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Momodou
Denmark
11744 Posts |
 Posted - 10 Nov 2013 : 21:27:34
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Culled from Daily News.
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Dr. Aboubacar Senghore: Another Sacrificial lamb?
By D. A. Jawo
The Daily News: Published on Friday, November 08, 2013
Even though, as a result of the frequent removals and recycling of ministers and other senior government officials as well as other unpredictable happenings that Gambians have become accustomed to since 1994, hardly anything now surprises them, but the appointment of Dr. Aboubacar Senghore as Gambian Foreign Affairs Minister to replace Susan Waffa Ogoo who was sacked last week, no doubt came as a surprise to many people.
While Dr. Senghore is no doubt a seasoned academic who has been in the education system for quite some time now, but diplomacy is certainly quite a different kettle of fish altogether. Therefore, being an accomplished university lecturer does not make anyone a good foreign minister. At the very best of times, a foreign minister has to be a seasoned diplomat who has to have some experience in the foreign service of any country. However, with the ambiguous diplomatic corner that the Gambia recently finds itself, thanks to President Yahya Jammeh’s decision to withdraw from the Commonwealth as well as launch a vitriolic unprecedented verbal assault on such world powers like the United Kingdom and the United States, as well as his frequent swipes at his sub-regional colleagues, it would be quite interesting to see how a novice like Dr. Senghore can handle such a situation. Therefore, with no experience in the diplomatic arena and with hardly any experience in government, it would be a miracle if Dr. Senghore can get the Gambia out of this diplomatic quagmire that it finds itself.
It should be noted that Dr. Senghore is the 13th person to serve in the position of foreign affairs minister since 1994, and definitely, he will not be the last under the Jammeh administration. If the other more seasoned diplomats would not survive long in the position, it would be hard for anyone to give Dr. Senghore any more chance than his predecessors. He should therefore be considered quite lucky if he exceeds the eleven months served by Mrs. Waffa-Ogoo in the post.
As a result of the Gambia’s confused foreign policy, which seems to be directly controlled and manipulated by President Jammeh, to suit his own whims and caprices, the foreign affairs portfolio is like a poisoned chalice, hence the ever-growing number of former occupants, and we are sure still counting. In fact apart from the Attorney General and Ministry of Justice, which has already have had more than 14 former occupants, the Foreign Affairs Ministry seems to be the hottest seat to handle.
Therefore, Dr. Senghore, who is also a scholar in Islamic jurisprudence, needs all the prayers and wishes to not only survive long in the position, but to have the ability to navigate the complex diplomatic web that he has inherited.
Source: Daily News
Related: Jammeh removes Foreign Minister Susan Waffa-Ogoo
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