Mr Darboe,
No matter how hard I tried, I just could not pass up the opportunity and
would be remiss if I do not second your motion at least for history to record.
Only in having the courage to sincerely acknowledge without any intent of self
interest, those whose unmistakable genuine dedication toward the pursuit of
all that is good for our people in every sense of the word, and who have over
the years consistently, undoubtedly and unequivocally demonstrated their
embrace of this endeavour without a shred of self propagation and self interest
of any sort, and who have always undertaken this task without having lost
and still embracing all the qualities held in the highest of esteem by all
aspects of our people and culture, can we as a people truly and earnestly begin
the journey on the road towards our true liberation both from tyranny and from
the evils of our own misdeeds and shortcomings, because anything short of
that, no matter how well intentioned or well packaged would be just self
medication and self delusional. Thank you. The other members of the NADD executive
who are also no minor players in the same endeavour would be equally
demonstrating their dedication to the pursuit of what is best for our people,
especially in these difficult and critical times, if they elect to honour this
appeal and choose their colleague the honourable Halifa Sallah as the flag bearer
for NADD. I hope that this appeal will be seen by them in this light.
I reproduce below that portion of your posting that could not help but
inspire me to second your motion.
Jabou Joh
LJDarbo, [log in to unmask] wrote:
"It is my contention that with stakes so high, NADD's most realistic option
is to select a known quantity on the national stage. Where better to start
than among the executive committee, all of whom are willing warriors in the
struggle to safeguard the true national security of The Gambia. In light of the
transitional nature of NADD, with a sunset provision for the arrangement to
self-destruct after five years, the flag bearer must be a visionary with the
capacity to coordinate institution building across the constitutional
spectrum of our public life. The person must be capable of strict adherence to all
facets of the transitional arrangement and must willingly relinquish office
without precipitating a damaging and potentially destabilising power struggle.
In the sense that he is not a traditional politician, and with no baggage
from either the pre- or post-1994 governments, the NADD executive member
clearly suitable for the mantle of 2006 presidential flag bearer is Honourable
Halifa Sallah. With his impeccable and breathtaking credentials of political
maturity and personal integrity, Halifa embodies the best hopes of a convincing
NADD capture of the presidency in the watershed 2006 contest. His
name-recognition makes him a suitable compromise candidate for the multifaceted variables
that will come into play, and must therefore be factored, into the dynamics
of selecting a flag bearer.
Clearly irrelevant on strict equal opportunity principles, ethnic background
will nevertheless inevitably exercise the minds of several reasonable
people. Those fears - unreasonable in the main - must nevertheless be recognised,
frontally addressed, and allayed. On this critical front, Halifa is the only
national figure capable of commanding across-the-board electoral endorsement
capable of sealing the fate of tyranny in the Gambia.
Over the years, his tireless charting of a vision of political dispensation
anchored in the mores of social justice and the rule of law endeared him to
Gambians in all walks of life. He is the unquestionable doyen of the political
opposition, an embodiment of the spirit and aspiration of the unstoppable
forces coalescing for inevitable change in Gambia’s political direction. He
will be a lethal choice!
In opposition two decades ago, and still in opposition today, Halifa
rejected salivating offers of positions in public life, on the admirable grounds
that he could not partake in the illegitimate exercise of public power,
especially when the full features of that power are on permanent brutal display for
all to witness. Himself a visionary of the highest order, Halifa’s foresight,
complemented and energised by the intellectual capital of our country, will
enable the flowering of a political renaissance to dwarf the soaring heights
of human possibilities as envisaged and articulated by the high priests of the
humanistic tradition.
By “intellectual” I refer to those men and women endowed with the common
sense to call tyranny by its name, not the certificated buffoons choking the
air out of our national life. And there are plenty of those charlatans
assiduously competing to out-excel each other in researching and implementing the
cutting edge trends in The Gambia’s dastard and booming sycophantic industry.
I now formally call on Ousainou Darboe, Lamin Waa Juwara, OJ, Hamat Bah, and
Sidia Sanyang, to demonstrate the assumed courage of their democratic
convictions, and entrust the mantle of flag bearer to Halifa. They should find
assurance in the theory advanced by several commentators, and endorsed by those
who cared to examine the broad vistas of history, that a nation’s gratitude is
not necessarily the preserve of those exercising public power. Most are
mere footnotes, and the majority never even make it that far. If you are able to
help liberate us from a tyranny that is threatening to rip the very fabric
of our nation, your places in The Gambia’s annals of political liberation will
be assured.
I recommend Halifa for NADD flag bearer of Gambia 2006
Let us embrace Halifa for the first President of the Third Republic. The
opportunities will never be any brighter.
LJDarbo"
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