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Momodou
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 Posted - 20 Oct 2007 : 20:08:28
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FOCUS ON POLITICS
THE 1987 GENERAL ELECTIONS RULING PARTY RESORTS TO RELIGION AS ELECTION DRAWS NEAR
With Suwaibou Touray
We have been focusing on politics in this column and this motivates us to narrate the history of The Gambia from pre-colonial to Post-Independence epoch.
We have since then followed the narration of events up to 1987, which was an election year for both Presidential and House of Representatives.
In the last issues we have narrated a debate as to whether the elections (1987) would be free and fair. We stopped where we said Gambian democracy was at this stage sort of dominated by an elitist view, which cast doubt on the capacity of the people to critically participate in politics.
Let us continue from where we stopped.
Barely one week to go for the 1987 elections, the opposition parties that were allowed to utilize the national radio were yet to do so. The PDOIS which was refused air time had to utilize other options such as holding symposia so as to send their view across to the populace.
On Saturday, January 30th, 1987, over one thousand people responded to their invitation on a discussion on the SeneGambia Confederation at the Gambia High School hall. The PDOIS also broke with tradition and invited both the Senegalese and Gambian authorities to the debate as a mark of fair play. They invited the then Attorney Generals of both The Gambia and Senegal.
The theme of the discussion was the “Constitutionality of the SeneGambia Confederation”. The Attorney General of Senegal diplomatically honoured the invitation by sending a representative but the Gambian authorities did not.
Mr. Sidia Jatta, the Chairman of PDOIS spoke first in both French and then English. Mr. Jatta dwelt on the perspective of the SeneGambia Confederation.
According to the Nation, he attacked those engaged in false historical notions that the peoples of the SeneGambia at one time shared the same boundaries. He referred to an article in the “West Africa Magazine,” by one Ousman Manjang who argued that different empires and kingdoms existed in the West Africa region, which were all independent of each other. He gave an example of Sine Saloum and stressed the fact that some people were trying to mislead the public for their political interest. Sidia insisted among other things that there were many boundaries engulfing different kingdoms in the SeneGambia region; that the area that we call the Gambia and Senegal was never a single political entity before the arrival of the colonialists.
Halifa Sallah also spoke at length and expressed his disappointment on the absence of the ministers of Justice of both Gambia and Senegal. He cajoled that people who believe in democracy should not be afraid to justify their actions, especially when demanded by the people. He spoke at length on Gambia’s 1970 constitution and the OAU charter to justify that the confederation agreed to by Diouf and Jawara was illegal.
According to the Nation Newspaper, Halifa argued among other things that the President of The Gambia could never become the President of the SeneGambia Confederation. He asserted that this has been confirmed by the confederal constitution itself; that Senegal’s President shall be the President of the confederation. Halifa brilliantly argued that in times of war, the president of the confederation has all rights to control the movement of goods, fuel etc in both countries.
According to the Nation, contributions from the floor showed that Gambians were dissatisfied with the SeneGambia Confederation and opined that it should be regarded as a genuine desire to replace it by a system that is opposed to what these present advocates of the confederation were propounding, which they said seemed suspicious. The Nation stated that the applause in the hall in support of the PDOIS argument against the SeneGambia Confederation was an indication of a demand for a review of the whole affair.
At this stage, the ruling PPP simply shied away from the PDOIS and its arguments. Many believed that the reason why Jawara excluded the PDOIS from airtime over the radio was simply to avoid the embarrassment these revelations were likely to make. Based on the reports in the ruling party organ, the PPP appeared to be disturbed by the PDOIS style of campaign, which is based on polemics (evidenced based campaign). It was at this stage that the Nation said the PPP were being described as the Reaganites. The Nation teased that the PPP does not want an opposition that would threaten or challenged their position; that the PPP is simply banking on the hope that the populace does not comprehend the issues raised by the PDOIS.
According to the Nation, the PPP was also accused of turning to religion in their campaign with the hope that it might serve to soften resistance from those who opposed them. For example, the PPP propagated the idea that it was God (Allah) who put Jawara there and all those who opposed him opposed God as well.
According to the papers, the PPP was not really confident that their strategy of using the election machinery would work this time around because of the clear information given to the masses; that they therefore employed the other tactic of buying the voter’s cards of the poor and unenlightened elector’s who they suspect were not in support of them. The Nation states that perhaps the payment of D100 for every voter’s card taken from some voters might help them. The lesson to be derived from it, opined the Nation is, “if you cannot convince others through debates or by facts, bribe them”.
By February 25, the PPP, represented by Mr. Bakary B. Darboe, Mr. I.B.A Kelepha Samba and Mr. Saihou Sabally utilized PPP’s airtime. Mr. B.B Darboe who spoke first said among other things that there was little difference between PPP, NCP and GPP whose leaders he said were members of the PPP. He urged the people to vote for the PPP. Mr. Kelepha Samba, the newly elected chairman of the PPP at the time, spoke briefly on the history of the Gambia before independence in 1965. He then referred to the development brought about by the PPP such as roads, buildings, hospitals and health centers, wells for rural peoples and so on and so forth. Mr. Saihou Sabally spoke last and reiterated what Mr. Samba had said. This exhausted the airtime given to the PPP.
On the 26 February 1987, the NCP, utilized the airtime and dwelt on the deteriorating economic situation, which he opined was caused by a corrupt PPP Government. He said the PPP government had misused the nation’s money. He vehemently denied being a tribalist. Mr. Dibba argued that life under the NCP would not be hard and difficult but vowed that those who embezzled the Nation’s funds would be punished. He said the Commission for the Evaluation of Assets and Properties and Prevention of corrupt practices would be resumed.
Mr. Jabel Sallah who stood under UP/ NCP ticket in Banjul South spoke on the adverse effects of the ERP on the economy. He said the president himself had admitted that the economic situation had gone beyond repair. He then asked what had happened to the healthy reserves in foreign Banks that the president spoke about. He urged the people and asked, why not give NCP a chance for a better future for all of us?
For the GPP, Mr. Assan Musa Camara said discipline should apply to all levels of endeavor. He said there should be prompt action and a total commitment to service; that there was a complete collapse of the socio-economic fabric of our society, which he said, was deplorable. The GPP leader said GPP would re-negotiate the country’s stand-by credit with the IMF and the structural adjustment credit with the World Bank to ensure that:
a) The socio-economic and the welfare costs of the present adjustment measures were equitably distributed, bearing in mind the interest of the common man.
b) The Gambia’s debt is paid in accordance with the economy; debt servicing capacity adjusted for the structural constraints represented by the inequitable nature of international trade between the Gambia and its trading partners.
c) Income of Gambians be adjusted to a level that restores their purchasing power, through planned employment without aggravating the cost pushed by inflation that has so drastically depleted the value of the Dalasi
d) That women are involved in all development programmes in both planning and implementation stages, and said they should have equal access to education and subsistence and production where necessary.
Mr. Camara finally denied engaging in tribal campaign. He accused the PPP of trying to force people to vote for them. He finally expressed confidence in the GPP.
See next issue as we analyze the 1987 election results and other matters.
Source: Foroyaa Newspaper Burning Issue
Issue No. 112/2007, 24 – 25 September 2007
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