Political discourse in the Gambia is causing noise pollution of a different kind. But it is as harmful for Gambian democracy as it is for the health of politicians and political parties.
Allegations and counter-allegations, abuses and vituperative comments are exchanged between members of rival parties, especially on social media networks. And each one accuses the other of having started the process.
No stone is left unturned in digging up dirt against each other. Political dominance and winning is the only goal but how one does it is immaterial. No one seems to pay heed to Mahatma Gandhi’s sage advice that noble goals should be achieved with noble means.
The politicians, instead, seem to have taken the adage of China’s former paramount leader Deng Xiaoping to heart: “It doesn’t matter whether the cat is black or white, as long as it catches mice”.
Is this the new normal for Gambian politics? Isn’t each side pedaling half-truths, believing that no one can figure it out? Aren’t politicians ceaselessly creating post-truths? “My honey is the real honey; everyone else is selling sugary syrup!” But why should we feel outraged? Isn’t everything permitted in war and politics? Isn’t our mythology replete with instances when our venerated heroes turned a blind eye to the wrong being done before them?
It seems our politicians apart from advice on statecraft, it offers realpolitik recipe for outwitting, outmaneuvering and defeating one’s enemy.
But questions like “couldn’t Gambia have developed as fast as South Korea and Singapore if it was administered more efficiently and honestly?” are valid questions, and there is nothing wrong in discussing these issues.
Does junking at any cost using divisive politics and all the resources at the government’s command betray an ostrich syndrome? Isn’t this its unwillingness to introspect, dissect, draw sound lessons from failures, assess strengths and weakness and adopt new strategies to fight another day? All political parties tell half-truths most of the time! But who cares?
Should we not applaud something good just because the credit of doing it goes to our competitor? How many times Kevin Durant and LeBron James, the two great NBA stars, have acknowledged and applauded each other’s good shots though they fight to win?
That’s sportsmanship! Would politicians lose anything if they emulated themselves? Simply put, even if 60 per cent of the schemes initiated by President Jammeh get implemented, our country will be transformed beyond recognition. Shouldn’t we welcome such a prospect?
Our decisions might go wrong, but we won’t be doing anything with wrong intentions, it’s a healthy and reassuring approach but shouldn’t gracefully acknowledge good things done by the previous governments?
It’s fashionable to criticize Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara today but didn’t he take the nascent independent Gambia forward? Did Gambia have reaped the benefits of globalization if President Barrow’s two (Jawara & Jammeh) had not introduced economic liberalization in decades against strong skepticism? So why shouldn’t we be large-hearted and give the credit where it is due? Any policy, scheme or initiative serving the Gambia is good. It doesn’t matter if it was initiated by Sir Dawda Jawara, Yahya Jammeh or Adama Barrow!
Why can’t we just press the pause button, take a deep breath and have a dispassionate look at what we are doing and ask: Is it in Gambia’s larger interests? The blame game won’t help, balanced alternatives might.
Will the buzz and hype surrounding mega announcements be worthwhile if Gambia isn’t united, isn’t at ease with itself and many its citizens feel they aren’t part of its success story? Can the Gambia blossom as a great nation without celebrating its bewildering diversity; its multi-religious, multilingual and multi-cultural society? Can the Gambia be great if it isn’t just, fair, equitable, inclusive, disciplined and law-abiding?
Just think!
You have said it well and loud Jallow!!! Thank you !!!!!
The questions are:
1.Will the politicians (a) listen to your wise words and change course or (b) will they see it as an attack by another enemy and ignore the echoes of those wise words of a genuine citizen?
2.Will the population (a) listen to your wise words and change course by uniting against selfish/dubious politicians or (b) will they join those selfish/dubious politicians and see it as the barking of another enemy and ignore the echoes of those wise words of a genuine citizen?
I wish the answers to both questions can be (a), that I believe will be the general good; but that is just the wish and thinking of an ordinary citizen with no following of a particular interest group.
The political climate that Gambians willingly created and continue to embrace without questioning at the dawn of the new era is being used to agitate (1) citizens against citizens, (2) authority against authority, (3) neighbours against neighbours (3a) religion against religion, (3b) tribe against tribe, (4) communities against communities, (5) regions against regions and by extension state against state*.
There might be many points all Gambians need to consider and make a stance but I believe one of the many could be:
Never is it just because Samba saying my enemy is bad that makes Samba good or make it impossible for Samba to do bad just as my enemy. It is basically asking Samba the difficult questions and often brushed under carpet between friends, avoiding to upset the relationship, this is an error of the highest order. The mere fact of brushing hard truths under the carpet between friends, families, etc does comes back to surface, consequently shaking/deleting the vary foundation of the vary relationship, the shake of which TRUTH has been kept aside from start.
Our elders used to say: ‘telling one’s friend the truth does not spoil the friendship’ ( I will add, ‘it rather strengthens it’).
Politicians should not be as comfortable meeting the electorate as is the case in our part of the world, simply because instead of asking them the difficult questions that will impact on our well being, we join them to castigate their perceived enemy, and worst still, we continue to sing such songs in the hope that we would be loved and catered for by the powers that be.
Such attitudes/behaviours only gives the politician the courage to do as she/he wish, because we will only seek for their favours but not hold them accountable!!! Unfortunately, it should have been the reverse (politicians seeking for our favours, by actions (tangible ones)!!!
Only then, though not sure when or how, the electorate will have their say and get their wish in the process of designing and implementing the course of their destiny and that of their followers).
One such thing could be the readiness/willingness the truth and the whole truth – for example to accept the good things done by the gone regimes as good (in the case of The Gambia – Jawara and Jammeh) will serve as a testing ground for any regime that dare to take the mantle of leadership.
For Jawara, the mere fact of leading the country through the rough path of nationhood, must have had its challenges that with the people of the new nation, were overcome. Regardless of shortcomings we all know has been there as it had been for those before him and those before those; which will continue for reset of time; as Allah is the only ruler/leader who does complete everything He does and to perfection.
For Jammeh, the mere fact of initiating/implementing projects like University (which is still in Gambia and will continue not only to be but to be with benefits to nation of Gambia. This is common good, not for Jammeh or his love ones alone.
I am aware how difficult it now happens to be for one to choose topics like this which makes the gone regime look not all bad. Its beginning to be a taboo to choose such a position in The New Gambia.
It is or is spearing that people seem to go for alternative, the easy way round, praise the status quo and get your share, the common share is left to the mercy of time.
This alternative narrative, seems to embolden the players in the new era with the feeling that they can do as they wish, for example, how gifts to public officials were handles, appointments by an authority then denial or removal by another authority with no proper explanation, worst still, in each case, other citizens who should unit to straighten the authorities find it easier to attack each other verbally and sometimes physically (Mankamang Kunda & Busumbala ( are just examples). That is, if one bothers to investigate – relationships of people involved in both incidents, one will find that people of the same communities, religion, ethnicity, family through marriages,etc are taking on each other for a temporary benefit of a particular politician(s). That is no where near the path of reconciliatory path. Its just the sad but the hard truth!!! If we can agree that Gambia has bled in the past, we should be able to see that, the lost blood is not being replaced fast enough to resuscitate the nation or in fact it is still bleeding may be slowly and in a different way.
May Allah who soften and made it possible for Jammeh to leave consequently prevented Gambians from tasting what Liberia had sadly tasted and unfortunately whose leader (then) supported the arrival of such things that destroyed so much in her country. Will it remain the same for the African story to be written, one leaders hatred for another can reduce the value of the life the masses not to mention the property that stand to be destroyed as can be seen in Syria or Libya even though the carriers are said the have precise modern delivery system that hits only targets.
Lets learn form the past to save ourself from harms that are sadly but already regretted by others.
May Allah save The Gambia, Ameen!!!!
Jallow,
I have said it on several occasions that I admire and follow your postings/opinions which are always elucidating.
But the problem is that, the subject raised here will take time to diffuse as long as we have these vengeful IDIOTS at the helm of matters in our country. They are not for any good, but to deepen sour relationships inorder to perpetuate their rule.
We need fresh, undiluted blood with the magnanimity to rule with a sense of vigor for all Gambians to live as ONE. That can only be borne with our trained, cultured, “refined”, impartial, patriotic, non-partisan citizens. They are here and there. Let them come out to flush this dysfunction admininistration out into the muddy trenches.