I had speculated here about 3 weeks ago that the death of Decree 89 could
lead to a splintering of the Opposition.  I had further asked if the First
Republic parties would maintain their structures or join the existing
opposition parties.  With the plethora of parties, I had also said that the
Gambian electorate is bound to be split along ethnic, family, and interest
lines as each party tries to win the hearts of the voters.  The schism is
already apparent if we are to go by reports on the UDP/PPP meeting posted to
the List by Adama Bah and Ebrima Sillah.

I wonder why the NRP, PDOIS, and the UDP could not hold such a meeting prior
to the repealing of Decree 89. Why would it take the resurgence of the PPP
to convene an Opposition meeting from which PDOIS was allegedly sidelined?
Why did Bureh Jawo, Musa Ngaado or any other NRP official not attend the
said meeting?  If the PPP shares the ideals of the UDP why the need to
re-register the party that has led us to the situation that we’re in today
and not join the existing UDP structures?  What is the reason behind Sheriff
Dibba’s walk-out from yesterday’s discussions? Finally, since most former
NCP members and officials are currently registered with the UDP what’s the
wisdom behind Sheriff’s decision to revive his party?

It is becoming clear that the Opposition has a lot of work to do in order to
improve their mutual respect and trust even in the absence of a coalition.
It is also apparent that PDOIS is being unfairly used as the whipping boy of
the Opposition whenever the party differs in opinion.  One does not have to
be a PDOIS supporter to note that this party has single-handedly been
fighting against the very issues for which the APRC and PPP governments have
been criticized.

The ideal would have been to have a coalition either in the first or second
(if there’ll be any) round of voting after serious consultations between all
parties on the modalities of such a coalition.  We might get caught in the
obsession of removing Yahya Jammeh only to realize that we have replaced him
with his alter ego. What will happen if the APRC loses the presidential, but
retains a majority in the National Assembly?

What Gambians should fight for is the end of ignorance and poverty and all
the accompanying ills.  We cannot continue to have leaders that sell us
nothing but big talk and falsehood, who are just interested in becoming
rulers to fill their pockets.

As Amilcar Cabral, the Bissau-Guinean freedom fighter, once put it:

“Always remember that the people are not fighting for ideas, nor for what’s
in men’s minds.  The people fight and accept the sacrifices demanded by the
struggle in order to gain material advantages, to live better and in peace,
to benefit from progress, and for the better future of their children.”

Hamadi.









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