 |
|
 |
|
 |
 |
|
|
Halifa Sexed it up-Opinion
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Halifa Sexed it up-Opinion
Halifa Sexed it up
By SS Daffeh [UK]
Mr Editor,
Please allow me to register my dismay at the published dodgy dossier
presented by NADD’s flag bearer, Halifa Sallah, in respect of the Kombo East
by-election. Here are some of the things he stated:
The first participation of NADD in an election in Kombo East was in May 14th
by-election. Hence there is no basis of measuring whether it gaining or
loosing popularity in Kombo East. The APRC however had 5009 votes in 1997
compared to 3665 in 2006. The UDP had 3636 votes in 1997 compared to 2814 in
2006. Needless to say, all these parties utilized maximum effort and
resources to win the election. Each needs to consult their supporters and
electorates to find out what the reason for the outcome.
If any party needs consulting its supporters in order to find out reasons
behind its failure, that party is NADD. It was NADD and Halifa in
particular, who claimed that their candidate was backed by very influential
people in Kombo East and that with their support NADD will win. Well, we
haven’t heard of their defection to other parties during the campaign period
and yet all the other parties got far more votes than NADD.
The most disingenuous insinuation this statement implies is that UDP have
lost or is loosing ground in Kombo East. If the UDP was ever close to
winning the Kombo East seat it was during the recent by-election. In 1997
the difference between the APRC candidate and that of the UDP was One
thousand Six hundred and Seventy-three [1673] votes. This gap has been
drastically narrowed down quite robustly to Five hundred and fifty one [551]
votes in the 2006 by-election. That is a massive achievement no genuine
political analyst would want to ignore. The real picture being presented
here is that the United Democratic Party is far more a bigger threat to the
governing APRC in Kombo East now than ever before and that is something
Halifa got to acknowledge. Failing to do so is a complete charade.
Nevertheless, I am not surprise by his attempt in trying to obscure facts
because that is typical Halifa Sallah. He will never stop spinning facts
that only goes on to confirm the UDP as the real alternative to APRC not to
talk about being the largest opposition party in the Gambia. Although the
UDP had lost the Kombo East by-election despite been almost certain of
victory, to interpret that as a sign of them loosing ground in Kombo East as
Halifa have done is an outlandish sex up. What has become more crystal clear
since the Kombo East By- election is the fact that NADD is not in any way a
threat to the incumbent APRC. All that it can do is playing the game of a
‘Saboteur’ as against the UDP, just as it did in the Kombo East by-election.
A review of NADD’s Campaign in Kombo East revealed a high degree of popular
participation and accommodation by the electorates in Kombo East. It could
be stated without any fear of exaggeration that NADD was more visible than
any other party during the campaign.
What are we being told here? If NADD armed with their semi-gospel message as
we are made to believe, was more visible during the campaign and yet got far
less votes than any other contending party, then Halifa must be asking
himself a very serious question. Why was this not translated into votes?
There are only two answers to that. [1] Either that the people of Kombo East
having heard NADD’s message rejected it out rightly [2] or the messages were
badly articulated to them. Any explanation that is contrary to the two
aforementioned will only be suggesting that the people of Kombo East are
either politically ignorant or irresponsible electorates. To that I would
say ‘Excuse me!’
The next point to note is that what opponents say to each other during
election campaign can enhance or hinder one’s chances of victory. During the
campaign, NADD concentrated on showing what the APRC members of the National
Assembly have been doing to give power to the Executive and reduce their
ability to check abuse of authority and mismanagement of public resources.
This statement is too hypocritical. Anybody who had followed the press
coverage of the Kombo East by-election would agree with me that NADD is far
more culpable for the ugly behaviour described above than any other
opposition party. It was NADD through its coordinator, who was engaged in
the despicable practice of propagating slanderous remarks against the
personality of the UDP leader in what appears to be a desperate attempt to
submerge UDP popularity in Kombo East. A Foroyaa reporter was even quoted as
asking the UDP Candidate whether he considers Lawyer Darboe greater than
Gambia. At least those are the kind of things that were being reported and
widely circulated by the press, not the kind of gloss Halifa was trying to
add to the picture. What he should have done is to issue a statement
distancing NADD from the slanderous remarks of Lamin Waa Juwara. Until that
is done, it would be perfectly legitimate for UDP supporters to consider
Juwara’s vicious slanders as an attack being launched by NADD against their
leader. The consequence of that is obvious. NADD will have to get it back!
We were being told over and over that NADD’s Code of Conduct forbids the use
of its platform for the sort of politics Lamin waa Juwara is indulging
himself and yet we haven’t heard any disciplinary proceedings being
instituted against him. Despite this, Halifa still continue to describe NADD
as a modest party. Does this mean Juwara is only just a Loose Canon? We
need to know because I think the claim that NADD is a modest party is
absolutely preposterous. Lamin Waa Juwara is an analogue politician living
in a digital edge. He still lives in the past and unfortunately for NADD,
they are just stuck with him.
The most ingenious attempt to discredit the NADD flag bearer is the claim
that he made people to accept the constitution of the second republic when
even the UDP leader has been to court to rely on the same constitutional
provisions to defend the right for those detained to have access to lawyers
or to be freed within 72hours.
Wow, that is classical Halifa Sallah at the height of his game. I wonder
when this man will realise that spinning and the use of crude logics to
distort facts and strike off responsibility is no longer sustainable.
Lawyers being officers of the Courts, merely assist Judges in the exercise
of interpreting the law, in a manner that allows the enforceability of its
true spirit. Constitutions are no exception. It is not and has never been
the role of the courts anywhere in the world, to determine whether a
constitution is good or bad. That has always been a matter for the
politicians, not Lawyers and Judges. Thus, Halifa’s attempt to put Mr Darboe
profession in the spotlights does not only amount to a gross deception but
also a corny way of striking off responsibility for selling to the Gambian
people a constitution that is so susceptible to Executive manipulation and
flawed in its efficiency to guarantee a democratic society in which
fundamental human rights and the rule of law are most respected. Instead of
maligning decent people for his own failures, he should be bold enough to
accept responsibility for this mess. On the other hand, if he still believes
this constitution is a good one as he have maintained in the aftermath of
the Supreme Court Ruling in Pa Saikou Jabbi v. Kebba Fanta Comma case, then
let him come out and make his case so that the debate can begin.
Intellectual insularity, arrogance, spinning and the use of crude logics are
certainly not an escape route options. Gambians will no longer allow those
kinds of things to continue flying across the face of common sense.
Vote Darboe! Vote Darboe! Vote Darboe!
SS Daffeh [UK]
|
Posted on Sunday, September 17, 2006 (Archive on Thursday, September 28, 2006)
Posted by PNMBAI Contributed by PNMBAI
| | Return |
|
|
|
 |
|
 |
|
|
|
|