Opposition Parties in Disarray, Jammeh  Measure the Drapes

By Capt (Rtd) Alhajie Kanteh, Contributing Writer

Efforts to give our country, The Gambia, a new direction, have been quite a task. One would have thought that by now the country’s opposition would have embraced each other, not for their own sake, but for the sake of the country that they all presumably love. It’s sad to say that out of this fallout of the so-call battle of ideology, the only winner is president Jammeh who is bent on the path of dictatorship and totalitarianism.

Listening to the STGDP, come up with plans to see off the entire opposition leadership on a “meet the people’s tour” similar to the one Jammeh embarked on a few months ago, is encouraging. This to my mind would give the people the chance to compare our president’s senseless propaganda as opposed to that of the opposition out to offer concrete democratic alternatives and meaningful development. Listening to an elected president of a country telling the electorate that election will not remove him from power can be extreme hard to swallow. That is precisely the reason why the opposition should take the president to task and demand an explanation on the issue. If indeed the opposition is to make headway on issues closer to the minds of the people, then they must be seen to be trailing Jammeh, scrutinizing every word of his such as this latest show of foolishness. If the president refuses to acknowledge the fundamental rights of the people to determine their manner of government, the opposition should be able to carry that message to the electorate and allow them to make better choices.

The Gambian opposition is in no shortage of political “red meat” against the Jammeh administration; what it lacks is accurate strategy to give the dictatorship a rethink of its strategy. What we need to realise is that president Jammeh is in constant cover-up of not only his appalling record but also his deep-seated fears. The threats, insults and innuendos we see coming from this president are an indication of his state of mind; a mind wrapped in fear, confusion and paranoia. If Jammeh is as brave as he claims to be; if he indeed possess power that make him different from the rest of us, including the ability to heal mysterious diseases of pandemic proportions, he could have attempted to walk in the street of Banjul all by himself without the use of men with heavy armour. Here I concur perfectly with Essa Bokkar Sey when he similarly buttressed the point of our president’s pointless show of empty bravado. But like me, my good friend knew Jammeh well before he became president.

Now let me point out to STGDP that their proposal to help the opposition leadership embark on a nation-wide tour is splendid. I would like to suggest however that first, the tour that brings leaders of different oppositions together must not fail to provide a common rallying point on issues of discussion. The leaders better concentrate on those issues that unite them. To expect each party to lay emphasis on its individual manifesto and programme on such a tour may jeopardize the mission. What the people would be expecting to hear from these leaders is why Jammeh needs to go in order for a new era to dawn. Secondly, for the entire opposition leadership to travel the length end width of the country on the same bus could be a huge security risk.

Over the past years and months since the collapse of the original NADD, I’ve been trying to make sense of the arguments and counterarguments surrounding the brake up of NADD and the subsequent difficulties in reaching reconciliation. Registering the coalition as a political party may not be constitutionally viable or even relevant at this stage. Whatever may be put in place has to be cognisant of the independence of the different parties constituting the coalition.

I do believe that an opposition coalition, whatever it may look like, has to be majority-based in deciding its leadership. A bigger party like the UDP, carrying close to 40% of vote can naturally not relinquish leadership to say a party of less than 10% following. I make no apologies if I happen to raise eyebrows here – the fact is that democracy is also very much about numbers and that is precisely why elections are called for in the first place. That is the way it goes in more entrenched democracies the world over. If the opposition is able, depending on the availability of fund, to conduct primaries, then the issue of leadership as a deterrent to a unified opposition should come to past. Ideological struggle can wait for now; besides there appears to be more ego-driven issues than anything else. But if the leaders cannot amicably resolve the leadership question, what stops them from facing the electorate?  For God’s sake these gentlemen better be advised to put individual egos aside and come together for the general good. Otherwise they would be doing disservice to the nation by inadvertently legitimizing the Jammeh regime. This is one such scenario that keeps Jammeh smiling, cutting and measuring the drapes in preparation for the next five years of misrule.

Finally, despite my usual optimism of the democratic process, hope for the future of our country, under the present dispensation the task ahead is uphill. For president Jammeh to concede defeat in an election, knowing the consequences of lack of immunity is open to question. Fact is, this regime has so much blood on its hand; so much economic mismanagement and financial crimes committed that the only comfort for the renegade president is power. I’m certain Jammeh is in no illusion that the only situation separating him from the wrath of the people is power. That is why he is prepared to cling on as long as possible.

As the saying goes, “he who lives by the sword shall be killed by the sword”, cannot be more apt in the case of the Jammeh regime. Since he is showing signs of belligerence; treating the people with utmost disrespect, Jammeh is brazing up for a possible confrontation that will sake the core of his power. It appears that today the people’s worst enemy is not Jammen per se but fears that the dictator continues to unleash. But will Jammeh ever learn?      

 Editors Disclaimer:  The views expressed in this write up does not necessarily represent the position of the Freedom Newspaper. This paper will not take liability for the author’s opinions.  Thanks for your attention.