Hi Brother Karamba,
Thank you for your kind words, and for taking the time to quickly respond to
the question I posed.
You seem to be blaming the Gambian character for PDOIS' poor performance at
the polls, rather than opening up the People's Organisation for Independence
and Socialism for a clinical examination.
Writing that "..our our society by
and large is not interested in honesty, integrity and the values of hardwork
and deferred gratification" seems to me to convey the dangerous illusion
that moral degradation is coextensive with the biochemical make-up of
Gambians. i.e our country is beyond redemption, and that PDOIS' purpose is
delusional at best.
It is a fact that in every society, there will always be those who will do
anything for pleasure or for profit, but I would like to opine that what you
mentioned are rather unfortunate symptoms of a society afflicted with
widespread material deprivation and hosts of complicated miseries.
I think it is important that we look at those factors that convinced people
that a vote for Sidia Jatta was not in their best interests. But it is
equally important for us to discuss to what extent PDOIS itself has been
responsible for its permanently dim prospects for an electoral victory in
Gambia.
A couple of years back, I wrote here that it cannot be the case that the
people do not want honest and dedicated leaders. It rather is that " they
would not walk an honest road if they are convinced it leads to a poor and
dark city". I still believe in the truth of that statement.
Thanks once again Mr. Touray.
Momodou S Sidibeh
-----Original Message-----
From: The Gambia and related-issues mailing list
[mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of [log in to unmask]
Sent: den 2 december 2001 17:56
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Mr Momodou Sedibeh/Commentary
Mr Sedibeh,
I am one person who wish you were engaged on Gambia-l more
often than you are currently able to. I enjoy your participation. I would
like to advance a response to the question you posed regarding PDOIS and
their inability to garner traction with the Gambain electorate. I agree that
the party is led by selfless, educated and motivated Gambians with
impeccable
integrity. Even as I support the coalition, I am convinced PDOIS approach
constitute in an integral part of the kind of democracy most of us would
like
to see evolve in our country. Halifa, Sedia and Sam are examples of serious
people who bring depth and a sense of purpose to issues of governance. You
may not agree with their approach in it's totality but they people you want
to have at the table. Their electoral failure even after two decades of
being
the apostles of progressive and squeaky clean politics is a reflection of
the
deep and inherent flaws of Gambian society when it comes to choosing their
political leaders. PDOIS has failed to win elections because our society by
and large is not interested in honesty, integrity and the values of hardwork
and deferred gratification. We tend to excel at expediency, dishonesty and
finding every excuse to avoid doing what is right. Gambia is not conducive
to
the very things people seem to say they want. Our people for the most part
know that our overall problems atleast for our contemporary history revolve
around bad leadership and when the few good among us work hard and
tirelessly
to offer an alternative, the majority would simply not do their part to
safeguard their futures. If you pick up a phone and randomly call someone
anywhere in The Gambia, after five minutes he/she would give you a litany of
all that is wrong with the country and how they are heading into the abyss.
It would all be true. But our national tragedy is you absolutely cannot rely
on that same complainant to do all he can to get rid of the criminals and
murderers actively destroying the country and replacing them with folks who
would spend sleepless nights working on making their lives and country
better. It is a hopeless situation that most certainly will cement our place
firmly in the colony of failed states. That is why our country is now beset
by the kind of shameful beggar mentality you read about everyday. Government
employees engaging in fist fights about monetary 'gifts' from their socalled
President who is actively collapsing the institutions of government and
handing it over to people that worse than clowns. It is an unmitigating
disaster and the Gambian people in large measure can be expected to aid and
abet their own destruction. People revel at receiving the crumbs of
corruption and decadence and they always try to peddle nonsensical
justifications for their fatal flaws.
I have concluded that our nation is doomed unless we expunge from
our national psyche our tolerance for all the things associated with
retrogression. Unless our society strive for honesty and integrity and
embrace people who demonstrate selfless devotion and have the ability and
talent to lead us, we shall for the forseable feature be stuck with
criminals intent on destroying the only place we call home. And if we don't
change fast we may not for long have politicians with the endurance to
actually see through peaceful change. A nation that tolerates un repentant
murderers will not go anywhere. We must bring the entire leadership of this
regime before a competent Gambian legal authority not constituted by rented
jurists and charged them with capital crimes and other serious felonies and
administer the law to it's full extent.
Karamba
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