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dbaldeh
USA
934 Posts |
 Posted - 11 Jul 2006 : 22:59:24
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NADD FLAG BEARER’S STATEMENT
ON THE POLITICAL SITUATION IN THE GAMBIA, PROPOSAL FOR UNITY AND RELATED ISSUES
Compatriots, sons and daughters of just humanity, the world over, The Gambia, our beloveth motherland is at a crossroad. This is marked by challenges, difficulties, dangers and opportunities. Our duty is to summount the difficulties and dangers, face the challenges squarely in the eye with the view to overcome them and make maximum effort to exploit the opportunities to make a great leap forward in liberty, progress and prosperity.
The first difficulty and challenge to overcome is the decline in the political integrity and openness of our motherland.
Section 214 (1) of the Constitution of the Republic states that “The Gambia shall be a democratic state dedicated to freedom, peace, progress, prosperity and justice.”
Subsection 5 adds that “The government with due regard to the principles of an open and democratic society, shall foster accountability and transparency at all levels of government.”
Section 207 (3) adds that “The press and other information media shall at all times, be free to uphold the principles, provisions and objectives of this Constitution and the responsibility and accountability of the government to the people of the Gambia.”
Under a functioning democracy press conferences by aggrieved parties, headlines in newspapers and the electronic media, exposures in parliaments, public outcries and threats of parliamentary inquiries and impeachment often compel the executive arm of the state to be sensitive to public opinion. Impunity is retrained by the fear of having one’s misdeed exposed and one’s abuse of authority reprimanded.
The most disheartening thing about the country is that National Assembly members can be subjected to detention without trial; mayors can be detained and suspended indefinitely. Newspapers are put out of operation and their reporters subjected to detention without trial without any powerful instrument of public opinion to restrain those who perpetrate these actions.
In my view, a nation that is mute about its grievances is a nation that cannot surmount its difficulties and challenges.
Under a functioning democracy where sovereignty resides in the people, they must have the freedom to participate in discussion and decision making on matters that affect their individual lives and the collective life and welfare of the whole citizenry.
A government that is determined to utilize the authority entrusted to its members by the people to promote their general welfare must be tolerant of being hammered from all sides by public opinion. This is the only way it can be fully tempered to be able to address the needs and aspirations of the people. In my view the only good government is one that can be criticized, scrutinized and restrained from abusing power and perpetrating maladministration.
It is therefore necessary for public opinion to continue to call for the release of those who have been kept under detention up to today without trial, especially Duta Kamaso, an elected National Assembly Member and Mariam Denton, a senior member of the Gambian Bar; the eradication of all the restrictions on the press especially the Independent Newspaper and the cautioning against all threats to the sovereign people of the Gambia who have right to freedom from forced labour, movement and security of person. Only a government that respects the people and acknowledge that sovereignty or power resides in them can address the decline in political integrity and curtail the trend towards impunity. This is the first point.
Secondly, the key battle for countries in the 21st century is the struggle to build democratic institutions, practices and cultures. Section 214 (2) of the constitution states categorically that “the people shall express their will and consent as to who shall govern then and how they shall be governed through regular, free and fair elections of their representatives.” Section 26 (b) adds, “Every citizen of the Gambia of full age and capacity shall have the right, without unreasonable restrictions to vote and stand for elections at genuine periodic elections for public office....”
It is therefore clear that the type of registration practice that is underway where some party chairpersons and village heads appear to have formed a compact to issue attestations that enables those who are not entitled under law to get ID cards and voters cards is undermining the integrity of the political system.
The under-aged youth and the non Gambians should bear in mind that it is the vote that creates the representatives who shape the policies and programmes of government and how to implement and administer them.
Those who allow themselves to be used just to corrupt the electoral system must equally accept responsibility for the decline in liberty and increase in poverty, fear and hardship of the people. What should be abundantly clear is that the 185,000 children in our primary schools, the 66,000 children in our upper basic schools and the 27,000 youths in our high schools deserve a future in about 10 years time that provides quality living. They should not accept anyone who provides them with food and green tea to eat and drink today just to become beggars tomorrow. They deserve a life of prosperity in liberty and dignity. They deserve to grow and work to live and not to live just to be a tool to individual sovereign Gambians like themselves whom they should relate to as equals. The time has past for mental slavery. The youths of the country must liberate themselves. They must not accept party chairpersons leading them like sheep with ropes around their necks towards the slaughter house of poverty and marginalization. I have followed the registration of underaged youths. I have followed the organisation of parties after the AU Summit. While some of the schools are without adequate benches and desks and toilet facilities. The food provided lacked adequate protein. The rice and oil were meant just to feel their stomachs. Finally, a large portion is destined for the pigs. I have trust in the Gambian youth. I am confident that with their votes they will liberate their brothers and sisters, parents and people at large. They will never accept permanent residence in the colony of the marginalised, poor and wretched of the earth.
As for non-Gambians, it is important for each and everyone to know we do not choose our birth places. This is a historical accident. Each person has a right to a homeland. No nation is superior to another. No people should subjugate another. We understand the plight of non-Gambians. We in NADD have spoken against the arrest and transportation of non-Gambians in airtight congested vans to cells where they are compelled to pay for Alien ID Cards or face deportation. We have formulated a policy that once NADD is in control of the country; all non-Gambians will exercise their right to belong to a society established by the nationals of each country. The leaders of such societies shall be democratically elected and the minister to be responsible for African integration and the affairs of non-Gambians in the Gambia will liaise with such leaders to deal with and solve all grievances. There will be no discriminatory fees against non-Gambians resident in the Gambia. They will not be subjected to unequal treatment in the rendering of services. In this regard, there will be no need for non-Gambians to seek Gambian documents. They will be enlightened to know the laws on how to naturalize if they wish to do so. This is the way forward and non-Gambians should be part of the solution of the problems of the country and not part of the problem. Maximum effort should be made by all NADD militants to spread the NADD position among youths and all non-Gambians in the country. This is the way to defeat the forces that are trying to undermine change through the promotion of corrupt registration practices. NADD will combine mass democratic action with legal action to deal with the problem of corrupt registration practices. If Gambians really want change no force on earth can stop it.
Finally, the difficulty or challenge that is uppermost in the minds of most Gambians is how to overcome the factors militating against the unity of the opposition. It is incontrovertible that a nation with a weak opposition is one standing at the threshold of tyranny or national disintegration. This allows room for retention of power by any means and the attempt to wrest power by any means. This lead to endless treason trials. A weak opposition is also a contributing factor to political instability and insecurity. In short democratic change presupposes the existence of a strong opposition. Democratic existence is also guaranteed by a strong opposition.
The best way a people can contain tyranny, fear and impunity is to be united around a strong opposition. When a party in government calls on the people and see a few then turns around and see the masses galvanized around an opposition it will have no option but to abandon the route of tyranny and seek the route of conciliation or be removed from office by the people.
It is therefore of paramount importance for the Gambia to have a strong opposition, one that can rekindle hope and give assurance that the fears and hardship of the people can be put to an end.
TO BE CONTINUED
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Baldeh,
"Be the change you want to see in the world" Ghandi
Visit http://www.gainako.com for your daily news and politics |
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jambo
3300 Posts |
Posted - 12 Jul 2006 : 11:17:33
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"It is therefore of paramount importance for the Gambia to have a strong opposition, one that can rekindle hope and give assurance that the fears and hardship of the people can be put to an end" 
will they get this, a strong oppostion.
where was this printed. |
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dbaldeh
USA
934 Posts |
Posted - 13 Jul 2006 : 20:10:27
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This statement was written on Foroyaa Newspaper Burning Issue
Issue No. 52/2006, 10-12 July, 2006. I forwarded the statement after receiving the publication. If anyone is interested I can forward the issue to you. Better still, if anyone wants to subscribe to the weekly paper you can send your request to sillasi@hotmail.com. I think the cost is only $80 for 2 years.
The paper is a great and reliable source of information from home.
Peace!! |
Baldeh,
"Be the change you want to see in the world" Ghandi
Visit http://www.gainako.com for your daily news and politics |
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