The ousted People’s Progressive Party (PPP) will neither contest in the presidential election nor look for leadership positions in the country, the party’s Coordinator disclosed.
Omar Amadou Jallow made the expose shortly after he returned to the Gambia. Mr. Jallow was on a two month tour in the United Kingdom and United States. The tour was meant to resuscitate or recalibrate the party that was overthrown from power in July 1994.
Mr. Jallow said the PPP will be part of the process aimed at bringing peaceful democratic change in the Gambia.
“We realise that no single opposition party can remove the incumbent [President Jammeh] from power,” the former Agriculture Minister told our Banjul correspondent. “Until and unless we in the opposition bury all our personal differences and come up with one candidate, we can’t achieve our objectives of removing Jammeh,” Jallow admitted on Thursday.
Jallow said the goal now should be how to dislodge President Jammeh from power after which all political parties can contest in a free, fair and transparent election. He said the opposition can then sign an agreement that guarantees level playing field.
Mr. Jallow also shared the reasons for his party’s just concluded tour with former Vice President Bakary Bunja Dabo. He said the tour was meant to inform Gambians in Diaspora about the “urgent need for democratic change” in the leadership of the Gambia. “Gambians should take full ownership of the country and shape her destiny,” he said, disclosing the party’s readiness to convey an emergency congress to establish new organs and branches of the PPP across the country.
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Most of them are not qualified to run anyway and that includes OJ. I like the unity emphasis in the statement.
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That is a very clear message..Begin the work of a coalition based on equality in partnership, with a common purpose and a common Agenda…
Any attempts to dominate the process, with a view to installing ONE party, no matter what explanations are given, should be rejected by ALL…
Equality in politics?? What happen to the concept of majority rule, minority rights respected then??
If things are to be based on equality, then all parties must prove that they have equal amount of votes behind them, and provide the same level of resources for the coalition campaign. That would be real equality for me.
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Look Lafia, you have given our PDOIS Bro a LOW PUNCH there!! It is true that they can only manage 2% so voter/party equality is out of the question – the majority gets the biscuits. But Lafia, BISCUITS is normally all the MAJORITY voters get. Even in UK and USA – the RICH who supported Cameron and Obama with REAL MONEY get their REAL MONEY back after their “boy” wins … the rest of us voters get only the biscuits!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Sorry, I know, APPALLING cynicism!
They get on my nerves With their silly arguments and crude logics Halake.
Indeed Lafia, we are all prisoners of what Stephen R. Covey calls our “paradigms”. We all need to make regular “paradigmatic shifts” to accommodate your fellow beings.
Lafia…
Do not get mixed up…”Equality in partnership” neither affects, nor diminishes the concept of “majority rule”…
“Majority rule” is simply the rule,by the party with the most votes,in a particular election..The votes of the rest are meaningless, unless otherwise stated by their laws..
Political parties, like independent, sovereign states, are EQUAL before the law and must relate to each other on the basis of equality.. To seek any relationship with other parties outside of the law, is arrogance…
The Gambia is, perhaps,the smallest country, by size and population,in our subregion, but it is regarded as an EQUAL PARTNER in all bilateral agreements it has entered into with its partners…
Of course, where financing a project is concerned, a more resourced partner may volunteer to contribute more, but that is no right to a greater status in any way, shape or form…
The situation that the opposition faces in The Gambia is NOT a contest for who wins the most votes, but the need for a strategic alliance to address a specific problem…
Under our current “First past the post” system, the 30% (or so) votes that the UDP captures in elections, is no more important in the scheme of getting it into office, than the 2% (or so) that the PDOIS captures…If you disagree, then tell us how..
The UDP,by virtue of its followership (NOT MEMBERSHIP), may be privileged with more resources than other parties,and if it does decide to contribute more towards the Alliance efforts, that would be towards the common good and indeed commendable…But it must NEVER, and should NEVER be viewed as an entitlement to Leadership and dominance of any alliance…
Finally Lafia, you must learn not to personalise politics…Expressions like “they (PDOIS) get on my nerves”, have no place in National Political Discourse…
Bax, if it is equality then they must all show that they have the same amount of votes behind them and be prepared to bring the same level of resources at the table. There will be no Monkey work Baboon eat. That is real equality for me.
I will not take you on your understanding to political concepts because are absolutely inept in that area and nobody can help you there because of your profound insulate mindset. That is why I left you on the other topic for I have better things to worry about.
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Bax, if it is equality then they must all show that they have the same amount of votes behind them and be prepared to bring the same level of resources at the table. There will be no Monkey work Baboon eat. That is real equality for me.
I will not take you on your understanding of political concepts because you are absolutely inept in that area and nobody can help you out thanks to your profound insulate mindset. That is why I left you on the other topic for I have better things to worry myself about.
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Lafia….
I thank Allah that you will not take me on my understanding of political concepts because I am not equipped with that knowledge…I do not even think that the occasion warrants such a discussion…I asked you a very simple question which you have failed to answer..
.What is your understanding of the term “Sovereignty” requires only a simple answer,not a debate on political concepts…
If you view the political efforts to form an alliance as a contest of who gets the most votes among the opposition parties,then you should liaise with beauty peagent organisers to get your show…
Did I hear you say “Monkey work,baboon eat”…? So it is about “Monkey work,baboon eat”,for the UDP,since you confessed to be UDP 100%…
I am pretty sure that for the PDOIS,it is selfless service to the nation,and not “Monkey Work,Baboon Eat”…
“Bring your votes to show that we are equal”, is a very shallow understanding of the term “EQUALITY”, even in politics…
It is also an obvious display of a lack of understanding of the dynamics that come into play at any given elections, particularly within The Gambian context…
Many would have voted for the two main contenders (Jammeh/Darboe) just to keep the other out of State House, but are not members of either party…
Therefore, to continually insist on the number of votes received by the UDP, as indicative of its size, does not auger well for your “Political Analyst” credentials…
I will repeat again…Under our current “First Past The Post ” system, the UDP’S 30% ( or so ), is as useless as the PDOIS’ 2% ( or so ) because neither has got past the post to get into government…
If you disagree, tell us what use your votes had..except for statistical records…
Bax Many thanks compatriot! Don’t ever relent as “This cause is bigger than any individual or group of individuals,” elites, cabal, clique, cronies, opposition political party, party leader, ethnic group and/or tribe; INSPIRED BY FOLLOWING QUOTE COINED BY LAWYER OUSAINOU DARBOE IN UNDP LEADER’S 2011 MESSAGE?
“We ask all our citizens to be an integral part of the change they seek by getting involved in whatever capacity suits them. Change is always a difficult task and along the way it is easy to become despondent, fearful, tired, angry, and sometimes be tempted to throw in the towel. But because the cause we have embarked upon is a just one that must be pursued, we must all strive harder to achieve these important goals. We however, can do it only if we come together as one and face the opponent. This cause is bigger than any individual or group of individuals.”
UNITED WE STAND! DIVIDED WE FALL!
EQUALITY IS SIMPLY FINDING THE COMMON GROUND, COMMON STRATEGIES/TACTICS DICTATED BY THE COMMON GOA FOR “MERGER OF POLITICAL PARTIES”. TO INSTITUTE A STRATEGIC/TACTICAL ALLIANCE/COALITION/UNITED NATIONAL FRONT!
ALL G6 MEMBERS ARE EQUAL! WITH ALL THE FIGHT THEY DIDN’T HESITATE WITHIN A MONTH TO SIGNED FOR G6. LAUNCHED AS QUOTED;
“”Six Opposition Parties namely the Gambia Moral Congress (GMC), the Gambia Party for Development and Progress (GPDP), the National Alliance for Democracy and Development (NADD), the People Progressive Party (PPP), the People’s Democratic Organisation for Independence and Socialism (PDOIS) and the United Democratic Party (UDP) on Thursday, 8 March 2012 told Journalist at a press conference held at the People’s Centre at Churchill Town that they have been pushed out of the forth coming National Assembly Election by the Independent Electoral Commission.” = ON EQUAL TERMS!
LONG LIVE PDOIS!
WHAT EFFECT DOES IT HAVE WHETHER PPP CONTEST OR NOT CONTEST 2016? THIS REPORT IS ONLY FOR UDP MILITANCY (THROUGH KAIRO NEWS) PURPOSELY FOR UDP TO OVERSHADOW PPP!
IT IS OBSERVED THAT PPP DID NOT ISSUE ANY PRESS RELEASE THAT “‘PPP Will Not Contest 2016 Presidency’” AND IT’S STRATEGIC/TACTICAL POSITION FOR 2016 PRESIDENCY!
PPP POSITION IS “UNITED NATIONAL FRONT!” = NATIONAL UNITY& SOLIDARITY TOWARDS THE COMMON GOOD, THAT ALL MAY LIVE IN UNITY, FREEDOM & PEACE EACH DAY!
WHAT IS COMMON DEFINES EQUALITY OR SET CRITERIA ON EQUAL TERMS?
PLIGHT OF GAMBIANS = EQUAL SUFFERING
NATIONALITY = COMPATRIOTS = GAMBIANS = EQUAL AS CITIZENS FRANCHISE TO DECIDE DESTINY OF NATION
COMMON GROUND, COMMON GOAL, COMMON STRATEGY/TACTIC = EQUAL
PACT/MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING = EQUITY RULE = EQUAL
PLEASE DIDA HALAKE GET LOST OUR ENEMY WITHIN DIASPORA DISSIDENTS & OPPOSITION FRONT ACTIVISM, MILITANCY & POLITICS