Auto Accident Emboldens Halifa

HalifaA road accident that almost cost the life of Halifa Sallah, the presidential candidate of the opposition People’s Democratic Organisation Independence and Socialism (PDOIS) must not raise alarm, the party assured. The Jappineh incident happened in Jappineh in Jarra as the car Mr. Sallah was riding hit a cow. Sallah, who sustained laceration in the left eye, said the accident had emboldened him to continue serving the people without fear or favour, affection or ill will. Halifa is currently touring the country, ahead of the December 2016 general election.

Below is a press statement issued by the PDOIS Secretariat on the incident:

A publication was made of the statement by Halifa Sallah on Sunday, 6 March, 2016 at the PDOIS rally in Fas Chaho, Upper Niumi, North Bank Region, that he came close to death but is alive and also came close to blindness but could now see very clearly. The statement further indicated that Mr. Sallah said this experience further emboldens him to continue serving the people without fear or favour affection or ill will.

Since then many people have reacted to the Foroyaa publication making it necessary to clarify the issue.

After the passing away of Mr. Ebrima Menkeh Barrow, the Sareh Ngai Ward Councillor in the Wuli West District of Upper River Region, a PDOIS delegation, including Mr. Halifa Sallah, went to the funeral to pay their last respects. On their way back at Jappeni in Jarra on 7 February 2016, the PDOIS vehicle hit a cow resulting in Mr. Sallah sustaining laceration in the left eye which has since undergone a successful operation.

PDOIS expresses its appreciation for the swift and massive solidarity shown since the publication from diverse sections of the population both at home and abroad.

Mr. Sallah has promised to continue to discharge his service to the people.

There is no cause for alarm.

Ends

42 Comments

  1. May Allah preserve u Halifa for our nation and protect us all from every evil and harm. Amen.

  2. Wish Mr Sallah a speedy recovery.

  3. The Hammer

    Speedy recovery. while recovering may Allah give him the wisdom to realize that life is very short and that the nation is bigger than one person and or an idea.

    I for one tend to think that I understand what drives Halifa. PDOIS militants please correct me if I am wrong.

    PDOIS opposed PPP because of the undeniable fact that the political playing field was uneven, there was a tribal based politics, regional based politics. PPP did a lot of right things but the party did not rule according to the interest of overbearing majorities and according to principles of justice. There were so many factions, up on gaining power, these factions used the PPP government to advance itself at the expense of all others.

    I think without the July 22 Coup PPP would have still been in power because just like today there is no even playing field.

    This I believe is what PDOIS is afraid of in a UDP lead coalition.

  4. I wish you speedy recovery and join forces with UDP .

    • Yankuba Jobe

      Maxs; Anyway, many people advised me to ignore you, but I would not, simply because, you are a lack of three basic things: [1] understanding [2] patience [3] discipline and these threes are very important in our life. Please, try always to take your time attentively with care when reading other people’s comment and then comment! You simply just don’t have to comment immediately after reading someone’s comment without a single evaluation of what the commentator would like to express his view., Failure to do so, you will often miss out your targets! I am not your enemy, let that be clear to you, rather I’m someone helping the Gambian youths back home, and I would like to engage with the youths generally.

      Regarding [koto] Sedat, I was trying to give you an example. I know [Koto] Sedat and he knows me through correspondence. Our parents knew each other when his Dad was working at Mansakonko, I wasn’t even born by then, to me, Sedat is my elder cousin period. I am not aware of any crime he has committed in the Gambia as a whole. If hypocrisy is not in your DNA, you must go and seek for help! I can’t help you further. I am sorry for that matter, I’m not a psychologist!

      Thank, and wish you all the best!!!

      • Yankuba Jobe, You can say anything you want about me ,that is your choice. first of all ,you said i don’t have understanding , patience and discipline. That is personal attack . if you are truthful , honest and decent , you will be here advocating for the victims which this regime has murdered , illegally imprisoned , tortured and disappeared but you are here selfishly defending your brother BABA jOBE’s record. IF you and your brother were disciplined , he wont have terrorized the whole of Jarra and the rest of the population to extend that majority Of Gambians knows he was a terrorist. As i told you before , I DO NOT CRITICIZE jammeh because i was a victim, i love my country which is why i cant sit down and allow him or anyone to destroy our country without saying anything. I think if you want to preach understanding , patience and discipline , you should have preached that to your brother who do not understand that many GAMBIANS HE terrorized and threatened were citizens like him. If you have understanding you would have been talking before when your brother was in power but you refused to say a word up to now. I DO NOT HAVE ANY HATRED FOR YOUR BROTHER , But as Gambian , i have every right to criticize anyone who have participated in human rights abuses in the Gambia. No one can silence me. I stand for the truth and i will not sugar coat the truth for anyone because our country need the truth , honesty and decency so that we can treat each other fairly. Fighting MILITARY DICTATORSHIP IS A very difficult task and I am very glad that you feel that sense of truth i am telling you about your brother you love so much. You should also remember that , there are thousands of Gambians who were once intimidated, killed , terrorized and threatened by the very system your brother supported till he felt out with the Dictator and they lived in sorrow or sadness . I have been writing about many Gambians who have participated in human rights abuses in the Gambia but you never say a word about those people because they are not related to you.
        As for DR SEDAT JOBE, his record speak for itself . whether you are related or not , it is not my business to know. what i care about is how he represented our country and did his job. Dr sedat Jobe is decent Gambian who has served our country in many capacities and I did not see or hear any criminality in his record , therefore he truly earned my respect and admiration.
        ONE thing i learned early on from my parents was that , they always tell me ” always put yourself in someone else position and try to understand how they feel”. This is why i sympathize and empathize the victims of this regime. I will continue to do anything possible within my means such as financial means and using my brain to ensure that Jammeh’s government is gone. It is a promise my made to my country.
        Thank you .

      • Yankuba Jobe , when you have failed woefully to silence me and did all kind of things to discredit me , now you went to the usual Gambian’s play book to judge and attacked me personally , by calling me names such as “I lack discipline , patience and understanding “. Anyone who read your comments knows that you are desparate and you lack civility in dealing with national issues . This was demonstration In Baba Jobe who Arrogantly lack understanding , patience and discipline to deal with his fellow citizens . I think the best person you should have been preaching understanding , patience and discipline was Baba K . Jobe who was regarded in Gambia’s political history as the second most dangerous political thug and terrorist apart from his boss , president Jammeh . Baba K Jobe political thuggery has not spared his home town of Jarra kanrantaba and whole of Jarra but it has extended to the rest of country . If you are someone who have understanding , patience and discipline , you would have publicly condemn your brother and encourage him to take the right path for national discourse but you never did. Whatever you attribute as my personal character , it doesn’t matter to me because those who read my comments / contribution and are patriotic citizens , do appreciate my contributions . My efforts is never about me but I look at The Gambia in the bigger context . This is why I always ask personal question when I see injustices , and unfair treatment of fellow citizens . I would ask , how would you feel if the victim happen to be your closed family member?
        Yankuba Jobe , in any political process especially when dealing with fellow citizens , you need to put human feelings such as empathy and sympathy so that you can connect with people and put your message across . It will also help you to be a better leader in representing the interest of the people . I have learned one very important human quality from my parents early on in my life , that is empathy ( putting yourself in someone else position and try to understand his or her feelings”. It has been the driving force behind majority of my decisions in both my personal and professional life. Thanks to that nurturing , I chose a career in my life which on the daily basis help me to make huge difference in people’s life . It is the same reason , I will continue to advocate and speak the truth about issues of national concern . I will not sugar coat my truth rather I will be straight forward and blunt about it . Honesty , decency and truthfulness are essential characters which bring happiness and it has to go with human quality of empathy . Empathy is the ability to feel and try to understand someone else position as I said before . If mr Jobe and president Jammeh have empathy , they won’t have connived to engage in political thuggery , oppression and corruption . Please take a moment and put yourself in the positions of parents of 14 Gambian students massacred in the broad day light while your brother went a head in the following months to help the dictator formed another rival student body or organization in the country . Imagine your brother’s political thuggery and its implications on The Gambia’s politics today . Mr Jobe has spear-headed the removal of second round of voting in the constitution when he was the majority leader in the National Assembly . He has helped in removal of constitutional provisions which prevent the president from engaging in any business in the country . The consequences of such irresponsible action , today embolden and entrench Jammeh in power and make him wealthier than the Gambian nation . Think about that . What were you doing at the time mr Discipline old pa ? You were silently enjoying while your fellow citizens were threatened , terrorized , harassed or even killed . So I would Say , your characterization is total misplaced and malicious . I suspected that you are obsessed with me and you love to read my contributions . Just get ready , I have good stuffs which I will be talking about as the election approaches unless kaironews refuse to publish it . Until then , please stand for the truth .
        Dr sedat jobe was a patriot who served his country well without any criminal records . He has truly earned my respect and admiration .
        My promise to my beloved country is that : I will do anything in my capacity such as financial means and using my brain to ensure that Dictator and his gang of criminals are gone so that the people of The Gambia can finally have peace . This is my pledge . Let justice guide our actions toward the common good .

        • Yankuba Jobe

          Maxs, “What is your profession? Well, I don’t know any bad parent, but I will prefer if we can put the parents out of this equation. This’s you, me and the Gambia. You may write your good or bad pieces of stuff, I don’t care! If you have been brought up in a good manner as you have described it in your statement, wouldn’t you hesitate to apology someone you have accused of the war crime in Liberia? Remember, Max wrote: “Gambians should not listen to Yankuba Jobe, I have exposed Yankuba Jobe, he was working with Charles Tailor of Liberia”. What did you expect would be my reaction? Do you want me to call you a genteel girl or a gentle boy? “I SHALL HAPPILY CALL YOU A LIAR”! You are the kind of person we have in the state house, who will just wake up and accuse anyone of wrong doing without any single evidence. I will respond to such person anywhere anytime, make no mistake about that. And again, you keep asking me if I ever condemn my cousin’s partnership with the Dictator, privately, I did advise him to be careful of Yaya Jammeh full stop, and when Pa Nderry interviewed me October 2012, I did appeal on his behalf to all the Gambians to forgive him except you alone! You think if you threatening me that, you will soon come out with your bad stuff will move me an inch? You must be dreaming! My struggle started since 1979, and will continue until a better Government replaced in the Gambia.

          • Yankuba Jobe , if you are truthful , decent and tolerant, you will see that in all my discussions with you I never talked about you or your brother’s personal life because I careless about it. You are the one who described me as lack of discipline and patience which was personal attack. If you and your brother were brought up in disciplined, respectful, patience and tolerance manner, Baba K Jobe won’t have engaged in political thuggery, intimidation, harassment, threatening and terrorism of his own home town and the rest of the country. Did your parent failed to inculcate discipline, respect and patience in him? You are the very one who indicated you were not in The Gambia and you were part of Charles Taylor’s team in Liberia, but you later said you were joking. I don’t know if you are truthful or not. I took your words for it. In all my criticisms of any Gambian who participated in human rights abuses and corruption, I talked about the policies which affects people. I talked about policies they supported and its implications on Gambians. I am sorry to tell you, based on my interaction with you here and your writings, you are not a good example to your children because you lack honesty, empathy, tolerance, decency and truthfulness in your presentation. You have tried to pull various people here into your pettiness but no one join you because you are phony and fraud. Since the outset, you were told about political thuggery of Baba Jobe but you refused to acknowledge that. Anytime, I exposed someone who spinned for Jammeh, you came here to defend the individual so that you can form an untruthful alliance but you have failed.
            From now on, I will try not to wrestle with you because they said if you wrestle with the pig, you both get dirty and the pig likes it.
            As for my profession, it is not your business to know.

  5. I for one tend to think that I understand what drives Halifa. PDOIS militants please correct me if I am wrong.

    “PDOIS opposed PPP because of the undeniable fact that the political playing field was uneven, there was a tribal based politics, regional based politics. PPP did a lot of right things but the party did not rule according to the interest of overbearing majorities and according to principles of justice. There were so many factions, up on gaining power, these factions used the PPP government to advance itself at the expense of all others”

    I do not believe these were the reasons why PDOIS opposed the P.P.P. The emergence of PDOIS was a calculated and determined effort to evolve a democratic revolution; a revolution that would arouse the patriotic fervor of the Gambian citizenry and awaken their consciousness to take ownership of the destiny of our country. Our destiny, hopefully , would unravel with the emerging of a Third Republic.

    This is a protracted struggle. 2016 might be a game changer, not for the reasons which might be obvious to most, but for an entirely different circumstance and political reality.

    Societies evolve, and the inherent contradictions within this evolution, one way or the other will be resolved. It is our fervent hope that this resolution will be peaceful and transformational.

    So, it is not accurate that PDOIS opposed the PPP because of a tribal based politics. Although there is no denying that there was a tribal based politics. PDOIS opposed the PPP to wrest power so that it can prosecute a democratic revolution. Something the PPP could not do in its 30 year history.

    “I think without the July 22 Coup PPP would have still been in power because just like today there is no even playing field.”

    I agree.

    “This I believe is what PDOIS is afraid of in a UDP lead coalition.”

    I disagree. We are opposed to a UDP led coalition on the basis of principles and on the basis of the law.

    If there is a UDP led coalition, a coalition candidate will stand under the banner of the UDP. If that coalition candidate wins, he or she will form a UDP government. You can call it whatever you want: an alliance government or a coalition government, but that person has a mandate under the UDP party to form a government.

    The principle is that of sovereignty. Equality. You cannot asked parties that have different agendas, programs and visions to leave all that behind and rally behind another party. For what?

    We are wishing Halifa a speedy recovery. Our country still needs him. May the almighty continue to guide and protect him.

    • The Hammer

      Thanks Kamalo for the points of correction

      I thought in the 2006 NADD proposal, the flag bearer would be a NAAD candidate, after five years he/she should retire. I was in the woods during the NAAD creating but this is what I was made to understand.

      While I understand your points of correction, I think it will be wise to formulate a united front. why is Gambia so different from Senegal. The Senegalese supported Sall because he had the best chance to win. why can’t PDOIS do the same.

      sometimes the end justifies the means, I for one thinks getting rid of the cancer and keep fighting the good fight is a better idea.

      • Lafia Touray la Manju

        Hammer, he is misleading you. Going by what was proposed in 2011, a udp led coalition envisages a government of national unity comprising of all the parties in the coalition. The programme or agenda of government will be drawn by a technical committee with representation from all the parties.

        One thing will not be negotiated; The Coalition will have to be a udp led coalition with a candidate chosen from within the udp. As long as udp remains the biggest opposition party in the country, this position will never change. The udp will not respond to any suggestion of an inter-party primary or convention for those are absurd prepositions designed to throw slurs at the legitimacy of a udp leadership.

        Thanks

        • Kamalo has responded well to your views and I wish to add my voice to his..I.don’t know what name you should give to your alliance format, but it certainly isn’t a coalition…

          May be, as Kamalo suggested, you should consider just sending, “A join the UDP invitation”, to the other parties..At least then, we will all be clear about the format being proposed…

          • Lafia Touray la Manju

            what is a coalition then? I know you tend to have different meanings for things in your pdois world. I wonder what coalition means in the pdois underground world.

  6. What you were made to understand is correct. You would notice that NADD was not UDP, PDOIS, PPP or NRP. It was a political party that represented all these opposition parties. A distinct political party created by an alliance of these opposition parties. A candidate under NADD would have represented all these opposition parties. And a NADD government would have been a coalition or alliance government of these opposition parties.

    I agree with the idea of a United Front. There has been a United Front of opposition political party between PDOIS, NRP and GPDP. The UDP should adopt the same political framework. Its presidential candidate can be selected to be the presidential candidate of the United Front.

    Only that we have to have a process of making it democratic. With the size of the UDP it would easily win that selection no matter what method is used. The Republicans are talking about a brokered convention to nominate a presidential candidate.

  7. Kamalo, the UDP has always been afraid that they may not win any such primaries, this is why they refused to entertain any such proposition. The situation in Gambia is very different from what used to obtain. PDOIS is the popular party and Halifa is the most popular in the country today. PDOIS has the capacity to win votes from APRC and UDP and all the rest. Maxs will call this statement another outlandish claim from Yerro but its true. Follow all the opinion polls in the web and the situation is no different at home.
    We wish Halifa well so that he may prosecute urgently his resolution for the Gambia and Africa and the World at large without delay.

  8. The Hammer, it is not PDOIS that refuses to join a coalition. But rather it is UDP that doesn’t. In fact, out of all the parties, only PDOIS clearly states its position on a coalition and made it known to all including the media.

    Check this out: In nadd, the mou that they all signed to create it states as follows. The flag bearer will be selected by unanimity, but where this fails, he shall be selected through a primary among the aspirants.

    However, at the selection, when unanimity was not reached, UDP walked out and refused to go through the next stage that it agreed to at the beginning. They pulled nrp along.

    As the Gambian situation is (first pass the poll) meaning no 51% majority and no second round, our case is different from all other countries. We need a coalition that would reflect all members and not just one who can do whatever he wants after being elected. Secondly, as so many damages are done to the nation, we need a transition to correct a lot of wrongs and create a foundation for a genuine democracy. This would require all without party allegiance.

    In 2011, during negotiations, the arrangement was, for all to come together under a neutral banner. Selection was to be done as follows: All party aspirants would bring in delegates based on their share of the last elections. Meaning, UDP having the highest would bring about 60% (actual percentage depends on each’s votes), followed by nrp 20%, PDOIS 10%, PPP, gpdp, GMC 2% each (as they didn’t participate in the previous elections), independent candidate Assan Martin 0%. These delegates would vote for the flag bearer who would stand on a neutral banner.

    UDP would have been the beneficiary of this arrangement, but they again walked out. Hamat Bah then became the leader for whom all the rest, PDOIS, gpdp and Assan willingly campaigned. Hamat sacrificed to resign from his party for the sake of salvaging the Gambia. Why can’t others too shelf party might and see the bigger picture which is the crying Gambia.

    Why are people insisting on demanding PDOIS to join UDP just for the sake of it without asking that UDP subscribe to Democratic and transparent rules.

    We had seen how Yahya Jammeh was blindly selected by his boys on the simple basis of his seniority without guarantees of their own future or that of the country. We all see the end result.

    The same was with Ablie Wade and the Senegalese opposition. Lives had to be lost to kick him out when he wanted to make his son replace him in 2012.

    If you do not want to subject yourself to basic democratic processes when you are in opposition, how will you be when you are in office?

    You don’t want to respect other parties bcus you call them 2% parties, then go ahead and get yourself elected. As 2% should not stop anyone from winning. There is still 98% to win.

    • Janjanbureh

      Gambia, who in his correct mind will accept that selection process. When smaller parties that cannot even get 3% of the national votes are having an upper hand on the selection of the alliance candidates. It is the most undemocratic way in a democratic setup in selecting a candidate. PDOIS believes that all parties are equal therefore all parties should have equal delegates to select the alliance candidate. This is all done to weaker the larger parties and get a candidate who is sympathetic to their failed ideas and programs. If they are good ideas and programs why over 30 years so many people never bought it? My advice to PDIOS is to cut their coat according to their size and stop blackmailing the country for their self ends. The only reason majority of Gambians are asking for opposition unity is to speak with one voice, consolidate support base and minimize the voter fraud and have a unity government comprises of all parties in the third republic.

    • The 2% pdois party is part of the problem in legitimizing dictatorship . The fact is that pdois has zero chance in billion years to win presidency in free and fair manner unless the Dictator personally hand them presidency . This is because as Yero Ba said they are the only party which has trust and confidence of APRC government .

  9. “Hammer, he is misleading you. Going by what was proposed in 2011, a udp led coalition envisages a government of national unity comprising of all the parties in the coalition.”

    You are the one who could mislead him. Show me a provision in the Gambian constitution that establish the basis for someone elected under a political party, and given the mandate to form a government, can then turn around and form a government of National Unity.

    There is no provision in the constitution for a government of National Unity. In instances where it is possible, there is always a legal instrument that presupposes its inevitability. You just cannot manufacture it.

    “The programme or agenda of government will be drawn by a technical committee with representation from all the parties.”

    This proposition does not make any sense. You have a candidate elected under a political party and given the mandate to govern, and you are telling me that he or she will have a governance program drawn by a technical committee from all parties after he or she is elected into office.

    What about if members of the technical committee could not agree on a governance program; for example some want the transition period for the government to be two years instead of four years.

    How about term limits? When should it be incorporated in the constitution? And what other legal instruments can bind the elected candidate to a term of only 5 years if that is the agreed term limit?

    Or how can we safeguard against “Wah wahet” The candidate agree to a term limit but renege on that promise after he or she is elected.

    “One thing will not be negotiated; The Coalition will have to be a udp led coalition with a candidate chosen from within the udp.”

    Then what is the need to call for a coalition? Just invite the other political parties to come an support your presidential candidature. And don’t blame them if they are not open to the invitation. Just move on.

    ” As long as udp remains the biggest opposition party in the country, this position will never change.”

    You should then be contend with your second position finish in every election. And stop calling other opposition parties to form a coalition with you.

    “The udp will not respond to any suggestion of an inter-party primary or convention for those are absurd prepositions designed to throw slurs at the legitimacy of a udp leadership.”

    We see primaries in the US where both the Democrats and Republicans vote in each other’s primaries. Open primaries are open to all voters regardless of their party affiliations. It is all about rules. Rules.

    You cannot have your cake and eat it. You are not in an enviable position where you can determine what is absurd and what is legitimate.

    And just as one political commentator in the US primaries put it; as long as no candidate gets the required delegates to win the nomination outright, no one can claim that a brokered convention is not fair. As long as there are rules and everyone plays by the rules everything is fair play.

    Thanks

    • Janjanbureh

      Kamalo, you are mixing apples and oranges. In the US, parties have primaries within and delegates are assigned to each state but the candidate with the highest votes will become presidential candidate for the party. Now, for PDOIS to think that all parties to have one primary and all parties are equal in delegates to elect a candidate is a fallacy. Nobody will accept that theory period. What will work is spreading the delegates based on the strength of each proportionally and then have a primary. Each party can elect their nominee and those nominees can then contest in the grand primaries to select the final candidate. PDOIS has to accept the realty that in a democracy people choose the party they want to support and vote for because of the trust and confidence they have for that party. It is wrong to try and dismiss their opinions simply by saying it is tribal or regional because they did not support their party. Please respect The Gambian voters.

  10. Lafia, why don’t UDP go ahead without others if their conditions would never change.

    Go ahead and do the job on your own and stop calling on others to join you.

    • Lafia Touray la Manju

      Well, if we can’t agree on a coalition, we will go ahead with our programmes as we have done before.

      Thanks

  11. The Hammer

    “All party aspirants would bring in delegates based on their share of the last elections. Meaning, UDP having the highest would bring about 60% (actual percentage depends on each’s votes), followed by nrp 20%, PDOIS 10%, PPP, gpdp, GMC 2% each (as they didn’t participate in the previous elections), independent candidate Assan Martin 0%. These delegates would vote for the flag bearer who would stand on a neutral banner. ” Gambia

    Mr Touray why do you think UDP did not buy into this idea? to me even if all the other delegates oppose UDP, UDP will still select the leader

    • Lafia Touray la Manju

      Is not based on any principle known to coalition politics the world over. So the Udp will not entertain it. Election is all about determining who has the majority. Since it is undeniable that Udp is the majority, the legitimacy to lead falls on us and we are not going to abandon our stand just because Halifa’s ego needs to be comforted. Well, not by the Udp. That’s for sure.

  12. Jados..NY

    Am not trying to be funny. However, who else was in the car accident? Are they all alright? Instead of focusing on Halifa in a near fatal tragedy, the plight of the other passengers or driver is equally important. Accidents shouldn’t be politicised honestly. Kind regards.

  13. “Kamalo, you are mixing apples and oranges. In the US, parties have primaries within and delegates are assigned to each state but the candidate with the highest votes will become presidential candidate for the party.”

    Janjanbureh, the example of the US primaries is just to demonstrate the principles, rules and flexibility of the democratic process, and difficult to understand as it is, it has been accepted as the norm that legitimizes the American democratic experience for centuries. And with the electoral college, proportional allocation of delegates in a primary, a brokered or contested convention, nonetheless, no one can argue that America is not a democratic country.

    The primary system is part of the democratic process. Although in the US it is govern by big money, huge campaign contributions and political influence. But the principle is the same every where. To let the people decide on the choice of a candidate to represent them for election to the highest office in the land: the presidency.

    In the US the choice is done by allocating delegates to each of the states. The delegates are contested for in a primary or in a caucus. And there are rules that govern these primary processes and caucuses. In fact the rules are the determinant factors in these elections. Some of the rules are made by the states. And some of the rules are made by the parties: the democratic and republican parties.

    There is a set number of delegates that a candidate must have to win the nomination as a presidential candidate for the party. At the end of the primary if no candidate has secured the required number of delegates, the outcome will then be decided at the Convention floor where the delegates will vote. This process is also govern by rules. And the voting at the convention floor will continue until a candidate has the majority of delegates to secure the nomination.

    The Democratic party has Super delegates who can pledge their vote to a candidate, but at the convention floor they can also unpledged their vote. Thus a candidate can have the highest number of delegates in the primary, but if the candidate does not have the required number of votes to secure the nomination, the matter will be resolve on the convention floor where the delegates will vote. There is usually horse trading or canvassing for delegate votes hence the term contested or brokered convention. This also is govern by rules.

    Therefore the contention that UDP and PDOIS cannot hold a primary to select a presidential candidate if they form a coalition is not factual. It all depends on the rules that the parties establish that will govern this democratic exercise. This is the reason why I alluded to an open primary where voters can vote irrespective of their party affiliations. What is of utmost importance are the rules that govern the process, the right to make a choice, and that the process is free and fair.

    ” Now, for PDOIS to think that all parties to have one primary and all parties are equal in delegates to elect a candidate is a fallacy.”

    It has been done between PDOIS, NRP and GPDP Mr Gomez’s party. Three opposition parties and an independent candidate that participated in a primary process to select a presidential candidate. So it is not a fallacy. It has been done. And PDOIS never suggested that parties should have equal delegates. It proposes a proportional allocation to delegates to the parties according to their electoral scores.

    “Nobody will accept that theory period. What will work is spreading the delegates based on the strength of each proportionally and then have a primary.”

    This is exactly what PDOIS has suggested. May be you are reading the whole thing wrongly.

    ” Each party can elect their nominee and those nominees can then contest in the grand primaries to select the final candidate.”

    Exactly. That is the reason why the parties are holding their conventions and selecting their presidential candidates. The primary contest would be between the presidential candidates.

    ” PDOIS has to accept the realty that in a democracy people choose the party they want to support and vote for because of the trust and confidence they have for that party.”

    No one is arguing with this position. This is what democracy is all about.

    “It is wrong to try and dismiss their opinions simply by saying it is tribal or regional because they did not support their party. Please respect The Gambian voters.”

    I am not sure I understand your above statement. I can assure you that the statement has nothing to do with us.

    • Janjanbureh

      Kamalo, that statement has more to do with PDOIS than any other party. The accusation made by PDOIS and some of their supporters is that most of the people are supporting UDP because of tribalism and regionalism which is wrong and divisive. Gambians are supporting UDP because of their policies, programs , inclusiveness, tolerance and good vision for the country. It has nothing to do with tribalism or regionalism PDOIS always used for lack of support from the Gambian people.

      Kamalo, some of you need to stop playing smart with the rest of the us. We all know that PDOIS is trying very hard to get their way even though they know they have few Supporters.

      I will support an idea where each party will be allocated number of delegates based on their support level. This support level will be determined by the prior election results and other factors which will includes party structure throughout the country. Those delegates will then vote for the candidate that have a better chance of winning the national elections. The party that won the nomination for the presidency will not put a candidate for the vice- presidency so that other parties will have opportunity to fill positions if they win the elections. We have to find away to compromise and tap into the talents of very party to move the country forward.

  14. Jados..NY

    Kamalo, honestly unless you are mistaken, the primary selection you mention never happen in the United Front selection in 2011. And with the United Front combine votes, UDP and GMC pulled more votes than them. Hence, the method you alluded was tested as well.
    There should not be unnecessary time wasting in selecting a UDP candidate and then the deciding on different portfolios in the Ministerial post. It seems all the long winded manoeuvres are aimed at the UDP honestly.
    In 2005, OJ and others all tacitly agree for Lawyer Darboe to be the NADD flag bearer, that position was not and should not have been under discussion, yet OJ allowed someone in the committee to nominate him, knowing fully well, that will bring the whole house down.
    The dishonesty in the Gambian politics is unbelievable really. When UDP left the NADD ring, there was no primaries, so who is the primaries aimed at? It is nonsense assumption and a time wasting posture just to derail clearly what all observers can see except PDOIS and in 2005 OJ and Nwaa who has a personal score to settle.
    Some of us keep mute on Gambian politics but we were present at the NADD fiasco. A theatre from some diaspora guys playing Oj and Nwaa and then PDOIS picked up on that scheme and run with their agenda. People’s eyes are wide open, so no amount of unnecessary lengthy write-ups here will twist or blind those facts. and In 2011, when Darboe and Sedia held a private meeting, who was it that commence revealing such discussions putting a spanner in the talks? The truth is, PDOIS believes in using the media as an excuse not to cooperate. Since it is mainly in the media they can amplify themselves. I rest my case.

  15. Janjanbureh , PDOiS disciples will never accept the fact about their unfavoritability to win presidency in The Gambia . They have zero chance period . Their obsession with primary which they don’t seem to understand is beyond belief . Primary is completely waste of time and resources considering the political environment in The Gambia . They failed to acknowledge that the time and resources opposition partie would spend on the so called primary could have been used to effectively challenge the Dictator . Pdois do not engage in simple common sense approach to solve our political problems . This is why they engage in constant letter writing which has zero effects on Jammeh and now they are focus on primary . In all Africa countries where the opposition had successfully defeated the incumbent , there was no primary to my knowledge . Politicians needs to be pragmatic and flexible for the interest of the majority citizens but pdois lack that quality . This is why for 40 years they cannot still get 4% of the citizens support . It is fun to see few indocrinated disciples online making their case but the realities is that ordinary citizens in 98 % of total areas in the country are not aware of their existence .

  16. Maxs, you are wasting a lot of your time writing BS. PDOIS said let all parties select their candidate and let those candidates come to meet and decide the modality of selecting a flagbearer AS LONG AS IT IS THE PEOPLE who will decide the candidate and who would stand on an independent ticket not under any existing party. This is the fairest method any fair minded person can accept. What you do not know is that times have changed when any charlatan could throw dust in the eyes of the people. The people want DEMOCRACY and FREEDOM of choice. Why don’t we give them that choice instead of struggling to decide for everyone. If you are sure that PDOIS cannot get 4%, why not just go ahead and prove it instead of being parochial about it. PDOIS is the most democratic party in the Gambia. Parties that select their candidate through a committee of few people cannot stand in the way of a clearest party in the land. Let me repeat that PDOIS is very confident that if we should go to the people to chose, they would choose the PDOIS and its candidate. If you want to be sure, just call on your executive to become a bit more brave and accept democracy. It is amazing that people who are castigating the APRC government in their never ending writings on the Web for its lack of democracy would do anything to protect parties that blatantly violate the clearest method and rules that would support and give assurance to our people that they own power and only their power can determine what obtains in their country. You are talking as if the people always support one thing and one person at all times. Human beings keep on changing because circumstances are not always the same and this is why allowing the people a chance to decide their fate at each given instance can be the only way of assuring their interest. UDP’s culture of a few people deciding the fate of a whole people is outdated and indefensible when it comes to any discourse regarding Democracy. You have made the UDP to lose a lot of votes and sympathy through these futile exchanges.

  17. “Kamalo, honestly unless you are mistaken, the primary selection you mention never happen in the United Front selection in 2011″

    Jados, we are all ears. You can then explain to us what happened.

    ” And with the United Front combine votes, UDP and GMC pulled more votes than them. Hence, the method you alluded was tested as well.”

    The argument is that opposition political parties can come together and hold a primary to select a presidential candidate. It thus negates the argument that opposition political parties cannot come together to hold a primary. This is the first point to note.

    The second point to note is the nature of the alliances. In the United Front alliance their share of the electoral vote increases compared to previous elections. and in the UDP-led alliance their share of the electoral vote decreases compared to previous elections. And although the UDP-led alliance vote share is greater than the United Front vote share, the United Front gain votes comparatively whilst the UDP-led alliance loses votes comparatively.

    This suggests that the United Front method is more appealing to the voters than the Party-led alliance method. Thus the United Front method stand a greater chance than the Party-led alliance method if it should be adopted by all the parties as a coalition formula against the incumbent.

    “There should not be unnecessary time wasting in selecting a UDP candidate and then the deciding on different portfolios in the Ministerial post. It seems all the long winded manoeuvres are aimed at the UDP honestly.”

    I frankly do not understand what you are suggesting. Can you be more clearer? I think what we are doing is trying to understand democratic processes.

    The UDP is a formidable player in Gambian politics. It has the capacity to influence the political process. I don’t think anyone is against the selection of a UDP candidate as a unified presidential candidate. We only asked that there is a process in the selection and it is democratic.

    “In 2005, OJ and others all tacitly agree for Lawyer Darboe to be the NADD flag bearer, that position was not and should not have been under discussion, yet OJ allowed someone in the committee to nominate him, knowing fully well, that will bring the whole house down.”

    You are quite aware that there was a memorandum of understanding between the opposition parties that constituted NADD. You are also aware that in the NADD MOU it has spelt out the method that should be used to select the NADD flag bearer. There is also the principle of unanimity where everyone has to agree before a decision is adopted. If what you are suggesting is the case they should used that principle to make sure everyone accepts Lawyer Darboe’s candidature as the flag bearer. It should not have been a tacit agreement but an open agreement.

    “The dishonesty in the Gambian politics is unbelievable really. When UDP left the NADD ring, there was no primaries, so who is the primaries aimed at? It is nonsense assumption and a time wasting posture just to derail clearly what all observers can see except PDOIS and in 2005 OJ and Nwaa who has a personal score to settle.”

    That is why PDOIS is suggesting that everything should be in the open, so that we can make our unbelievable dishonest Gambian politics believably honest.

    ” Some of us keep mute on Gambian politics but we were present at the NADD fiasco. A theatre from some diaspora guys playing Oj and Nwaa and then PDOIS picked up on that scheme and run with their agenda.”

    I hope lessons have been learnt from that fiasco. Democracy sometimes can be a messy business. Witness the American primaries and the prospects of what the Republicans will go through in their convention.

    ” People’s eyes are wide open, so no amount of unnecessary lengthy write-ups here will twist or blind those facts.”

    People’s eyes are wide open. I guess that is why we are having these exchanges. We are all open to challenge if we write anything that “twist or blind the facts.” So we will stick to the facts.

    ” and In 2011, when Darboe and Sedia held a private meeting, who was it that commence revealing such discussions putting a spanner in the talks? The truth is, PDOIS believes in using the media as an excuse not to cooperate. Since it is mainly in the media they can amplify themselves. I rest my case.”

    The media is a powerful tool to disseminate information. It should be used in the interest of the public. No backroom deals. Everything should be in the open.

    • Jados.. NY

      Kamalo, again you are attempting to be dishonest. No where in the world are all political discussions held in the public glares or conducted in the media. Since the founding of Foroyaa, PDOIS had hoped that, it will do it’s bidding and make them win arguments even on sensitive national matters. where cooperation and delicate discussion are meant to be the solutions.
      PDOIS did the same in all negotiations. Hence, you are pretending to be telling people that, PDOIS don’t do anything private which is false.
      In the 2011 so-called United front, Halifa acted for Hamat to be selected, hoping that, Hamat will return the favor in this 2016 elections. The fact remains, Hamat played along knowing Mr Sallah’s schemes are all geared towards antagonizing the UDP.
      Hamat is not a fool and he knows Halifa’s mindset more than Halifa can even imagine. This is why, during that campaign season in 2011, all the private discussions and utterances Halifa made against Darboe and the UDP ended up being Hamat’s strongest weapon against Halifa today.
      Let’s get one thing straight, Halifa is a sociologist, all his hiding in the people centre is nothing but studying how he can attempt to micromanage the society. So long as Halifa remains in Gambian politics, there will never be an opposition consensus on any meaningful thing, he will make sure of that.
      The pretentious self-righteousness have to end, and PDOIS and Halifa must realize that, yes they have a media but it did not help them in winning the hearts and minds of Gambians for over 3 decade.
      Hamat was endorsed in a hall, there was no primaries in the country in 2005 when Halifa became NADD flag-bearer and there was no primaries in 2011 when Hamat became the So-called United Front candidate. The ping pong game is merely aimed at the UDP period.
      Now, why should our politicians discuss fully why discussions must be held away from the media? The public elect officials as MPs to speak on their behalf. Not everyone can match to the national assembly and speak for themselves. On that vain, the public trust the politicians to hold private discussions, thereby feeding the public the final product..
      All this running to the media is an attempt to create confusion and further widening the discussion space, because PDOIS feels that, their size and eagerness to use foroyaa will make the public sympathetic to them. It has not happen and it will not happen. The Gambia requires all parties to Unite and the most honest way to broker that is not confuse the necessity of fighting over which party should produce united opposition candidate. The UDP should produce that candidate, and the rest form part of the coalition government.
      This is why, people have the notion that, PDOIS are in no hurry to see the back of Jammeh.

      • Mr Sallah is a sociologist who do not understand how politics works. He is eloquent in his speech and understand social problems but did not have the gravitas on how to solve these social problems. This is why it is better for him to be part of university of The Gambia. That’s where he belongs. I do not question his patriotism because he is a patriot but politics is not an area where he can succeed. Politics is about pragmatism and flexibility which he lacks. Politics is about winning the hearts and souls of the people which he failed to achieve in 40 years. An extreme supporter like Yero Ba will never understand this, just like extreme supporters of the dictator never acknowledge his human right abuses or corruption.

        • Lafia Touray la Manju

          Watching his video on facebook, he said all the villages will be sovereign under PDOIS. And I was like ‘come on Mr Sallah!’, only a state can be sovereign. We can’t have more than one sovereign power in a country. The Sovereignty of the state should serve all the villages within it.

  18. Yero Ba , as I always tell you stop making outlandish claim . How can you claim that pdois is the most Democratic Party in The Gambia when everything pdois does is manage and endorse by one person who has little contribution from two other surrogates . Pdois is democractic in disguise because it is a party that is micromanage by one person . Democracy is about the majority’s consent . There was independent party created before and Halifa was the leader . Yero Ba , politics is about pragmatism and flexibility which unfortunately pdois lack . I would love to see pdois simply join forces with UDP for the sake of the country. Let us go for common sense practical solution . It is very clear to you and pdois that mr sallah has zero chance to win . I am not sure which political world you are living in but in terms of Gambia’s politics , pdois is not making any inroad despite the fact that they have been in politics for 40 years . What is the point of creating another party when we have existing party which pdois can join . Tell me where in Africa , you see primary in among the opposition parties ?

  19. “Kamalo, again you are attempting to be dishonest. No where in the world are all political discussions held in the public glares or conducted in the media. Since the founding of Foroyaa, PDOIS had hoped that, it will do it’s bidding and make them win arguments even on sensitive national matters. where cooperation and delicate discussion are meant to be the solutions.”

    Jados, you will agree with me that public opinion is fundamental in shaping policy decisions or agreements. And even whereas policy makers are deliberating in secret they keep their ears open to what the public thinks. This is the reason why in advanced democracies when policy makers are faced with very tough decisions they tacitly seek the consensus of the public. They do this by leaking information to the media to gauged the public’s reaction. This is all part of keeping it honest.

    It is true that not all political discussions are held in the open. However all political decisions must be made open to the public. This is the reason why we have press conferences; joint communique and public statements. To inform the public of decisions that have been made in private.

    With PDOIS’s experience in the past, it favors political parties staking out their political differences in the open, so that the public can be aware of each party’s stand on the issues, and then when the parties meet in private they can hammer out their differences. This way no party can distort the other party’s position to the public should the private discussions fail.

    I am not sure what you are trying to communicate with respect to Foroyaa and PDOIS. But PDOIS is a very principled party and I don’t believe it will use Foroyaa to do its bidding or anyone’s bidding. The character and reputation of the paper will speak for itself.

    “PDOIS did the same in all negotiations. Hence, you are pretending to be telling people that, PDOIS don’t do anything private which is false.”

    To keep the integrity of talks they can be held in private but decisions must be made public. Therefore I do not assume that PDOIS does not have private meetings and discussions. They are govern by the highest level of discipline, professionalism and formality.

    “In the 2011 so-called United front, Halifa acted for Hamat to be selected, hoping that, Hamat will return the favor in this 2016 elections. The fact remains, Hamat played along knowing Mr Sallah’s schemes are all geared towards antagonizing the UDP.”

    I don’t think it is fair to Halifa that you would try to get into his head. And think for him what he may not have thought for himself. All what you are doing is making assumptions.

    “Hamat is not a fool and he knows Halifa’s mindset more than Halifa can even imagine. This is why, during that campaign season in 2011, all the private discussions and utterances Halifa made against Darboe and the UDP ended up being Hamat’s strongest weapon against Halifa today.”

    So that means you know Hamat more than he knows himself. This is the implication you are making. And on top of that you know what is in Hamat’s head which harbors the strongest weapon that he has against Halifa. Incredible. Just incredible.

    “Let’s get one thing straight, Halifa is a sociologist, all his hiding in the people centre is nothing but studying how he can attempt to micromanage the society. So long as Halifa remains in Gambian politics, there will never be an opposition consensus on any meaningful thing, he will make sure of that.”

    Kudos to Halifa. You have elevated his status to a level even beyond his wildest imaginations. That he, Halifa Sallah, can singlehandedly micro manage the Gambian society.

    And on top of that this same Halifa Sallah is holding all the political parties, all the political processes to ransom, because there will never be an opposition consensus on anything as long as he remains in Gambian politics. What a powerful man. You should therefore give him all the respect he deserves.

    “The pretentious self-righteousness have to end, and PDOIS and Halifa must realize that, yes they have a media but it did not help them in winning the hearts and minds of Gambians for over 3 decade.”

    I wonder if the lack of pretentious self-righteousness of the other political parties and leaders have helped them in winning the hearts and minds of the Gambian people. Probably not. They do not have a media. They are not far behind in PDOIS’s three decades though; they are more than two decades and counting.

    “Hamat was endorsed in a hall, there was no primaries in the country in 2005 when Halifa became NADD flag-bearer and there was no primaries in 2011 when Hamat became the So-called United Front candidate. The ping pong game is merely aimed at the UDP period.”

    Hamat was endorsed in a hall but the process of his endorsement was called a Primary. You don’t want me to go into the definition of a primary again.

    How did Halifa became NADD flag-bearer? What did the NADD MOU stated about the selection of a flag-bearer? Did Halifa selected himself as flag-bearer?

    And in all the instances you have cited the principle of selecting someone through a primary process was fundamental. It was a democratic exercise open to freedom of choice. People were given the right to make a decision. To choose.

    Now, why should our politicians discuss fully why discussions must be held away from the media? The public elect officials as MPs to speak on their behalf. Not everyone can match to the national assembly and speak for themselves. On that vain, the public trust the politicians to hold private discussions, thereby feeding the public the final product..
    All this running to the media is an attempt to create confusion and further widening the discussion space, because PDOIS feels that, their size and eagerness to use foroyaa will make the public sympathetic to them. It has not happen and it will not happen. The Gambia requires all parties to Unite and the most honest way to broker that is not confuse the necessity of fighting over which party should produce united opposition candidate. The UDP should produce that candidate, and the rest form part of the coalition government”

    You don’t sound like a democratic minded person to suggest that UDP should just produce a candidate that should represent everyone. At least there should be a process in the selection. And tell us more about your coalition government. I expect your next write up to be on the coalition government. Give us a picture of what you envisage to be the coalition government.

    “This is why, people have the notion that, PDOIS are in no hurry to see the back of Jammeh.”

    Everyone has their opinion. But an opinion is an opinion. No one argues with an opinion.

    • Janjanbureh

      Waste of time again Kamalo. Please be realistic and stop beating around the bush. The question was answered in Jados write up about the selection process of the flag bearer of the opposition.

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