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Momodou
Denmark
11644 Posts |
 Posted - 13 Mar 2007 : 13:51:21
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FOCUS ON POLITICS
WERE THE PEOPLE'S EXPECTATIONS MET?
With Suwaibou Touray
Continued from: http://www.gambia.dk/forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=3294
The Gambian people, by 1970, had very high expectations. One can also safely say that because of the type of propaganda waged by the P.P.P at the time, many also had misplaced expectations. For example, some people were informed that once the P.P.P wins the election in 1962, the Mandinkas should cross over from the Niumis to take over the storey buildings of the Akus and Wollofs in Banjul. That was amusing indeed as it was thought to be true.
This is to show how extreme people had been misinformed about the nature and reality of independence. Just like Pa Sanjally said, the impression was that since the Wollofs and Akus had enjoyed with the "Tubabs", It was also the time for the Mandinkas to enjoy since they were told to have formed the majority in the country, at that time. This miseducation, which persists up to today, had done irreparable damage to the political and social fabric of the Gambian society.
The history of tribalism according to researchers is not new to Africa. There is an under spread assumption that it is an indelible remnant of traditional, pre-colonial Africa, reflecting ancient, atavistic enmities.
So what we think of as tribalism is a relatively modern phenomenon that evolved in response to outside interventions rather that inspite of them.
According to researchers, "Tribalism" became a dominant mode of political life in Africa in the major slaving years, in the eighteen century or even earlier when the existing states either failed to defend citizens from violence and enslavement or collaborated with the slave traders.
So as you can see, colonialism in building cities where different tribes converged and in the case of Banjul, where some tribes happened to be Christian and educated and others not educated had a new social phenomenon, hitherto unknown, ie,"classes". People who were a bit well off began to look down upon others who they considered poor, illiterate and provincial. This was the main reason why animosities abound, leading to the formation of parties to struggle to gain power.
So naturally, the issue of tribe instead of Nation was the first to arose in the national agenda.
Had Jawara and his government addressed this issue adequately?
From records, it appeared at first that Jawara was confronted with two things such as.
1. The pioneers of the P.P.P must be satisfied that they had done the arduous task to make him president and therefore should not be left out in terms of whatever benefits independence might have brought.
2. To be seen to be decent and democratic, other ethnic groups must also see that they were not left out, since they too are citizens of the nation.
So how did Jawara try to solve this political problem?
In the beginning, he tried to do what Foroyaa calls his balancing act. The cabinet positions were as follows; Mr. Sheriff S. Sisay was appointed minister of Finance, Mr. Sheriff. M. Dibba was appointed minister of local Government and Lands, Mr. Musa Darboe was appointed minister of Agriculture and Natural resources; Mr. J. L. B. Daffeh was minister of Health. As you can see, initially all the four cabinet ministers including himself were not only considered mandinka but also had originated from the protectorate, as well as held the key ministries.
By 1970, Jawara must have tried to show that he was a national leader and that entailed two things, i.e., not to be seen as a tribalist and not to be seen to be favouring protectorate people only. The criticism was loud and clear.
So as he started his balancing act, He appointed Mr. Sheriff Mustapha Dibba as vice president and minister of Finance, Mr. Assan Musa Camara who cross carpeted from the United Party to the P.P.P as a member of parliament to the position of minister of External Affairs; Mr. Yaya Ceesay was minister for Local Government and Lands; Mr. Kalilu Singhateh as minister for Works, Mr. Ibrahima Garba Jahumpa, who left his party the Muslim congress for the P.P.P, was appointed as minister of Health; Mr. H.O. Semega Janneh, who was also a former U.P member of parliament, was minister of Agriculture; Mr. M .L. Saho, also former member of the Muslim Congress, became Attorney General; Mr. A. B. Njie, Former Muslim Congress member, was minister of state and information.
By 1972. Mr. Alieu S. Jack and Mr. M.C. Cham had been included in the cabinet.
As you can observe, Jawara's balancing act had fell against both the Mandinka and the provincial people. He had five ministers who could be classified as provincial and only three who could be classified as Mandinka, as well as original P.P.P.
Naturally, knowing the rationale and attitude of the people at that time, one could expect a backlash not only from the elites, but the rank and file of the P.P.P. It was seen that cross carpenters and colony people who were considered new comers had usurped not only most of the positions but the best positions as well. This failure of "the balancing act" had created some resentment and, to some extent, rebels. Mr. Sheriff Sisay, who had been one of the first educated provincial elites to answer to Pa Sanjally's call, found himself completely excluded not only from the positions considered as significant but also excluded from the cabinet so he had to resort to rebellious measures such as forming his own party the P.P.A. He also went on to explain to the people that Jawara had now neglected them. His party The P.P.A was, however, short lived, because of the fact that he was seen not only as a disgruntled person but also seen to be only interested in position.
So the infighting within the P.P.P has surfaced which left a noticeable dent on the organization. People like the then vice president and minister of Finance who had replaced Mr. Sisay at the time plus many others campaigned vigorously against Mr. Sisay through out the country portraying him as bad hearted and mischievous; that whoever could not pull with Jawara was as black as charcoal is in milk. The P.P.P elders later mediated between Mr. Sisay and Jawara and Sisay was said to have returned to the P.P.P.
As it can be seen, most, if not all the MPs in the United Party cross-carpeted to the PPP in search of what was popularly known as greener pastures. And Jawara knowing that most of the politicians have no ideological difference with the PPP and also having the desire to share what was also publicly accepted as the national cake, decided to lure as many of them as possible, so as to have an extreme edge above the UP. The UP suffered terribly.
He did not stop at that. Jawara also got rid of most if not all the chiefs who refused to support him in the 1959 and 1962 elections. The then minister of Local Government and Lands, Mr. S.M. Dibba went on a tour where he handed dismissal letters to these chiefs which included the then influential Illiasa Chief Mama Tamba Jammeh. Up to today, many people blame S.M Dibba and not Jawara for the sackings.
See next issue for more details on the politics of the 1970s and 80s within the P.P.P.
Source: Foroyaa Newspaper Burning Issue
Issue No. 029/2007, 12 13 March, 2007
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