Dear Editor,
Heroic Halifa Sallah must be awarded the Grand Order of The Republic of The Gambia for standing up to the Dictatorship from the point when Jammeh “annulled” the elections to the point when the ECOWAS forces entered The Gambia and chased the Monster away.
In that tense and dangerous period for the Nation of The Gambia, Halifa Sallah spoke for all Gambians – and the whole world listened to admired his words. Watching Halifa speak was like watching Martin Luther King’s speeches. History making occasions and Halifa’s words sent a tingle down the spine. Once the President-Elect left for his own safety to Senegal, dangerously exposed Halifa Sallah continued to be the face and voice of the Coalition to the whole world. Like Winston Churchill during the war here in UK, Halifa Sallah spoke for the Gambian Nation and stood up to Jammeh’s Fascism.
But this is Halifa The Man we all have come to know and admire. Halifa similarly stood up to Jammeh’s Witch Hunt Madness in 2011 and got arrested – and the write up on his heroism then was front-page of the Daily News in The Gambia (closed down soon afterwards) and Freedomnewspaper. Amnesty International and the whole world was alerted to the Jammeh’s Witch Hunt Madness by Halifa’s arrest and the pressure forced Jammeh to release Halifa – and end the Madness within a week.
So Halifa’s Heroism, like Sir Winston Churchill’s, is not in doubt. While Jammeh will be a “Zero in Gambia’s Hall of Shame” forever, Halifa undoubtedly is a “Hero in Gambia’s Hall of Fame” forever.
But Halifa shares Sir Winston’s single failure of character: Halifa, like Sir Wisnton, is too aware of his own greatness. Both Halifa and Sir Winston do not suffer “fools” patiently. Hence why Sir Winston had to leave and join ALL three British political parties and endured what has been described as his “Years in the Wilderness”. Halifa too has found it difficult to join a Coalition and work with others – until recently when Mrs. Jallow-Jabang brought the Coalition together. The 15-year period when the Gambian Opposition could not form a Coalition to challenge Jammeh (2001 – 2016) could also be described as “Gambia’s Years of Wilderness”.
So Halifa, like Churchill, has risen HEROICALLY to the challenge when his Nation called, and has, like Churchill, slain the Dictator.
But immediately after that victory over Hitler, the grateful British people rejected Churchill in the General Election that followed – because Churchill is a Warrior and not a humble unifier.
Churchill, in his mind always knew what is right and went for it – and did not suffer fools, even if the “fool” happened to be his Party Leader. Halifa Sallah is similarly single-minded – and we can see this in Barrow’s appointment of a Vice-President who is 2-years over the aged inserted into the Gambian Constitution by Dictator Jammeh (the age qualification specifically inserted to bar Lawyer Ousainou Darboe from contesting the Presidency). Now, the majority of Gambians would overlook that irrational Jammeh-amendment to the Constitution but not Halifa Sallah whose mantra has always been “Constitution, Constitution and Constitution”.
I think that is where the danger may lie for the Coalition and President Barrow if Halifa Sallah became the Speaker of The National Assembly. Speaker Halifa Sallah’s “Constitution, Constitution and Constitution” mantra could easily lead to a move to impeach the President move in the National Assembly over what most Gambians might see as a minor and inconsequential infringement of the Constitution (like the Jammeh-imposed 65-age limit).
On the other hand, from his current Heroic role, I can see that Sir Halifa Sallah (Grand Order of The Republic of The Gambia) would make a FANTASTIC Minister of Information & Presidential Press Secretary.
Just a humble opinion by a friend of The Gambia and a proud father of 3 Gambians; t lost Ethiopian now going by the name “Luntango Sunn Gann Gi”.
God Bless The Gambia, God Bless President Barrow and his Coalition partners, and God Bless my Gambian children, my Gambian “boy, boy” and his children. May peace prevail in peaceful Gambia – and “The Smiles” return to The Smiling Coast of Africa.
Dida Halake,
Notting Hill,
London, UK
Dida, I couldn’t agree more with your praise for Halifa Sallah’s statesmanship, selflessness and poise. Don’t we all need that going forward?
Is there any way that you could do some gentle arm twisting to get Halifa interested in a makeover, I mean makeover in terms of rethinking his previous stance, concept, ideas and messaging as a PDOIS stalwart. I’d like the PDOIS central committee/executive to relaunch a recruitment drive, under a revamped dispensation, aimed at drawing a sizable group of Gambians that now have a better idea of the course that has been charted for the new Gambia.
So Dida, let’s keep working on our pal Halifa and other leaders of PDOIS to hopefully shed the old cloak and work to create a tent that will serve to harbor the teeming crowd.
By the way Dida, you have earned your place in the ranks of Dormu Rewwum Gambia (son of The Gambia), so the old title of Luntango Sunu Gann Gi is being retired for good.
Together, we will keep a close eye on events unfolding on the ground. Thanks.
Andy
Andy, Andy, Andy! Trying to change Halifa will be like trimming Samson’s hair – or my new dreadlocks! Halifa will lose all his power and greatness if you change him. Take away his Kaftan and put him in a suit – and the great man will look like a circus clown. Let Halifa be – we love him for what he is.
Luntango Suun Gann GI: I am not sure what to make of the statement above. If you meant it as an insult to Halifa Sallah, it only Demonstrates your Continued Cowardice and Opportunistic Manuevering Inherent in your Personality and make up. You can kiss and lick all the boots and rear bumpers of the current Power in the Gambia for personal and ulterior motives. However, Objective and Independent Thoughtful, Non-Ethnically Tainted GAMBIANS, know the Personal and Political Sacrifice Hon. Halifa Sallah Continue to make for all all GAMBIANS. Why do you have to Resort to be so Crude, Rude and Condescending. You might say, why “Push back” against my statement above and engage in a similar act.The answer is, someone has to, because you appear to be Obesessed and Fixated with Hon. Halifa Sallah. Are you a Straw man or Agent Provocator? If you have Nothing Constructive to add to the Gambia’s Transition and Development, Buy a Padlock, Britain has a lot of them. Do the Gambia and GAMBIANS a favor and Use it Generously and Deliberately.
My-in-law ( Dormu Rewwum Gambia)…
I don’t know about “Constitutional coups”, but Hon. Halifa Sallah is certainly a very rare breed of politician, and The Gambia is blessed to have such an asset, though he has been under utilised by the nation for varied reasons, for such a long time.
I only hope that he has succeeded in moulding a generation of his political “students” into his own image, who would carry on the task that he dedicated his life to, when he does eventually step aside from politics and public life.
And how I wish to see younger members of the PDOIS and its future leaders begin to step forward and push the party to the next level, whist Hon.Sallah carries out his role in the non party alliance administration.
Hon.Sallah, like the other alliance partners, has an immense task on his hands during this alliance period and I have no doubts, that maximum success of important and essential political and economic reforms will be achieved, if he is able to function as well as he can. His influence during this political impasse, from beginning to conclusion, is visibly obvious to keen observers.
I hope the coalition stays strong, united and focused to the very end.
Bax , I like the tough talk of Mr fatty and Mrs Tambajang who are also great leaders, in fact without their tough talk , ECOWAS won’t be in The Gambia to ensure the removal or the elimination of former Dictator. Halifa is too timid and sympathetic to the former dictator In my view . He has never been critical of him even in his last days . As a humble leader, he always try to avoid chaos or conflict and he is very diplomatic in his language and conduct . Dictator Jammeh never listened to such a diplomatic language which was why it took Halifa long time to understand the language of Yaya jammeh . Without ECOWAS Military intervention, jammeh would still be president. I am glad that we have Vice President Tambajang and Mr fatty closed the president to ensure that there will be accountability and rule of law . Mr Sallah can be a good speaker at the National Assembly or head of civil services but he cannot continue to be good spokesman for the president because he will reject most of the steps which will lead to full accountability of former dictator. Gambians needs to hold the former dictator accountable. No mercy for jammeh and his thugs .
Max, the tough talk almost plunged the country into an irreparable disaster, and Halifa’s diplomatic approach and assertiveness lulled back the country to look into itself and the conscience of the nation was rekindled. The impasse was resolved and not a single soul was lost in the process.
Halifa understood the dynamics that were at play from December 9th when the ex-president reneged on his concession. And I am convinced that without the pivotal role he has played at this juncture of our political history our circumstances would have been much different today.
He was able to dictate and guide the evolving crises, and with a thorough understanding of the constitutional processes, evoke the specter of a defiant nation #that has decided. The battle lines were drawn.
His cool, calculated and relaxed demeanor during all this crises period showed not only his resilient, but his enormous faith in the power of the people that one way or the other they will bring the impasse to its logical conclusion. The ECOMIG forces came into the country when the dust has settled. A silent revolution has taken place and the country was brought to a standstill.
The streets were deserted. All business and banking activities shut down. The country was reduced to a complete paralysis of being ungovernable. And things fell apart because the center cannot hold.
The voice of reason and a strong conviction has triumphed. Diplomacy has been given a chance. Military confrontation was averted. And a nation is now in search of healing and reconciliation. We owe a lot of gratitude to Halifa as the official spokesperson of the coalition. His mission has been accomplished. You can now have your government.
We do not want to downgrade the greatness of all the other leaders and indeed all of them are what they are in their own rights and capacities. And as the exigencies of forming and running a government becomes more apparent all them will be held to the task.
Kamalo, you must remember that without ECOWAS military intervention ,diplomacy will not work and jammeh will never listen to any diplomatic language from Halifa or any human being. It was a real threat and danger that made him to change his mind but not coolness of Halifa or any head of states. In fact almost six head of states tried to reason with jammeh but they all failed on numerous times until the last minute. Halifa’s letter writing or diplomatic language to jammeh has never done anything to change Dictator jammeh’s way of thinking. All it did was to reward the negative behavior jammeh was doing at the time. When the Iron Lady Vice President Tambajang pointed out her desire to prosecute jammeh, the dictator suddenly changed his mind and that was a good thing for the country. Because it was such pronouncements which led to the political impasse and ECOWAS Military intention. Without such a stand, Jammeh would have been sexing young Gambian girls at Kanillia while the coalition will be worried about their security. That was good political strategy by Mrs Tambajang. Today everyone is freed and the tyrant is not in our country. Halifa is the only one who was willing to meet the dictator but thanks to Brilliant thinking of other leaders, they refused to meet the devil who planned to kill the leadership. With dictatorial regime, diplomacy never works. So let us put the credit where it is due. Jammeh was a coward who always bullied Gambian people. He was a big bulky bully in the village who terrorized everyone while he was the biggest coward ever. At the end of the day, it was only the military threat which rescued the Gambian people but not so called diplomacy.
Max…
It is obvious that you don’t really understand what just happened in The Gambia.
The Gambian People, under the guidance of the coalition, had already embarked on a revolution to enforce their voices and verdict of December 1st. We should thank ECOWAS for expediting that process for us, but with or without them, the process of change was irreversible.
As Kamalo has stated, the “birth pangs of a revolution” have already started, and Yaya Jammeh was increasingly being isolated and neutralised by powerful, but measured statements from the coalition at every point.
Professional and Non professional bodies were condemning his action and calling on him to step down;
Civil society and community/religious leaders were doing the same;
International organisations and foreign governments were doing the same;
His own government officials ( home & abroa) were stepping down and he was finding it difficult to even form a government.
Businesses and public/private institutions were either stopping operation or seriously affected;
Schools were not running smoothly and would eventually have closed.
The country was shutting down gradually as we approached the decisive date of January 19th.
And we are now aware that the military top brass, especially Commanders of the main battalions at Yundum and Fajara Barracks, were planning to stop him after the 19th, when his term would have expired.
The people were urging the alliance to give the green light, as Jammeh and his APRC continue to abuse the transition period, with GRTS help.
So there is no doubt that we would have triumphed even without the enforcement ECOWAS Force.
About meeting Jammeh
The President himself, was on the phone with Yaya Jammeh, acknowledging his (Jammeh’s) proposal to meet him, and even during the impasse, he (Barrow) has consistently called on Jammeh to open lines of communication between their two offices.
Why do you fault Mr Sallah (spokesperson) for wishing to honour that commitment, if indeed your allegation of him wanting to meet Jammeh is true..?
About tough talk
What tough talk are you actually talking about ? The claims that Jammeh will be prosecuted within a year ? Is that the tough talk ? How much tougher is that statement, uttered only ONCE, to the numerous ones from the alliance, delivered through the spokesperson, repudiating Jammeh’s unconstitutional actions and exposing his deceit at every stage of the impasse ? Which is tougher ?
Max, the long sought after victory has been achieved at last. Let’s focus on what strengthens the alliance team and not try to be divisive. There is work to be done right now and everyone’s support, either directly or indirectly, is needed.
Can you rise above your pettiness and see the bigger picture here please ?
Bax , I am very much aware of the political process and what had happened in The Gambia. Despite Gambian people repudiation of the former Dictator, he and his cronies were determined to cling onto power by any means necessary. Countless denunciations from Gambian civil and professional organizations did not convince the tyrant . The lesson we can learn from this historic political transfer of power is that Dictators never willing and voluntarily hand over power. There has to be some form of threat . This is why I emphasized that it was not the coolness or calmness of Halifa or any head of states to convince jammeh to hand over power. It was the threat or forces of military power which finally defeated him and he left the country. This is the fact you and kamalo need to acknowledge. I know you disciples always want to express The expertise and capabilities of Hon Sallah but you must admit that Mr fatty gave more clarity and better explanation what the constitution said and the demand of Gambian people during the impasse. Personally I felt more reassuring and confident about his Facebook postings whenever he updated the citizenry. This is not to say Mr Sallah did not good job as far as his position is concerned.
Gambian people must thank Senegal and the rest of international community for their stand to ensure all options including the military intervention was on the table . I believe 100 % that without military intervention, Yaya jammeh will still be in statehouse because Gambian military under the leadership of tribal militia leaders will never removed jammeh from power. The Gambian military faced forces which are hundred times greater than their military power. Jammeh have no option but to either leave peacefully or he will be eliminated. Stop being naive .
Kamalo, please refresh your memory about gallant men and women who sacrificed their lives for our country and those who went to prison on our behalf . Those are the real heroes.
Coalition leadership composed of great leaders who are all courageous and tough to Handle any position. The military interventionists in the coalition leadership have won because their strategy led to defeat of dictatorship and the dictator. Without military interventionists like Mr fatty , Mrs Tambajang and majority of leadership, the diplomatic approach taken by Mr Sallah based on naivety to convince jammeh to hand over power will not succeed . This is the fact you need to understand. It was the same reason Nigerian president did not waste his time to foolishly engage jammeh on many futile efforts but jammeh was desperate to engage the Liberian president who was also committed to diplomatic efforts to end the impasse. The military interventionists in both ECOWAS and coalition level facilitated the diplomatic efforts to end the impasse. This is lesson I have drawn from the impasse. Bax , I am not petty but I am realistic about the situation we experienced .
@Max : “Without military interventionists like Mr fatty , Mrs Tambajang and majority of leadership, the diplomatic approach taken by Mr Sallah based on naivety to convince jammeh to hand over power will not succeed . ”
Comment : So, it is clear that you have divided the alliance leadership into 2 groups :
(1) The Military interventionists comprising Mai Fatty, Mrs Tambajang and majority of leadership;
(2) The diplomacy advocates consisting of only Mr Sallah.
According to you, Mr Sallah’s diplomacy approach and efforts should be dismissed because it was naïve and would have yielded nothing. The praise, you seem to claim, should go to the military interventionists whose approach forced Jammeh to leave.
Well first, you have to produce evidence to back your claim that Mr Sallah opposed military intervention and insisted on diplomacy only. Secondly, you have to produce evidence that the military interventionists rejected diplomacy and insisted on intervention only.
And whilst you are at it, let’s remind ourselves that the alliance, as far as we know, was operating as a single unit, with Mr Sallah serving as its spokesperson (though some were trying hard to create a different impression). In that capacity, he made it quite clear that Jammeh will be a rebel leader after 19th and anyone who sides with him will also be a rebel. He made it also clear that if Gambians fail to solve our problems, others will do it for us and we may have to live with the consequences, suggesting that the military option was on the cards. He even, at some point, stated unambiguously that the coalition don’t want to walk into office over dead bodies and flowing Gambian blood. How specific and clear can anyone be ?
Max, it is too soon for you to succeed in distorting the facts of our political impasse. You are better advised to desist and instead, focus on your civic duty to hold our leaders accountable. That way, you would not have outlived your usefulness to this audience, in particular, and our new Gambia.
“Halifa is the only one who was willing to meet the dictator but thanks to brilliant thinking of other leaders, they refused to meet the devil who planned to kill the leadership.” Max on KairoNews.
This is the first time I am hearing of this. If it is true, it just underlines my point about Halifa NOT being a team player. Meeting Jammeh, on his own terms at State House while he SQUATED on the Presidency, would have been a serious error and thank God the other Coalition Leaders refused.
“Kamalo, you must remember that without ECOWAS military intervention ,diplomacy will not work and jammeh will never listen to any diplomatic language from Halifa or any human being. It was a real threat and danger that made him to change his mind but not coolness of Halifa or any head of states. In fact almost six head of states tried to reason with jammeh but they all failed on numerous times until the last minute. Halifa’s letter writing or diplomatic language to jammeh has never done anything to change Dictator jammeh’s way of thinking. All it did was to reward the negative behavior jammeh was doing at the time. ”
The stone that the builder rejected has become the cornerstone of the building. You may not want to recognize it, but to most political observers and Gambians, whether they say it aloud or not, Halifa’s fingerprints in the evolutionary process to end the dictatorship of the former regime is quite evident.
He started from the premise that power belongs to the people and that power can only concede to a superior power. This dictum has been proven to be true at all levels of the Gambian political struggle that brought the downfall of a brutal dictatorship for 22 years.
When the talk of forming a coalition started, Halifa said that all opposition parties should go on with their campaigns to strengthen and consolidate their political bases, and afterwards they should organize a convention in which they will choose one presidential candidate amongst all the other candidates to be presented as the flag bearer and the presidential candidate for the coalition.
This political strategy to defeat an entrenched incumbent leader paid dividends. What was thought to be impossible became possible. The incumbent was narrowly defeated in an election that nobody, including the incumbent himself, thought he would ever loose. For the first time in the Gambia’s political history a transfer of power through the ballot box from one leader to another became a reality. This is the storyline. This is the backdrop from which all other political developments follow.
If you recall when the leadership of the UDP were incarcerated, I wrote somewhere that it was a significant political development that can changed the trajectory of the whole opposition political struggle, and it did.
The UDP went through an internal political rearrangement and Adama Barrow became the leader of the UDP. This also changed the dynamics of the opposition’s talk to form a coalition, and what has been elusive to the Gambian opposition for almost two decades became a possibility. A coalition of opposition political parties was born.
This coalition of opposition political parties was given a structure and the institutional framework that will establish its governing principles firmly elaborated upon. It was a coalition of opposition political parties that is a government in waiting. This is a very important consideration. And is among the very first things that convinced the negotiators that these people are serious and they mean business. They are ready to take the mantle of leadership in the country.
Again Halifa’s fingerprints were all over these political blueprints that would form the basis of governance of the new coalition government.
On December 9th when the ex-president reneged on his promise, and the shuttle diplomacy started with the ECOWAS presidential delegation, the coalition leadership have all these well developed and established political and institutional frameworks to their advantage to convince the negotiators that they are on the side of the Gambian people. And indeed the Gambian people have decided.
They visited the president to hear from his side and they also visited the coalition leadership to hear from their side. They left without a shadow of doubt that the coalition leadership were on the right side of history and indeed the Gambian people have given them a mandate to govern. And as such when the mandate of the ex-president expired the mandate of the elected president should begin. This was the position of the coalition leadership and this also was the position of the ECOWAS delegation. And this position has not changed to the end.
The threat of force that you alluded to was a consequence of the irreversible position taken by both the coalition leadership and ECOWAS. That threat has always been there and as a last resort to enforce the will of the Gambian people.
What happened before this threat was ACTUALIZED was of great consequence and herein lies the pivotal role Halifa has played throughout the impasse. Everyone has seen the statesmanship, eloquence, assertiveness, confidence and assurance that was breathed into the whole impasse, and call it whatever you may, it won the day.
And one thing also, change is a process that is govern by fundamental laws. It is an evolutionary process with its own inherent contradictions. And when these contradictions disrupts the evolutionary process it creates its own revolution. This revolution can either be violent or peaceful.
From the coalition convention to the December 1 elections there was an evolutionary and peaceful path of changing power. There was no disruption in the process, and when the election was won by the coalition there was the prospect of changing power peacefully from one governing entity to another.
On December 9th the dynamics of this evolutionary process changed. There was interruption in the evolutionary process and as a consequence an act of a revolution was initiated. This was the antithesis of the evolutionary process.
In our case it was a silent revolution as opposed to a violent confrontation in which our citizens will be out in the streets battling it out with the security apparatus that supported the ex-president. Instead people decided to stay at home and shut down the whole government. And as we say what happened next is history. I will respond to the second part of your write-up.
NB: Nobody was under the illusion at any time, including Halifa’s letter writing or diplomatic language to Jammeh, that they can end the political dictatorship by merely such acts.
We always believe in a process, a process that also has its own contradictions that can either be solved peacefully or violently. And in our case it has been solved peacefully.
My in-law, could you kindly translate what Kamalo just said – and keep it short. I was going to ask the favour from Kamalo, but I fear he will only hit me with something even longer and more confusing! Have you noticed how brief, clear and to the point the great Halifa has become?
Dida, I think kamalo needs to learn how to write brief or concise statements. We are in the world of information technology, even at the university level, professors always give the main points in their presentation, thus the essence of using PowerPoint presentations or prezi. I hope Mr kamalo and my good old pal Bax learn to concisely present their case. PDOIS disciples need to catch up with latest innovations in ther political strategy to ensure that ordinary people get their message.
Max, in a nutshell I wanted to impress upon you the significant role Halifa has played in the coalition’s effort to form a United Front.
And not only that, he has formulated the strategy that helped to defeat the 22 years rule of the former president. This is something that you or anyone else can take away from him.
What was the strategy: (!) let all the opposition political parties continue with their campaigns to strengthen and consolidate their political base
.
(2) Let all the opposition political parties select their presidential candidates, and
(3) let all the opposition presidential candidates subject themselves to a
Convention in which one of them would be elected to represent all the other opposition parties in a coalition as the Presidential candidate.
This was the strategy, and when Adama Barrow was elected in that Coalition convention, even though some people have reservations and misgivings, everyone embraced him and the campaigned to get him elected started in earnest.
All differences were set aside and everyone who supports or sympathize with the opposition has only one goal: to elect Adama Barrow.
This is the first point to note. Since you are complaining that I write very long arguments I will break it into segments. This will be the first part.
Max, the second part will deal with the arguments.
You and the UDP always argued for a party-led coalition. We on the other side always argued for a non-party led coalition. We have been going back and forth on these arguments , on every election cycle, for 22 years except this past election cycle.
For this past election cycle something very tragic and also very historic happened.
Solo Sandeng, may his soul rest in eternal peace, in a protest for electoral reform created a catalyst that led from one political development to another.
And consequently these political developments ended in an opposition coalition that ousted the 22 years dictatorial regime of the former president.
These political developments may seem isolated but we want to proffer that is not the case.
Since 1994 when the former president took over the government our country was going through an evolutionary political process.
This means, that we had periodic election cycles and although there were numerous internal contradictions that could have spelt trouble, the regime always used the coercive apparatus of the state to contain it.
Nonetheless these internal contradictions will continue until they reach a boiling point then they will erupt. The eruption is what witnessed everything that happened until December 1st when an entrenched regime was defeated in an election.
Just think of all the things that happened that were not suppose to happen. And all the things that were not supposed to happen that happened.
This will explain the inherent contradictions in the political process, and the outcome can always be organized, managed and guided to attain the kind of victory that we saw on December 1st.
Kamalo is a blessing. Let him speak my-in-law, because we seem to be witnessing the beginning of a sinister, but subtle campaign, to distort and falsify recent happenings…Perhaps, some people feel threatened by the new image of Hon. Sallah, in the eyes of The Gambian electorate, and may feel the urgency to attempt to neutralise that right away. That is why I am always praying for unity and strength of alliance partners to the end.
btw, have you seen Daily observer headline about the missing $11Million ?
Halifa is the spokesperson. He was only conveying to the public what has ALREADY been agreed by the entire coalition.
In their meeting with the African Bar Association, Darboe made it clear that he would not have been in attendance if not for the fact that Ex-President Jammeh HAD slandered him (Darboe) during a preceded meeting he (Jammeh) had with the same African Bar Association. That proves my point above.
As to why the coalition became a reality, the answer is simple; the UDP gave up on every single position they had adopted just to ensure that there was a coalition. This was so because they realised that a fair and balanced compromise deal was not possible given the intransigence nature of the PDOIS representation. Thus and in the interest of the nation, they went out their way to ensure that there was a coalition at all cost but the national interest. So if anybody or party deserves commendation, it is the UDP.
Thanks
Look, my old friend…You can claim all the credit for the UDP now. It doesn’t matter any more. What matters is that a non partisan alliance has proved to be the winning formula against a dictatorship that most don’t believe can ever be defeated through elections. Let’s all hope and pray that the alliance holds strong through the transition period, so that all can have a fair chance to put their cases before the electorate in the next elections.
Where were you, pal? Congratulations. The Gambia is changed forever. There is nothing more to argue.
In three years time, God willing, we will meet again at the political arena. This time it will be a fair and level playing field.
Partisan, Partisan, Partisan and purely Partisan. Good! now that you have Gmc and all to independents who I think are all humbly following here.. A Shout-My-Own-Name campaign shoots off like someone wants to reap the barn; but why? It is not the young opposition party leaderships of the coalition but indeed the old hands.
Nonetheless, its impressive! sounds everyone will have a choice to make in this levelled playfield and certainly the young opposition parties have a chance now to be listened to with good reasoning not a Partisan, Partisan, Partisan, and Partisan stance.
What belongs to who and who owns what, what not and who not rubbish! This all is to come down to one thing and that is, finding better ways and means for a much more happier and properous Gambia of its citizens.