Halifa Sallah’s Election Program

Halifa PRESS RELEASE
Opposition (PDOIS) Party Candidate Halifa Sallah Shares Programme With Media For 2016 Presidential Election

Introduction
The third Republic must usher in a transition from the absolutism of the monarchical presidency under which executive order reigns supreme over the constitution, regulations and basic fundamental rights thus reducing sovereign citizens into subjects and ensure an accelerated power of motion to consolidate a people centred government whose every action is bound by the guards and fences of a just Constitution, just institutions and good practice thus ensure that the state becomes an instrument of protection of liberty, dignity and prosperity rather than an instrument of coercion. In this way, the sovereign Gambian people would ceased to be subjects and become the architects of our own destiny of justice, freedom, prosperity and happiness.

I Halifa Sallah, Being conscious of the fact that for 51 years of self-rule, The Gambia has never gone through a peaceful transfer of state power from one party or person to another, which has led to the consolidation of the monarchical political culture of self-perpetuating rule;

Noting that a political transition is necessary that would give rise to a government that could be scrutinised, criticised, restrained and even impeached for misappropriation of public resources, misrule, bad governance, misconduct and misrepresentation;

Convinced that such a transitional government is only conceivable if the president does not appoint or terminate the appointment of the majority of the members of the Cabinet and is not part of a party which controls the majority of seats in parliament/National Assembly;

Hereby pledge as follows:

COMPOSITION OF THE CABINET:
that if elected president, I will directly appoint only one-third of the Ministers in a 21 Member Cabinet, two-thirds of the membership would be appointed based on the recommendations made by the other stakeholders, and in the case of the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Information, the appointment would be done in consultation with the Medical and Dental Association and the Gambia Press Union. The appointment of Vice President would be done based on the recommendation of coalition partners. A memorandum of understanding would be signed with coalition partners to give guarantees that I would not use presidential powers to remove Ministers proposed by them but would instead refer any allegation of incompetence, violation of the Constitution, misconduct to the National Assembly for a vote of censure to be considered under section 75 of the Constitution or

Furthermore, I would only be responsible for appointing the following Ministers and would only rely on section 75 for their removal pending Constitutional amendments to introduce impeachment proceedings to remove Ministers: Since section 152 of the Constitution would oblige me to cause the annual estimates to be laid before the National Assembly, I would appoint the Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs.

Since under section 72 subsection 2 of the Constitution the Attorney General is the principal legal adviser of the Government, I will appoint the Attorney General and Minister of Human Rights and Justice.

Since under section 79 I would be responsible for conclusion of treaties and international agreements, I would appoint the Minister of Foreign Affairs and African Unification.

Since education is the backbone of a self-reliant and self-determined development and for nurturing the sovereign citizens, I would appoint the Minister of Higher Education.

Since Agriculture and natural recourses is the backbone of an agrarian economy and constitutes the key basis for the eradication of poverty, I would appoint the Minister of Agriculture.

Since a balanced and proportionate development of the country is inconceivable without rural development, I would appoint the Minister of Regional Administration and Rural Development.
Since a third Republic is designed to eradicate all discrimination and imbalances in governance, especially gender disparity, I would appoint the Minister of Women and children’s Affairs.

COMPOSITION OF THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY:
Since the National Assembly is the main oversight institution which prevents violation of the Constitution and deter or remedy misconduct through impeachment proceedings, PDOIS as a party, if I am elected president has agreed to endeavour to hold no more than one-quarter plus-one of the seats in the National Assembly, so that neither the executive nor the coalition partners would be able to amend the constitution without consultation and mutual agreement.

To ensure that The Gambia consolidates a secular, democratic and sovereign Republic with a sovereign people basking under a system of government derived from the consent of the people, and driven by representatives who are elected by, accountable to and removable by the people, I Halifa Sallah would not hold any office in PDOIS while serving as president. I will declare my assets before assuming the office of president and when handing over the office after serving for only one term; I will not take sides during electoral campaign and would ensure that the Independent electoral commission has all the powers and means to conduct free, fair and transparent presidential election, after my one term tenure.

State media would be accessible to all political parties and civil society sectors on a weekly basis and would be obliged to disseminate divergent views and opinions from all sectors of society.

SELECTION OF A FLAG BEARER
Section 47 of the Constitution makes provision for a presidential candidate to be nominated by 5000 voters with at least 200 voters being resident in each region;
I, Halifa Sallah, wish to express my preparedness to participate in a primary where each presidential candidate, being independent or a party nominee, would provide a list of five thousand nominators for his or her candidature, and other parties with candidates doing the same to enable a coalition to have a list of voters who will participate in electing one person from among the presidential candidates to be flag bearer of the coalition; I will further subscribe to each candidate selecting a man and a woman to preside over the election in each region.

PREPARATION FOR THE PRIMARY
I, Halifa Sallah, do hereby wish to express my readiness to travel throughout the country to promote my candidature, explain the policies I intend to implement, with all the candidates doing the same and enter into debate with any candidate from April to 30 June 2016, so that the people would be able to compare the caliber of candidates to make an informed choice of a flag bearer. I will be willing to submit my candidature to a primary election to contest with other candidates of other parties or independent candidates, so that a flag bearer of a united front could be selected by 30 July 2016.

ACTION PLAN
This concrete programme for the establishment of a united front, or coalition, for the 2016 presidential election, has been approved by the party which approved my candidature, and I am hereby forwarding the programme to the party for submission to the Gambia Opposition for Electoral Reform as a proposal for consideration by all member parties. I am also putting it in the public space for other independent aspirants to the presidency consider the same. This is done in good faith in the public interest, and it is put in the public space to dismiss the misrepresentation that PDOIS is opposed to a coalition. We hope other parties and independent personalities will put their proposals in the public space so that negotiation would begin to narrow down the differences.

Halifa Sallah

Ends

14 Comments

  1. Are all Gambian opposition parties genuinely interested in this herculean task of building a United Front to salvage the country from tyranny as the PDOIS? PDOIS and Halifa now awaits for all stakeholders to come up with their prgrammes so that we can forge ahead. Time is not waiting for us. All the innuendoes about PDOIS not being interested in forming a Coalition has been reduced to nothing. PDOIS is ready for it since 2014 and they will stick to their word as they always do.
    Well done Halifa, you have met my expectation as a seasoned statesman.
    Bravo and Thank you for standing for us.

  2. This press release has three fundamental problems which uniquely highlighted the leadership characteristics of Mr sallah if he lead any government or meaningful coalitions in this coming election . These fundamental problems which are long been said about him , have really manifested itself in this press release . These characteristics are personalification of the party ( PDOIS) , lack of pragmatism and self importance .

    Here is why I said mr Sallah has personalized the press release to the extend that he never referred to the Pdois party’s policies or programs which he is going to represent in the future government . I think even his supporters will agrees with me that he should have made emphasis on what pdois government intend to do rather than speaking as if he is going to do every thing on his own . The whole press release was based on first person singular pronoun ” I” ,which is reference to personal level or ability . This is narcissistic behavior which show how he think of himself . Compare mr sallah press release to that of mr Darboe , in which there is not many statements where lawyer Darboe put himself as sole doer of everything that UDP intend to do or whatever they have done in the past . This is main difference between the two . It is this difference in terms of personalification , self-regarding or used of first person singular pronoun “I ” on the part of mr sallah , while lawyer Darboe’s willingness to recognize the importance of team work and not taking credit for himself , that the two cannot have any significant agreement to salvage the country from clutches of military dictatorship . I have never seen a presidential candidate who emphasize so much about what he intend to do without making significant reference to the party he belongs. Though mr sallah supporters can argue that he intend to show personal commitment and involvement in every issues in the future government , therefore it is justifiable to use the first person singular pronoun on his political speech to name what he intend to do . But I am afraid such characterization may lead to lack of shared responsibility and absolute authority if he becomes president . It is right for the presidential candidate in some cases to use first person singular pronoun of ” I” to represent his views but in the case of Mr sallah , the used of “I ” become monotonous and it represent the belief that he always think highly of himself and unwilling to share responsibilities with those he works with . The frequent used of the word “I ” in his press release has also indicated to us how he plan or intend to govern our country and I believe it even contravene the philosophy of pdois which is about shared decision making process . Going by the monotonous used of first person singular pronoun I , Mr sallah has demonstrated a character which has been hallmark of president Jammeh’s military dictatorship , that is , to be absolutely in charge and unwillingness to share decision making and responsibility . Is this not the leadership characteristics of Jammeh which we all cry about and often refer to him as a tyrant or Dictator ? I expect mr sallah to use word like “we ” so that we will understand that he has advisers , opponents , a political party whose vision he intend to use or work as part of his government .

    I am really surprised to see a politician whose rhetoric is always based on “we the people ” when it comes to pre-election campaign , propaganda and party’s ideology , but now has become so obessive of the used of the word ” I ” in his speech. This is lead to my second point which is lack of pragmatism . Pragmatism in leadership deals with ability to be opened to other people’s ideas and values their contributions in the decision making process . Further analysis of mr sallah’s speech indicated that since he valued his personal input to extend that he rarely mentioned his own party in his government , then mr sallah would less likely be opened to other people’s ideas to effectively lead our country . Those leaders who refused to accept other people’s ideas simply lack humility , hence they see themselves as the best among their followers . This is the problem president Jammeh has . Jammeh has never shown humility and accept ideas from those who are closed to him . It is therefore very important for Gambian people to be very careful of politicians who very often speak in first person singular pronoun because such leaders do not normally show humility and openness to share ideas or even listen to those who are closed to them . One of the greatest assets of pragmatic leader is to be able to have empathy and listen to his followers or subjects so that their interest will always be in the forefront In any decision making process.
    Leaders who lack pragmatism tends to show self importance which is integral part of narcissistic characteristics . For the past 21 years , we have seen and witnessed such characters . In this coming elections ,it is responsibility of every Gambian to look at personal temperament of each leader and decide who has best characters and is willing to work with others in shared responsibility , be a good listener and has greatest humility to lead our country .
    Finally , mr sallah press release is full of long convoluted repetitions and he should have simply stated the ministers who he won’t appoint since we know that Gambian constitution give the president the authority to make political appointments . Hence there was no need to lecture us about each ministry and why he will make appointments in line with the constitutional provisions .
    I also believe mr sallah should have shared this ideas with relevant political leaders in The Gambia who are interested in coalition building . Such a blue print document should have been part of oppositions leaders discussion in coalition building but not in all open Bamtaba where divisive political rhetoric becomes the most significant voices . This is not the best way to seek compromise among the Gambian people . Leaders are supposed to meet and table their ideas from their various political parties , the finally communique is release for public consumption . That is true leadership .

    This analysis is not a direct attack on mr sallah as a person but it is my honest analysis of his press release .

    Thanks .

  3. Lafia Touray la Manju

    Halifa is full of himself. Who gave him the audacity to tell other parties what to do??

  4. This is a very clear position and it does not put PDOIS in total control of the reform and transition process, if it succeeds…This is the type of working relationship in an “alliance” government that can win.trust and confidence of those interested in genuine change, rather than change for its shake..

    The granting of other stake holders the opportunity to have a say in Cabinet appointments is a particularly interesting concession from a national constitution that places that absolute power in the executive..

    Reducing president’s (ruling party) influence over National Assembly is also a revolutionary departure from tradition and culture, and a sure way of making that institution effective, rather than the rubber stamping role it has always played; now and before..

    Well done Hon. Halifa Sallah…Wish you all the best again..

  5. This press release has three fundamental problems which uniquely highlighted the leadership characteristics of Mr sallah if he lead any government or meaningful coalitions in this coming election . These fundamental problems which are long been said about him , have really manifested itself in this press release . These characteristics are personalification of the party ( PDOIS) , lack of pragmatism and self importance .

    “Here is why I said mr Sallah has personalized the press release to the extend that he never referred to the Pdois party’s policies or programs which he is going to represent in the future government . I think even his supporters will agrees with me that he should have made emphasis on what pdois government intend to do rather than speaking as if he is going to do every thing on his own . The whole press release was based on first person singular pronoun ” I” ,which is reference to personal level or ability . This is narcissistic behavior which show how he think of himself .”

    Max, I strongly disagree with your observation. This is why: the coalition framework that Halifa has put together will make it possible for him to govern without relying on the basis of any particular party’s policies and programs. In essence he wants to lead a transition and rectification program that is not profoundly influence by any party.

    If another candidate should win the primary with this same coalition framework and governance structure, it will ensure that the candidate’s political party does not have any influence on the transition and rectification programs. One of the fundamental reasons the executive presidency is sustained if the president’s party holds the majority of seats in the National Assembly.

    This is just a novel way to reduce the power of the executive presidency divorcing it from is support base if the majority in parliament is held by the party in power.

    ” Compare mr sallah press release to that of mr Darboe , in which there is not many statements where lawyer Darboe put himself as sole doer of everything that UDP intend to do or whatever they have done in the past . This is main difference between the two . It is this difference in terms of personalification , self-regarding or used of first person singular pronoun “I ” on the part of mr sallah , while lawyer Darboe’s willingness to recognize the importance of team work and not taking credit for himself , that the two cannot have any significant agreement to salvage the country from clutches of military dictatorship . ”

    Max, Halifa has been selected as his party’s presidential candidate. In order to promote a coalition proposal that is just, fair and will serve the best interest of the country,

    Halifa in particular and PDOIS in general, are making a supreme sacrifice to compromise Halifa as a candidate, and the influence PDOIS can have on him as a coalition candidate, so that he can govern on the basis of the coalition framework and governance structure he has laid out.

    Halifa is only making promises that if he is elected on a coalition platform, he will abide by all the declarations enshrined in his coalition framework and governance structure. And PDOIS has fully endorsed this proposal. It is PDOIS’s proposal. This is the coalition strategy that PDOIS is proposing to the other opposition parties.

    Mr Darboe is not selected as the presidential candidate of the UDP. The UDP also has not yet proposed any coalition strategy and governance structure. Therefore you cannot make a comparison between Darboe and Halifa because there is no basis to do so

    Halifa put together a coalition strategy and governance structure in his press release. Lawyer Darboe gave a report of the UDP congress as the party leader and secretary general.

    “I have never seen a presidential candidate who emphasize so much about what he intend to do without making significant reference to the party he belongs. Though mr sallah supporters can argue that he intend to show personal commitment and involvement in every issues in the future government , therefore it is justifiable to use the first person singular pronoun on his political speech to name what he intend to do . But I am afraid such characterization may lead to lack of shared responsibility and absolute authority if he becomes president .”

    Max, Halifa is conscious of the fact that if the other opposition parties agree to this coalition strategy of going through a primary process to select the flag bearer and he wins that process, his candidacy and his election as a president would be supported by that coalition strategy. Hence he has to divorce himself from PDOIS.

    Thereby he would rely on the constitution and his governance structure to effect the transition and rectification programs. The same should be true of another candidate who wins the primary.

    ‘It is right for the presidential candidate in some cases to use first person singular pronoun of ” I” to represent his views but in the case of Mr sallah , the used of “I ” become monotonous and it represent the belief that he always think highly of himself and unwilling to share responsibilities with those he works with ”

    I believe you are using his first person pronouncements in the wrong context.

    “The frequent used of the word “I ” in his press release has also indicated to us how he plan or intend to govern our country and I believe it even contravene the philosophy of pdois which is about shared decision making process . Going by the monotonous used of first person singular pronoun I , Mr sallah has demonstrated a character which has been hallmark of president Jammeh’s military dictatorship , that is , to be absolutely in charge and unwillingness to share decision making and responsibility . Is this not the leadership characteristics of Jammeh which we all cry about and often refer to him as a tyrant or Dictator ? I expect mr sallah to use word like “we ” so that we will understand that he has advisers , opponents , a political party whose vision he intend to use or work as part of his government .”

    Max, you have to understand that the statements Halifa makes serves a purpose. In this case as the presidential candidate of PDOIS, and with the permission and support of his party, he is also offering himself as a coalition candidate. Not only that he has also proposed a coalition strategy and a governance structure to support that coalition candidacy. It is in this context that he has used the first person.

    “I am really surprised to see a politician whose rhetoric is always based on “we the people ” when it comes to pre-election campaign , propaganda and party’s ideology , but now has become so obessive of the used of the word ” I ” in his speech. This is lead to my second point which is lack of pragmatism . Pragmatism in leadership deals with ability to be opened to other people’s ideas and values their contributions in the decision making process . Further analysis of mr sallah’s speech indicated that since he valued his personal input to extend that he rarely mentioned his own party in his government , then mr sallah would less likely be opened to other people’s ideas to effectively lead our country . Those leaders who refused to accept other people’s ideas simply lack humility , hence they see themselves as the best among their followers . This is the problem president Jammeh has . Jammeh has never shown humility and accept ideas from those who are closed to him . It is therefore very important for Gambian people to be very careful of politicians who very often speak in first person singular pronoun because such leaders do not normally show humility and openness to share ideas or even listen to those who are closed to them . One of the greatest assets of pragmatic leader is to be able to have empathy and listen to his followers or subjects so that their interest will always be in the forefront In any decision making process.”

    Max, the things you have elaborated above are highly opinionated. These are your opinions and you have a right to them, But they are not necessarily the facts and the truth. Others have opinions on the same issues you raised that are different and highly in favor of Mr Sallah. So I will take your pronouncements as merely your opinion. Yu have a right to make them although you are not being fair to Mr. Sallah.

    “Leaders who lack pragmatism tends to show self importance which is integral part of narcissistic characteristics . For the past 21 years , we have seen and witnessed such characters . In this coming elections ,it is responsibility of every Gambian to look at personal temperament of each leader and decide who has best characters and is willing to work with others in shared responsibility , be a good listener and has greatest humility to lead our country .”

    Again this are your opinions. We will agree to disagree.

    ” Finally , mr sallah press release is full of long convoluted repetitions and he should have simply stated the ministers who he won’t appoint since we know that Gambian constitution give the president the authority to make political appointments . Hence there was no need to lecture us about each ministry and why he will make appointments in line with the constitutional provisions .”

    So that you can hold him accountable should he do something different from what he has said. He wants to make it abundantly clear why he has to appoint those ministers that he said he would and the constitutional authority that allows him to do so. There is nothing wrong with clarity.

    “I also believe mr sallah should have shared this ideas with relevant political leaders in The Gambia who are interested in coalition building . Such a blue print document should have been part of oppositions leaders discussion in coalition building but not in all open Bamtaba where divisive political rhetoric becomes the most significant voices . This is not the best way to seek compromise among the Gambian people . Leaders are supposed to meet and table their ideas from their various political parties , the finally communique is release for public consumption . That is true leadership .”

    He has done exactly that. His proposal has been sent to the Gambia Opposition for Electoral Reform. The inter-party structure that has put in place by the opposition parties. It is also shared to the members of the public so that they will also know what has been proposed. I don’t see anything wrong with that.

    “This analysis is not a direct attack on mr sallah as a person but it is my honest analysis of his press release .”

    You have the right to make it. I hope you will also consider the contrary opinion.

    Thanks .

  6. Gambia.

    Max and Lafia, Halifa’s press release is full of self, ego, dictatorship etc, right? What is Darboe and UDP’s. Best practice???

    Referencing other opposition parties as “fringe and insignificant with little following” is the best statesman’s speech.

    Well done my friends in the service of our nation.

  7. Quite an exceedingly impressive press release by Hon. Sallah. A ministry of children’s affairs I think is just adequate. A ministry of women’s affairs in itself relects a motions of disparity and materialisation of women’s equal rights.

  8. Max….

    Seriously, you are better than this…I can see that you have realised the folly and absurdity of your argument and hence, tried to wriggle around it, thus you emphasised the use and frequency of the personal pronoun “I” as a distinguishing criteria for what you call “personification”…

    So if Mr Sallah had not used “I” for that many times, he would not have been guilty of personification…”Personification”, according to you, is hence forth defined by the frequency of the “I” used in a statement, right..? You are a joker mate…

    I would have completely ignored this subjective opinionated piece you call an “analysis” except for your naughty attempt to substitute FACTS with fiction…because that is what you have done, as is evident by the following quotation :

    @Max…” It is this difference in terms of personalification , self-regarding or used of first person singular pronoun “I ” on the part of mr sallah , while lawyer Darboe’s willingness to recognize the importance of team work and not taking credit for himself , that the two cannot have any significant agreement to salvage the country from clutches of military dictatorship…”

    It is obvious that you are blaming the lack of coalition agreement on differences in personality between Mr Darboe and Mr Sallah, when everyone knows that the main obstacles lie in the form and mandate of alliance and selection method of flag bearer and has got absolutely nothing to do with the personalities of the two men..This is shameful and unbefitting of someone like you, with so much to contribute here…and massively disappointing, even by your anti-PDOIS standards of late…

    Mr Sallah, as the chosen PDOIS candidate, is making specific commitments, within the broader framework of PDOIS alliance and governance programme, that he will commit himself to fulfilling, if elected as president …

    The use of the words or phrase, “I Halifa Sallah”, rather than being indicative of “personification” and “self importance”, actually inserts, instills and demonstrates solemnity in the declaration of the commitments being made.It is much in the same way that sworn testimonies, swearing-in ceremonies, court verdicts and other solemn undertakings are done…You would be mad to blame individuals in such places for “personification”, regardless of how many times they use the phrase..

    As you can quite clearly see, each phrase, “I, Halifa Sallah”, is followed by a different set of commitments that he commits himself to accomplishing….

    And they are revolutionary by any known standards, proving that these guys (PDOIS) are thinkers and innovators, as opposed to the copyists and imitators that crowd the political spaces in our country and across the continent..hence our pitiful situation today..

    • Bax , Revolutionary leaders always have humility , take less credit and never used first person singular pronoun I , in every utterance or statements . Example , Dr King and Nelson Mandela never take credit for themselves but they showed humility . I will encourage you to listen to BBC Interview with mr Mandela on ” Hard Talk ” years ago . You will see pragmatism and humility in his speech . Of course I know mr sallah’s supporters like you will always attribute such personification as mr sallah’s level of commitment and involvement but I see such personalification as his desire for absolute authority , refusal for shared responsibility in decision making process and self importance.
      Bax , personalities of these two leaders is very significant in achieving any meaningful coalition or alliance . In any civilized society , personality of leaders matters in the political process and this is why we do vett our leaders in terms of personal temperament , working relationship , past records and personal belief. These are essential criteria which should be looked into to elect or select any leader . I believe mr sallah lack pragmatism and he has consistently shown self importance and unwillingness to compromise to salvage the country from military dictatorship . Sometimes , it is not the ideas that matters in politics , it is ability to work with others . Jammeh came with great ideas in 1994 which was about presidential terms limits , ending corruption and encourage freedom of speech . Today he is a tyrant because he never listened to anyone and cannot work with decent and honest people . So whatever lofty and brilliant ideas mr sallah has ,if he cannot work with anyone , those ideas are useless . This is why he cannot make any meaningful progress for the 40 years he has been in politics . Personality matters because it help politicians to sit down with their enemies and have honest discussion . It was because of personal characters that great freedom fighters like Dr King and Nelson Mandela were able to sit with their respective enemies to have frank discussion about the future of their people . Please don’t tell me personality between mr sallah and lawyer Darboe doesn’t matter . It is not about the policy differences between the two which is why they cannot agree . Policy differences is what makes them to have distinct political parties but it is the personal characters which will ensure that they come together and have agreement . The problem with you confused disciples , is that you are so fixed with mr sallah’s ideas that you never assessed his personal characteristics or temperament . No one is saying he didn’t have good ideas or he is not a patriot , each of these politicians has some good ideas which is why they have various supporters . But if pdois believe that we are all dump people and they are the intelligent people , then they are making huge mistake . The reason why we have current predicament is because we failed to vett the character or temperament of president Jammeh . I for one it is one of the most important consideration in selecting a leader . I think lawyer Darboe has the best temperament or character among these leaders in terms of humility , pragmatism , ability to listen , recognize and appreciate our differences or diversity in both his personal and political life , fight for justice in all his life for our people , respect human rights and rule of law , have the sense of patriotism to stand for the truth in both first republic and second republic , understand our people think , feel the pain of our people and never looked down on anyone .

      • Bax , tell me why you support Mr. Sallah. I have described above why I think lawyer Darboe is better leader compared to others. So now let me hear from you too about Mr. Sallah and why you are so obsessed with him.

  9. Max….I have already made it clear that I would not have reacted to what is obviously your subjective personal opinion, if you had not interjected a FALSE STATEMENT in it…

    Regardless of how many times you want to persist with your absurd claim, anyone who is not bias; understands use of language; can contextualise and also knows what personalisation is, can clearly see that Mr Sallah is not engaged in “PERSONALISATION” of PDOIS, or PDOIS programmes or PDOIS Alliance Proposal or anything at all…But you are entitled to your opinion and to your ignorance..(lol)..

    Anyway, I agree with you that personal traits, like belief, principles, morals, ability, capacity, humility (and you name it) are all essential factors to consider in a leader, but statements relating to these cannot reflect any reality or truth, unless they are made within the right context…

    Indeed, Mr Darboe and Mr Sallah are different individuals, with different personalities and this is most certainly bound to reflect in their lives, but these differences are not reflected in the alliance disagreements and so to make such a claim is misleading and unfactual.

    We all know the differences lie in the type of alliance each is proposing…What does a party led alliance proposal have to do with Mr Darboe’s personality..? What does a non party led alliance proposal have to do with Mr Sallah’s personality..?

    Mandela and King were great leaders who have largely succeeded in achieving what they struggled for, but they did so by using the strategies that suited their time and circumstances…Referring to them.to make a point about pragmatism is a non-starter for me…Use our Gambian situation to prove your points about pragmatism and compromise…

    I have given you my views on both by using our Gambian experience, relying on ideas coming from PDOIS…Use ideas from the people you support in The Gambia to prove your points…

    For example, I pointed out to you that in terms of compromise, when you look at PDOIS proposal, you notice that they have concessions to reach out to all parties and individuals out of party setups….Their proposal does not include their party colour; their party symbols; their party flag; their party motto and their desired economic programmes…

    You have to show us how the party that you favoured made concessions to compromise and reach out to others.. Don’t just be yapping on about “compromise” and “pragmatism” without showing us how that is so…

    I have no problem.with you eulogising the great sacrifices that Lawyer Darboe made in the country, including the political fights for justice (and what have you), in both the first and second republics..

    Mr Sallah, unfortunately, was conspicuously absent in the first republic, only popping up on the political stage, in the 2nd republic, to take advantage of the favourable emerging political situation.. Great and truthful analysis mate..Keep it up..

  10. @Max….”Bax , tell me why you support Mr. Sallah. I have described above why I think lawyer Darboe is better leader compared to others.”

    I will tell you something mate.. I think Mr Darboe should fish you out if he ever needs an auto-biographer ..You will do a damn good job. (Lol)

    You have made your choice of leader very clear and as I always say, you are entitled to that choice and opinion. That’s the beauty of democracy and the freedom of choice..

    Personally, I believe both gentlemen have got good leadership qualities in them and I am convinced that each will make a good leader, if given the opportunity. Of course, as human beings, each have their strengths and weaknesses, but The Gambian People will not be wrong to select either of the two to lead us, if we only consider individual leadership qualities..

    However, leading a nation is much more than just individual leadership qualities, though these are important, but it also about operating within systems and engaging with processes and procedures, in a set up where immense power, influence and opportunities can be acquired or accessed by its players..

    Many a times, a good man/woman has entered political office, with good personal credentials, but become hardly recognisable from the person that they were, within a very short period of time because the borrowed power that is acquired in government is powerful and juicy; very, very powerful and it’s corrupting influence can be irresistibly intoxicating..

    That is why the dictum : “Power Corrupts; (and) Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely”, is true and should always be at the back of our minds when we devise or choose systems and processes for government and governance…The only guaranteed way to check and guard against this is to curtail the powers of the executive by putting in place genuine, practical and pragmatic measures, checks and balances, not just in name, but in deed as well..

    I don’t know about you but I am in no doubt that the system we inherited in 1965, which is still in operation today, more or less, is not suitable for our circumstances, nor is it fit for purpose..It was conceived, devised, developed and implemented for very specific reasons and the result is what we see throughout our continent.

    Sir Dawda and his PPP did incredibly well to move the country from a period where its viability was doubted, to a period when it was a respected member of the global community, but as a whole, I think even their die hard fans would concede that they failed to deliver.

    So for me, political choice comes down to one thing: Who offers the best alternatives to what we had yesterday and still have today, particularly the economic, political and social policies to set us onto the path of genuine, practical, pragmatic and meaningful economic, political and social development.?

    I agree with Mr Sallah because he (and PDOIS) provide those answers for me… Whether it is the economic, political, social, agricultural or international relations, PDOIS answers the questions I seek through pragmatic and practical proposals and ideas for government and governance…

    So that’s your answer from a PDOIS “Talibeh” obsessed with Halifa Sallah..

  11. Maxs, you are just trying to defend the indefensible. Lawyer Darbo went to attend the so-called Coalition meetings to run away from a trap they put themselves in. You cannot fool anyone. Darbo earlier told an online radio that they could not select flagbearer unless they hold a Congress and even there it is a committee that would do the selection according to UDP Constitution. A week later Lamin Dibba told the College students that they could not select their flagbearer because they were waiting to see their fate in Coalition. What would happen if there are calls for them to attend talks and they fail to go? No one would take them seriously. This is why he went to attend the meetings out of courtesy even though he knows that he could not enter into any serious talks without authorisation from a Congress which was yet to be held. Even though he also knows that they do not have any interest in such talks.
    Maxs and Deyda, do not scratch your heads too much on those misguided talks. They were actions made by those in desperation. If any party wants to call for serious talks, they would have forwarded their proposals to the GOFER as PDOIS did. The Minority leader and the Administrative Secretary of the NRP cannot call a meeting and describe it an Inter party meeting or a meeting called by the youths when there is an Inter Party institution involving all parties including the APRC . My opinion is that many fringe parties were afraid that without a coalition forged before March 30th, their parties might be deregistered. So they were engage in that frantic effort to convene meetings without seeking for proper advice. They were not youths, they are big men belonging to fringe parties if i may borrow that from Darboe. If you are saying that Darbo went there because he is a diplomat, then we are saying the same. Why didnt he not heed the call of OJ when called to attend Coalition talks by the PPP which was done earlier? Because instead of OJ directing his initiative to the GOFER which he belongs he decided to call for a separate arrangement as if no such institution exists.
    PDOIS has made their position known to their colleagues and reminded them of the agreement which is that all of them should direct their initiatives to the GOFER through the Coordinator who is no other than Darbo himself. What Darboe should have done was to tell the NRP officials who call themselves youths and others like Fatoumata Tambajang to direct their initiatives to the GOFER which is the institution established by the group of 6 opposition parties for matters regarding electoral reform and election. It is either you are ignorant of all these or you are just mischief hunters.
    “Why pdois has nominated their presidential candidate when they already agreed on a pact ? You have been consistently calling on UDP to nominate their candidate even though it was clear to you that UDP is waiting to see if there is going to be coalition or electoral reform . If your party is geniunely interested in coalition or united front why is that they have nominated their presidential candidate and also put forward their conditions or policy in public space without entering any formal discussion with various opposition leaders ? Is that not lack of leadership and unwillingness to accept any blame?”
    What a silly question indeed. How can any serious party sit and wait for a decision which may happen or not happen. UDP is preparing itself for election and coalition or no election and coalition and PDOIS is doing the same.Why didnt the UDP just sit and wait for Coalition before campaigning everywhere, even without a flagbearer?
    I have no problem with Darbo being a diplomat but even diplomats should have principles and obey protocols. You cannot be called by every Tom, Dick and Harry and you answer the call just because you want to be seen to be a diplomat or that you want to run away from blame. Tell me, what came out of those meetings if i may ask? That’s why Darboe described them as fringe parties and politicians having great capacity to creating confusion and so forth.
    “Blaming online commentators as the one creating division is truly misplaced and hypocritical,” said Maxs.
    “Some online paper reports give the impression that the opposition in The Gambia are enemies and eat each other’s throats,” said Darboe, the UDP leader.
    You asked why the proposal is put in the public space. The answer is very simple. “I am also putting it in the public space for other independent aspirants to the presidency consider the same. This is done in good faith in the public interest, and it is put in the public space to dismiss the misrepresentation that PDOIS is opposed to a coalition. We hope other parties and independent personalities will put their proposals in the public space so that negotiation would begin to narrow down the differences,” said Halifa Sallah.
    I am sure you are not happy with that because it has closed you from your misinformation campaign.

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