Selfishness is a feature of human nature. Selfishness lifted the world from stone ages to the age of computing. Man has conquered everything along his way to make the world what it today. The challenge for mankind is treading the fine line between good selfishness and bad selfishness, if one such exists.

Sam Walton created Wal-Mart for his own selfish profit motives but an estimated 1.6 million employees and their family makes living off of him. Consider how indirectly benefits from corporate taxes paid in all the nations Wal-Mart do business and the employees income taxes.

Here is what Albert Einstein had to say - “Everything that is really GREAT and INPIRING is created by the individual who can labor in FREEDOM”.

From automobile, aircraft, electricity, space exploration, telephone, radio, television, computers, nuclear arsenal, etc…are all made/invented by an individual and/or at most a handful. One can’t name anything great made by a village much more a nation. The primary motive of all these individuals/small groups is selfishness. The benefits to others are either a secondary consideration and/or don’t even exist in their minds at the time. 

The solution (I mean what do we do) of Gambians political problem(s) will not come from all us but either from and individual and/or small group who will sell it to others. Those individuals have a selfish interest even if it is just to satisfy their ego. In the pursuit that selfish interest they also provide a greater good for all of us to live.

Mr. Momodou Krubally once put to me that he doesn’t understand why we keep saying, “am not a politician” and he asked WHAT ARE WE THEN. I have since thought that over and over. He has a point! I also think what such persons including myself meant is that we are not seeking an elected public office in what we claimed to be doing or wanting to do. Bravo Mr. Krubally! The flip side of that statement is an attempt to disguise one’s interest  (selfish), which is not necessarily true. Please next time you want to say such recast it better because we’re politicians and we do have personal interest in what we are doing/trying to do.

 The freedom for individuals to take risk and reward is the reason why free societies are more prosperous than none/lesser free societies. Every Economic Theory (from the Classicals’ to Monetarists’ and Neo-Classicals’) is premised on human rationality – meaning without an undue influence every individual will do what best serve his/her interest and not the common interest.  This is the sole reasons markets (exchange of goods and services) work perfectly fine until they are distorted by some regulatory fixes for a desired welfare outcome.  Then fixing the fixes becomes a vicious circle and political grand-standings we no real solution – a merry go round!

There is no common good more than the good for all the individuals in a set. Human rationality does not necessarily care what works for other more so what works for me.  Therefore rallying behind one opposition candidate is not a common good because it does not serve the interest of some in the country. Equally it’s no common good for all of us to be in one or few organization.  Because such organizations do not represent what all of us want in the society. So too the removal and replacement of Yahya is not a common good. Surely those whose lives are made better under Yahya want him stay while me and many others want him out. Suffice to say is futile we continue spending time, energy and resources for our people to wholesomely propel one person to the presidency.  The premise is against human nature but keep trying and good luck.

The ONLY or NEAR common good for all Gambians – ‘THE REPUBLIC AND DEMOCRATIC GOVERNANCE!

1.	THE REPUBLIC – equitable sovereignty by all citizens  (joint ownership)
2.	DEMOCRATIC IDEALS  (applied to us equally)
i.	“A political system for choosing and replacing the government through free and fair elections”
ii.	“The active participation of the people, as citizens, in politics and civic life”
iii.	“Protection of the human rights of all citizens”
iv.	“A rule of law, in which the laws and procedures apply equally to all citizens”

These are common to us. It may have never been effectively communicated and/or practice but if we do there will be no indifferent Gambian. In practice that may not be necessarily true – say an Islamist may want THEOLOGY. Of course s/he has no standing because his/her religion is no the only faith in land.
 
In the past I was branded selfish! You may also have been labeled so at some point in your life. I was also told I want to be a CEO of one-person organization. And the other general phrases usually thrown out in discussions are ‘we want honest leaders’. Once instant reaction to such stereotyping is dislike and/or out right anger because we see selfishness only in the prism of bad. Try digesting it more next someone tells you are one. 

Recently I told my colleague, Demba Baldeh, that I don’t like the way we get to the issue of my organization. I can defend the rationale behind my organization and is up to the reader and/or listener to agree or disagree. But what I meant was every discussion shouldn’t have to end with my organization. Most of the time there is no reasonable connection and probably whatever concerns Demba about my or other organizations is true except he is wrong to think we shouldn’t want to be CEO’s and/or have a burning self interest. Again working against nature is a hard preposition! More importantly though a basic tenant of democracy is FREE TO EXPRESS AND ASSOCIATE. What else should I add if we’re truly fighting to get a functioning democracy in The Gambia? 

Let me try to answer some of these concerns as clearly as I can be. YES I am selfish and so I you. Let me know who is not. I left my father’s house with the extended family system that in fact supported my education to establish a nucleus family. You may have not done exactly so but be your own judge. I do not only want to be CEO of an organization but also President of A Democratic Republic of The Gambia.  I hope there is no longer any doubted how far I would want to go with every given opportunity. I haven’t also seen anyone who wouldn’t want to accept those who don’t have the qualities.  The question of Honestly is difficult and usually a judgmental call. I challenged someone few months ago who wasn’t all too sure about the honesty and integrity of the current opposition party leaders. I asked what visa type brought him to America and how long ever since has he being here and counting.  Ok! How honest is he – unfortunately he wasn’t even counting that as a dishonesty but quick to point fingers. I don’t necessarily want to pass moral judgment over our leaders but very much care what kind of people’s functioning institutions do we have to make them appropriately accountable to us.
 
These are why I argued we shouldn’t rely on individual(s) to make a social system function as should. The people have to have a requisite capacity to be able to live such a life first before they can demand and sustain ‘A Functioning Democratic Society where servants are punish for failings. Certainly achieve such an ideal state from where we currently stand is neither straight-line nor a cakewalk and will surely take time. Regardless of its complexities and difficulties we should be up for the challenge and do it. Always remember man has landed on the moon some decades ago, why can’t we come up with an actionable plan to reinstate what our country was supposed to be in the first place.

The notion that our answers lie in one united candidate is neither a common good nor does it serve the interest of all members of the opposition parties much more the whole Gambia. No wonder it couldn’t happen and will not in any effective way. Any sides whose interest are not maximize will always find an excuse to exit. It appears the renewed efforts are counting on similar approach – good luck

Equally the call that I/we all join some group is no common good. But even if there is shared interest, purpose, etc. that doesn’t oblige anyone to leave/kill your organization and join someone else’s. How about flipping that demand by asking them to join the other side. What’s the criterion used to demand me joining them and not the other way around? Doesn’t that fit the definition of selfishness?

I will work with any Gambian and none-Gambians alike who have propose some viable options/alternatives. My positions/views are no secret; they’ve been published and circulated to 100s of personal emails of activists. My guess is many did not like it because I haven’t received much feed back. But I haven’t received alternative options either except to help opposition parties win against Yahya. 
I have been calling for a national dialogue with a view to articulate ‘A National Problem Statement/Analysis’ that helps us formulate ‘A National Democracy Agenda run on our behave by ‘A National Face’.  Such National Face constituted with individuals amongst us who has the necessary expertise and wisdom for the purpose. So long as we can separate this from party politics and entirely focus it on the republic and democracy, we are very likely to win the whole nation over time. So far though all efforts end up with let’s help them organize and campaign for the next election. This is not to say parties will not have a significant role to play but not supporting some to contest against another. We will basically lever their presence to demand for a level democratic environment that gives all players equal opportunity.

Never doubt the selfishness of an individual – it’s a given! It’s human nature! It carries that negative connotation that no one wants to be label so but it’s the reason for our drives. Hence no proposal will work unless we take into account the interest of those involve. It can only be common interest/good if it also serve the interest of each individual member of such group

Burama FL Jammeh
Founder/General Secretary
The People's Movement For Democratic Gambia
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facebook.com/Burama.jammeh
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810 844 6040

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