The Spotlight: The Scramble for the Gambia 2016; Part IX – Whither GOFER, and whither the Gambia 2016!
By Yero Jallow
“The desire for political change must be greater for each party leader than their desire to lead coalition unity. It is clear, if each party candidate contests, the voters will be divided, which only helps Yaya Jammeh return to power, and five more years of disaster and mayhem in the country. It is the duty of the voters in the country to help force unity among the parties, without which no single party can win and Gambians will return to misery of the past two decades.” – Mathew K. Jallow (October 2016), The Gambia: An Open Letter to Gambia’s Political Party Leaders.
Short and sweet is good; to borrow from Lamin J. Darboe when he said, “Whither NADD, and Whither Gambia 2006,” a piece where he laid arguments for his endorsement in 2006 while still being cautious that disunity was at hand in no small way, I too say “Whither GOFER, and whither the Gambia 2016!” This is where citizen activism conflicts with journalistic works. I write to our opposition from the former with a warm heart; as a concerned citizen, and one that wanted to allow the ongoing unity talks to continue without engaging in any of the partisan and divisive methods, which I believe are detrimental to our unity as Gambians. If anything, I hold each sincere person in our quest to uproot the dictatorship high, and the small opinion differences we have within midst, won’t really matter in the end.
History was made today (10/14/2016) at the Kairaba Hotel, that is the coming together under one roof of Gambia’s Opposition political parties. This is commendable and the spirit must be held to the end of the process without fear, favor, and/or betrayal. A fractured opposition cannot succeed in defeating the incumbent Jammeh in a ‘simple majority’ contest for the presidency. That is what love for our nation calls for. See below the refreshing Press Release on those that signed the Memorandum and those that are pending to sign based on request for some accommodation; https://gainako.com/memorandum-coalition-option-adopted-gambian-opposition/. By all review measurements, this is a wonderful development, and must be commendable.
There is no doubt that I find the GDC’s standpoint solid, and a true gauge of electability, in the forthcoming Presidential elections. (Courtesy of Gainako and Diasporium, Radio Interview with Yusupha Jaiteh on 10/14/2016). Smaller primaries (10 party members from each region) are certainly a small statistical data, compared to open and large primaries. I do not doubt that such a smaller engagement of the voter populace might hurt certain parties and favor some. There is even a chance that it can also skew electability when it comes to the overall populace. Weighing that against disunity and a fractured opposition, unity certainly outweighs a divided opposition, and none of the processes is entirely free of blame or flaws. I do see a need to not close any doors; that is there is an opportunity to increase the number on the regional voting delegates, to accommodate the GDC on their outcry. To that, I encourage the rest of the opposition parties to explore that opportunity as well. The merrier the better, the more that we eliminate the differences, the more united we are, against the incumbent. It is healthy at least, knowing exactly where everyone stands, and the opportunities in ironing out the differences have been offered. The opposition must quickly contain the slippery situation and move together as one unified force.
It is worth noting that all other parties on the table, acted as different representatives of many other political parties, who in their capacities represent the people of the Gambia. Out of all those present, it is the majority’s take that we should all go with; and that become a voice representation of the people. Thinking that our nation comes first, and the majority verdict today, was with the 10 delegates to vote, it is therefore a call to duty to accept the verdict. That is without doubt a great argument as well.
Without further due, please consider the Gambia first. Go fast ahead to iron the remaining differences so the GDC can sign the treaty, and participate in the scheduled primaries, to promote unity and salvage the Gambia from the clutches of tyranny. There is a lot more ahead in a liberated Gambia, and I ask you all, your entire Executives, and respectable party supporters to temper voted out opinion with acceptance and soft hearts, for a better Gambia. Going into this doesn’t reduce anything on your plate; in fact this will help you earn more respect both at national and international level, for immediate and posterity. Do not give up on Gambians and Gambians will not give up on you.
Once the political parties are united, it will be easy to galvanize Gambians, to energize and also raise the much needed funds for the forthcoming elections. Still I am reserving addressing the fundraising, the IEC, and etc., for the continued chapters on this series. Again, no one can say it enough. Go unite and a unity pack is the only way for salvation. Let no one downplay on it in anyway.