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sankalanka
270 Posts |
 Posted - 21 Sep 2013 : 05:45:00
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Thanks Kobo ,
Sankalanka, thanks for keeping up with my pace.
"…Through a systematic campaign of political awareness and consciousness, they helped us understand the instruments of the state and its mode of governance, and in so doing contributed immensely to help build an informed citizenry. …"
"Let’s assume an “informed citizenry” makes informed choices."
Yes, that is the ideal. The whole concept of helping to developed an informed citizenry is to provide the people with the information that will help them to make inform choices. This is the start of the process to build a true democratic culture, for it is inconceivable to build a true democratic society if the people do not know the nature of their government and the role each should play in it.
PDOIS has a vision of building a true democratic culture and society in the Gambia, and it is therefore imperative that is where their mission should begin. That is why they spent years prosecuting this first phase of their political agenda which is to create awareness.
There were militant political groupings before PDOIS, at various times in the Gambia's political history, but what is different with PDOIS is that it is organized around certain fundamental principles with are discernible and known to everyone.
That is why I can, who is not and have never been a member of PDOIS, educate myself about the party and use their political literature to have an intelligent discussion. If I should make inform choices I definitely know what it would be.
"PDOIS came in the political arena at the later part of the first republic. So, by the time the second republic came into existence the citizenry, with the help of PDOIS, was more informed than the citizenry of the first republic."
With all the information that has been disseminated through political rallies, and there were numerous of them throughout the length and breadth of the country; its political organ Foroyaa; all the cassettes, pamphlets, symposiums and various other outlets, yes I would agree with your statement that people were more informed.
"Are there any differences between the first and second republics, in terms of democracy, mode of governance etc.?"
You first have to take cognizance of the fact that one of the fundamental principles that govern the existence of PDOIS is to build an inform and enlighten citizenry. For them it is inconceivable to build a true democratic polity if the people are not informed and enlightened.
Democratic principles are universal, and are the norms that should govern our political culture which PDOIS has strive to inculcate. The mode of governance should institutionalized this democratic culture and build the institutions and structures that would support it.
Did the governance of the first and second republics institutionalized this democratic culture, and did it build the institutions and structures that would support it?
"In which way is the informed citizenry impacting or influencing the everyday life of Gambians, today?"
From Independence, the Gambia has known only two governments; one lasted for more than thirty years, and the other is more than 18 years and counting. We know the nature of the first, and we also know how the second came into being.
That the citizens are informed is an irrefutable fact. How are they impacting and influencing their everyday lives is a continuing process. That is the reason why we are always talking about it.
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Janko
Gambia
1267 Posts |
Posted - 23 Sep 2013 : 11:16:12
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Thanks, sankalanka
Nyarikangbanna
The electoral performance may possibly be a yardstick with which to measure the impact PDOIS´s sensitization program has, in persuading support for its party.
That is, if all” informed citizenry” support and share PDOIS’s political ideology as a better alternative. But if that statement is false, then who are the informed citizenry giving their support, APRC, UDP, NRP etc.? If they are giving their support to others, then PDOIS is more effective as a popular educator than a political party.
Lastly, is informed citizenry a good incentive for democratization?
Was the 1994 undemocratic overthrow of government staged by informed citizenry?
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Clean your house before pointing a finger ... Never be moved by delirious Well-wishers in their ecstasy |
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sankalanka
270 Posts |
Posted - 23 Sep 2013 : 15:29:52
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"The electoral performance may possibly be a yardstick with which to measure the impact PDOIS´s sensitization program has, in persuading support for its party."
I don't think you can used as a yardstick PDOIS'S electoral performance to gauge its sensitization programs.
The sensitization programs are meant to build a conscious mass movement for change. The factors that militate against the building of this mass movement for change, determine to a certain extend how quickly a change that guarantees all the fundamental and basic rights of the people can come into fruition.
In the first republic, the P.P.P had consolidated its power. It had used political patronage, sycophancy and other methods of inducement to win every election cycle for more than thirty years.
Even those who had very strong backgrounds, Sheriff Ceesay who tried to form a political party and could not succeed, and Sheriff Dibba who eventually formed a political party, could not succeed in their efforts to replace the P.P.P.
For PDOIS to succeed against this entrenched and consolidated political power structure, means that PDOIS has to evolved from a party owned by a few people to a party own by a mass of the Gambian people. This is the fundamental challenge before PDOIS then and it is the fundamental challenge before it now.
Political parties in the first republic and political parties in the second republic tried to gain popular support by raising funds; by mobilizing opinion leaders in the villages and other places and make them mobilizers for their parties. But the fact of the matter remains that the ruling party is always better positioned to raise more funds; has the resources to mobilize more opinion leaders and turn them into mobilizers for the ruling party. And consequently can always win elections.
Whether a political party has three percent of the votes in an electoral cycle or more than three percent of the votes, makes any claim of popular opposition support mute since they can never garner the majority of votes necessary to win an election outright.
"That if that statement is false, then who are the informed citizenry giving their support, APRC, UDP, NRP etc.? If they are giving their support to others, then PDOIS is more effective as a popular educator than a political party."
The statement is not false. The informed citizenry wants political guidance and leadership.
Take the situation after the coup. The P.P.P, N.C.P and G.P.P were banned as political parties. PDOIS was not banned. But instead of giving support to PDOIS that would have agreed to create a more democratic constitution and electoral system and call for elections which would have opened the process to all political parties, they instead opted not to rally around PDOIS.
They split into two camps. One camp supported the ruling party, while the other rallied around the new created opposition political party. The rest of history.
"Lastly, is informed citizenry a good incentive for democratization?" Yes.
"Was the 1994 undemocratic overthrow of government staged by informed citizenry?"
In my opinion, citizens who are informed will not stage an overthrow of a democratic system. They will use the democratic process to change it.
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Janko
Gambia
1267 Posts |
Posted - 23 Sep 2013 : 18:20:06
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Thanks sankalanka, very informative.
Sorry for not being clear. Let me clarify.
Let’s say the increase in the number of informed citizenry is due to PDOIS´s sensitization program (as I understand). Why is that not showing in the numbers of votes for PDOIS? Well maybe not all informed citizenry share PDOIS’s political ideology and or consider it to be a better alternative. Who knows, maybe the informed citizenry votes for APRC, UDP or other parties.
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Clean your house before pointing a finger ... Never be moved by delirious Well-wishers in their ecstasy |
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toubab1020
12306 Posts |
Posted - 23 Sep 2013 : 18:39:38
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"Who knows, maybe the informed citizenry votes for APRC, UDP or other parties."
Probably. |
"Simple is good" & I strongly dislike politics. You cannot defend the indefensible.
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Edited by - toubab1020 on 23 Sep 2013 18:39:56 |
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Nyarikangbanna
United Kingdom
1382 Posts |
Posted - 23 Sep 2013 : 23:05:16
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Janko, you have finally brought The fallacy behind Rene's postulations to bear. Well done.
Thanks |
I do not oppose unity but I oppose dumb union. |
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sankalanka
270 Posts |
Posted - 24 Sep 2013 : 08:32:28
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"Let’s say the increase in the number of informed citizenry is due to PDOIS´s sensitization program (as I understand)."
It is the political party since its inception that makes it as part of its mission to educate and inform the people in order to create awareness. And they have been doing this on a continual basis ever since.
"Why is that not showing in the numbers of votes for PDOIS?"
Janko, I have just explained to you why PDOIS'S sensitization programs cannot be used to measure the party's ability to win votes in an election. The sensitization programs are the first phase of the party's political agenda.
And there was a time during the robust period of these sensitization programs when people were of the opinion that PDOIS'S leadership was not interested in governing.
Why now the sudden interest in PDOIS'S electoral numbers, as if the existence of the party largely depends on these numbers. It does not.
"Well maybe not all informed citizenry share PDOIS’s political ideology and or consider it to be a better alternative."
Nonetheless the citizenry have been informed and are still being informed. And the good thing about this whole process is that there are always choices.
PDOIS's programs, aims and objectives, policies and principles are there; their political agenda is in phases and is gradually evolving, and there is still time to convince people that they have a better alternative.
"Who knows, maybe the informed citizenry votes for APRC, UDP or other parties."
It could very well might have been. In 1992 President Jawara asked the people to vote for any party other than PDOIS.
And not only that, there were claim that if PDOIS'S comes to power a person will harvest his groundnuts for everyone to share; and that everyone would have to share his wife.
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Nyarikangbanna
United Kingdom
1382 Posts |
Posted - 24 Sep 2013 : 20:39:16
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Rene, you are incoherent in logic and deluded in ideology. This is no exaggeration my friend.
Thanks |
I do not oppose unity but I oppose dumb union. |
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