Gambians Should Learn Te Be Simple, Focus And Tolerant

By Deyda Haidara

THE WAY FORWARD IN MY OPINION 

Whenever I hear that diaspora Gambian organizations should fuse into one umbrella organization, I say Oh my GOD here we go again for another messy road to the delight of Yaya Jammeh and his APRC [Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction].

We should understand and accept that people and countries can have hundreds of organizations and political parties formed without hurting others. People of the same vision and philosophy can come together. People with the same objective can come together and form a group or a political party. Even people of the same tribe or region can come together and form a club. There is ABSOLUTELY nothing wrong with that.

What we Gambians should do and focus on NOW is rally around a COMMON document that highlights a common fight and a common objective to achieve the content points in the said agreed document.

We have a common document called “Proposal for Electoral Reforms in the Gambia”

The majority of the opposition political parties in the Gambia signed this document. Therefore this document can be improved by the diaspora Gambians if they wish and finally be tabled as the BLUE PRINT of our demands for electoral reforms in the Gambia. Once this is done, ALL political parties and diaspora organizations can come together under ONE umbrella ad-hoc committee in which all parties and organizations have ONE member to meet periodically to assess the progress or delays made in implementing the objectives of the blue print document.

The online media should be invited whenever this ad-hoc committee meets to discuss matters.

Once we have the above blue print document in place all of us in our individual and collective ways should work hard to bring it into REALITY in the Gambia.

In reality we do not need a unity organization IMPOSED on Gambians. A leadership role cannot be imposed; individuals EARN it. Political parties can continue to play their individual roles; organizations can also continue to play their respective roles. What we need is to come together around a blue print document with set objectives in which each and every one of us can IDENTIFY with it.

If we study the recent Burkina Faso experience that brought about the ousting of Blaise Compaore, one can see and appreciate that ALL opposition parties, Civil Rights groups and Trade Unions rally around ONE simple call that is “ Don’t touch article 37 of the constitution which puts a terms limit on the presidency”.

We have seen it work in Senegal in 2012 and why not the Gambia.

In my humble experience and believe it is a waste of time and energy trying to bring people together on ANYTHING other than a common and temporary mission.

Once mission accomplish people can go back to their respective organization and parties and compete effectively on level playing field.

Thank You.

Deyda Haidara

Ends