Joe,
Thank you. The debate about PDOIS will soon begin to take a new
dimension. Those who have willingly accepted to take ownership of the party, will
try to bring clarity into the debate and enter into a genuine dialogue with our
Gambian contemporaries, so as not only to defend the proud legacy of the
party, but also to convince the Gambian people that PDOIS is the only party that
can help the country to create its rebirth.
The birth of PDOIS is not an accident. It was a deliberate and
conscious decision by a group of well meaning people, who sacrificed a lot to respond
to a question of immense national ramification: What is a sovereign being?
Secondly, and most important, what role can they play to help the Gambian
people regain their sovereignty? This was a fundamental question that was
necessary, given that the whole dynamics of our political structure was based on an
uneven and exploitative relations between those who govern and the ones that
they governed.
PDOIS started its mission from a simple premise: if the people don't
know what they own, and what belongs to them, they surely will not be able to
defend it. Hence in order for the people to defend what they own, to defend
their sovereignty, they need to be sufficiently orientated to be able to
determine their own destiny. This in a nutshell guides the conceptual development of
the programs and activities that the party has been engaged in for the past
two decades.
Should there be a genuine assessment of the party and its activities,
more so its shortcomings for the past two decades? Of course, yes. The
negative perceptions that has been ingrained in the minds of many regarding the
party, and which has no basis in the party's overall objectives, are some of the
contentious issues that has to be dealt with.
Lets take the issue of socialism for example. Many people are wont to
say these people, PDOIS people are socialist and communist. But I can tell
you this: I have listened to most of the speeches of Halifa Sallah since the
birth of PDOIS or even before; I have read most of his writings since the birth
of PDOIS or even before, but I have never read or heard him say that he is a
socialist except on one occasion in the early days of the party when they
have to define the acronym PDOIS. There was also a phamplet to that effect.
What does PDOIS'S socialisms connotes? It is all about principles and programs.
Rene
************************************** Get a sneak peek of the all-new AOL at
http://discover.aol.com/memed/aolcom30tour
いいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいい
To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface
at: http://listserv.icors.org/archives/gambia-l.html
To Search in the Gambia-L archives, go to: http://listserv.icors.org/SCRIPTS/WA-ICORS.EXE?S1=gambia-l
To contact the List Management, please send an e-mail to:
[log in to unmask]
いいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいい
|