For two decades the Gambian people have been held hostage by an amateurish soldier without political education who illegally seized power and imposed himself on the people. It was Thomas Sankara of Burkina Faso who said “A soldier without political education is a virtual criminal” Yahya Jammeh without any political or civic education demonstrated his hate for Democracy and political pluralism. He marginalized the political establishment through enticement and divide and rule. Knowing fully well he couldn’t compete on a level playing field, he signaled his hate for politics and politicians and set out an agenda to ensure that the political opposition is rendered ineffective by completely monopolizing the political space. He denied the opposition every opportunity to promote their political ideology and gather any support within the country by denying citizens jobs who show open support to the opposition. Local areas were threatened with underdevelopment and their sons and daughters forced into exile and desperate youths took the back-way due to lack of opportunities.
Virtually any option for peaceful political change was shut down. Elections became mere symbols every five years to legitimize the regime for international and regional recognition. The legislative and judicial branches of government were equally neutralized and turned into instruments of oppression. Every effort employed by the opposition parties to make any headway proved elusive. Every five years the opposition would be pressured by dissident citizens to enter into coalition talks to challenge the incumbent as it become apparent that only a complete and strong opposition alliance would have the opportunity to legitimately challenge the entrenched dictator. Even thought all the opposition leaders recognized this fact since 2001, they couldn’t find a way to put aside their political differences and form an alliance. Every five years they would labor to unite only to be hunted by the same disagreements. The ideological differences between the party leaders and their demands become so far apart that each was willing to hold their ground regardless of the outcome while the nation continued to slide into a more ruthless dictatorship.
The formation of NADD; the most promising political alliance in the history of the country gave Gambians hope of political change. Citizens showed interest and enthusiasm in supporting the alliance both within and outside the country. But the last minute collapse of NADD due to major differences between the parties would proof more destructive than Gambians could ever imagined. What looked like a glaring political salvation of a desperate nation united behind its leaders to safe the remaining democratic institutions in the country came down collapsing like a deck of cards. It left unspoken and immeasurable level of distrust and wounds within the opposition mainly between the majority United Democratic Party and the smaller but more systematic older PDOIS which has survived a decade or more under the first Republic. This left permanent division between these parties to a level no amount of efforts will lead them to unite. Despite both sides being fully cognizant of the political reality no prayer or political mediation could make these two parties see eye to eye for the country. It led to the UDP putting up parliamentary candidates within PDOIS strong holds which eventually led to Halifa Sallah losing his seat in Serekunda East when he contested against UDP’s Sainey Jaiteh and APRC’s Famara Jatta who became the Majority leader. NADD’s collapse essentially left the political opposition handicapped where each party will not budged towards the other or a common ground.
Another coalition efforts in 2011 would not even get close to NADD’s promise. The opposition again were left divided into smaller less effective alliances and handed Jammeh another legitimate five year term. They both lost massively to the dictator who showed no sign of letting up on his strangle hold on the political space. The political climate after 2011 became even more desperate as political leaders now face a do or die for 2016. With the age limit injected in the constitution becoming a reality and no sign of opposition leaders willing to move to a neutral ground, couple with an ever more vocal Diaspora dissidents, the situation demanded new realities.
Despite their open acceptance of these realities, the Gambian opposition establishment showed no signs of unity come 2016 December elections against the incumbent. PDOIS went back to its long held believe of holding inter-party primaries to select a leader without explicit flexibility for supporting an independent candidate or a party led coalition. The UDP with its entire leadership illegally incarcerated, faces unprecedented political challenges of replacing its two decades of irreplaceable leader Ousainou Darobe. Other parties despite their noise have proven to go with one side or the other. The new GDC party is also testing the waters but with its untested leader they could go either way. Realistically though, more serious issues are at play during this year’s election contest. The political legacies, survival of individual party leaders and their parties now hang on the rope. As Jammeh threatened to kill or eliminate more opponents the parties are left with limited choices – Unite to defeat Jammeh or face the political risk of forever going down in history as leaders who suffered the most under Jammeh’s regime, who understood the political reality, but refused to put country first before political or personal differences. It is hard for anyone who knows the level of sacrifice of PDOIS, PPP, UDP, NRP and other leadership would still stick to their principles of partisan politics in the face of unprecedented risk in Gambia sliding into political disintegration. The situation needs a neutral broker who is not tainted by the political divide and who is willing to bring both parties at the table to unite for a purpose greater than each individual party. One who has no ties to any political party and who is willing to be an arbitrator and one who can oversee a transition period.
Enter Dr. Isatou Touray with decades of grassroots’ activist work who has tackled and successfully won one of the most divisive and difficult traditional practices in the country. Dr. Touray is not more credible, patriotic or intelligent than any of the leaders of the established political parties. But what she doesn’t have is decades of political baggage that has unfortunately boxed other party leaders into a corner where they cannot agree to back one or the other.for deeply personal and or political reasons. These parties therefore need a credible neutral broker who will bring them to the table and appeal to both sides to salvage the country from sliding into political ruins. It is also a fact that the legacy of opposition leaders and their parties hangs on a thread. Common sense dictators that only the political leaders can consciously safe their legacies; but with the help of someone like Dr. Touray who they can all support to create a level playing field, the most difficult major challenge of the opposition moving to a neutral broker should be lot easier.
The political parties are faced with real choices and the old argument of our way or the high way would be catastrophic if they failed to unite behind a candidate who gives Gambians the best chance to win the 2016 elections. The choices are difficult but real. The United Democratic Party despite their numbers must choose between a path that will secure the freedom and dignity of its leadership first and foremost over the long term survival of the party. The UDP party can always rebuild its future, but the health, lives and liberties of Mr. Darboe and 19 others must be the priority. And any resistance to a formula which reportedly Darboe and his closest aides support would amount to sacrificing the most precious assets of the party – its leadership. For PDOIS, decades of systematic fight for liberty, dignity and an educated populace hangs on the ballot. Despite its size many expect PDOIS leadership to have a good grasp of what is at stake and if any party would put country over partisan interest, Gambians expect them to be leaders in that area. For PPP three decades of legacy and unprecedented lies against the first Republic would finally bring vindication to their final legacy. The nation’s founding Father will live to see a free Gambia and he is patiently waiting.. For NRP, GMC, GDC and others the future could still be brighter for them as their leaders are younger and more charismatic with future potentials.
Therefore, as Gambia enter the final 3 months of its last hope of political salvation, decades of lives lost hangs on all parties to craft a unity formula forward. When all parties finally embrace the change agenda, temporary shelve their individual partisan interest for a more Democratic, peaceful and economically viable nation, history will reward them beautifully. They will go down as distinguished men and women of substance who finally drew the line and salvage a people from permanent mental and physical enslavement. The Gambian people are ready to vote for change and history has once again given Gambian opposition leaders the last opportunity to rescue a nation. It wouldn’t matter who led the final salvation, they will all be leaders who stood up when it was difficult, when they had a lot at stake and choose country over self and party. The Gambian people are counting on the leaders’ conscience and deep sense of patriotism to help brokered a deal that will finally see Jammeh out of the state house. The Gambian people deserve better and the final rescue of the people lies on the leaders to lead the people to the promise land of liberty, prosperity and political freedom.