There Is More That Binds Us

GAMB0001

By Janko Camara

In response to the statement: “…You cannot compare PDOIS to the PPP…”

Everyone has a right to support the party of their choice. However, it is important that in doing so, we do not attempt to re-write history by altering the facts. The above-quoted assertion is not based on any historical facts. First, the name Protectorate People’s Party came into being due to the electoral discrimination that had existed at the time. People from the “Protectorate”, even though formed the majority, were disenfranchised by the existing electoral system. They were not taking part in the process even though decisions taken by the elected were binding on them and therefore, affected them in many ways.

It was this fact that led a number of people, with provincial origin, to clamour for the inclusion of the disenfranchised majority rural population. The name Protectorate People’s Party was envisioned on inclusion of the excluded. The name sought to enfranchise all those rural dwellers, irrespective of tribe, who were Gambian, yet disenfranchised by the system in place. Therefore, to insinuate that the Protectorate People’s Party had a tribal coloration, in my view, is unfounded and cannot be substantiated by any historical facts.

One of the strongest pillars of the PPP in Banjul was I.B.A. Kelepha (some spell it Kelefa) Samba of blessed memory. I am not aware he has Mandinka origins. Momodou Musa Njie, of provincial origin (Bansang), who became a father-in-law to the former president, is not Mandinka. So let us focus on things that will bring us together rather than divide us.

Therefore, the remarks below is misleading and inaccurate.

“You cannot compare PDOIS to the PPP whose leaders had initially named their party PROTECTORATE PEOPLE’S PARTY” meaning party for the people in the provinces or better still the Mandinkas who mainly inhabited the rural areas at the time as a stepping stone to win votes from them”.

 

27 Comments

  1. To attribute PPP as Mandinkas party is not only a dishonest statement but it is also disgraceful , bigotry and ignorance . Yero Ba needs to withdraw such a lie and apologize to Gambian people whose majority embraced PPP in the first republic . It was PPP leadership’s politics of tolerance and respect for our individual and tribal differences that continue to help the citizens to have peaceful co-existence which is the envy of the most African countries including Senegal which has 30 years regional conflict based on tribal line .
    It is this same kind of anti-Mandinkas sentiment they continue to propaganda with their falsehood , lies , political mud sliding and bigotry against UDP. Unless we come together and accept the facts , we will continue to see such small ,ignorance and untruthful alliance to distort the truth for their narrow political , economic and tribal agenda .

  2. We have to take people like Yerro Ba and his kind for what they are, tribalist at heart, but for the sake of political correctness, are masquerading as PDOIS pseudo political philosophers who would rather have Jammeh abusing every tribe in the Gambia, than any reasonable alternative who could be a Mandinka.

    Try as they may, sometimes matters of the heart inadvertently pour out in an emotional outburst, and their true nature is revealed.

    However anyone tries, Gambians have more in common than divide us. The different tribes in Gambia have lived peacefully and cordially with each other for centuries, and the so called tribal rivalries, a relatively recent phenomenon, is generally restricted to urban elites trying to secure and consolidate their limited government positions. May God save us from their evil machinations.

    • Modou , thank you for speaking up. This anti-Mandinkas sentiment is a pattern in their political belief. Few years ago , PDOIS leadership failed to join press conference organized by UDP , PPP and NRP to condemn and repudiate Jammeh’s tribal vitriol and hatred against Mandinkas ethnic group . PDOIS supporters like Bax continue to dismiss , be deceptive and outright shown his ignorance and bigotry to Yero Ba’s lie and disgraceful statement . The good thing is that kaironews published such an outrageous and outlandish claims to expose their ignorance and untruthful alliance to hijack the truth . They should remember that vast majority of Gambian people do not buy their intellectual dishonesty and this is why despite their longevity in Gambian politics , they continue perform so badly and poorly that few people recognize them . How can a supporter who claimed to be politically aware and is part of a party with different type of politics be having such a low political IQ in his political presentation ?
      In the same posting , Yero Ba has shown his lack of understanding of politics by his statement that , “UDP was created as protest movement to dislodge Jammeh’s government” for its lost past privileges . This is another garbage to expose his ignorance about how politics work in any civilized society and what UDP stand for . He needs to enroll in college or listen to geniune politicians so that he can have better understanding of what politics is all about .

  3. Do you have to name a party Protectorate People’s party in order to address a particular political anomaly? Come on, this is history. Has Jawara and his colleagues not identified the anomaly and renamed the party the People’s Progressive Party? If you denied that it is not a Mandinka entity, then you must accept that it is a sectionalist entity. You cannot run away from the two. Like I told Maxs, if he continues to deny I will have no option but to dig for Sanjally’s interview with Foroyaa before his death and bring to the fore the true story from the founder of the PPP.

    • Yero Ba, whatever evidence you have, you can bring it forward. You are too ignorant about history regarding formation of PPP. Going by illogical conclusion that PPP was created as Mandinka party or entity then we can also conclude that APRC is Mandinka entity or Party despite the fact that its leader is non-Mandinka but it was Mandinkas elders from Brikama and other places who encouraged and prevailed on Jammeh to contest election as civilian. Majority of APRC supporters are Mandinkas, a fact your indoctrinated and myopic mind cannot deny. What a dishonest and bigotry statements you continue to spew for narrow political agenda. As I said before, the more you write, less intelligence your writing become. Do you see how illogical and incoherent your analogy and statements can be? There is no party in The Gambia which do not have Mandinkas as majority supporters simply because Mandinkas formed about 45 % of the population. Even in your party ,majority of PDOIS supporters are Mandinkas. Are you going to call your party, a Mandinkas party ? Don’t expose your ignorance and stupidity about Gambian politics. Remember, a lot of people are reading your post . As I said before, Sanjally Bojang was part of group of Gambians who are influencial in the formation of PPP because majority who are disenfranchised lived in the rural areas. Even today, rural areas are key to any political party victory in a free and fair elections.
      If your claimed that PPP was Mandinkas party, how come you have PPP leadership who are not Mandinkas but has great influence in the party? How come you have non Mandinka today as the chief spokesperson for PPP ? How come did you have majority of JAWARA’s regime senior leaders or government ministers and technocrats as non Mandinkas? If this is the type of ignorance , you continue to call as PDOIS revolutionary and awareness message, then you need to check yourself in psychiatric hospital because I believe your statements are delusional statements.

      • “If your claimed that PPP was Mandinkas party, how come you have PPP leadership who are not Mandinkas but have great influence in the party? How come you have non Mandinka today as the chief spokesperson for PPP ? How come did you have majority of JAWARA’s regime senior leaders or government ministers and technocrats as non Mandinkas? If this is the type of ignorance , you continue to call as PDOIS revolutionary and awareness message, then you need to check yourself in psychiatric hospital because I believe your statements are delusional statements,”
        Maxs, you are asking very simple questions about the PPP. I did not belabor on them earlier because I thought those are already public knowledge.
        1.how come you have PPP leadership who are not Mandinkas but has great influence in the party? The answer is, after the initial victory of the PPP in the protectorate over the UP, many elites in the other parties decided to cross carpet to the PPP. These include stalwarts like Garba Jahumpa, M.C. Cham,Sename, etc. Many opposition politicians competed as to who would join the PPP bandwagon first until there was hardly anyone left of the UP.Even people like J.R.Forster left the UP for the PPP. It was only one Foday Minteh and Gibou Jagne who continued to struggle for the UP. The answer to your question is, opportunism and selfishness had taken the toll of many of such earlier politicians. That was the opinion of most people at the time. Even when the UP was weakened by these defections to the ruling party for greener pastures, Independents also came up and won seats but eventually defected to the PPP for the same reasons.
        2.”How come did you have majority of JAWARA’s regime senior leaders or government ministers and technocrats as non Mandinkas?” As I told you Jawara and his colleagues eventually identified the mistake and did not want the tribal label tagged to the PPP. The decided to rectify the anomaly and renamed the party Peoples Progressive Party since they were then very comfortable. As I said the leadership has rectified many things trying to give a national character to the party to move away from this sectionalist tag which in fact had angered many so-called Mandinkas during the time who felt that they had stood for the party at its most difficult time but those who were opposing them were now being favoured by Jawara. This was why Mr Sheriff Ceesay had to also leave and formed his party only to come back after negotiations.
        So as you can see you are the ignorant type who are indoctrinated by what you are told and not allowed to search for information elsewhere. Do you now see how things evolved within the ruling PPP. You and I grew up at a time when the party was refined but the initial battle was really fought on a tribal platform by the likes of Pa Sanjally and since it was winning it support at a time when it badly needed it, it was condoned and encouraged by the elites who should have known better.
        I do agree with Bax that the circumstances are different and as he said we should not use the same standards of our own era, as a barometer for comparisons, which may lead to wrong conclusions. But the reality is that these are the facts regarding the history.
        Do you want us to continue the history? As I said its all in the achieves.

  4. Modou, I may agree with you when say, ‘The different tribes in the Gambia have lived peacefully and cordially with each other for centuries’ but, I may not agree with you, if you say, ‘the so called tribal rivalries is a relatively recent phenomenon generally restricted to urban elites trying to secure and consolidate their limited government positions’. We have categorically dealt with some of the worst ills of our society and so I will say that, this type of an ill in the public space, is one more reason why the Gambia has been politically backward for centuries with neighbouring Senegal, politically proud and looking down on the Gambia with its kind of a status quo.
    Who knows the peaceful and cordial living together of the tribes has ever been an act than real…….
    Who knows we have the most obscure and adverse attitude towards nationhood, nation and civil society building…….

  5. The question, whether the PPP was a Mandinka tribal party or not should not evoke anger, emotions and vitriol, but like any subject, should be approached with maturity, inquisiticity and genuine eagerness to find, if not scholarly answers, but at least, well informed ones for the benefit of all interested in the subject…

    To start with, it is important that when we study or scrutinise historical events, especially of a political nature, we also consider the context of the era in which these events occurred…

    This will prevent us from using the standards of our own era, as a barometer for comparisons, which may lead to wrong conclusions…Without any hesitation, I will say that I do not believe that the PPP (in particular) was a Mandinka Tribal Party, nor do I consider Sir Dawda to be a tribalist.

    However, it is undeniable and indisputable that the PPP emerged at a time when region, tribe and social class were key factors that played important and decisive roles in the politics and the formation of the parties of that era…

    So it may not be entirely wrong to assume that the tribal card of the leader (Mandinka) and most prominent members at the formation stage, could have been used to win their support..

    Such prominent PPP founders and stalwarts, like Famara Wassa Touray, Pa Sanjally Bojang and Pa Jombo Bojang (all of blessed memory) devised and adopted some very unorthodox and unconventional ways of winning converts to the new party, but these should be viewed and understood within the context of their era..

    The PPP itself, contrary to claims by Max, was not spear-headed by a Workers Union, but evolved from a grassroots organisation, the Protectorate People’s Society (PPS), which was formed to facilitate the affairs of its members, all of whom were from the protectorate and felt marginalised…

    The evolution of the PPS into the PPP and the timing of the event, is one that I intend to use in.a separate contribution, to show how PDOIS is different from the PPP, from the perspective of the birth and emergence of the two parties…

    To conclude, I will opine that whilst the PPP is not a tribal party, it is safe to assume that the regional and tribal card was a key and crucial factor during its formation and formative years..

  6. We are all interrelated through marriage and kind. sine and saloum are the perfect example of a serrer/wollof/mandinka dynasty that endured for many centuries until the dawn of colonialism.
    The technicalities of such a complex dynastic structure is a testimony that the people in the area have lived under a political dispensation mutually accepted and balanced. The same was possible in the Gambia and Senegal after independence, even though with persons of Christian faith leading them.

    That the critical nature of the mandinka is threatening to elites or people aspiring for power, is not new and it is likewise headache for the mandinka people in such positions. This is good and it is a trait worthy of advancement instead of suppressing it.
    Yero Ba mentioned that Jawara was wary of assuming the ppp leadership, because he feared to be eventually “let down” is itself a testimony to the right of the sovereign to select as well as bring down some one who either overstayed his due or just won’t accept the rules of the game as we have it presently.

    In nutshell, ppp as a political party was not a mandinka party. That they received bulk of their support from mandinka ethnic group , was merely a reaction of practically disenfranchised provincial people who suddenly had a voice and got determined to be heard. Without such a situation in the 1960s , ppp wouldn’t have been created and the political party makeup of the colony (bathurst &kombo st Mary) would have been diverse enough to take up the different mandinka loyalties at the time.

    So let’s pull ourselves together and Channel the energies towards making the gambia a better place for all within her border and at peace with our immediate neighbours.

  7. Bax, can you see your double talk and your writing as a chameleon in the forum : here is why i said that and you listen to yourself ;

    Bax said ” without any hesitation , I will say that I do not believe that PPP ( in particular ) , was a Mandinka tribal party , nor do I consider sir Dawda to be a tribalist”

    Why can’t you simply say such statements to make your position clear and denounce Yero Ba for his outrageous comment ; but you won’t do that and you will continue to contradict yourself again in the same posting with these statements below. Here you are speaking in different tones as if you are a political prostitute ;

    Bax said ” so it may not be entirely wrong to assume that the tribal card of the leader ( Mandinka) and most prominent members at the formation stage , could have been used to win their support “.

    Bax , I think you either have amnesia or you begin to show early stage of dementia by having stated two different things in two different paraphraghs. In this first paragraph , you have indicated that You do not believe that PPP was a Mandinka party but in the second paragraph you have stated that tribal card of Mandinka leader and most prominent members at the formation stage could have been used to win their support .
    In essence , at one point PPP was not a Mandinka party and the leader is not tribalist but in another point ,mandinka leader used tribal card to win their support to form PPP. You can’t have it in both ways . You need to make your position clear and stop behaving like a political prostitute who want to have it in both ways .

    Here are you talking again :

    Bax” however , it is undeniable and indisputable that the PPP emerged at a time when region , tribe and social class were key factors that played important and divisive role in the politics and the formation of the parties of the era “.

    Bax , I would suggest that when you write your piece , take few minutes break and later revise your writing to see if there is any contradiction.
    In the last paragraph above , you went on to involved region and social class as a factor in political parties formation in that era . If this was the case then why we didn’t have political party based on region or social class ? Why Foni , Jarra , Kombo and Kiang did not have their own political party ? Why we do not have political party for wollof or Fula or jola ? Why we do not have political party based on educational level ? Notwithstanding all of these , why did the founding fathers were able to achieve independence despite divisive roles of tribe , region and social class in politics at the time ? Why did PPP became most popular and inclusive party for 30 years ?
    I know when the pressure is build on you , you tend to forget about what you said early on . Please don’t make yourself the laughing stock .

    Thanks .

    • I can see what your problem is and I do genuinely sympathise with you…but unfortunately, I cannot help you…

      By the way, even PPP eventually realised the sectionalst implications or undertones of the party’s name and hence changed it to indicate inclusiveness…

  8. Max asked me to clarify two things : (1) Why did PDOIS emerge. (2) How is PDOIS different from the other parties…

    To begin with, I should, once again, make it crystal clear to Max (though it’s pointless) that I do NOT speak for PDOIS, don’t belong to PDOIS and my views are mine alone and don’t represent PDOIS…

    My views are entirely formed from my curiosity; my experience; from what I witness; and from what I heard and read from PDOIS…

    If anybody has a different interpretation of all the information I possess to formulate my views, they are free to challenge me and present their case….in a sensible, mature and emotion free way, of course..

    Why did PDOIS emerge..?

    Quite simply put, PDOIS emerged to provide a genuine alternative choice to the Gambian electorate..Not only was it different in outlook and structure, its political and economic alternative programmes were a radical departure from any of the existing parties, as well as, its campaign methods, strategy and platform…

    Don’t take my word for it….Find out for yourself…

    According to Carlene J. Edie, in a paper titled: Democracy in The Gambia : Past, Present and Prospects… (African Development, Vol XXV, 3 & 4, 2000) :-

    “The most significant difference between Gambian parties emerged only in the late 1980s when PDOIS emerged….

    With PDOIS there was for the first time a clear difference between the (capitalist) ruling party and the (socialist) opposition….”

    The same study observed that the advent of the 2nd has not changed anything in this fact..It stated :-

    “With the exception of PDOIS the other three parties (APRC, UDP, NRP) were hardly different in Policy, Positions or Ideology..”

    The paper further observed that :” the results of the elections (of the 2nd republic) showed continuity in the post-independence pattern of domination by the ruling party..”

    The APRC, the study noted, “captured from the opposition approximately the same percentage of votes as its predecessor…”

    It is quite clear that in terms of policies PDOIS is not only different from PPP (and the cure enter parties) but is actually the only genuine opposition to the neo-liberal (capitalist) APRC..

    You.may not agree with their economic ideology/philosophy, but you cannot deny that it is DIFFERENT from any that we have in The Gambia today…

    Continued..

  9. I have included the study ‘s observations on the continuity of ruling party domination to show why PDOIS would be reluctant to be party to any alliance that seeks to change government alone, but maintain the status quo…

    Having established that PDOIS is different in economic ideology to the PPP, we can attempt to show how the birth of the two are different..

    PDOIS emerged either in late 1985 or mid 1986.. In any case, it emerged in the 1980s when the political scene was dominated by the PPP and.there was no sign that this would change anytime soon..

    So comfortable, dominant and confident was the PPP that they introduced Presidential Elections to allow the voters to directly elect the president. Until then, the president was elected through Parliament: The leader of the party that wins the most seats becomes the president…

    The emergence of PDOIS therefore was not an accident of history, but a concious, deliberate and calculated move to engage in a political struggle that would probably be.long and hard..

    This act or action could not have been described, even by the most cynical of the most cynical, to be timed to capitalise from an eminently emerging favourable political situation…

    Could the same be said of the PPP, UDP, NRP (and other post independent parties)…? The answer is of course “NO”..

    Though not much has been written about the earliest political movements for independence, quite a bit has been written about the period immediately preceeding independence… (say between 10-15yrs before independence), and when we examine these records, we note that even though all founding members of the PPP were active, in one way or the other, this activity was not of a political nature involving a struggle against the establishment…

    Some of the founders were chiefs working with the colonialists, whilst the leader Sir Dawda was in government service as the only veterinarian…

    Pa Sanjally was described as a “labour contractor” in the groundnut sector, but I doubt if he pays his “workers” a dime at all..You will have the whip if you dare ask..

    The records show that from the 1950s, when the political paradigm began to change, up to around 1956, only the elites of the colony were actively engaged in politics, though movement towards that direction was gathering pace amongst the protectorate organisations, most of whose members were illiterate..

    We encounter Sir Dawda in the political arena around 1957-58, when he is reported to have had a conversation with Pa Sanjally Bojang to encourage him to return to the PPS..Pa Sanjally had already left the PPS to join PS Njie’s UP..

    Sir.Dawda, not only succeeded in convincing Pa Sanjally to come back but also suggested to bring all protectorate organisations under one umbrella..which he eventually achieved that led to the creation of the Protectorate People’s Party (PPP)..

    It is worth pointing out that 1957 was the year when.the Wyn- Harris constitutional amendment enlarged political participation and convinced many that independence was inevitable..

    The PPP, unlike PDOIS, was born.at a time when favourable political change was evident and eminent….Of course, having joined the struggle, Sir Dawda went on to.achieve independence and create a government that was hugely tolerant and well respected throughout…

    Nevertheless, his appearance on the.political scene coincided with the emergence of an.opportune political situation, unlike PDOIS,.which emerged to face a situation that looked hopeless …

    To be continued….

  10. Janko Camara

    Bax, thank you for your intervention. You have a point in calling for things to be put into context. However, you would agree with me that the phrase “PPP is a Mandinka Party” is quite different from the phrase “PPP is a sectionalist party”, even if put into context, as you suggested. The author of the piece to which I reacted could have avoided raising sentiments by sticking to the facts. If he had portrayed the party as sectionalist, just like other existing parties at the time, most of us would not have bothered to react because we are very much conscious of the prevailing atmosphere in Banjul in the 1950s. However, to deliberately misrepresent the facts by portraying the party as a “Mandinka party” is derogatory and insulting, to say the least, and it does not help our cause. Do we have to portray the United Party of Pierre Sam Njie as a Wollof Party? Or do we have to portray I.M Garba Jahumpa’s Gambia Muslim Congress as an Islamist party? I think The Gambia of today has bigger challenges to tackle than spending time labeling parties, that emerged in the Colonial era, as this or that party. We need to appreciate the urgency of taking the right actions to avoid our country sliding into chaos. Statements/sentiments like the one above do not help in raising that sense of urgency in our people. The bickering has to stop and when people come online with such negative and backward statements, we need to tell them to their faces that they are damn wrong and nip such balderdash in the bud. Any day Jammeh stays in power, The Gambia goes further down the Abyss. Do we realize that who ever succeeds Jammeh has a monumental task ahead of them and I am not sure Gambians will have that much patience for them to fix the damages done to the country and her people. The advent of the A(F)RPC has taken us backwards by at least 40 years.

    • Janko….I agree that it is wrong to be “tearing” each other apart, when there is a much more pressing issue to at hand…..I have made it clear that I don’t share any views which claim that the PPP was a Mandinka Tribal Party, and the reaction of the community indicates that such a view is not widely held here..

      However, freedom to hold a view and to express it is among the beauties of democracy…Sir Dawda used to branded a “tribalist” by his opponents and called names on the political platform…Even if he felt offended and insulted, he never used to show it…

      Henry Madi, a naturalised Gambian of Lebanese descent, who was elected as the independent member of the Legislative Council for Kombo St Mary in the 1951 Elections, used to say some very unsavoury things about the Mandinkas..

      But he won the seat comfortably, beating his rivals, including Howsoon Semega-Janneh, a native of Sarahulleh ethnicity, by a comfortable margin…I am pretty sure that, even in 1951, there must have been a sizable number of Mandinka voters in Kombo St Mary…

      Let’s agree to disagree without feeling insulted and angry at each other..

    • (Continuation of how PDOIS is different…)

      Perhaps, it is worthy pointing out the close and remarkable similarlies between the PPP and UDP, not only in political ideology and strategies, but even the birth and emergence of both parties and the nature of the identification and selection of its leaders…

      Both parties are adherents to dependent Neo-Liberal Capitalism….Both parties emerged to take advantage of an eminent and favourable emerging political situation… Both leaders were brought in to lead after the formation of the parties…

      Another significant difference of PDOIS to the other parties is the type of leadership it is offering The Gambian People….

      PDOIS shuns parasitic leadership that allocates itself all sorts of privileges; it totally rejects the “First Citizen and First Family” nonsense and dismisses the need for a leader to barricade him/herself in a palacial mansion, in the name of security…

      PDOIS is the only party that is committed to the total eradication of these remnants and vestiges of the colonial (mansa) system and replace it with a system of humble service to the nation…

      And the institution of a system of administration where workers are rewarded or remunerated according to work done, rather than office and title held…

      In summary Max, PDOIS is different because…

      (1)…it was not the product of an accident of history, like every other party seems to be;

      (2)…it emerged at a time when its main opponent appeared to be indomitable, indicating belief and commitment to (their) cause;

      (3)…it offers alternatives that are different from what is existing and what is being offered by others;

      (4)…it was sustained entirely by members’ contributions and it’s own economic activities, and unless I’m wrong, that is still the party’s policies…

      You may disagree with my views and if you do, be free to share your disagreements…

      End…

  11. Thanks Janko Camara for your article and subsequent comments putting the ISSUE in proper context as noted by Bax.

    All this is agitated by the MALICIOUS VILE SLANDERS of Max. However we have learned some interesting things on Yero Bah’s reactions but Janko Camara is definitely right that the remark noted is “misleading and inaccurate”.

    It must be put on record thar Yero appears to wrongly express himself using the wrong phrases to make a statement, which doesn’t represent PDOIS Party view, statements and position. Hope that PDOIS Press Secretary Suwaibou is following discourse for PDOIS to release a rejoinder and exonerate the party.

    • PDOIS disciples, one thing I want you to know is that only truth and decency in our presentation will take our country forward. Gradually, truth is coming out and we will all finally agree that PPP was/is not a Mandinka party as it was claimed by Yero Ba. There was NO tribal or sectionalist party in that era. Interesting enough this was indicated by Bax himself when he said that in his posting below. I am sure this is one of his inconsistency and self contradiction in the statements below:

      Bax ” we encounter Sir Dawda in the political Arena around 1957-58, when he is reported to have had a conversation with Pa Sanjally Bojang to encourage him to return to the PPS. Pa Sanjally had already left the PPS to join PS Njie’s UP. Sir Dawda not only succeeded in convincing Pa Sanjally to come back but also suggested to bring all protectorate organizations under one umbrella, which eventually achieved that led to the creation of the protectorate people’s party (PPP)” end of quote .

      Now very interesting questions are; how come Pa Sanjally Bojang left PPS to Join United Party (UP) which was headed by a Non Mandinka politician, when Yero Ba accused the founding fathers of PPP as party “created for Mandinka people”?
      Is this statement not completely repudiate that lie he profusely defended and supported by Bax ?

      If there was “undeniable and indisputable claim PPP emerged at the time when region, tribe and social class were key factors that played important and divisive role in the politics and the formation of the parties of the era” as claimed by Bax, why Pa Sanjally Bojang, an uneducated rural man , will join United party ( UP) led by non-Mandinka politician in Banjul? Think twice before you post your comments. Use your brain to connect the dot.

      Clearly the above quote has dismissed and repudiated the lies spread by Yero Ba and those who claimed that it could be right to call PPP, a “sectionalist party ” based on the so called context of the time. Intellectual dishonesty and outright distortions of historic facts at display.

      Please let us focus on the truth and disregard vile and vitriol propaganda for selfish partisan and tribal agenda. As I said , PPP was not a Mandinka party and it has never been. Gambian political parties were not created for any social class, tribe, region or section. It is inaccurate and misleading to call any party as a “tribal” or “sectionalist “party .
      It is only decency and truth in our national discourse that will be able to successfully removed the tyrant who is our own creation.
      As the Steam and pressure grows, we will see these so called disciples abandoning and disassociating themselves with the very political party they have previously prophesied to support and call on their party leadership to come and rescue them. This is evidence by the following comments by their various supporters below ;

      Bax said “I do not speak for PDOIS, don’t belong to PDOIS and my view mine is alone and don’t represent PDOIS” ,,
      please, for God sake tell us where you belong since you have publicly disown the party you vehemently defended. It will be interesting to know your true political belief.

      Hear another indoctrinated supporter with his calls for party leadership intervention; let’s hear us what Julaba has to say :

      Julaba said “it must be put on record that Yero appears to wrongly express himself using the wrong phrases to make a statement, which doesn’t represent PDOIS party view, statements and position. Hope that PDOIS press secretary Suwaibou is following discourse for PDOIS to release a rejoinder and exonerate the party ” end of quote.

      Thank God for the first time you ( Julaba ) speak the truth. Not only he speak the truth, he went on to distance himself and his party from such an outrageous and political vitriol. I hope PDOIS leadership will answer to his call and make their position clear or repudiate Yero Ba’s claim but I very much doubt that because it is a pattern for PDOIS leadership to be silenced on this issue.

      Finally our esteem readership or followers can make their own judgement on this issue.

      I thank every one for your contribution. Please let’s us all look into our better angels to make our country great again and let justice guide our actions towards to the common good.
      Thanks

      • @Max…”and those who claimed that it could be right to call PPP, a “sectionalist party ” based on the so called context of the time.”

        Who are you alluding the above claims to, if I may ask..?

        Where is it claimed that “it could be right to call PPP, “a sectionalist party” based on the so called context of the time.”?

        Come back and clarify this…

        • Here is the claim ;
          Yero Ba said ” if you denied that it is not a Mandinka entity , then you must accept that it is a sectionalist entity ”
          Janko Camara said ” if he had portrayed the party as sectionalist , just like other existing parties at the time , most of us would not have bothered to react because we are very much conscious of the prevailing atmosphere in Banjul in 1950s”.

          Are you satisfy with the two quotes ? Such mischaracterization is inaccurate and misleading .
          You will never accept the facts .
          Thanks .

          • No, I’m not satisfied…I asked a specific question and I will repeat it….”Who are you attributing that statement to.?

            May I.now a further question…Is it Yero Ba or Janko Camara.?

            Observations….Yero Ba, according to your quotation, did not say anything about the ” context of the time”…He only stated that if you reject his Mandinka party claim, then you must accept his Sectionalist party claim..

            Janko expressed the wilingness to ignore the claim that the PPP was “sectionalist”, if Yero Ba had restricted himself to that claim that one only….because of our understanding of the prevailing circumstances…

            You concocted a whole NEW statement by connecting words and then purportedly attributing it to someone or some people, as thus…

            @Max…”and those who claimed that it could be right to call PPP, a “sectionalist party ” based on the so called context of the time.”

            So once again, who made this claim..? Your problem is obvious to many…

          • Bax. Anyone who claimed that PPP was sectionalist party based on whatever reason or context is inaccurate and misleading in his statement . Please give up , you are wrong in your support . Just take personal responsibility and apologize for your inconsistency and support .

  12. Bax, can you see your double talk and your writing as inconsistent or incoherent in the forum . Here is why I said that and you listen to yourself :

    Bax said ” without any hesitation , I will say that I do not believe that PPP ( in particular ) , was a mandinka tribal party , nor do I consider sir Dawda to be a tribalist “.

    Why can’t you simply say such statements to make your position clear and denounce yero Ba for his outrageous comment , but you won’t do that and you will continue to contradict yourself again in the same posting with these statements below. Here you are speaking in different tones to show your inconsistency and want to have it in both ways .

    Bax said ” so it may not be entirely wrong to assume that the tribal card of the leader ( mandinka ) and most prominent members at the formation stage could have been used to win their support “.

    Bax , I think you are easily forgetful or inconsistent by having stated two different things in two different paragraphs. In the first paragraph , you have indicated that you do not believe that PPP was a mandinka party but in the second paragraph you have stated that tribal card of mandinka leader and most prominent members at the formation stage could have been used to win their support .
    In essence , at one point PPP was not a mandinka party and the leader is not tribalist but in another point mandinka leader used tribal card to win their support to form PPP .you can’t have it in both ways . You need to make your position clear and stop writing in political hypocritical and incoherent manner with the goal of statisfying both sides .

    Here are you talking again :

    Bax said ” however , It is undeniable and indisputable that PPP emerged at a time when region , tribe and social class were key factors that played important and divisive role in the politics and the formation of the parties of that era ” .

    Bax , I. Would suggest that when you write your piece ,take few minutes break and later revise your writing to see if there is any contradiction or inconsistency .
    In the last paragraph above , you went on to involve region , tribe and social class as a factor in political parties formation in that era . If this was the case then why we didn’t have political party based on region or social class? Why Foni , Jarra , kombo and kiang did not have their own political party ? Why we do not have political party for Wolof , Fula , Jola ? Why we do not have political party based on educational level? Notwithstanding all of these , why did the founding fathers were able to achieve independence despite the divisive roles of tribe , region and social class in politics at the time as you want us to believe ? Why did PPP became the most popular and inclusive party for 30 years ?
    I know when the pressure is build on you , you tend to forget about what you said early on . Please don’t make yourself the laughing stock .

    Here is what I said about formation of PPP in my original statements :

    Maxs said ” workers unions played huge role in the formation of PPP and I am sure historians will tell you that. Janjally Bojang was very instrumental and influencial in that efforts . Workers from old PWD example, were all part of group of Gambians who helped in that efforts . Majority of these people were not educated and sir Dawda was later part of the party to lead the party . I stand to be corrected but this is my knowledge . So PPP formation was spearheaded by ordinary Gambians without much education but good communication skills and understanding of the society ” .

    Compare this quote above to your statement below . From my quote where did I stated that PPP was spear-headed by workers union as you indicated below ?.

    Bax said “the PPP itself , contrary to claims by Max , was not spear-headed by a workers union , but evolved from a grassroots organization , the protectorate people’s society , which was formed to facilitate the affairs of its members , all of whom were from the protectorate and felt marginalized “.

    From your quote , I can clearly see that you dishonestly fabricated and misquoted my original statements in efforts to distort the facts I stated . This is the kind of game you continue to play , to distort facts and continue to show your imconsistency and self contradiction .

    We have to call a spade a spade , PPP was not a mandinka party and it has never been because it was all inclusive party embraced by all tribes , social class and region of the country . It has also never been a “sectionalist party” because it was embraced by all sector and strata of Gambian society . It is inaccurate and false information to call any party at the time , a “sectionalist party ” or “tribal party”. We have to be honest to ourselves and understand that Gambian Political parties were not created for any social class , tribe , region or section because each of the party at the time have members or supporters from each of these constituencies or areas . Let us stop massaging each other’s ego and state the truth as it is . This is what will take Gambia forward but the idea that you should avoid telling someone the truth fearing that I will offend him , is very dishonest and injustice .
    Thanks

    • @Max….”Here is what I said about formation of PPP in my original statements :

      Maxs said ” workers unions played huge role in the formation of PPP and I am sure historians will tell you that. Janjally Bojang was very instrumental and influencial…..”

      Compare this quote above to your statement below . From my quote where did I stated that PPP was spear-headed by workers union as you indicated below ?.

      “Bax said “the PPP itself , contrary to claims by Max , was not spear-headed by a workers union….”

      “From your quote , I can clearly see that you dishonestly fabricated and misquoted my original statements in efforts to distort the facts I stated . This is the kind of game you continue to play , to distort facts and continue to show your imconsistency and self contradiction …”

      My Response….

      Let’s see who is being dishonest.. Remember, we are on Janko’s piece here but it was not the original Item on this issue…The original piece came from Yero Ba. titled : DON’T COMPARE PDOIS TO PPP…

      In that piece, you posted the following :

      “Max on February 7, 2016 at 9:04 PM

      Yero Ba, another outlandish and ridiculous claims you made was PPP was created for Mandinkas in rural areas to support the party. If you don’t know the history of PPP you need to learn and stop making ridiculous statement. PPP was spear- headed by workers union under the influence of leaders like Janjally Bojang who was from Kombos….”

      Let’s dissect your statement, line by line, to ascertain whether I dishonestly misquoted you or whether you dishonestly tried to change your original claim….

      Line 1… “Yero Ba, another outlandish and ridiculous …

      Line 2…claims you made was PPP was created for ….

      Line 3…Mandinkas in rural areas to support the party. If….

      Line 4…you don’t know the history of PPP you need to….

      Line 5…learn and stop making ridiculous statement. ..

      Line 6…PPP was spear- headed by workers union under the influence of leaders like Janjally Bojang who was from Kombos….”

      I want to draw the attention of the readership to line 6 and to what I stated as thus :

      ( Bax said )..“the PPP itself , contrary to claims by Max , was not spear-headed by a workers union….”

      Please tell us who is being deceptive..? I rest my case..

  13. Janko, Bax contribution cannot be an intervention. Bax is the very one whovis supporting and defending Yerro Ba’s outrageous and outlandish claims. If you can’t tell him the truth, simply keep quite and be an observer. We need to be truthful here. Massaging someone else’s ego will not take our country forward. I observe you keep praising Bax who is inconsistent and self contradictory in the forum. This forum is not created for any untruthful alliance. This is why anyone who presents misinformation will be challenged. You are straight forward with Yerro Ba in your presentation but you came to massage Bax’s ego. Calling PPP a sectionalist party is indeed inaccurate and false. We aspire to replace Jammeh with honest and decent people so that we can have peace and stability in our country. The bottom line is that, we need to be on the side of the truth.
    Thanks.

    • Janko Camara

      Maxs, I do not subscribe to your claim that I am into some form of “untruthful alliance” with Bax. I have had differences in opinion with Bax on some matters in the past just the same way as we shared opinion on other matters. By my training, I am always intrigued by FACTS and LOGIC. So when I see these, no matter the author, I acknowledge and move on. The reverse happens when I notice falsehood.

      It was based on the above that I challenged Yerro Bah. His assertion that the PPP is a Mandinka party is not only false but it has the tendency to derail us. I would back Yerro if he said something that is factual, even if that relates to me or someone close. That is me. You are not obliged to accept it.

      Finally, I would like to quip that keeping decorum and decency in national discourses is a depiction of maturity. At the end of the day, this forum is expected to add value to people. If it fails to achieve this, then it is not worthy of spending valuable time on it.

  14. “Do we have to portray the United Party of Pierre Sam Njie as a Wollof Party? Or do we have to portray I.M Garba Jahumpa’s Gambia Muslim Congress as an Islamist party?” said Janko. Did Pierre Sam Sarr named his party Banjul Peoples Party or Wolof Peoples Party? What history has recorded is that Pierre’s party is called the United Party (UP) which is not a tribal nor a sectionalist name. Infact, a united party is a very progressive organization since the intention of its forebears is to unite all Gambians irrespective of tribe, region or religion. As for Garba Jahumpa calling his party Muslim Congress is also blatantly sectionalist and opportunistic. What is the difference between him and Jammeh who declares Gambia an Islamic state to gain cheap popularity?
    The Gambia constitution is categorically opposed to that. Infact it is saying no party should carry a tribal, sectionalist or religious name or symbol as its emblem or motto or name. Why don’t you call a spade a spade?
    The rest of what you said above refers to people who pretend not to belong to any political entity but reserves the right to blemish the record of very progressive organisations such as the PDOIS.

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