The newly elected leader of the Committee for the Restoration of Democracy in the Gambia (CODEG) has stated over and over that his executive is not a “government in waiting.”
Dr. Abdoulie Saine, a Political Science Professor at Miami University in Ohio, told a news conference of online journalists on Friday that CORDEG’s ultimate role is to coordinate the political activities of all Diaspora Gambian activist groups and those at home.
Dr. Saine said his committee will actively participate in current and future political activities in the Gambia.
The election of CORDEG was a fulfillment of the Raleigh Accord, which among others, called for the implementation of sustainable strategies and efforts in a bid to defeat the Jammeh dictatorship.
Dr. Saine expressed his committee’s readiness to confront the Jammeh dictatorship head on and that the government’s atrocities on innocent citizens will not be left unchallenged. “Our legal team, under the able leadership of James Bahoum, will take legal action against the Gambia government,” he said, calling on all Gambians to “actively participate in the political discourse of our nation. “It is the moral duty of every citizen to stand up and fight for what is right in our country. Our failure to do so means we will all answer questions from our children and grandchildren for failing to take our responsibilities seriously.”
CODEG leadership was taken on a range of issues, including the officials’ sending of mixed messages. The group’s Secretary General said that was not a worrying development. Abdoulie Jobe said any messages that came from CORDEG members should be treated the same.
The conference, chaired by CORDEG Vice Chairperson Sigga Jagne, plans to reach out to all Gambian Diaspora political groups and individuals so they can actively participate in their country’s political process.
The group’s leadership promised to share its detailed policy program, mission and vision documents with the public once they are complete. CORDEG is also set for consultation with political parties in the Gambia and the international organizations to fulfill its goals.
The lengthy conference was a litmus test for CORDEG whose leadership was bombarded with a barrage of questions, some of which have been left either unanswered or partly answered.
Ends