Our elections cycle has now come full circle, ‘debilitating, internecine ‘wars’ fought in 2016, 2017 and 2018. Must be draining, exhausting, expensive, tumultuous, divisive and polarising for the Smiling Coast. Imagine a forced smile in a war.
After the last ‘war’, we can count our losses, celebrate our victories even if Pyrrhic, nurse our grudges, plot the next Machiavellian moves. But, we must not forget that the ‘battle’ begun immediately the last war ended.
After the war for votes, the battle for development is now upon us. The ‘battle’ to transform lives, cities and regions; to make good on one’s election promises and manifestoes; to stay true to the cause. These ‘battles’ cannot be fought on partisan grounds, cannot be won singlehandedly by any particular political party. Collaboration
Elections, though important element of participatory democracy, do not keep and necessarily guarantee development, good governance and respect for human rights. These are kept, protected, preserved and guaranteed by ordinary men and women who are aware of and believe in their sovereignty and its sanctity and know that all powers reside in and derive from them.
Human rights is defended by people who know that they are rights holders and the Government is the primary duty bearer; that governors are answerable to the governed and that the respect, protection and fulfilment of their rights is not charity or favour from the Government but obligations to be demanded.
‘Eternal vigilance’, they say, is the price the people must pay to keep their liberty. This also means that they have to stand up when the right of any member of the society is threatened, curtailed or violated. It is in that collective, communal solidarity against violations that freedom from fear is assured. Human rights and human rights-based approaches must define the basis and become the foundation of our development. There cannot be peace, security and development without respect for human rights.
From the Councils and councillors the people must begin to demand accountability, transparency, probity, due diligence and good governance. Civil society, acting as facilitators, must strengthen the capacities of the Village and Ward Development Committees as a means of promoting and entrenching community participation and ownership of local development efforts as well as grassroots democracy.
Financial prudence and accountability can be assured when the people ‘follow the money’ by monitoring the national and Local Government budgets and their implementation. Budgets of councils must be easily accessible to the people. Weak accountability mechanisms, bureaucracy and information hoarding promote corruption, mismanagement and abuse of office.
Citizenship demands though that rights holders also fulfil their responsibilities or duties- paying taxes, rates and other dues on time, actively participating in village and ward development initiatives, reporting administrative malfeasance, obeying laws. We would ceased to be ‘free’ when all we want is freedom from responsibility’. Power without responsibility is the prerogative only of the feckless.
Despite the good intentions of governments, both national and local, the people must remain wary and not create lords and masters over them or Frankenstein monsters. The road to abuse of office is paved with good intention. Constraining that power becomes necessary:
“If men were angels, no government would be necessary. If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary. In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this: you must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place oblige it to control itself.”–Alexander Hamilton
Congratulations to the UDP for its victories in the Local Government Elections. It is effectively in charge of governance at the local level. No mean feat. This places on it, as never before, huge tasks and expectations, of transforming lives and strengthening grassroots democracy.
The Central Government must begin the process of full decentralisation as envisaged in the original Local Government Act 2002. There is no other way if power is to be returned to the people. Time will tell.
“Time will tell”, indeed. Congratulations are in order for the UDP. The challenge next, after the euphoria of success at the polls, is to deliver on the promises made: job creation, infrastructural development, open and accountable governance, youth & women empowerment, etc.
It is true that they (UDP) cannot do it alone, but as the trustees of our mandates, they must lead and provide the ideas, policies and initiatives that all will support.
The “battle” for sustainable development has commenced and all must be part of it. Holding the elected accountable and challenging their ideas and policies should never be viewed as harbouring grudges or anti-development. It’s all part of the development and good governance process and there will be a lot of that in new Gambia.
Spoke to my Aunt last night about the election and UDP victory. My 80 year old Aunt was not a bit interested in who won or lost, but she said something that made me think. Aunty Awa said. “Now we can stop being selfish and narrow minded and build our country “. How Aunty? Her reply. We can all try to get along, speak same language and use same currency as our family in Dakar. Then she was quiet and when I asked her maid. I was told she was sleeping. Never figured I was so boring.
That’s an old Lady’s food for thought.
God Bless The Gambia.
Bax and Dr Sarr, we’ve gotten over one phase of nasty politics so enough of the dog and pony show where every politician puts on his/her best behavior and looks, if I my add. Manners are something else.
It’s time for all elected officials to realize that they must now bury their faces into the work at hand to prove that they are indeed worth their salt. They also must note that the opportunity to go back to the polls will be here before we know it and Gambians will be keenly looking to show laggards the door in a jiffy.
This is an era that whistle blowers have unfettered access to social media.
Dr Sarr,
Your Aunty, our Aunty is more Pan Africanist, revolutionary than the learned British/American doctor. At 80! Amazing indeed. The UDP brassing, eulogy do not fit her, as they do to the doctor. Hail Aunty for your foresight.
Except for the CRR North Region, the ‘yellow wash’ (UDP) at the local government level (if such could coin) is (probably) a “temporary statement” from the peasantry Gambians that (development impediment) political wrangling (for dominance) can ease at Decision making levels, at least for next election cycle; this mustn’t be confused with politicisation of the local governments; turning the administrative mechanisms into (UDP) political bureaus, instead of the mandatory societal development requirements to the letters of the Constitution; evidently, the GDC political-playing the last Kuntaur flood disaster in particular, swung & swayed the unsuspecting residents to their “skin-teeth” victory in CCR North above the others….
I hereby call upon Africans & (so-called) “third world” countries, that it’s time African & Gambia government in particular, include in the Constitution, for citizens to report to the Ombudsman Office ANYBODY who is “suspected of corruption”; for investigations & correctional redress; for REALISTIC societal development; like in EVERYWHERE else in the (Mature Democracies) “advance world”; evidently from the Revenue Collectors to governor’s, among all other employees entrusted with judicious responsibilities at the Area Council, Municipal, City administrations become “rich” (according to Gambia standards) overnight; when their legitimate earnings in wages & allowances, FACTUALLY points in contrast evidently….
The very same can be said about the Customs & Excise, the Immigration Depart, the Finance Ministry, amongst many more others…
Otherwise, the journey for genuine communal development will stay slowly & “excruciating”…
God bless Gambia….