 |
|
| Author |
 Topic  |
|
|
kobo
United Kingdom
7765 Posts |
 Posted - 04 Jul 2011 : 11:48:37
|
INTERESTING READ RETROSPECTIVELY FROM JOLLOF ON-LINE NEWS TWO PARTS SERIES;
1. Special Election 2011: What is the chaff from the grain?
"(Jollofnews) - Less than six months before the November presidential elections, Gambians are yet to have any clue about the strength of the opposition or how APRC’s new political strategy is going to look like, leaving us reeling with mountains of unanswered questions. It looks evident that our divided opposition members are adamant in their inability to put aside their selfish interests and field in a formidable candidate against President Yahya Jammeh. These passive politicians are simply giving an easy ride to Mr. Jammeh to consolidate his grip on power with everything un-Gambian.
In this two-piece commentary, I intend to delve into the core issues biting politicians from both camps. In so doing, I will unveil everything crucial, including the skeletons they hide in their cupboards.
The opposition
The Gambian opposition can best be described as the “well-nurtured goose that failed to lay golden eggs.” They comprise of seasoned political brains, fully in touch with everyday lives of the people from all strata of life in the Gambia. Their background encompasses the length and breath of the country. Among them are the best communicators and sincere advocates of honesty, devotion, patriotism, and accountability in leadership. Some of them have not only led inspiring lives of example but also inspire generations. They are endowed with excellent virtues, unprecedented self-discipline and abundance of integrity. In a nutshell, morality in leadership in today’s Gambia can only be found in our opposition camp.
However, one now wonders why the opposition have not been able to put meaning to all these attributes to turn the tide around and get rid of APRC’s bad system and leadership. The opposition politicians know the issues and can communicate very well. Each of them has a strong followership base, yet they have not managed to be electable. Why? There might be many reasons for this development but it’s my conviction that the opposition have lost sight of one the basic, indispensable elements of mass mobilization - unity.
Everywhere in the world, one thing that brings a government to listen is a united people, though no government wants a united public against it. Unity inspires, drives out individual fear, energizes and motivates a people towards achieving a mission and vision because they will do everything they can to remove all the obstacles on their way. You can have all the best words expressed in the best form, but you cannot get people on your side if you lack the ability to rally them behind a common goal. Of course, this is not a new lesson for the opposition.
Their inability to unite therefore is the key problem tearing them apart. I think the problem has to do with their ego. The NADD train that crashed in the run-up to the 2006 elections exposed the opposition as a group of people, who like children, would not see the bigger picture but would project their ego, and prefer to go alone. Well, you can do that if you are choosing to stay on your own but not when you are looking for the majority of people to vote for your project.
If they are to be worth their salt, at this very moment they should demonstrate the first sign by forming a single bloc in the form of party agents to monitor the registration process, to avoid corrupt registration practices. Didn’t they realize that they have more work to do than the APRC, which has everything it needs to win the election – resources, state machinery and apparatus? The party is good at selling its message to voters, especially as regards to its so-called development achievements since July 1994, a day that coup everything we are proud of, including our good cultures and values. We have addressed this issue in this forum before. All what the opposition needs is to rally around one person who would not be scared to trek the entire country and denounce what they believe is the negative attitude of the APRC everywhere – bantabas, soccer pitches and wedding ceremonies.
Let the opposition make ordinary Gambians feel their presence, boldness and reliability. In that, they must prove that no amount of fear, intimidation or harassment can distract them or stand on their road to success. With such spirits, they will be able to challenge power of incumbency and demand the right to hold rallies without attached strings; they can also fight for access to the public media, financed and operated by taxpayer’s money.
They must shun or shy away from any form of provocation, insults or violence. This does not mean they should not fight back any attempts to block them from campaigning freely. I want them to remember the sayings of Napoleon Hills, author of Science of Success, “put fear behind and see how quickly the door of faith opens in front of you.”
Our opposition must also guard the tone of their language. For them to regain their feat in the political battle ground, they should fine-tune their language and in the process, all edit messages geared towards polarizing the masses. Genuine and honest politicians center their message on issues instead of tribal or religious affiliation, an ugly trend becoming entrenched in African politics.
Watch out for the message to the APRC coming soon.........
Written by Yusupha Cham"
2. Special Election 2011: Message To The APRC
3. NADD, the political paradise that never was
4. Spotlight, Opposition platform 2011
5. ALSO A SPECIAL ARTICLE (RETROSPECT) AS A TEST CASE OF UNITING OPPOSITION CAMPS " FROM MAAFANTA.COM ARCHIVES UDP and PDOIS belong together - by Karamba Touray
|
Edited by - kobo on 04 Jul 2011 16:13:03 |
|
|
kobo
United Kingdom
7765 Posts |
Posted - 05 Jul 2011 : 15:23:14
|
WE HAVE DIFFERENT APPROACHES TO ADDRESS THE ISSUES AND SAVE THE NATION FROM ITS PREDICAMENT
I INTEND TO TRY AND REVIEW THE CRITICAL TIMES, CRITICAL AREAS, STATEMENTS, DECLARATIONS, POINTS, AND DIFFERENCES IN OPINIONS; FROM FORUM TOPICS.
HOWEVER BEFORE I PROCEED WITH THE EXERCISE TO ACHIEVE MY OBJECTIVE, AM COMPELLED TO PAUSE BRIEFLY TO SHARE AND ALLOW OTHERS TO REFLECT ON CERTAIN STATEMENTS BELOW; THAT HAVE A GREAT WEIGHT TO HELP THE FLOW OF OPINIONS BEING REVIEWED?
I WAS VERY FORTUNATE TO PICK THESE WONDERFUL EXCHANGES OF OPINIONS ON-LINE WHERE MATURITY IS OVER-RIDDING PREJUDICES FROM TWO OPPOSITION MILITANTS/CAMPS SUPPORTING DIFFERENT MAINSTREAM PARTIES; ON WORK-IN-PROGRESS AND ENGAGEMENT ON GAMBIA-L FROM THESE;
"Daffeh,
Rather than critiquing each other, as Gambians, as patriots faced with the same predicament, why cant we get together, talk to each other in a cross-party consensus, formulate a strategy devoid of partisanship and create an enabling environment that will address our misgivings against each other, conduct a very honest, very open minded exchange, that could culminate in a bi-partisan relationship that could lead to presenting a single candidate. I am convinced with sincerity and good will, those of us in the diaspora have the leverage to make this happen. I will urge you and your UDP fellows to contact me at 07984524628 or skype malickk43 and we shall trash out our differences and figure out how we can come to an understanding of some sort. I hope you will take this invitation and we meet up as soon as possible."
Malick Kah
Malick, for your information the UDP U.K had a meeting in London last month the 25th June. This coming Saturday, the 9th of July, our members with others will be having an informal gathering in London again. You are more than welcome to attend and speak with us. Our party is ever in pusuit of good relations and cordial dealing with Gambians. This is the bedrock of our party leader's approach to politics. The strength of opposition politics is always synergise with a Coalition arrangement. However, this is easier said than done
As a party, Coalition or no coalition, we aim to maintain good relations with all opposition parties.
Again, should you have time to attend, let me know. I will send you the address privately.
Thanks
Suntou"
SUNTOU AND MALICK KAH DESERVED COMMENDATION AND HOPE SANITY PREVAILS
NOTE WHAT FOLLOWS NEXT IS DEVOTING A SECTION/PAGE OF ANALYSIS FOR EACH OPPOSITION PARTY |
Edited by - kobo on 05 Jul 2011 15:40:56 |
 |
|
|
kobo
United Kingdom
7765 Posts |
Posted - 14 Jul 2011 : 14:59:56
|
| INTERESTING WITH GAINAKO ON-LINE NEWS FROM The Fix |
|
|
|
kobo
United Kingdom
7765 Posts |
|
|
kobo
United Kingdom
7765 Posts |
|
|
kobo
United Kingdom
7765 Posts |
|
| |
Topic |
|
|
|
| Bantaba in Cyberspace |
© 2005-2024 Nijii |
|
|
|
Topic Locked
