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Momodou
Denmark
11686 Posts |
 Posted - 02 May 2025 : 22:57:54
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Political Parties are National Institutions and Must Uphold Good Governance Norms
By Madi Jobarteh
First, I wish to commend Alhagie Mamadi Kurang and Aminata Correa and other PDOIS members who have come out to speak to the governance and leadership challenges in their party. I wish to urge members and supporters of all other political parties to follow suit in addressing the challenges of their patties. This is the only way we will set the stage to fundamentally transform our country for the better.
We must bear in mind that it is political parties that run the country. Political parties generally produce the president, NAMs, mayors, chairpersons and councilors who are elected to oversee our institutions of governance and development. Hence the quality of governance of political parties go to determine the quality of candidates they produce which in turn determines the quality of the Executive, Legislature and Local Councils and their performance and therefore the quality of the progress or otherwise of the Gambia.
It is an open secret that political parties in this country do not fully uphold and practice internal democratic governance principles. When a political party is not democratic, it cannot deliver democracy and good governance when it assumes power at both national and local levels. Since Independence, this has been the tragedy of the country thereby undermining the governance and development of the country. Good or bad governance, accountability or corruption do not drop from the sky. Rather, they are the manifestations of the kind of individuals, systems, structures and values that exist in a party and government.
Since inception in 1959, Sir Dawda Jawara was the uninterrupted head of the PPP until 1994, i.e., 35 years.
The same applies to NCP which was led by Sheriff Dibba from inception in 1975 until his demise in 2008 without interruption.
Since its founding in 1986, Halifa Sallah and Sidia Jatta have been the Secretary General and Party Chair of PDOIS respectively until today, 39 years later without interruption.
Yaya Jammeh was the uninterrupted leader of the APRC from 1996 to 2017 and until 2025 claims to be the supreme leader.
Ousainou Darboe has been the uninterrupted leader of the UDP from 1996 to date, i.e., for 29 years.
Hamat Bah is still leading the NRP from 1996 until today without interruption.
Mai Ahmad Fatty has been the uninterrupted head of GMC for 16 years of its existence.
Henry Gomez has been the uninterrupted head of GPDP for 19 years and counting.
The same applies to Mamma Kandeh who has also been leading GDC since inception for nine years without interruption.
The list continues. This is not good governance.
All these parties claim to be democratic with a constitution that allows members to elect their own leaders. Yet, it is the same man who will be elected in every election as both party leader and flagbearer. This is not a democratic practice. If this is what the constitution provides then such a constitution needs to be reformed to create a true democratic dispensation. Not only have these men been leading these parties, but they have also effectively personalized their parties such that they have become synonymous with the name and character of the party.
Therefore, the issues that Alhagie and Aminata have raised about PDOIS are prevalent in all the political parties which is a national malaise. If there should be system change, it should begin with political parties without which this country will not make the necessary transformation it so badly needs. The time has come to modernize and democratize political parties if this country is to progress. Political parties are not cults nor a family affair. They are not a village kafo or a kabilo either.
Section 60 of the Constitution stipulates that it is only registered political parties that could sponsor candidates in public elections. For that matter, political parties are national institutions which is why there are only two categories of parties: ruling party on one hand and on the other hand the opposition known as ‘government in waiting’. For that matter, it behooves on all citizens to ensure that political parties operate strictly on the values and standards of constitutionalism and democracy.
For 22 years, our political parties were preoccupied with fighting a brutal dictatorship. During such periods of liberation struggle, normally parties lower the democratic bar as they battle dictatorship. But when liberation is achieved, immediately democratic norms and standards should be put in place and upheld. This is what our parties should have done since 2017 but has so far failed to do so.
Thus, today our political parties need serious restructuring in order to modernize, democratize, and ensure transparency and accountability. For example, a person holding the position of Secretary General, Party Leader or Party Chairperson should not become the flagbearer. The role of the Secretary General or Party leader or Chair should be the chief executive officer to oversee the governance, management and operations of the party. This means building strategies, tactics and mechanisms for electioneering, membership recruitment, fundraising, policy development and ensuring party compliance with electoral laws and democratic norms and standards.
This is how we will institutionalize our political parties to be run by paid professionals at the party headquarters and branches who will engage in communications, legal drafting, research, documentation, and provide support to their politicians and candidates. The Secretary General or Party Leader or Chair should not serve beyond one electoral cycle. In this way, such a person cannot become the alpha and omega of the party as we have in all the parties.
Modernizing and democratizing political parties also requires that no one contests as flagbearer for more than two consecutive electoral cycles. Also, positions in the executive committee should be limited in number and based on free, fair and credible elections and not subjected to horse trading or negotiations. Furthermore, power and decision making must be decentralized and inclusive in which youth and women wings as well as persons with disabilities wings should have voice and power to influence decisions and leaders.
Parties must ensure that they operate transparently by running updated websites, social media platforms and proactive disclosure of decisions and other information to the public. It is strange that there are parties today whose constitutions are difficult to obtain publicly, not to mention their financial reports and other documents.
In a nutshell, we need political parties that are not situated in the hands of one or few leaders to own and control. These leaders are politicians and public servants and so they should not be above scrutiny. We cannot criticize the Government and the President and his party yet shy away from criticizing our own parties and their leaders. Therefore, party members should be open and progressive and not be defensive of their parties and leaders.
The time has come for system change in our political parties. To start, those leaders who have been heading their parties for at least five years should all step down at the next party congress.
For The Gambia, Our Homeland
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A clear conscience fears no accusation - proverb from Sierra Leone |
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Political Parties are National Institutions and ..
