cannibal. I always wonder how it can be explained to the opposition leaders that, it’s yaya who’s the problem but not the issues between themselves. For real patriots, salvation of state’s paramount & ALL other personal issues can wait for now. I pray & hope our opposition leaders see the light & come to reason this time around & come to strike a compromise for ALL Gambians’ benefit; including themselves & families, before it’s TOO LATE.
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