I made case against efforts to assume election with some unified opposition is a winner against Yahya.  It’s not because am against election and/or union of parties but because the election apparatus is controlled/managed by Yahya who is the other contestant. Suffice to say taking that control/management of election from Yahya and placing it at a functioning public institution(s) should be our priority task. Since election is no stand-alone tool, in fact elections laws are a subcomponent of a Constitution our task should be focus on demanding our sovereignty and democracy. Such demand should center on having A Well Framed and Civilly Defended Constitution, Separation of Powers of Coequal Branches, Decentralizion of Governance, Rule of Law and Impartiality of Justice Dispensation, Civic Education (appropriate), Guaranteed, Protected Civil Liberties/Freedoms and Maintained Accurate Registers of Basic Social Statistics for informed decision-making. 

Now lets examine the other floated propositions many activists suggest as solutions to removing Yahya namely:

i.	Civil Demonstration
ii.	Yahya Dying 
iii.	Military Intervention 
iv.	Some Combination Of The Above Plus Elections

The first and most important observation is that regardless of these proposals – removal of Yahya is not synonymous to democracy.  Yeah………..He is one bad guy so are many of us. Did we forgot PPP?

Citizens expressing their views to their government are good democratic tools. Like many other political tools unless such civil demonstrations focuses on specified demands the outcomes are usually unpredictable and/or chaos. In The Gambia the relationship between average citizens and political organizations are passive at best – no sense of belonging and/or ownership. In addition the average Gambian in the villages hardly understand the role of nation state government directly to his/her life. These two factors alone make it hard to garner any massive anti-government demonstration especially when the governments of both Jawara and Yahya have used state resources as means of enticing political patronage. 

Political educations of citizens to ensure understanding of sovereignty are vital ingredients to muster cohesive political posture. Equally we’ve to be able to vehemently counter abuses of public trust for citizens to relate to the common hence appreciation of sovereignty. Many considered the water shortage demonstrations in Brikama success; even Yahya mentioned it at one of his maiden day rants as a motivation for his illegal overthrow of Jawara, yet it wasn’t about bringing down the government. The experiences of April 2000 Students Demonstrations was bitter – it wasn’t about bringing the government down but certainly disgracing them. It was crushed with deathly force. 
Surprisingly political activists never found that a good enough reason to mount the most talk about civil disobedient against the government. Instead some opinion leaders took to the airwaves either willingly and/or coerced to blame the demonstrators, political parties, demand students/parents to apologize and/or demand for calm.  In essence we do not have adequate political structures, organization and mobilization to counter government excesses with people poured into the streets. 

Let us first start erecting political pillars that will earn us recognize leverage with which we can mount irresistible civil demonstrations that’s demand will be met and/or bring the government down. Sitting in Europe/America and saying civil disobedient is the way to go while one will not be there is a bit of fantasy.  Many of our contemporaries are still in jail, while the whereabouts of others are still a mystery – our brothers/sisters back home may not be opportune to leave town and/or may have willingly decided to stay but are not foolish enough to start a fight they can neither win nor will they receive tangible support. Our task is is find options that spread the risk fairly across.

I have heard someone says – “well we don’t know Yahya’s capabilities; he (Yahya) hasn’t been tested – Gambians are afraid. He added we should test him.” I nearly told him ‘What Are You Waiting For’. My point being, people advocating for life and dead strategies that they will not participate but hoping some imaginary Gambian exists that will undertake such suicidal missions on our collective behave is not serious. There is a Mandinka saying………….”Nya Buukaa Duunokee Baarii Kuungo yee Mennoh Aa-Kaawolunneh”  (The eye knows what the head can carry although eye doesn’t carry).  

We will be better off should we direct our efforts on things we can do and control. Things we can assign one and another! Things we can pursue one step at a time! Things that their aggregate total lead to reclaiming our sovereignty and institutionalizing democracy!

Counting On Hopes That Yahya May Die Soon is an proposition! Surely this will happen – when, where and how nobody knows. Its like anyone one of us will someday die. Dead is a necessary end of living.

The question we ought to challenge ourselves is what good can we possibly gain from Yahya passing away at this point in time. Maybe the world less one bad guy and that’s it! It’s not going to earn us our sovereignty and democracy. Some are sitting with this notion that in such eventuality they will descend on Banjul with their briefcases to dictate the proceedings – The Post Yahya Gambia.  In such eventuality the best we can get is the ability to travel back home without fear of persecution. Any attempts to disrupt any proceedings of the new sheriff in town (be it civilian and/or military) will likely land us at Mile 2 and/or we return to our self imposed exiles. Or some of us may join the bandwagon to abuse the average Gambia. 

Our best bet is to pursue a deliberate political strategy that will take us to Banjul (regardless who is president and/or in the opposition) that earns us a say at the table. Should we earn such prominence at home we can then hope to play significant role both ending Yahya’s rule and managing its aftermath. In fact should we focus on reclaiming our sovereignty and institutionalization of democracy and refrain from getting muddy in party politics we can then be counted on by our people to shape the future.  Some elections, civil demonstrations, Yahya dying and/or military coup are all predicated on hollow hope that someone else will do it. No body is there to do it – simply why you didn’t is the same reasons others will stay away.

A Military Coup is another proposition! This is a very desperate option considering military coup is partly to be blamed for many of where we are today. Lack of democracy and laissez faire management led to apathy in PPP that invited military coup – by an institution that shouldn’t have been created in the first place. I would have hope what we endured over the last 20 years is more than enough for anyone to suggest military is our solution to military.  What else do I have to say? If that’s not enough, please recollect the famous military coups of West Africa from late 70s to 80s/90s – brutal, deathly and above all no democracy. But even Yahya promised “soldiers with a difference” - even he (Yahya) knows soldiers are politically bad.

A well-planned and executed military coup can throw-out Yahya. Taking out Yahya shouldn’t be an enough goal instead reclaiming and our sovereignty and institutionalizing democracy should be. Such outcome will not leave Yahya in place but to think that without him democracy will fall on to us from the sky is a big mistake.  Equally to assume that anybody beside Yahya will be easy to wok with is at best a hope – lets prepare for the worth and jealously guard our gains at every stage. 

The head of any military operation is likely to dictate the agenda. What can we do? If you have an answer why can’t we apply that on to Yahya “Right Now Right Here” (quoting Kwame Kilpatrick mayoral campaign slogan – disgraced/jailed former Detroit Major). 

The advocates were never clear who would carry out such military assault on Banjul.  What is apparent is that the advocates will not do it – either no background knowledge on military-logy and/or too comfortable in America/Europe.  The million-dollar question – who’re these mysterious Gambians to put everything on the line for you and me?
 
The chances of Officers of The Gambia National Army to overthrow Yahya are slim considering how that institution is infiltrated. However assume they pull it off and so what. Are we so desperate to assume those are the people to march us to democracy? Didn’t we learn from Yahya’s? Those arguing that “well we are now more political sophisticated so what Yahya was/is able to get away with will not be possible for the next person”. I say why not apply that political sophistication beginning with whatever is left of Yahya? Why wait for the next leader? Are we serious?

Others hope the former members of the same institution maybe our best hope. Certainly they once had military training, whether that can be translated into an actionable military operation is a different matter. Can they count on the support of some old friends in the Army – who knows that answer? Are they prepared to abandon the comfort in America/Europe to launch guerrilla warfare on the nation? Would you like to see our country suffer with dead, chopped off limbs and displacements/hunger just to get rid of Yahya? Don’t you think better options exist? I don’t know the answers but these are legitimate questions to ask because I will not leave my hideout to go hit pavements in Banjul much more ransack the nation with warfare. More importantly any individual/group that wants to take that route is never interested in democracy – that’s why s/he uses undemocratic means to ascend to power. Such efforts neither yield democracy no protect civil liberties anywhere in the world. SM Dibba and Co. were relying on the merger democratic tools against PPP but Yahya used what…?

Compatriots we have problems. The problems were created by our leaders with the support and/or condoned of our educated (wo)men. Jawara and PPP were charged with nurturing democracy of a new nation– instead they choose Mansa-Yaa and personification of state.  Many came along just to fall for it, condone it and/or participate in its propagation. Yahya jumped in with arms and promised re-orientation but instead double down on the same part only this time with terror as the main tool to ensure conformity. 

The vying off from institutionalizing democracy from the promises of our founding has resulted into the following problems:

i.	No coherent Constitution (uniform law applied at all times). In additions lack of inbuilt defense mechanism of the little that exist of what was/is considered a Constitution. Both Jawara and Yahya are synonymous to law – their words/directives were/are acting on whether that’s law or not, no body cares
ii.	Lack of impartiality the administration of laws – equality before the law. Jawara promoted Saihou Sabally to the Vice Presidency after found guilty of misappropriation by either a commission/court. Yahya would re-hire those found guilty of crimes against the state. Yet young kids found guilty of marijuana possession occupy Janjanbureh prisons. Not saying that’s not a crime but equally the formers are also a crime – why should they walk and the others sit in prison?
iii.	Lack of knowledge of the Republic and democracy – no appropriate citizen civic education to instill republican ownership of state (sovereignty) 
iv.	No Dencentralization– self-government is not from colonials to a national government but also from national government to locals. This decentralization of governance is needed and not given. Jawara fire people’s elected chiefs and now Yahya hire and fire both chiefs and village heads. Both men appoint political cronies to head Divisions/Regions. Beyond personnel there exist no independent institutions for these functions to operate within………compatriots we have bigger issues than Yahya staying and/or leaving 
v.	No Separation of powers – no coequal branches of government
vi.	No free citizen participation in governance – ability to freely express and/or associate civilly in all matters of state
vii.	No unadulterated social data/statistics – have you ever wonder how can we impartially manage public affairs without accurate data/statistics

Fellow Gambians these are our core problems. A solution is effective if it got rid of the root causes.  There is usually a re-appearance/relapse if you deal with effects rather than causes. Our cause will be served well if we endeavor to find solutions to these problems.

There are solutions. They are citizen’s solutions. They’re pragmatic political solutions. The solutions are not easy; they will take time and consume lots of resources. They are not fighting, instead our calculated moves to dictate what is said, done, when, where and what it produces.

That is exactly the subject of the draft document ‘The Working Paper’  (A Vision for Institutionalized Democracy) and how it can be role into action ‘A plan’.

Next I hope to break down the key components of such A Vision and A Plan to drive that agenda home.

The finally question to answer – who will do it?

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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