Our goal is (or should be) to establish an Institutionalized Democratic nation that guarantees/protects rights, creates equal opportunities and treats all citizens equally with due processes before the laws.  There is consensus amongst our struggle that we can’t get to our goal with Yahya in charge. That’s reasonable - Yahya is a very bad dude! From his past to present it’s obvious he doesn’t have it in his person to run the nation as ‘A Democratic Republic’. 

No attempt to justify the wrongs of Yahya but humans have great deal of lust for power. Without necessary restraints hardly anyone will submit self to the constraints of democracy. We should account for this human trait in devising solutions for our problems

The fundamental question - How do we take out Yahya? This is a very important question when you consider how taking down Yahya will be done and by whom.

Throwing around words are easy! Dislodging Yahya out of Banjul is a task (not words). Personally I don’t think is a difficult task if we do the right work. Regardless is a work to be done and no work is easy. 

Challenging Yahya at the ballot was and remained our main tool. Theoretically he can be defeated at the ballot. In practice though, he’s the referee of the elections in which he’s a contestant. Hard to imagine any other outcome besides he’s declared a winner. Hence elections in the current Gambia are simply a cul-de-sac.  

To make elections the worthwhile democratic instruments they’re supposed to be the following prerequisites will be required. We may agree/disagree on these specifics but what is clear is we would have to have a truly free and fair elections. The following will go a long attaining that goal. 

1. Demand and Secure reform of electoral law - includes the following

	i. Establish and Maintained Accurate Register of Citizens, Death Register, National Identity Card Register - coded by region     and appreciably by districts too. The value of these basic social information streams well beyond the needs for just elections. But we cannot put up an accurate verifiable Voter Register and without such readily available information. In fact we cannot run 		democracy on the sentiment and/or good/bad mood of individuals - decisions should be made on facts which can’t be without 		such basic set of data

	ii. Decentralized the governing of elections by Region - The Commissioner’s to be directly elect by the people of the Region to a specified term. Commissioner’s are both Citizens and Resident in the region for a specified period of time. No government 		official has hire/fire authority over them. The committees (some permanent committees both of those with interest and non-		interest) of political parties and CSOs/NGOs be tasked to collectively verify and certify the integrity and accuracy of their work. 	Individual citizens can lodge complaints to courts as well. Noticed that am assuming the Courts are one of the 3 independent 		arm of the democratic government.

	iii. Each Regional Elections Authority will register citizens based on verifiable documents and attestations of citizens; 		maintained and made public election register at all times. That mean eligibility has to be specified by law(s) and strictly 		followed. Corruptions, neglects, failures and abuses punishable by jail time.

	iv. Each Regional Election Authority managed the electioneering process within the region - registration of voters to counting of ballots for all elections within the region. No authority above them to consult for decision(s) on election matters; their only reference is the law(s).

2. Demand and Secure - government resources including personnel be separated from party politics

3. Demand and Secure all political legislation, regulations be about freedom of political activity. Permitting be about informing police where people will gather at what times for their work but not the power to stop the gathering for some bogus security concerns. Any Police Commissioner who can’t protect 100s/1000s of Gambians at any such gathering should be relieved of duty - remember these people are paid with our tax Dalasis.

4. Demand and Secure that political activity is not criminalized - no one should be arrested, detained and/or jailed for their politics. 

5. Decentralized the governing of the Regions and locals completely from the control and/or supervision of Banjul. Regional governments be elected representatives of their region. Banjul   (National government) with neither administrative authority over their work nor their jobs. These includes the District Chiefs and Village Heads.

6. Unadulterated National Civil Education - we would need to develop an appropriate one for the academic curriculum of our schools but also one for the masses especial the non reading and writing populace.

7. Maybe you can add/subtract to/from the above!

These will make elections a worthy democratic venture. It will ensure the true, free and fair will of the people be establish. 

Logic dictates that the attainment of these conditions will strip off Yahya most of his grip on power. So its reason he wouldn’t want this to happen. But the that brought us back from where we started - Yahya must Go! But how? How about Yahya Must Be Contained!

For elections to do the trick we have to achieve all or most of the above. That is to say we have to deal with the perquisites! Think we will all agree on that one. How do we achieve the prerequisites? ……Civil War? Easy to say it especially when far from the possible line of fire. At least for now is not our best option and am not sure if it will ever be one. For now lets reserve civil conflict to self defense which is a natural right of every living being. That is if one is attacked you have all right to defend yourself including the use of deathly force should you have reasonable fear your life is in danger. 

We’re now in a precarious situation - that’s Yahya must go before can do A to Z. But the only tool we’re using is elections which can’t defeat him until we did most/many of the aforementioned.  But Yahya would not let us do those aforementioned…….What now?

Are we out of options? No! We’re essential left with ‘Political Leverage’ option. Whether we are to engage in both internal and external militancy against Yahya’s government or coalesce global powers to our side - it’s political leverage. I would think a degree of both and the higher that temperature the inconsequential Yahya will be.

To earn leverage will require some organization of our actions but it will also demand putting ‘in-writing’ for all to see what we stand for. This was and is my position and view how to take out Yahya without explicitly saying so. Well, not saying it is not a deceit…..but because in the end Yahya is inconsequential in relation to the ultimate goal - ‘A Functioning Democratic Republic of The Gambia’.

After all it appears we are not far away if we take time to reflect and reason a little bit. Was it semantic putting us off, obsessed with Yahya and/or our egos. No big deal - whatever it is, is human and hope we get through it quicker!

We have lost so much for so long - please come out as a citizen and organize. We can take back our country whether we call that “Yahya Must Go, Go First’ or some other name, the ultimate goal is (should be) ‘A Functioning Democratic Republic of The Gambia’. This call is not to come to me or coming to you, lets start with the person next to us - hopefully this person at a time will converge us to a national forum so long as a ultimate goal is ‘A Democratic Republic of The Gambia. 

My thoughts!

Burama FL Jammeh

Founder/General Secretary 
The People's Movement for Democratic Gambia
facebook.com/burama.jammeh
Twitter.com/@bfljammeh
Skype.com/bfljammeh
810 844 6040

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