Our Path to A Functioning Institutional Democracy
Disclaimer: The above title is not my words. It’s a movie I watched years ago. I don’t even remember the director and main characters. My search on Amazon failed to bring anything up with that name – probably I wrongly arrange the wording. It was about a mission to take down a very vicious drug cartel. Among the available options only one is feasible but it’s a hard way. That is to parachute in 5/6 snipers. The interesting part was the meticulous process of coming up with the 5/6 across the nation. The revisit of their service records and interviewing the pre-selected few is a full display of the creativity of the human mind. The preparation of that mission is a lesson for me on how we should prepare our struggle into an offense. There is another WW II movie such as “Where Eagles Dare” with Clint Eastwood and Eagle Has Landed. Great war/military missions are usually very well planned.
The first fundamental problem with our struggle is the lack of A National Definition of the problem(s) consequently no National Platform. That led us in different directions. Ironically it seems we all think we are heading to one destination – A Democratic Republic of The Gambia. One reason for that convoluted confusion is we have a different understanding/meaning for democracy itself. Defining the problem and analyzing the operating environment to come up with ‘A Comprehensive National Vision’ will help reduce straying away from real issues.
Even Yahya and his criminal pals (Soldiers with a difference) claimed their mission was to bring democracy. Today he called himself a democratically elected President. You know right there we have serious problems.
Many in the struggle did not take a critical look at what it is we are trying to do. The majority will simply say Yahya is the problem hence we should quickly remove him. Again they failed to critically understand that bringing down Yahya will not necessarily bring democracy in current Gambia –neither would elections, natural death and/or coup. I wish it works like that in the real world. Yahya overthrew Jawara promising heaven on earth and still continue to make such ludicrous promises. Many will agree its worst. Kwame Nkrumah was the most decorated Pan-African voice to send colonial administrators parking so too he lunched vicious attack on those with opposing political view.
Leaders do not subject themselves to at will. Democracy spreads power amongst people and every leader wants more of it for him/herself. Please reference Obama’s political positions as a Community Organizers (whatever that means), as a State Senator, US Senator and now as President of USA. You will be surprised of the changing positions and such changes come with more power for his level at the time. Queen Elizabeth’s oldest son is over 60 but she will not lay low for him to ascend to the throne – power is still sweet even at over 80 at the expense of your son. So who can truly blame Yahya? Me and you will probably do exactly the same unless there is something to place a credible check on us.
Therefore organizing an election for a candidate of your choosing may be the easiest but is not necessarily a road to democracy. Equally a coup and/or some forceful take over could bring Yahya down but not necessarily bring democracy to shore. The realistic path to democracy is the creation of the requisite human capacity capable of democracy. Unfortunately this is no easy task. It will be very complex operations meticulously plan. It will take time and cost lots of money. This is a comprehensive social engineering from the peanut/rice farm-families (me and my parents) all the way to corridors of power in Banjul. This is what I called ‘The Only Way; The Hard Way’.
Stepwise Outline (for now will avoid details of each step otherwise it gets messy)
Step 1: Produce and Publish ‘A Comprehensive National Vision – this will be produced from a National Definition of The problem and an Analyses of The Operating Environment which will inform us our Strengths, Weakness, Opportunities and Threats (SWOP).
Step 2: Creation of National Face of The Struggle – They will be tasked to advocate The Plight of The Gambia based on The Vision to both Gambians and The International Community. Here is where money will come from…
Step 3: Creation of an ‘Iron Wheel’ around Gambia – That is to organize/mobilize Gambians in America, Europe, Africa and Asia in Chapters
Step 4: Going to Banjul – that is a formal contact with The Government of The Gambia with a copy of The Vision and a cover letter through Head of Gambia Mission in our Headquartered nation
Step 5: Still in Banjul – a month later establish direct contact with Government (Office of President and head of Civil Service, Political Parties and all Foreign Missions in The Gambia with The Vision and covering letter
Step 6: Open an Africa Region Coordinating Office – coordinate, advocate, media blister over Gambia, etc
Step 7: Going To The People – now is relatively safe, we open a Country Coordinating Office in Banjul to be flank with Region Office in each region
Step 8: Repeating Steps 3 – 7 over and over until all demands are met………..1,000,000 years
Step 9: Periodic Review of The National Vision to drop what’s not relevant and/or incorporate new developments should they exist.
Step 10: At maturity turn into A Citizen’s Democratic Observatory Group
There are some assumptions embedded in this approach. I will leave those for another day. What most expressed concern was Yahya will not agree or listen. That is nothing new and shouldn’t be surprising. That is the first characteristic of a dictator. He may not listen or want anything to do with us – but as the ‘Iron Wheel’ begins to tighten on him around the world he will not be in it to hold on to power but how to avoid jail or dead. Remember it will not be a straight-line walk in the park but so long as we seize more of this algebraic equation (Gambians + Yahya = 1) we will be all right.
The in-country structures will be big on conscience from bottom-up making Gambians own Gambia once and for all. We are not interested in what choices they would make so long as they are informed and as free and fair as humanly possible. The Principal Operatives of these campaigns will commit not to seek elected public office for certain specified period to be decided to avoid conflict of interest.
What Yahya wants, What Yahya will accept or not has zero concern to these efforts. This is about Gambia and the more we amass our voice, secure international community’s moral and financial support the less relevant Yahya become. He will not choose the changes but forced into it because the power of the citizens has finally come home.
This is ‘The Only Way; The Hard Way’. Until I hear your plan/proposal!
Please make time to join the Teleconference
Saturday, July 20, 2013
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Involvement, Comments, Suggestions, Questions
God Bless Gambia
Burama FL Jammeh
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