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ebou4th
USA
106 Posts |
 Posted - 10 Jul 2008 : 03:05:57
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“Do not take them seriously for they them self are not serious”
I know I will get an earful from my brothers and sisters for daring this far, but who cares? After facing and surviving Educated Bullets I am numb to insults. I believe the current political situation in the Gambia can be attributed to many reasons, chief among which are lack of active participation in politics, the Diaspora’s lack of action, a dormant opposition, an unexplainable lack of seriousness and finally as a people we lack the fortitude to speak the truth. As Koto Lamarana Jallow once said” In this historic and epic battle currently raging on-line between the many different and sometimes diametrically opposing views, the Truth has become the first casualty ” Jaraama Koto Alamaa Emay lang N’yaato.
In two months APRC will mark the third anniversary of its resounding victory and the beginning of a one party system in the Gambia. Up till now no serious action has been taken by the opposition and its sympathizers to unite, provide ideas, and make concerted effort to abate the unchecked power and the massive political capital of the APRC Government.
Like it or not it is Gambians, our very brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers, uncles and aunts who voted the APRC government into power. So insulting APRC will not bring any changes, the only way to change the tide in the Gambia is through a serious democratic movement. The people have to be ready for change and the way to show that is through unity. The ultimate goal of every regime is survival and nothing will change in the Gambia unless and until the opposition and its sympathizers challenge the APRC régime democratically.
Many have said democracy cannot work under the current environment but this noble course of action has yet to be tried. Please do not mention the previous elections for the opposition was bankrupt, lacked the leadership and financial support required to challenge an incumbent African government.
Mark the words of this crazy soldier! Unless and until the opposition produces an Odinga or a Morgan Tsvangirai like figure and seek support from a serious Diaspora nothing will change in the Gambia. It is all talk and a big waste of time and resources. Without action we will see another unstoppable life time presidency in African. No keyboard service can avert what is heading our way.
Please do not let anyone fool you, the APRC regime managed to stay in power because they have succeeded where PPP failed. I am making this comment because I have seen at first hand the new developments and I have spoken to different people in different parts of the country. This is the typical story that I heard during my month long stay in Gambia “when PPP was in power we did not have electricity, we did not have these roads and we did not have these hospitals. It is the APRC Government that brought these changes”. When a given a choice between a divided, weak and an under funded opposition and a government that has managed to bring changes and maintained stability, the average Gambian voter will choose the government over the opposition. No reasonable person can blame them; there is no other alternative to APRC. No one seems to have the fortitude to accept the fact that APRC is a credible force to be reckoned with.
While it true that one cannot compare loss of civil liberties to developments the opposition and its sympathizers ought to accept this is as a factor in the equation. The rapid development that the APRC administration boasts of is one of the main reason they enjoy so much support. No one and no blind criticism can change that reality.
What the Diaspora is doing is waste of time because politics is a full contact sport, mare criticism and yelling insults far across the Atlantic will not achieve anything. If the goal of the Gambian Diaspora is changes it is not going to come cheap. The Diaspora has to be willing to put its resources where their keyboards are. The Diaspora’s financial recourses couple with a commitment to embark on development projects through an NGO and an Odinga or a Morgan Tsvangirai like figure at the helm is the only way to counter and or compete with the ruling party. It will be nearly impossible to stop a united opposition that is funded by a united Diaspora. But the people have to want and be ready for change.
Are Gambians ready for this undertaking? Are Gambians capable of this undertaking? Target me with a 50 cal if you feel offended but I am going to say this at all cost. Gambia’s opposition and its sympathizers are not serious and should not be taken seriously. Who said “do not take them seriously for they themselves are not serious?”
Keyboard service is not going to solve the political challenges in the Gambia. It seems to be as a people we are stuck on criticizing and not focus on exchanging ideas. APRC is enjoying an undeniable political capital so it is up to the opposition and its sympathizers to get serious and mount a movement that can provide an alternative to APRC. With out such efforts this it is a waste of time to engage in Gambia politics. The opposition should have started a dialogue right after the September 2005 elections. It is not too late to start a dialogue and an exchange of ideas. Upon exchanging ideas and adopting the best possible formula the opposition should turn these ideas into concrete action on the ground. This I believe should be the way forward. This unending criticism has not worked in the past and I doubt it will work in the future.
Part of the problem is there is tool little ideas and suggestions but ample critics; it seems no one is thinking about how to challenge the APRC government. In fact it is almost impossible to get fellow citizens to focus on brain storming. Any effort to encourage brainstorming gets hijacked by partisanship. This has forced me to believe Gambians as a people are not ready to unseat the APRC administration.
Unlike this broken down soldier whose only qualification is jumping from perfectly working airplanes and barely graduating Officer Candidate School at Fort Benning Georgia, I know there are enough educated, talented and creative Gambians to start an unending free flow of ideas that can move the country forward.
If Gambian opposition and its sympathizers are realistic enough to take the time to sit and question the current effort to bring political change, one cannot fail to realize Barack Obama’s call to America “we are the ones we have been waiting for”. God will not land in Banjul to solve our problems he has already done his part by giving us brains, the same brain that he gave Francis Small, George Washington and Nelson Mandela. So Alllah is not that Betta Yaa to land in Banjul tomorrow and rescue the country.
When great nations are faced with challenges its people respond with creativity, are Gambians not creative enough? Are our problems not dire enough to deserve unity? Do Gambians truly care? Is the Diaspora going to keep proving keyboard service to our beloved motherland?
When South Africa faced the horrors of Apartheid, her decent citizens all over the world mounted a very successful resistance that took down the brutal regime. When the Americans were became tired of British rule they decided to fight for independence. Are Gambians not capable of following these examples?
First of all I need you to believe in yourselves. Redirect your energy and get serious.
"Duty, Honor, Country: Those three hallowed words reverently dictate what you ought to be, what you can be, what you will be. They are your rallying points: to build courage when courage seems to fail; to regain faith when there seems to be little cause for faith; to create hope when hope becomes forlorn."
General Douglas MacArthur.
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“Revolutions are brought about by men, by men who think as men of action and act as men of thought.”
Kwame Nkrumah
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mansasulu
997 Posts |
Posted - 10 Jul 2008 : 06:34:29
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| My brother you analysis is spot on! Jammeh and the APRC is gambian made and maintain. Unless Gambians and we in the diaspora particularly get actively involved back home the APRC will continue to steer us in a direction we will all look at in a couple of decades and wonder how a nation collectively slept at the switch. |
"...Verily, in the remembrance of Allâh do hearts find rest..." Sura Al-Rad (Chapter 13, Verse 28)
...Gambian by birth, Muslim by the grace of Allah... |
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turk
USA
3356 Posts |
Posted - 10 Jul 2008 : 09:54:59
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To answer the question. NO |
diaspora! Too many Chiefs and Very Few Indians.
Halifa Salah: PDOIS is however realistic. It is fully aware that the Gambian voters are yet to reach a level of political consciousness that they rely on to vote on the basis of Principles, policies and programmes and practices. |
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jambo
3300 Posts |
Posted - 10 Jul 2008 : 10:48:33
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this is interesting,
" I know there are enough educated, talented and creative Gambians to start an unending free flow of ideas that can move the country forward.", key word IDEAS, yu will get plenty of them, but who will put it into action.
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Sibo
Denmark
231 Posts |
Posted - 10 Jul 2008 : 11:54:06
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Ebou4th,
Greats post, interesting stuff and you are so right. I do not think we Gambians are ready for the changes we all are talking about, if we are, then we are scared. I was in Gambia 6 months ago and I learned that people back home are geniunly afraid of Jammeh, they are scared that if the critize they might get arrested or killed and they do not think that its worth it. Thats is an attitude that I really do not like. You mention South Africa nd Apartheid, so many of then lost thier lives fighting against something that was holding them back, getting in ther way, how many Americans died in the war of independence? They believed in what they were fighting for, they risked their lives for a change they believed in. Gambians do not believe in change the same way, they want the change to come easy, well nothing comes easy in life. If Jammeh could overthrow the PPP government, as far as I am concerned he is not that smart. There are smarter people in the country who if they have the balls can overthrow the APRC government in n time, not by coup, but by using their knowledge.The problem is we have no balls, everydody is so danm scared.....
About the developments you mentioned, yes I will give him credit for that, he did a good job on that part and that is what the people are blinded by. They see the fancy coastal road, the fancy new hospitals(some of the new hospitals are empty, no nurses og doctors to work there) and fancy school that are supposed to be free for girls(which is not the case). What people cannot see is tha fact that all these things are of no use when 80% of the people cannot afford to go to these hospitals ride on these roads or send their kids to these school.. I hope that we sooner than later will be able to see that we Gambians need more than just fancy empty hopitals and schools... |
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ebou4th
USA
106 Posts |
Posted - 10 Jul 2008 : 13:59:35
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| Gambians all over the world ought to realize that as a country we are facing the urgency of now. Now more than ever; Gambians risk loosing more by acting too late. Our moment is now! What I do not want is to spend the next two years re-fighting the same fights that we had the past thirteen years. If Gambians are serious about the future then the time to adopt new tactics is now. |
“Revolutions are brought about by men, by men who think as men of action and act as men of thought.”
Kwame Nkrumah
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kondorong
Gambia
4380 Posts |
Posted - 10 Jul 2008 : 17:56:03
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quote:
Originally posted by ebou4th
Gambians all over the world ought to realize that as a country we are facing the urgency of now.
 Are you an Obama supporter. This is Obama's believe borrowed from Martin Luther King when he said "... the fierce urgency of now...".
Great minds think alike. I am still reading your analysis above. Food for thought.
You see that is why i will not hire any body who has a Ph.D. to work in the Gambia. Honestly i have seen many of them with good ideas but poor in delivering. Good speeches but not practicable. We need hands on. To succeed, take out the Ph.D. holders out of your Government. This is out of experience. No discrimination at all.
They shoud themselves with their diplomas everywhere they go and forget about what they were hired for. |
“When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth and love have always won. There have been tyrants and murderers, and for a time, they can seem invincible, but in the end, they always fall. Think of it--always.” |
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shaka
996 Posts |
Posted - 10 Jul 2008 : 19:03:20
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HOW A PEOPLE RESPOND IS A REFLECTION OF ITS LEADERSHIP
You have raised some good points Ebou. However my worry with your analysis is that you are attempting divide Gambians into categories of those at home and those in the diaspora. Even allocating an undeserved and unfair wield of power to the diaspora Gambians above those at home for whatever reason. This is a dangerous trend i would very much like to discourage because it is undemocratic. If Gambians in the diaspora suddenly feel that can determine how the rest of Gambia should think and that they should be remote controllled by a bunch of "super elite" from the US and Europe then you have something else coming at you. Opposition is opposition. The opposition at home and the opposition in the diaspora is the same thing and if anything the opposition at home should be the bedrock from which all other opposition should sprout. That is why those in the diaspora telling us to force our folks back home to "vote opposition or we suspend all remmitance" to Gambia are only dreaming. We accuse APRC militants of going round the country with wads of dalasis buying the people's vote yet still we want to buy folks vote in the same manner. Where is the democracy in this? Every man is entitled to one vote in a democracy and what conclusion they come up with in the decision of whom to vote for is rightly theirs. It is called choice nad there can be no democrcy without choice. How my folks vote is their prerogative and not what i forced them to do.
The problem with opposition stems down to our attitude as Gambians. We like killing our Lions and "prophets" and replacing them with feeble ants while falling back to the usual "yalla bahna" miracle anticipation mantra when they fail to deliver. Those who sacrificed everything including their lives and those who suffered the most for the cause are the very people we love to marginalise when it comes to important decision makings like who should lead. While those who go on about daily lives like everything is normal, run into hiding every time the dictatorship raised its fist, never to speak out against the daily injustices, malpractices and corruption scandals that continued to be rampant in the nation are those people we love to elevate to leadership. Just look how Waa Juwara was treated lately. This is the same man who suffered more physical and psychological abuses than any other political leader in the wake of the AFPRC/APRC leadersip. Yet still he was denounced and banished into the wilderness of hatred, betrayal and backstabbing mire, never to rise again, only because he took up a community leadership role in his home town of Brikama paid for by Government. While we have opposition members of parliament picking up monthly salaries of over D14,000 excluding allowances and never say f@?k all year long. The few in the opposition who dare speak out become the victims of intellectual masturbation from Gambians across the globe. God, don't Gambians know how to waste their brains and energy?Where do you expect a Mandela to come from? Let the Gambia diaspora keep dreaming that destiny of Gambia lie in their hands. Jammeh will be here for a long time. |
Edited by - shaka on 10 Jul 2008 19:19:26 |
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kondorong
Gambia
4380 Posts |
Posted - 11 Jul 2008 : 18:45:53
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Shaka
"Yalla Bahna" is our greatest problem. We Gambians believe that God is there for us only. We seem to to be more Catholic than the Pope. "Yalla" has always been "bakh" before we existed. Its a sign of our unwillingness to take our destiny into our hands.
".. God does not come form the sky and ...... make ever body feel high...." (bob Marley) |
“When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth and love have always won. There have been tyrants and murderers, and for a time, they can seem invincible, but in the end, they always fall. Think of it--always.” |
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Santanfara
3460 Posts |
Posted - 11 Jul 2008 : 18:53:55
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yeah kondo. a wrong understanding of our roles. the oppositions are not ready.
yeah kondo. |
Surah- Ar-Rum 30-22
"And among His signs is the creation of heavens and the earth, and the difference of your languages and colours. verily, in that are indeed signs for men of sound knowledge." Qu'ran
www.suntoumana.blogspot.com |
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toubab1020
12314 Posts |
Posted - 11 Jul 2008 : 19:46:23
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As an onlooker I would like to make the following observations
There is No opposition
Those who wish for change have NO stated policies
The opposition cannot campaign in the same way as westernised countries
Any relevant government must be elected by the will of the people
The Gambian people think of themselves on a tribal base NOT as Gambians
Any government elected in the future MUST be open and be transparant without the electorate being in fear of their saftey if they disagree with government
Freedom of speech must be given
Radical changes MUST be debated openly
Taxation of the people must affect everyone
Government MUST have accounts available to members of all parties
Secret bank accounts abroad must be stopped
These are a few thoughts that cross my mind
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"Simple is good" & I strongly dislike politics. You cannot defend the indefensible.
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Edited by - toubab1020 on 11 Jul 2008 20:43:15 |
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shaka
996 Posts |
Posted - 11 Jul 2008 : 23:15:51
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True Kons, we all know where the real problems lies but we chose to brush it under the carpet for partisan and other reasons. Unless we grab the bull by the horn, seperate lions from the ants and hand the leadership role to the lions we will not get anywhere. We also have start appreciating the selfless sacrifices of individuals who give blood, sweat and voice to the cause. What we don't need is seasonal politicians who come out of hibernation only durring election time and try to sell their wares to the people. The Gambian people deserve leaders who would stand up for their cause 365 day year not lame ducks. We cannot fold our hands and continue to wait for God'smiracle.quote:
Originally posted by kondorong
Shaka
"Yalla Bahna" is our greatest problem. We Gambians believe that God is there for us only. We seem to to be more Catholic than the Pope. "Yalla" has always been "bakh" before we existed. Its a sign of our unwillingness to take our destiny into our hands.
".. God does not come form the sky and ...... make ever body feel high...." (bob Marley)
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dbaldeh
USA
934 Posts |
Posted - 12 Jul 2008 : 09:20:06
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The present generation of Gambian politicians must face out before a meaningful change can take place in the Gambia. Part of the problem of our current politicians, civil servants and technocrats if you may is that 99% are educated or trained as theorist and not practical.
The most advanced education and skill training the current elites have were all designed by countries who colonized us and therefore always set the standards. The people were educated only in terms of academics and bureacracy. The most essential parts of knowledge and training - the practical skill sets are lacking and still lack.
What do I mean? our people who studied in Britain or some other associated countries were trained with book knowledge and no practical skills. Our people are no doubt very smart but the necessary skill sets of leadership and creativity are often lacking in our institutional training.
Many can write books but cannot simply put together a project document and implement it to the finish in such that it will benefit the country. Many are absolutely great in identifying problems but cannot come up with practical ideas to address the issues.
We have seen for example a training that takes a minimun of two years to earn the needed skills in the west, our people are nominated to finish such training in six months. A bright example a basic air traffic controller training takes minimum two years to complete, our Gambian students are trained in Britain for six months sometimes three months. They pass the theory and fail every practical aspect of it becuase of the timing.
So to come back to politics and future development, this will eventually change. Instead of relying on politicians that were half trained by ill government scholarships, many of us are now taken the task of putting ourselves through the necessary education and training to the standard of our counter parts in Europe and the United States.
So these younger generation will have to step up and engage in national politics through which they can use their practical skills to effect change.
Everyone of our opposition politicians with the exception of a few had the same basic book knowledge that is not going to take us anywhere. Meaningful education with hands on and technical know-how will eventually earn us the change that we envision.
For now, we can make all the noise which is no doubt important, but hope for change is a far fetch. Jammeh is up for a long ride and could be our next Mugabe.
We are incredibly intellectually smart but not creative and commited enough to change what we want to change, atleast not for a while.
Just a thought. |
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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