By Demba Baldeh Associate Editor
Many are called upon but few answers the call to duty. When the Gambian nation was besieged by disgruntled junior soldiers who have dreamed of taking over power, the nation went silenced in mixed reaction with many embracing an unknown change hoping for a better future. Very few citizens took note of history and saw the writings on the world and were skeptical about military rule. The unknown, untested with promises of positive change soon won over a nervous nation that has no historical reference to what was about to happen to it.
The immediate banning of political activities except that of the Junta forced political leaders into hibernation, some took vacations hoping to come back to contest elections in a more level playing field without dominants of an incumbent. This dream would proof elusive for both existing and aspiring political opponents to have the opportunity to compete on a Democratic level playing field. The Junta has tasted power and have taken a page from military leaders cum politicians and were determined to stay in power with deceptive campaigns full of lies and slogans of castigating politicians while they entrenched themselves in power.
Upon the unbanning of political activities in 1995 after the junta successfully hatched their plot to take advantage of the new political realities, citizens scrambled for formidable individuals educated, successful and willing to take up the daunting task of a political career against an unknown opponent. Few citizens gathered and brainstormed on which citizens are strong, financially independent and brave enough to take on the new military Junta. They reached out to one of the most if not the most accomplished and successful legal scholar in the county – a constitutional lawyer with a distinguished track record and impeachable character to head a political party from the majority tribe to ensure that political pluralism continuous in the Gambia. That citizen was none other than Lawyer Ousainou N.M Darboe who would become the leader of the United Democratic Party (UDP).
At first he was skeptical and doubts if this was the right path for him. He had thought little about ever entering politics despite his father’s political legacy, much less lead a political party. He asked for time to consult with his family and it took him several weeks before he could come to terms. At this point, destiny has called and his people needed him and with honor and humility he accepted to lead a potential political party consisting of the largest ethnic population with almost 42% of the population. His chances to match to the Presidency was brighter than any other opposition political establishment that ever existed in the country. It was a matter of consolidating the embattled remnants of the Opposition NCP, GPP and PPP supporters who were scattered all over the political map. But the fight for these displaced supporters was far from over; the ruling Junta were determined to crush the old PPP establishment and continue to win over voters who were attracted to young leadership and were looking for a sanctuary.
The United Democratic Party (UDP) upon its launching in 1996 showed all kinds of promises and in its first contest for the office of President in 1996 the party won almost 38% of the electoral votes. This was the highest amount of votes any single opposition political party had ever secured in this tiny multiparty democracy in West Africa. The UDP genuinely presented a formidable challenge to the Junta and with a level playing field they were poised for a comeback in another elections cycle. But the UPD and all other political parties in the Gambia underestimated the willingness of Yahya Jammeh to establish a real dictatorship with a military State in the Gambia by stifling Democracy, freedom of expression and rule of law in their favor.
A sustained oppression through divide and rule and dismantling of public institutions started in earnest. In essence any institution being it private or public that presented any semblance of independence and resistance to the junta’s determination to stay in power at all cost was systematically neutralized. The Gambian people from then on face unprecedented brutality the nation has ever faced. Time and again the citizens gave Yahya Jammeh and the junta benefits of the doubt, that he was probably young and with time he would learn from history or experience in office and will grow both as a human being and a leader. Yahya Jammeh was never to grow both as a human being and as a leader. He became a real project not only for the Gambian people but the International community.
Confronted with new challenges of crafting a winning political strategy against an oppressive machine which discreetly uses the justice system and the legislative powers to get its way, the UDP leader and the political opposition had their work cut out for them. Loyalty to party and the true Democratic and religious values of the nation would be the first casualty. What could have been an easy cage walk to winning elections against an inexperience junta became the most challenging task the nation ever confronts. The need for stronger opposition was ever more paramount as the junta changed the constitution to suit its electoral advantage. The second round of voting and the term limit that were included in the 1997 constitutional referendum were abrogated through the robber stamping legislative branch. The opposition without any experience in forming coalition, had no idea or a template to reference for guidance.
The United Democratic Party (UDP) scrambled to keep a party together with Darboe at the helm thus in 2001 the party regrettably boycotted Presidential and Parliamentary elections. After the 2001 election boycott the UDP was poised for a comeback, but at this time the junta has bloomed fully and were resorting to using the legal system to trample upon the rights of citizens through the courts and the use of mercenary judges and clueless citizens to execute their plans. Mr. Darboe being a legal scholar and having spent all his adult life as a student of the law; who is among the pioneers of Gambia’s celebrated independent justice system in the first Republic would not be pushed to challenge the government outside of the legal system. This tied his hands as he struggles to maintain his successful law firm business, run a political party and become the main legal defender of members of his party who faced a sustained brutal repression from the military cum civilian rulers. Every major legal tussle citizens face against the state they turned to Mr. Darboe to rescue them from a justice system that was directly remote controlled from the State House. To his credit Darboe successfully defended members of his party and consistently won one legal battle over another. TO BE CONTINUED