‘THOUGHT PROVOKING COMMENTARY’
Winds of change are in the air, storm clouds are gathering over The Gambia, the end is near for good luck Jammeh. 20 years of systematic degradation of all civil society groups have relegated The Gambia into a stable ambulatory failed state. All efforts at the moment have been centralized and focused on the remedy for the country’s prevailing ailments; sooner or later good luck Yaya Jammeh will inherit his final name change – bad luck Yaya Jammeh.
Like his Ugandan brother from another mother, Idi Amin, bad luck Yaya Jammeh will have no choice but to hastily embark on a long journey to a distant Arab land. There he will be forever marooned from his people. At that point, The Gambia will have survived a chronic parasitic attack. National recovery will be in its early days, the economy will be weak, security infrastructure will be weak, international governmental relationships will be nonexistent, the intuitions of Gambian leadership is and will be at its weakest in the early days post bad luck Jammeh. The actual length and breadth of this leadership vacuum will become more obvious and pronounced. The degree of urgency for a quick return to normalcy will be “ginormous.” For this sole purpose I write to begin the debate on the transitional apparatus that will have to be in place in the immediate aftermath post brute force era of The Gambia.
That exact moment would certainly not be the time to hand the country back in to the hands of another military leadership or civilian neophyte. On the other hand, yes it is true all seasoned politicians are old, not qualify for the job either due to constitutional age disqualification or their chronic failure over time to take the mantle of leadership when they were needed the most. However, their experience should not be totally dismissed nor should we as Gambians, post brute force era, after 20 years of gross constitutional violations, should immediately swing the pendulum to the extreme by the book approach to the constitution and thereby disqualifying the only competent transitional leadership and custodian of the peace.
For the purpose of debate and advance preparation, these days are the calm days before the storm. Now is the time to recommend and select the team of transitional governmental custodians who will guide us the people of the Gambia, at least for the short term while preparation are being made for a general fair and proper elections that the people truly deserve.
- Transitional governmental custodians
- These will be those supposed politicians that are disqualified by constitutional age limits (the old guards; folks like Halifa Sallah, Omar Jallow (OJ), BB Darbo, and all other major political players.
- One constant caviar should be any member young or old participating within this team would have to sit out the next election cycle. This formula will serve to:
- pacify all those young hot heads waiting out in the wings;
- provide smooth transition to the devil we know versus the devils we do not know in terms of politicians;
- give a year of last hurrah to all those old guards to the mantle of leadership.
- All potential future leadership will have to stand down while they organize in preparation for a return to a normal general elections. During this period, all illegal, unfair, and exclusion limitations should be rendered null and void.
At this moment and stage of political maneuvers both within and outside of the Gambia, I will encourage others to write and recommended a viable and fair path to peace post bad luck Yaya Jammeh but please keep in mind that the storm clouds are gathering over us. Time is running out for bad luck Jammeh. Keep it short and sweet!
Written by,
Anonymous Gambian