By Edrisa Sanyang (Farang)
Brother please allow me to state from the outset of this rejoinder that I am not holding brief for Fatou Jaw Manneh or anyone remotely associated with your response in prologue to your answer to the ‘Ten questions for PDOIS. I saw the need to rejoin the response to address the salient points raised in your response with regards to the demand by the Development Partners for Programs on the Way Forward for The Gambia post jammeh by the Collective Opposition (‘O.J. bearing witness’). The Only Conceivable way to come up with such a program I am inclined to think is Central to the Idea of Consensus Implementation of the program through a Transitional Government. Since by inference as you indicated the Development Partners quest for a Program from the Collective Opposition to submit and NOT belabor the point of jammeh’s atrocities witch would be a non-issue post jammeh. My postulation here raises Two Question. 1) What kind of the Program? 2) How to Implement the Program?
On a Transitional Program; is an issue I have dealt with in an earlier Position Paper addressed to the Leaders of the Collective Opposition in an open letter posted on the Gambia ‘L’ and published on Maafanta before the 2011 Presidential Election captioned ‘NOW IS THE TIME’ (Aug.26.2011). I hereby reproduce the reference that relates to the Transitional Program (only); for the purposes of brevity, unedited.
TRANSITIONAL GOVERNMENT:{ The mandate shall be for a term of two years. The overriding function of this government shall be to re-establish the Democratic Structures and Institutions that jammeh so decimated to smithereens. Of Cardinal importance to this goal is to bring back to life the Constitution as was produced by the NCC prior to being doctored by jammeh and his junta. For a consideration of limited programs to be implemented and democratic structures to re-establish:1.FREE PRESS (fourth estate)
2.Separation of powers between the three organs-Executive, Legislature and the Judiciary.
3. Establish an Independent Electoral Commission.
4. Reduce the size of Government.
5. Develop a well thought out plan to transform the youth population to a productive segment of society geared towards national development to be implemented by the succeeding government in a period of 5 years.
6. Integrate the Gambian Diaspora by providing them with incentives to invest in all sectors of the economy as well as the seamless transition into Public and Private sector employment.
These are some basics with your better minds you can develop on. This process should be all inclusive and you must as a matter of necessity tap from the immense valuable human resource base of the Gambian Diaspora. The development partners must be engaged at the outset in formulating these programs especially the UN Systems.
Brother Halipha since the essence of this rejoinder and my Only Interest are to get a ‘meeting of minds’ coined in a singular word CONSENSUS; miraculous as it may seem is doable and achievable, I need not argue here the issues of Protests and Role of Civil Society in a Free Democratic Space of Governance. We shall have time and space for that post jammeh. To moot the point allow me to make reference to your own wording in your response and let me say categorically I totally agree and believe in you but Only that we act Collectively; ‘Finally if they vote for us to win an election and the incumbent refuses to go we will lead them to the State House to evict him.’ The Collective Will of the People is Unstoppable.
I have no problem in the dissolution of NADD but the Core Essence of the NADD MoU I suggest should be Salvaged and be used as the Unifying Bond of the Collective Opposition. I am speaking to the Choosing of an Independent Non Partisan Individual to lead Transition Government and Implement the Programs. This would motivate the Development Partners for backing a Process Seen To Be Fair and Credible that guarantees ROI and a Sustainable Democratic Dispensation post jammeh. I take issue with your position only on matter of Tactic and not substance. If going by History of jammeh and his administration; the Demand for Electoral Reform is a Non Starter. What a Pleasant Surprise it would be not only to Gambians but the World at large that jammeh would yield to Electoral Reform and a Fair Process. In light of this Almost Certainty of the hostile environment to Political Rights and Civil Liberties since and now prevailing; Opposition Parties choosing their Partisan Ticket would not Serve the Common Good of The Gambia. Still to be accommodative to your Tactic I suggest the Partisan option be subordinate to the Collective Independent Option. This brings US to the Reasoning of this Rejoinder Brother; where you and PDOIS matter to the Effectiveness of the Process. Whatever others might argue I am inclined to believe that Even One Opposition Party outside the Pack would send a Wrong Signal to the Development Partners as dealing with an issue of a Divided Opposition. That would be a Demotivating Factor for any Investment; Material or Otherwise. It would further CHILL the voter apathy of an already traumatized Gambian Population because of the Disunited Opposition. Based on all the Considerations I mentioned or omitted the Urgency of you and your Party PDOIS to answer the National Call to a Collective Opposition Force could not be more Compelling; it would be Good for The Gambia, Good for History and Remembered in Posterity. It Can be Done and It must be Done; Peace Brother.
Farang.
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