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Momodou
Denmark
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 Posted - 12 Jun 2007 : 16:30:38
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FOCUS ON POLITICS
1981 POLITICAL CRISIS
PPP STRUGGLES FOR ALL SEATS; NCP LEADER FIGHTS FOR LIFE AND POLITICAL SURVIVAL
With Suwaibou Touray
We have been focusing on politics and that exercise motivates us to analyze the political history of The Gambia from the pre-colonial to post independence era. We have dealt with the 1981 Rebellion led by Kukoi Samba Sanyang. We are now analyzing the aftermath of the coup, the state of Emergency in which the 1982 election was held. We have stopped where we said,' after the congress the PPP had over 150 aspiring candidates vying for only 35 seats in parliament whilst the Opposition had not a single candidate to nominate at the time'. Let us pick up from where we had stopped.
Continued from: http://www.gambia.dk/forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=3807
The question that bothered the opposition sympathizers at the time was whether Sheriff Dibba could stand as a Presidential candidate or not. What was, however, not in doubt was his popularity. This became clear when he arrived in court on Monday 5 April 1982, together with six others charged with offences in connection with the abortive coup against President Jawara. Thousands thronged on the court vicinity to give solidarity whilst others, no doubt, went there to satisfy and verify for themselves as to whether it was indeed true that the leader of the Opposition Hon. S.M Dibba was the one implicated.
Many abandoned the hope that he could stand as a candidate for either the presidency or parliament. Apart from the legal stumbling block, many were convinced that a man who was shackled with over 20 serious crimes against the state which could land him in prison for life or much worse to the gallows, if found guilty, would have the temerity to think of any other matter apart from how to escape from such an imbroglio.
But it soon became clear that being charged with an offence alone does not bar one from standing in an election. On the day of his nomination as presidential candidate, the court house again got crowded with countless hundreds of his party members and supporters. News also went across that his party would file candidates to contest in almost all the constituencies in the country. However, the troubling thought remained and that was, could an opposition party win an election under Regulations, (12) and (19) of the Emergency powers regulations of 1981? The answer had always been a 'NO', but others maintained that no one could know what would happen; that elections could always spring unpleasant surprises.
The position of Sheriff Dibba could only be to fight to the finish. As Cheyasin Secka had asserted in the Topic Magazine, in 1991, years after his incarceration, that "If the end was going to come, I wanted it with some dignity." So under the circumstance one could only imagine that Sheriff would feel the same way as Cheyasin or go for it all and see if an extraordinarily unpleasant surprise could emerge, as it did for Kwame Nkrumah in 1957. So all the stage was set for the battle. For the ruling PPP, it was still trying to sort out the many aspiring candidates which had already created silent war within their ranks.
By Monday 12 April 1982, Nomination of candidates for the parliament was closed and records had shown that three candidates of the PPP had already been returned unopposed. The PPP candidate for Niani, Mr. Talib Omar Bensonda, Hon. Assan Musa Camara of Kantora and Mr. Saikou Sabally of Sabach Sanjal went unopposed. The PPPs selection had created some resentment within their ranks. Some of those who were rejected felt that they were the right choices for their people and as such would instead stand as independent candidates. Many attempts were made to persuade them to rescind their decision but to no avail.
Internally, the PPP Party hierarchy also had petty contradictions in the way and manner the selection was done. The URD area was the most troubled or feared area for the party, as far as the parliamentary candidates were concerned. It went as follows; Mr. M.C Cham of the PPP, a long term serving Minister of State since the 70s was opposed by a Mbemba Tambedou, who was backed by influential people who felt that their representative to the House (Cham) who should have helped them when they have personal, as well as, official problems, had now grown feathers, meaning instead of being their servant he had become their lord. So Tumana became a battle ground not between the Opposition and the ruling party but between the various factions of the PPP itself.
In Basse constituency, the incumbent, Alhaji Kebba Krubally who was the son of a head Chief stood for the PPP but received very strong objection from the populace who felt that the position of Chief and parliamentarian should not be handled by a father and son at the same time. They feared that a semi aristocratic hegemony was about to be installed in their constituency, so they backed Bubacarr Baldeh, a son of a very strong and influential ex-politician, Mr. Micheal Baldeh of Mansajang. The NCP also filed Mr. Sulayman Sumbundu which made it a three legged race, thereby putting in doubt whether two against one ruling party candidate would augur well for Buba, even though he was seen to be very popular.
In Wuli, the incumbent was Mr. Sainey Singhateh of the PPP but the NCP put up a brother of a rich diamond dealer, Mr. Solo Darboe, who had been helping the people with gifts of rice during the hungry season of August. The candidate was Muhamed Darboe.
As for Sandu, the PPP filed Alhagi Musa Darboe, whose selection was objected to by many electors who in turn nominated Alhagi A.K. Touray as independent. The feeling was that Mr. Darboe had grown too big to represent them; that he had no time for them when they approached him for their problems and moreso he was posted as ambassador to Libya and therefore could not be accessed when they needed him. But one Mr. Kisima Sillah was also filed by the NCP, who came from Sutukonding, a big community in the constituency. The fear was that he may off-set the chances of the independent candidate.
Apart from the URD, the other thorny area was the Badibus, where Dr. Lamin Kebba Saho, who contested against Dibba in the 1977 elections as an independent, now stood as the candidate of the ruling party for the Central Badibu Constituency.
Meanwhile, good news was received by the PPP through the West Africa Magazine that Kukoi had infact been expelled from Guinea Bissau where he took sanctuary. Reports went on to say that Kukoi had been expelled with nine of his lieutenants who took part in last July's attempted coup to topple Sir Dawda Jawara; that this came shortly after the presidents of Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Gambia and Senegal agreed at a meeting in Conakry to co-ordinate against subversion and destabilization in the region. It was later discovered that Kukoi got asylum in Libya which created a diplomatic rift between The Gambia and Libya, a country which helped to establish the GPTC and many projects in the country.
However, shortly before this, an unpleasant publicity was made by a British Newspaper that Jawara had bought or attempted to buy a very expensive yacht in London. The president was said to be so unhappy about the allegations that he had to take legal action against the Newspaper which he eventually won, but which no doubt had already made the incalculable damage to his reputation, portraying him as not only greedy but arrogant and refusing to learn lessons from July 30.
To prove that he meant business, should he emerge winner of the 1982 elections, the president announced the establishment of a commission of Enquiry under Section 2 Subsection (1) (c ) of the commission of inquiries Act Cap 28. This commission consisted of the following people;
1. Mr. A. A. B. Gaye-Chairman
2. Mr. M.A. Jallow- Member
3. Mr. Sedia K. L Sagnia-member
Many began to feel that the old patient, cool, calm Jawara was no more; that the July 30 rebellion has indeed influenced the course of events; because Jawara had always argued against such an inquiry.
Continued: http://www.gambia.dk/forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=3830
Source: Foroyaa Newspaper Burning Issue
Issue No. 67/2007, 11- 12 June 2007
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A clear conscience fears no accusation - proverb from Sierra Leone |
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