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| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Momodou |
Posted - 09 Feb 2017 : 09:02:11
What if Halifa is not in the Cabinet?
By Dembo Fatty
I have read quite extensively about the alleged refusal of Halifa to take a Cabinet position. I say alleged because I have no idea whether he was even offered one in the first place or whether he was offered and he declined the offer. Either way I don’t see why that should preoccupy the nation and generate so many hullabaloos.
Halifa is a private citizen like any one of us and therefore has the right to refuse and offer of employment. The constitution guarantees citizens the right to vote and be voted for. But in the same vein, one has a right to not vote at all which should be respected to some degree. I do understand that in some countries, not voting in an election is an offence and punishable by a fine. And that’s why my response to those who cling on the popular adage that democracy means a “government by the people and for the people”, is that such a government is only for “those who vote”. That may sound radical, but if you refuse to vote in my opinion, you have given away a very valuable power to influence the democratic process. I do also understand that not voting can be a protest which we all have rights to. We may also not vote because we do not have confidence in any of the candidates running for office.
That said, a cabinet position is very different from a civil service position. That is, a Cabinet minister servers “at the pleasure” of the President. It’s that simple. You agree to follow and sell the Government’s agenda in terms of policy. You cannot be in cabinet and be campaigning for your party. A civil service job is a job that serves the interests of the state. Governments come and go, the civil service stays. A civil servant does not serve at the pleasure of the President and is bound a set of four legal documents that governs his tenure: the Public Service Act, the Pensions Act, the Public Service Commission Regulations and the General Orders. So a civil servant serves at the “pleasure of the state”.
We have to understand that the coalition is a group pf parties with different ideologies with regard to development and where they want to take the country. So the coalition can best be described by a line Trinculo from Shakespeare’s book “The Tempest”:
“Alas, the storm is come again!
my best way is to creep under his gaberdine;
there is no other shelter hereabouts:
misery acquaints a man with strange bed-fellows. I will here shroud till the dregs of the storm be past.”
This best describes the coalition. It’s an alliance of convenience and truly the ideologies of these parties run parallel and do not converge. They came together to take on a common opponent and each is willing to swallow a little bit of their terms so that they can trudge on through the murky and muddy puddles of a transition stream. There will be mud stuck on their legs or even get stuck unable to move but that’s what it is all about. Giving and taking until the three years is over.
That is why in the first week of the victory, I wrote a piece that the coalition cabinet should not be composed of any career politicians especially leaders of the parties in the coalition. Once an opponent is defeated, they should all take a back seat. Go back to their parties and prepare for next round of elections while allowing Barrow to fill his Cabinet with technocrats to usher in programs of rectifications during the three years. Having career politicians will end up just being politics as usual. Besides, it’s a political suicide if you take a cabinet position because come the next campaign, it’s hard to criticize yourself and one may just end up defending one’s role during the transition instead of putting forward viable and alternative options of managing the country if elected. Those who have taken positions are up for a rough ride. Just watch this space come 2019. Things will always go wrong according to Murphy’s Law. Whether the wrong was committed by the Minister or people under him, he or she will still be held accountable as the leader of the ministry. It’s just not enough to argue that it was done by people under me not I. That argument will not stand. The buck stops with the leader.
Another issue I think quite relevant is that many Gambians are not yet into volunteering for free or taking on causes just for the interest of the majority where they do not personally benefit. Or even demonstrate to protect the rights of some section of the population that does not affect them. When you go for Hajj for example, people come around giving gifts before you leave. Trust me, make sure you keep a list of all the donations because 99% expect a gift back once you return. It’s not uncommon for someone to give you D100 and expects a scarf when you return even though the scarf may cost D500. For goodness shake, if you want a scarf, just say so and give me D500 to buy it for you rather than hide behind the pretext of a gift when truly all you wanted was just be seen donating but expects the money back with higher interest. It’s the same thing during naming ceremonies or for almost all events. This culture perhaps may explain why people are so obsessed with Halifa in Cabinet because he worked hard and therefore needs to be “compensated” because we hardly do anything just for the sake of helping a good cause and expect no personal financial or monetary gains. Halifa has sacrificed his time over the years educating people and is not expecting to be rich out of it in the process. I will be surprised if Halifa will ever try to benefit from anything especially from a position of trust and more so in a public office.
You can serve your country in many forms and not necessarily behind the desk. For many Gambians the saying “Wachaa rahasoo” comes to mind. The indifference and contempt we show to people who work their hands to earn a decent living is rife everywhere. So if you take a job which dirties your hands, you are not as honorable as the one who ties his neck and pushes a pen behind a desk. You must be clean after a day’s work rather than having to wash your dirty hands at the end of a work day. You can serve your country away from the corridors of power and still be honorable. If you are tailor, make sure you the best out there. If you are a cook, make sure you cook the best meals. If you are a janitor, make sure you pride yourself in the best cleaned office and perhaps, if you are a thief, make a name for yourself. It is collections of these individual but important contributions that makes a nation strong not just sitting behind a desk and push a pen. Some birds cannot be caged in an office because their feathers are too bright.
Because of our despise for technical jobs, we have not been able to add anything to the advancement of human kind. Intellectual property is virtually nonexistent and we retire to be mere consumers of civilization rather than as contributors or creators of technologies that can catapult us to the next century.. Creativity is dead because everyone wants to be in an air-conditioned office pushing pens.
Halifa likes to write and I am not sure if he would be able to continue his writings while at the same time serving in Cabinet. There is bound to be a conflict of interest between what he wants to do and what his office expects of him to do. The secrecy act will gag him and I am not sure how he would respond to any acts of omissions or commissions by people who work under his ministry.
Let’s respect his rights to decide for himself and not choke him into taking a responsibility that he does not want. I am not saying he said so, but whatever is his reason, I will respect it because we all can contribute without being in cabinet or close to the President’s office. The farmer at Yoro Bawol is as important in nation building as the President. There is dignity in labor and please pump your chest if you have a job that dirties your hands. It means you live by your own sweat. How honorable a life. In the end, when you stand before the God of History in your next life, you can proudly say that you lived your life honorably and am sure He will be proud of you.
Until then I make no qualms if Halifa is not being in Cabinet and if he chooses to serve his country in a way and manner he sees fit should be respected. After all, what’s a job you don’t enjoy? Your spend 8 hours of active hours on your job. You just have to like it.
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| 6 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Sister Omega |
Posted - 17 Feb 2017 : 14:05:48
By the didn't Halifa Sallah do a fantastic job during the transtition. His patience perseverance assurance and professionalism shone through his calm statements. Definitely his input was the balm for calm in uncertain times. Does Halifa Sallah really need his wings clipped? He is a voice of conscience and would be better suited in a holistic post where his multifaceted skillset can be desseminated and transferred to the population. Some type of civic media education portfolio perhaps. |
| Alhassan |
Posted - 15 Feb 2017 : 14:55:02
quote:
Originally posted by kayjatta
There is no ideological difference between UDP, NRP, PPP, and GMC. The only difference between these parties is their names and the temperament of their respective leaders. PDOIS is the only party that has clear-cut ideological differences from all the other parties.
I agree with fatty that Halifa does not have to serve in the cabinet, and in fact I believe Halifa will be of much better use as Speaker or member of the national Assembly to guide the proposed legislative reforms, or perhaps in the "Think tank" to produce knowledge and ideas that will shape the development agenda of the government.
To be frank I was shocked at eagerness of these political party leaders to settle into their cozy little cabinet jobs without even considering the positions for other senior members of their parties while they focus on their party matters.
Halifa is a true servant of the people !!!
bro, am in the Gambia and have been since before the elections. It seems that all the party leaders were hungry to take a minister post. The technocrats that we heard about before are all forgotten. Even the women are not in fokus as we can see.As for the youth they have to depend on backpay because they lack employment and still no one considers them .Among the youth are very efficient technocrats that are not in focus at all.If we want Gambia to go forward we must engage the youth and the women. The gambians are doing just as they did during the past governments. Nawec is still here with a lot of blackouts. Still there is yet very much to be done. |
| sankalanka |
Posted - 10 Feb 2017 : 20:41:59
I wonder who are members of the Coalition Executive Committee (C.E.C)if all these party leaders are appointed as ministers.
According to the MOU, the Coalition Executive Committee is represented by all the parties to the coalition. It is the decision making organ of the coalition government. The president has to consult with this body on all matters that pertains to the coalition government.
Are these party leaders appointed as ministers also members of the C.E.C.?
Does the functions of the C.E.C. changed and does the executive powers of the president more pronounced? |
| toubab1020 |
Posted - 10 Feb 2017 : 19:50:09
Good to see some of the Old School have returned to post on Bantaba in Cyberspace,I miss them |
| Momodou |
Posted - 09 Feb 2017 : 12:33:00
quote:
Originally posted by kayjatta
There is no ideological difference between UDP, NRP, PPP, and GMC. The only difference between these parties is their names and the temperament of their respective leaders. PDOIS is the only party that has clear-cut ideological differences from all the other parties.
I agree with fatty that Halifa does not have to serve in the cabinet, and in fact I believe Halifa will be of much better use as Speaker or member of the national Assembly to guide the proposed legislative reforms, or perhaps in the "Think tank" to produce knowledge and ideas that will shape the development agenda of the government.
To be frank I was shocked at eagerness of these political party leaders to settle into their cozy little cabinet jobs without even considering the positions for other senior members of their parties while they focus on their party matters.
Halifa is a true servant of the people !!!
I agree! |
| kayjatta |
Posted - 09 Feb 2017 : 09:52:06
There is no ideological difference between UDP, NRP, PPP, and GMC. The only difference between these parties is their names and the temperament of their respective leaders. PDOIS is the only party that has clear-cut ideological differences from all the other parties.
I agree with fatty that Halifa does not have to serve in the cabinet, and in fact I believe Halifa will be of much better use as Speaker or member of the national Assembly to guide the proposed legislative reforms, or perhaps in the "Think tank" to produce knowledge and ideas that will shape the development agenda of the government.
To be frank I was shocked at eagerness of these political party leaders to settle into their cozy little cabinet jobs without even considering the positions for other senior members of their parties while they focus on their party matters.
Halifa is a true servant of the people !!! |
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