We’ve worked from believes that ‘Yahya Is The Problem’ and hence the solution is ‘Yahya Must Go And Go First’. 

No one in the struggle would argue that Yahya is nothing other than a bad guy but ought to know that our problems created Yahya.  No doubt Yahya is a stumbling block to our efforts but we must recognize that from our ever-endemic weak position removal of Yahya as first order of business is no realistic political starter. More importantly though, he is ‘A Problem’ and not ‘The Problem’, therefore with or without Yahya may not necessarily lead to our goals and/or pave an easy path to such goals.  

Our strategies just focus on Yahya first rather than making a claim of ‘The Republic (Our Sovereignty) and an Equitable Participation in Governance (Democracy)’ has blindsided our efforts to a small corner where many believe nothing is possible so long Yahya is there. Yet the same people will try convinced us some political union of the opposition camp will defeat Yahya and/or make significant gains at National Assembly level to legislatively strangle Yahya. It’s a fantasy and/or lack of appreciation for why elections are what they are in The Gambia.  The more important concern for these approaches are the no role for the advocators – ‘if opposition did X or Y and/or if the people come out to the streets’. This is what I called ‘outsourcing the proposed solutions’ while hiding millions of miles away without commitment to going back to lead or at least join such a charge.  

The 3 common Schools of Thought as solutions to solving the enigmatic political problems of our nation are:

(i)	Coalition Of Opposition Parties Take Out Yahya At The Ballot
(ii)	Organized Civil Society Organizations For Civil Disobedience/Resistance
(iii) Military Intervention

In fact these were either our actions and/or thoughts for the last 20 years and/or 36 years if you factor in NCP/NLP/PDOIS challenge to PPP rule?  In both cases (PPP/A(F)PRC), the ruling parties remained unscathed by such political option. The former was eventually thrown out by military intervention but most will agree we’re worse off.  For that reason alone advocates of military option should give a second thought. It hasn’t work for us and has never work well anywhere in our sub region. 

We should ask why have elections never remove a president in The Gambia. We should also inform our selves that in fact this is not a Yahya phenomenon - it’s also the case during the Jawara era. Many in our struggle maybe too young or condone or downplay PPP’s role as to what currently obtained in Gambia. However it’s important to know where we come from, to understand why we’re where we are in order to craft path for where we want to go. 

Many also hold strong views that our inabilities to remove Yahya lies on our failure to form ‘A Formidable Union’ of the opposition parties.  No union of political parties will win an election against Yahya. On the other hand a union of citizens for our sovereignty and democratic governance can earn us much needed International recognition, financial support and unadulterated civic organization/mobilization of our citizens thereby giving us leverage to make concrete demands for change/reform/overhaul. 

We know our political party leaders (excluding Yahya) are very successful individuals in their own rights. They’ve developed themselves.  They’re loving spouses and are parents. We also know some of their philanthropic work amongst the needy they live with. They have served their nation. They’ve open and effectively run personal/private enterprises with success.  

Why then couldn’t they make a political party that could take them to the Highest Office in the Land a success? Or simply ask why PPP failed to even reconstitute as opposition after decades of been at the helm and perceived by many as irremovable? The answer(s) can’t be any shortcoming of their person. It can only be something they can’t and/or beyond there reach/influence. The reasons are simply the environment that is beyond their control. Yet we afar sem to know what they don’t and expect them to do what we either ran away from and/or choose not to contribute in that manner. 

We should leave the questions of political party strategies on how to contest elections to the parties themselves and SEPARATE it from our fight to create ‘A Functioning Democratic Gambia’. This approach has number of important merits for our struggle but it also distinguish us from politicians seek office to citizens demanding the rights of our sovereignty. The national struggle should not use one set of political parties against another set. Our problem demands we simply call upon citizens to this common issue - a claim for our sovereign rights as citizens.  Naturally members of the opposition are likely to embrace the ideas quicker than those in the ruling party. Overtime though, this will sync with citizens and they will emancipate self from party objects to become free and inform citizens. 

There is no National (common) Interest’ demanding citizens to support one person to remove another. We will never agree on such person and rightfully so – such a demand is not only undemocratic but also un-natural. On the other hand demanding the full recognition of our sovereignty, our rights and equality in the conduct of our affairs is a given at the birth of our nation. This is a given! Nothing is more legitimate for us to demand than this self-evident simple truth. Someone told me it sounds great but Yahya will not listen…………I answered but you tried to convince me Yahya will allow you to win in an election he’s the opposing candidate. Yahya has no choice what we can do – if we work hard and on the right issues, Yahya will be waiting at the table because the alternative is worst but not because we have a nice face.

The reasons the supposed formidable union of parties failed to come to fruition for almost 20 years is not because advocates didn’t work hard enough but because no outcome will satisfy all the parties. It’s also because some of the formulas run against nature – that’s the demand for equality when I brought more to the table than you did. I mean unequally sized parties demanding equal voice at the table – such as NDAM claiming equality with UDP. Another problem is hat most of the vocal advocates of the agenda are outside with different perspectives – am not going to suggest whether that’s good or bad but is a difference. The problem is asking men who spent more than quarter of their life in search for the presidency to take a back seat/step aside for some supposed national interest – I guess that’s easy if you are not one of them. Others suggest a transition period that’s not required by any Gambian law. Others demand or proposed an unknown quantity to lead while the veteran politicians sit aside – easy if you don’t spent 30 years of your life wanting to be president of your nation. Please read my article ‘SELFISHNESS IS HUMAN NATURE’ to appreciate the vested interest of people doing what they did and/or doing.  Discount those personal interests as marginal for some cooked up national interest doesn’t exist. The other problem with this approach is asking too much of few people while we (across the oceans want to dictate what they do/not do). 

Participating in elections currently controlled by Yahya and his political machine can’t be a winner. He controlled elections for one reason and that is to have it his way. He didn’t opt for the no-election agenda that was once floated around because that is more difficult to defend than rigging election. The problems of elections in The Gambia are rooted in lack of functioning democracy as opposed to the prevalent difficulties the opposition faced during electioneering. 
 
Election is an important democratic tool but our situation would need ‘SOMETHINGs TO BE DONE’ before elections can show the decision of our citizen. Therefore that something is what we should focus on for now – that something though can’t be address through the typical operations of political party (ies). 

Next piece I hope to look at CSOs. – what they supposed to be, what they are/they are not. The military option is simply a bad idea – it’s a surrender of our sovereignty to some armed group.  It’s that sovereignty we should reclaim and not surrender it. Either way I will take a crack at it.

Coming behind will be ‘Brama’s Alternative Proposal’ to begin to shake up the environment (the core problems) with a view to creating a level playing field that any citizen can freely and fairly make their case to equally free and informed citizens. Such a proposal is neither anchored on 2016 election cycle nor would it demand Yahya go as first order of business. However at the end of it all we will get rid of everything/person undemocratic.

The downside – it’s a long term. Unfortunately I haven’t seen a viable short-term option. It will be expensive but I have seen no cheaper option. It’s a hard work but I haven’t seen walk-in-the-park option. 

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

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