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Momodou
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 Posted - 20 Oct 2007 : 19:33:05
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FOCUS ON POLITICS
POST-1987 GENERAL ELECTIONS; JAWARA FINALLY CHOOSES CABINET
With Suwaibou Touray
We have been focusing on politics in this column with a view to drawing forward the past so as to help the people especially the young ones to be able to have an understanding of our democratic system and be able to gauge how far we have gone in achieving a workable and fair democratic system.
We have gone far into the narration of events culminating in the 1987 general elections. We have dealt with the results and the reactions. We have stopped where we said the opposition resorted to the courts.
Let us start from where we stopped.
The controversy that was debated for two months was Sir Dawda’s refusal to appoint a new cabinet after the results were announced on 11 March 1987. He did this on the pretext that since he called the elections earlier than 11 May by two months, he should finish his term of office before appointing a new cabinet.
This became a hot debate. He first went to the People’s Republic of China (mainland) on the invitation of that country. According to the Gambia Times, China then gave a loan of 60 million Dalasis to the Gambia.
He was said to have received a grand welcome from the people of China.
The Nation Newspaper however was very critical of Sir Dawda at the time. They said the president during his campaign had attacked communism but his first port of call after victory was communist China. They wondered what principle the president was applying.
However, this period of suspense, i.e. the lack of forming a new cabinet, had created uneasiness on the part of those PPP elites who were vying for cabinet positions. They were said to be at a lost. No one was sure as to whether one would be given a portfolio or what position one may be assigned to. According to the Nation, most of those elites within the PPP who were vying for cabinet posts had been shuttling between Banjul and the country side, some as far as Cassamance in search of marabouts (soothsayers) who would use spiritual means
to help them influence the president’s decision in their favour when appointing his cabinet.
By May 11 1987, Sir Dawda finally named his cabinet as thus;
Vice President and Minister of Education, Youth, Sports and Culture, Honourable B.B Darbo;
Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Honourable Hassan B. Jallow;
Minister of Finance and Trade, Hon. Sheriff Saikouba Sisay;
Minister of External Affairs, Hon. Alhagie Omar Sey;
Minister of the Interior, Hon. Lamin Kiti Jabang;
Minister of Agriculture, Hon. Saihou S. Sabally;
Minister of Local Government and Lands, Hon. Landing Jallow Sonko;
Minister of Water Resources, Forestry and Fisheries, Hon. Omar Amadou Jallow;
Minister of Health Environment Labour and Social Welfare, Hon. Mrs. Louise A. Njie;
Minister of Works and Communications, Hon. Muhamadu Cadi Cham;
Minister of Economic Planning and Industrial Development, Hon. Mbemba Jatta;
Minister of Information and Tourism –Hon. Dr Lamin Saho.
This cabinet brought news of what the press called casualties when it was learned that some of the old guards and what they called “the new questionables” have been thrown out. The result is that Mr. M.C Jallow, former Minister of Health, Mr. Amulai Janneh, former Minister of Local Government, Mr. L. B. Mboge, former Minister of Works and Communications, Mr. A.E.W.F Badjie, Former Minister of Interior and Mr. A.A Njie, former Minister of Economic Planning and Industrial Development who was said to be rejected by the Serekunda West PPP supporters
as a candidate were all replaced.
The news struck some like a thunderbolt from nowhere. According to the Nation, a former Minister was said to have fallen quite ill after hearing that he was dropped from cabinet. Unconfirmed reports, which were heavily relied on in those days, said his marabout gave him so much assurance that he would be re-appointed and
as such, the failure was more than his psyche could accommodate. The two new ministers coming from the ranks of the parliamentary secretaries were Mr. Mbemba Jatta of Gunjur and Dr. Lamin Saho of Central Baddibu. Mr. Omar Sey was a backbencher but was as the Nation put it, unprecedentedly appointed straight to the position of External Affairs without the usual apprenticeship in serving as parliamentary secretary.
Mr. M.E Jallow, a trade unionist, was also appointed as a Nominated member in the House but suddenly died before his appearance in the House. He would have been the first person to represent trade union interest during the first Republic after the late Edward Francis small in the then legislative council.
According to the Nation, the appointment of the late M.E Jallow was believed by some as a reward for his support for the SeneGambia confederation while others maintained that it was as a result of pressure to recognize the Gambia worker’s union that was banned by the Government in the late 70s. One noticeable absence was that of Dr. J.S Palmer in the list of nominated members, which was a surprise to many educated Gambians at home and abroad who were following his contributions in the House.
According to reports, he was one person who refused to be bogged down by the consideration that he was nominated by the president and therefore was obliged to promote government policy whether or not it served the interests of the people. J. S Palmer, the Nation said, asked potent but relevant questions which many within government circles were uncomfortable with. The Nation clamoured that no attempt should be made to neutralize concrete, constructive and sincere criticisms; that if history were to be repeated, then sad events loomed ahead.
The Nation ascertained that the reason why Africa was in turmoil is because of economic and social dilemma accompanied by suppression of democracy. It opined that the resultant effect is a conglomeration of what
they called “yes men and yes women”, surrounded by dangerous opportunists supporting autocratic power in this country. One good thing that occurred after the swearing in of the president on May 11 was when Sir Dawda granted Amnesty to 24 Prisoners connected with the 1981 rebellion, but it had been sadly noticed that the NLP leader, Pap Cheyassin Secka, was not included.
According to reports, during the swearing- in ceremony at the Maccarthy Square, thousands of spectators converged but an intriguing thing that occurred was, whilst PPP supporters and sympathizers were expressing and emphasizing their unflinching support for the PPP government, others were at the same time shouting the GPP
Slogan “Jawara jJippo” yet others were demanding “accountability on public funds from the government”.
According to reports, the police were with rifles that kept a watchful eye but did not interfere.
The one bad thing Gambians were struck with was the revelation that the deadly AIDS Virus have officially been discovered in the Gambia; that about 12 cases have been discovered but 4 patients had already died. It was at this time that the first international symposium on AIDS was held in Brussels which marked bitter dispute between African and Western researchers over the origin of the disease.
See next edition as we delve into issues of later 1987.
Source: Foroyaa Newspaper Burning Issue
Issue No. 117/2007, 5 - 7 October, 2007
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A clear conscience fears no accusation - proverb from Sierra Leone |
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