In Gambia, a lot of our politicians conduct their politics with a WIIFM mentality: What’s-in-it-for-me mentality! It’s not only that they tell us they want to better our lives, it’s also that they want the power and control over our lives so that they can get wealthy and make those around them wealthy as well.
Very “noble” objective if you ask me! If the average politician“provides” you with anything beneficial, it’s usually residual and a lot of times, they have more than enough of it along with those who surround them.
Oh, and they love to be called honorable just as our super citizens love to call one another LEARNED! We will do anything to be called Honorable even if there’s no honor in us!
We say our electorates do not vote for programs or policies! What makes anyone think that all our members of parliament joined their parties based on the programs their parties have in place? Or do we assume that because we call them “honorable”, they are supposedly any more “enlightened” than Nnadingding in Badibu who joined NUDEC because her intended brought her to the party? Here’s news for you: Some of our parliamentarians are as parochial and associative as Nnadingding!
Listen to them talk about women or the “national interest” and you will smell the hypocrisy on their breath! Their politics is so backward and revolves around “what’s in it for me” and my associates but neatly wrapped to fool us into thinking they stand for country!
Before anyone comes for neck, correct me if I’m wrong but I’ve never heard of any of the political parties holding induction training for their members! How about annual or twice-a -year sustainment training for party leadership and aspiring representatives on party history, values, objectives, programs etc? Or is the assumption that if Alagie joins NUDEC, it’s because the party programs are what attracted him! Surely we ain’t that naive!
When was the last time we heard of any party having some training on the constitution and programs of their party? Or do we assume that since my nephew Mark Janneh can read, that means he is au fait with NUDEC’s values, constitution and programs (we don’t have any and don’t intend to).
How about Masaneh from Salibali- kenyeh who does not read or write in the colonial language you have all your documents in? Or do you only need Masaneh to make the numbers?
So long as you can count him as one of you, that’s all that matters eh? Or does your party only go to the people to tout how terrible the government is and promise them how you would improve their lives?
When was the last time that any mechanisms have been reviewed (assuming our parties have them) that will scrutinize anyone seeking to represent the party as an official?
You know, at least some type of quality control so that you don’t end up with traitors in the mold of Jam Sarr as ward councilor simply because he’s a “militant” that worked hard for the party? The spineless will abandon you the minute they see a better opportunity. Because guess what, it’s about what’s in it for them!
All I am trying to say is that if you invest in at least sensitizing your party members on your history, constitution, by-laws, VALUES, objectives, and put in place certain mechanisms to gage aspiring representatives, you’ll probably not end up with a lost soul like Alagie Saidy Barrow to whom mburru fop koh forrigne!
So long as he gets to eat bread, damn the source or ingredients! I’m not taking about mindless souls who think any criticism of your party is personal and they want to kill for you.
I’m saying that if values are emphasized, you know, at least you can hope that when party values are instilled in party members, they’ll conduct themselves according to those values and not go around embarrassing your party every time they say something in public.
You can hope that you’ll not have spineless representatives who will jump ship at the first sign of that Dalasi or private car and fuel voucher.
You can hope that you’ll not have politicians who will accept land and from the executive branch because your rules and values preclude party leadership from accepting gifts of any kind and if they must accept in order not to offend, then they turn it over to the party and not see it as his share of the National cake as Hamad Bah calls it!
To embrace values, you must embrace the fact that numbers do matter in politics but character matters just as much! But if your politics is all about numbers, then you have no one to blame if spineless snakes oil salesmen abandon you for the next big opportunity!
And oh, if any of you adopt any of the ideas I shared above, please send my check to my in-law and secretary Nnadingding. At NUDEC we want to get wealthy on the backs of Gambians while telling them we do everything according to national interest! Our eyes are cast far and wide on what’s in it for me 🙂
