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Momodou
Denmark
11823 Posts |
 Posted - 29 Oct 2009 : 18:36:26
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Halifa Reacts to Darboe
By Saikou Ceesay
Mr. Halifa Sallah, the Secretary General of National Alliance for Democracy and Development in reaction to assertions of “insincerity and lack of commitment on the part of opposition heads” has said that no one has any ground to accuse his fellow opposition leaders of insincerity and he advised the UDP leadership to believe in a political process before going for it as it had happened during the formation of NADD coalition.
According to Sallah, UDP has made its position clear by seeing itself as the major opposition party and that all other parties should embrace its leader as the flag bearer of NADD. Halifa said in Darboe’s view, opposition leaders submitted themselves to a political process which they did not believe in and later derailed after knowing what the political process entailed. He explained that the idea of building a united opposition front was a tactic under conditions of governance which does not create the operation of a true multi-party system.
In an exclusive interview with The Daily News, Halifa said the UDP leader caused great confusion by making reference to the first attempts to select a Presidential Candidate “without giving an accurate picture of what happened”. Sallah said Darboe mentioned in the first instance that his nomination was withdrawn but introduced later by Sam Sarr on the grounds that the first withdrawal was a mistake. Sallah denied that he did not remember hearing Sam Sarr saying that it was a mistake to have withdrawn his candidature.
He however expressed his conviction that wise men and women would endorse to be among council who will elect the only candidate that will contest against President Yahya Jammeh in 2011 general elections. He also described the then PPP regime as a self perpetuating government, stating that the country have neither witnessed a transfer of executive power through election nor introduced any term limits on holding the executive to power.
Sallah also accused the APRC government of transforming the constitutional instruments to enable the mandate of district, village and regional heads to be determined by the executive. He said the Jammeh administration has eliminated the second round of voting and introduced patronage at all levels of national life. Under the APRC government, Sallah said security of tenure is not guaranteed and access to development is bargained for loyalty. What the country needs according to Halifa Sallah is a credible Government and a credible opposition. He said since the APRC Government is afraid of a debate the opposition could start a healthy debate for the people to learn to listen to divergent views and make informed decision as to which group of people should form a government and which group should serve as major opposition party to monitor and check the activities of government. Debate he said, is the life blood of a democratic society, without which a multi party system becomes a vegetable.
Source: The Daily News
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A clear conscience fears no accusation - proverb from Sierra Leone |
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