The PDOIS Congress meeting in Bansang, CRR, from 22nd May to the 25th May 2015, under a climate of unbounded hospitality and serenity;
Alerted and driven into action by a deep sense of concern for the skyrocketing deficit in liberty and prosperity in the country and an acknowledgement of a growing sense of despair among the vast majority of Gambian people,
And inspired and motivated by an unquenchable and insatiable desire and commitment to ensure that all live in liberty, dignity and prosperity, resolves as follows:
1. ON THE OWNERSHIP OF POWER BY THE PEOPLE
That The Gambia is a Sovereign Republic and her ownership by her people will not become complete and genuine democracy instituted, unless the sovereignty deposited in the people is fully realised by them and fully relied on to elect representatives who will be duty bound to serve their collective interest without fear or favour, affection or ill will.
In this regard, all PDOIS members undertake to redouble our commitment to work without hesitation or break to ensure that all Gambians are conscious of their sovereign rights to determine who is to manage the affairs of the country and how, as well as, to consider their right to vote as the invincible and inalienable instrument that each possesses as a sovereign and equal voice and power to determine the free, prosperous and dignified destiny of the sovereign people of The Gambia.
2. ON RURAL DEVELOPMENT
That access to clean drinking water, health facilities, labour saving devices , better roads and better housing are grossly inadequate in many villages in the country which are without any revenue, or village fund, derived from village earnings to contribute to village development;
In this regard, PDOIS commits itself to ensuring that every village has a productive base such as farms, gardens, fishing ponds, fishing vessels if they are close to the ocean and other sources of income such as royalties from mines, boreholes of public companies, where it can derive revenue to invest in labour saving devices, clean drinking water, health facilities, better roads and other social amenities within one year of a PDOIS administration.
3. ON WOMEN’S UPLIFTMENT FROM POVERTY
That women, making up half the population, are mostly engaged in farming, or horticulture, without access to inputs and reliable markets. To address the problem of the vast majority of women, a Cooperative Bank and Cooperative marketing establishments will be commissioned to provide all the inputs for gardening, aquaculture , animal husbandry, petty business and cottage industries to enable women to earn income sufficient for improved living and further purchase farm produce to promote value added production through processing to generate employment.
4. ON YOUTH ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT
That the youthfulness of the population of The Gambia with 67 percent falling under the age of 25, about 47 percent falling between the ages of 13 and 30, and approximately 60 percent being classified as youth in domestic terms, is both a challenge and an asset, depending on the policy that is put in place to develop the knowledge, skills, democratic and Republican values of the sector to ensure productive and mature citizenship;
That the 411,000 children coming out of our educational system every 12 years need to be prepared for further development and employment; that the government has not put in place any register of persons seeking employment as dictated by Section 44 of the labour Act and has not put any viable policy in place to satisfactorily address the problem of youth unemployment in the country.
In this regard, PDOIS will pursue a policy of linking Agricultural production, mainly based on family farms and community farms, with processing to ensure that employment and income generating avenues are created for the youth and thus minimize the perilous adventure to seek greener pastures abroad.
Furthermore, PDOIS will pursue a policy constructive rapprochement with foreign governments to ensure transfer of labour, knowledge, skills and technology through mutually beneficial win – win agreements which will facilitate legal settlement of Gambian youths abroad.
5. ON ELECTORAL REFORM
That the party is committed to electoral reform so that Gambians abroad shall exercise their right to vote; It stands for a two term limit of four years per term, the introduction of paper ballot to replace marbles, and the promulgation of proportional representation as a constitutional provision to ensure one third gender parity in the composition of ministerial posts or The Cabinet, The National Assembly and The Councils.
6. ON FOOD SECURITY AND SELF- SUFFICIENCY
That vision 2016 which aims to put an end to the importation of rice in 2016 is based on fiction instead of facts; that in 2014 Gambia imported 140,411 metric tons of rice while domestic production stood at 46,674 metric tons. This puts domestic consumption to be approximately 200,000 metric tons; that if vision 2016 is to be achieved, over 150,000 metric tons of rice would have to be produced in one year; that vision 2016 is therefore wishful thinking and is unachievable;
In order to attain food self- sufficiency, PDOIS will establish a cooperative bank and a cooperative marketing institution to support family and community farms to enable them to have access to farm inputs such as fertilizer, seeds and farm implements on one hand, and markets and fair price on the other, to ensure food self- sufficiency and community development. The family farms shall be preserved by law and families shall have as much land as they could put into productive use. Land unused by families shall be put into productive use by communities for social benefit. Any investment in land shall be done on a shareholding basis so as to avoid any exclusion of the people from land ownership.
7. ON EMPOWERMENT OF THOSE LIVING WITH DISABILITY
That those living with disability are part and parcel of the nation and are equal in sovereignty and must not be treated in a discriminatory manner. They are entitled to civic, political, economic, social, cultural and ecological rights, like other citizens and should not experience any form of exclusion; that those living with disability shall be represented in all the organs of the party, and this objective be included in the terms of reference of any steering committee established to look into the issue of proportional representation in party and national decision making bodies.
8. ON BALANCED AND PROPORTIONATE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
That a balanced and proportionate development of the economy will be pursued by aligning sovereign national wealth from public financial institutions with public sector investment and development; private financial institutions which trade in foreign currency to the tune of 1.6 million dollars per annum will be twinned with private sector investment and development, Cooperative banks and other financial institutions will be linked to all cooperative ventures in agricultural production, processing and marketing; micro credit financial institutions will take the characteristics of cooperative banks and be connected to informal sector production and marketing activities.
In this regard, we shall encourage the establishment of a stock exchange to enable Gambian investors at home, as well as those in Diaspora who are acknowledged to contribute 1.7 Billion dalasis annually in remittances, to hold shares and cooperate with other shareholders to develop private sector investment in the country, the sub-region, the continent and beyond. Public enterprises will be managed to pay dividends which shall be utilized to invest in the foreign bond markets to secure our foreign reserves and ensure a stable balance of payment position in foreign trade.
9. ON THE PDOIS CONSTITUTION
That the letter and spirit of the text of the PDOIS constitution, which has been reviewed, debated and adopted, is the fundamental instrument that shall from henceforth determine and guide how the affairs of the party is managed in order to increase its efficiency and effectiveness as a fundamental guide for leadership of a free, open and self- reliant nation and a liberated, prosperous and self-determined people.
10. ON THE PDOIS MANIFESTO
That the content of Agenda 2016 concept paper, which has been reviewed, debated and adopted, be formatted by the Central Committee and presented as the Manifesto of the party for the 2016 to 2018 electoral cycle.
11. ON COMPOSITION OF THE CENTRAL COMMITTEE
That the members of the Central Committee elected by the Congress are mandated to liaise with the regional branches to enable them to elect the male and female regional representatives to the Central Committee in particular, and the regional representatives to the other bureaus in general within a period of six months after the Congress, giving priority to the Youth Bureau and the Bureau on Women and Child Affairs;
12. ON DIASPORA PARTICIPATION AND GENERATIONAL TRANSFER OF LEADERSHIP
That the Central Committee constitutes a steering Committee, with regional and Diaspora membership, to work out modalities for the election of the Secretary to the Bureau on International Affairs, and prepare concrete strategies and plans to ensure that a new generation of leadership emerges to fill the gap in leadership which may emerge as some members of the current leadership complete their mandate and retire.
13. ENHANCING YOUTH AND WOMEN PARTICIPATION IN PDOIS ACTIVITIES
That the composition of the Youth Bureau and the Bureau for Women and Child Affaires be expanded to include members from all regions, and steering committees be constituted and given mandate of a six month duration to work out the modalities of how to build a youth wing and women’s wing of the party to carry out the work of mobilization, sensitization and organization of the people who are enlightened to become conscious that they are the embodiments of the sovereignty of the nation and are empowered to determine who is to govern their affairs and how, which is the essence of a genuine democratic change.
14. ON THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A PARTY MAGAZINE
That the party establishes a magazine known as Gonga (THE TRUTH), which will disseminate the party’s strategic objectives, policies, programmes and plans on all aspects of development, monitor day to day happenings in the country, continent and the world to identify shortcomings and standards of best practice in governance for a timely sensitization of our members to make them current in matters of information and knowledge of how to build a modern Sovereign Democratic Republic with free, dignified and prosperous sovereign people.
15. ON PROVISION OF VOLUNTARY SERVICES BY PARTY ACTIVISTS
That the party rejuvenate its early childhood educational activities by establishing the necessary facilities and strengthen its adult literacy programmes through night schools in order to show in concrete practice how education could contribute to the nurturing and empowerment of a sovereign citizen;
16. ON POLITICAL EDUCATION THROUGH SONGS AND DRAMA
That the party establishes a drama and musical group which would entertain and educate the masses on the negative effects of bad governance and positive attributes of good governance, as well as the rights and duties of a sovereign citizen in a democratic sovereign Republic.
17. ENHANCING GAMBIA’S STANDING IN THE SUBREGION, CONTINENT AND THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY
That we will subscribe to universal democratic, republican and humanistic values which make the human person the embodiment of inviolable and inalienable human rights which we will protect and promote, with firm and unflinching commitment and thus enable the country to pursue sub-regional and continental unity and attain universal recognition and acceptance as a nation which is committed to universal values of liberty, dignity, justice, prosperity and human rights for all.
THE END
The earlier it is recognized by all Gambians to put what is right in place of what is wrong, and the earlier it is recognized that to stop our fathers” fights is the only way to bring about unity of purpose, the better. PDOIS has all the attributes of a party not only capable of salvaging the motherland from the claws of a dictator but to also build a fully democratic and progressive nation where all will live in Liberty, Dignity and Prosperity.
LONG LIVE PDOIS!
LONG LIVE THE PEOPLE OF THE GAMBIA!
LET US KEEP THE FLAG HIGHER AND HIGHER!
THE STRUGGLE CONTINUES!
Yero bah, the country will be infested with a lot of community farms, a socialist model. I am concern that my family land will be confiscated while lying fallow and turned into a community farm. That’s hell no for me because it will cause my great great grand father, great grand father and grand father to reel in their graves.
Pdois’s policy against rural bedbugs should be elaborate
Thanks
Lafia: There is nothing in the PDOIS Manifesto which says your grand father’s land will be confiscated from him. What PDOIS is saying is to empower family farms through the Cooperative so that they will increase cultivation in order to boost their production and this is entirely voluntary and so therefore you are free to cultivate on your own. So there is no ambiguity in this and deception is no longer possible.
I thought you will be more concerned that Jammeh does not usurp your father’s land.
Yes Halifa forgot Sidia jatta is a rural not urban,bedbugs are everywhere not only in the rural area only but in the hearts of serrakunda and Banjul.A leader should be very careful how you talk to the people you want to lead.Its a mistake but i do not expect a thirty years experience politician to make such a sensitive error in addressing your people. (SLEEPING IN THEIR INFESTED BEDBUGS)LAUGH!
Abdoulie: Hellooo! a leader has every right to amplify the suffering of the people. The people are made so poor by the Jawara and Jammeh regimes that they continued to wallow in poverty and die in poverty without any end in sight. The people have agreed to this statement because it is true. So no amount of hypocritical politicking will make that an insult. You are just cajoling and playing nice comedy.
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Abdoulie, it’s called “jutunayaa” in mandinka. How dare you, Halifa!!
I think PDOIS has shown again that it is not a party content with winning support by only criticising the government or relying on mass dissatisfaction.
It is also able and prepared, not only to provide alternatives, but to put its alternative policies in the public domain for public scrutiny. This is what any credible opposition party that firmly believes in seeking the consent of the people to govern, should do.
Of course, individuals have a right to disagree with their policies, but when these individuals are known to profess loyalty to other opposition parties, then they should also be able and prepared to provide their party’s alternative policies to that of PDOIS.
This gives the public the opportunity to compare and contrast policies of the parties to determine which is/are more viable.
Though we have a right to disagree with any party’s policies, we have no right to distort or twist their statements in order to misinform the people.
Contrary to Lafia’s insinuations, there is no mention of “confiscation” of any family farms. Instead, what is clear as day light, is the commitment to preserve family farms by law.Also, there is a commitment to allow the use of more farm lands to those families that may require more farm land than they possess.
Now, given that many a family have lost their farm lands due to greedy family members selling the lands cheap for easy cash, isn’t this commitment a positive policy that will impact lives positively ?
In my view, this is a DEVELOPMENT BLUE PRINT that can usher in a departure from perpetual and chronic budget deficits (which seems to be an accepted way of running the budget) to running a budget surplus.
I think a PDOIS Government should enact laws that prohibit future governments from “living above their means”. Government should only spend revenue it can raise to avoid wrecking the economy by massively unsustainable borrowing.
With communities empowered and equipped to raise their own funds; with women assisted with production, storage and marketing facilities; with youths equipped with skills, resources and opportunities to to be productive, etc, the economy will gradually strengthen and wealth creation will become a reality for the many, rather than the few at the top or connected to the top.
Lafia, please share with us your party’s better policies..
And by the way, stop being petty…Where is bed bugs mentioned..?
Bax, everybody here have acknowledged that rural bedbugs were mention on freedom radio by Halifa. You see, you are always in denial of established facts.
My party will leave my family land in my hands while it is lying fallow. PDOIS, on the other hand, will consider it as unused land, confiscate it, and turn it into a community farm. This is going to cause my great great grandfather, great grandfather and grandfather to reel in their graves. For that reason alone, I am oppose to PDOIS.
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Lafia….There is a statement before us on Kaironews which we are all reacting to. If you are going to react to something that is not contained in this statement, then you need to indicate that.
Now, even if Halifa mentioned rural bed bugs, how does that constitute “Jutunayaa” (show of disrespect ) ? Who is this “Jutunayaa” directed to ?
When has uttering a general statement that reflect the naked realities of many become “Jutunayaa” ?
“…….PDOIS, on the other hand, will consider it as unused land, confiscate it, and turn it into a community farm. ”
Where did you get this information from ? It certainly is not contained in the statement before us.
Moreover, any government that wants to rely on the land fallow system to increase agricultural yield in this day and age, cannot be serious about poverty eradication and food self sufficiency.
I only hope that this is not the policy of your party.
So you are still denying that rural bedbugs was mentioned? There is no point arguing with someone who is in denial of already established facts.
Halifa after acknowledging on freedom radio that land belongs to families, made it clear that pdois will take unused land and turn it into community farms. And you can sit there and say “confiscation” is not mention. Is it not what it meant or are you denying another already established fact?? I now understand why Abdoulie Jobe became pdois. He has an obsessed disdain for family land tenure.
I hope Halifa will elaborate on pdois’s on rural bedbugs.
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When an agricultural land is unused or uncultivated, it is said to be lying fallow. Get that in your head BAX and stop confusing yourself.
Lafia: Fallow land is land waiting to be used over and over again and it is a property of someone. Halifa never said fallow or unused land. All land belongs to either someone or the state.’Nyoo long kunda nyininkari te jee’ you are known to argue with things in your head and ascribe them to others. It will not work. You will not quote from the above resolutions but lie about radio interviews which you cannot quote but make wild unsubstantiated allegations. As i said before bed bug is synonymous to poverty in the Gambia and it is PDOIS Agenda to eradicate poverty so that no Gambian will be afflicted with bed bugs anymore. That’s what Halifa meant when he mentioned bed bugs in his analysis and all positive listeners understand it except the few infantile ones..
@Lafia la Manju, it is due upon you to enlighten and not EN.DARKEN.
You may have missed it but, people with the JUTUNAYAA concept or mentality will jump and write, ‘the UDP is not a SOLIM- party’…….. and you fail to address insults uttered by such militants.
You must be wise to attract good militant and not dirty hearted ones who will make you lose hundreds of votes for your party. Are we not going towards another republic? Come on Lafia,………stop being sturbbon
So unused land can’t be owned by someone?? Is that what you are telling me Yero bah??
If an agricultural land isn’t been used or cultivated, it is by definition lying fallow. To put it in another words, all unused agricultural lands are lying fallow; and all lands lying fallow are unused.
Halifa already acknowledged that these land belong to families and he proposes that they be taken away to create community farms if they are unused. You can’t distort anything here. Halifa was crystal clear on the radio.
I am keeping my family land whether used or unused. It is ours left to us by my forbearers.
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I’m not denying anything. All I’m saying is that bed bugs are not mentioned in the statement above.If they are mentioned elsewhere, then you needed to say so in your initial responses.
Anyway, enough of bed bugs.They are a distraction from a unique opportunity.
We are faced with huge problems, as a nation…Among the challenges we face are Food insecurity due to heavy reliance on imports; a heavy debt burden due to dependence on borrowing; diminishing foreign reserves due to inadequate productivity;chronic budget deficits due to over spending; Youth unemployment; unsustainable infrastructural development (just to name a few.)
PDOIS has published, what is essentially, its Manifesto for 2016 and they have laid down their ideas in.a broad sense, to address each of the aforementioned challenges.
We can look at each of their stated ideas and either agree or disagree with them.And if we profess loyalty to other opposition parties, then we should provide their ideas to show that, they are not only superior to those of PDOIS, but can address our challenges far more than PDOIS.
So once again, Lafia, how does your party intend to address these challenges.? Let’s see what you’ve got, if you have any…
As for the allocation of unused land to communal farming, I cannot agree more with PDOIS, if that is their stated strategy.
For a country with limited land resources like ours, allowing farm land to lay idle could be a crime, when food security is not assured and starvation is always staring large portions of our population in the face.
We should do all it takes to ensure that every acre of farm land is to put to agricultural use towards food self sufficiency and then exports to earn revenue.
Lafia: Halifa never proposes any land to be taken away from anybody in any way to create community farms whether used or unused.Land belonging to individuals or families in any community is what is referred to as community land or ‘Kabilo’ land. So based on the consent of the owners they can be encouraged to come together and work together to broaden their cultivation and better production for their benefit through the help of the Cooperative Bank. And those who do not want to be part of it are also free to work on their own. Has Jawara not used the cooperative to help farmers individually or collectively to produce and sell to the cooperative which in turn gives them loans such as implements and fertiliser and seeds to do production. If the unions funds were not squandered, the coops would not have died like that. Farmers still have nostalgia for the help of the cooperative. So it is not new.
Lafia is the only one belabouring to scratch for anything to distort what Halifa said and put it in a bad light, openly telling lies in public space just for the sake of making an argument to confuse issues is not good for your damn reputation. So have some little bit of conscience.
Yero Bah, everybody heard Halifa crystal clear on the radio explaining these things. You will already be in denial as long as the narrative does not suit you.
The party I support does not pose any threat to my family land and I am grateful for that because my forebearers will not have any cause to reel them in their graves.
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This is what Halifa said English, Mandinka and Wolof and its a PDOIS Resolution: “That vision 2016 which aims to put an end to the importation of rice in 2016 is based on fiction instead of facts; that in 2014 Gambia imported 140,411 metric tons of rice while domestic production stood at 46,674 metric tons. This puts domestic consumption to be approximately 200,000 metric tons; that if vision 2016 is to be achieved, over 150,000 metric tons of rice would have to be produced in one year; that vision 2016 is therefore wishful thinking and is unachievable;
In order to attain food self- sufficiency, PDOIS will establish a cooperative bank and a cooperative marketing institution to support family and community farms to enable them to have access to farm inputs such as fertilizer, seeds and farm implements on one hand, and markets and fair price on the other, to ensure food self- sufficiency and community development. The family farms shall be preserved by law and families shall have as much land as they could put into productive use. Land unused by families shall be put into productive use by communities for social benefit. Any investment in land shall be done on a shareholding basis so as to avoid any exclusion of the people from land ownership.” WHERE DID HE SAY HERE THAT UNUSED LAND WILL BE TAKEN FROM FAMILIES? In fact going by this above statement, families will still benefit from their lands when it is put into productive use since it is going to be on shareholding basis. Lafia should be happy now that it is clear that he would still benefit from his great grand father’s land even if he is not farming it himself, he would still get a share.
AGAIN! “Land unused by families shall be put into productive use by communities for social benefit. Any investment in land shall be done on a shareholding basis so as to avoid any exclusion of the people from land ownership.”
lAFIA, IT IS NOW CLEAR THAT YOUR FEARS ARE WELL TAKEN CARE OF AND WE CAN CLOSE THIS CHAPTER ONCE AND FOR ALL.
However, keep on fighting so that your grand fathers lands are not taken by the Jammeh regime. He is still searching for land close by your village.
Cheers
I thought you said Halifa hasn’t said anything about unused family lands and that everything was my own fabrication??? You are seriously a confused.com
I got my facts from a radio interview given by Halifa and everybody heard him well.
By the way, how is this statement below going to be achieved without having to take land from families or landowners;
“Land unused by families shall be put into productive use by communities for social benefit”
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Lafia is good at trying to put words into people’s mouth but it will not work. There is no need to debate with you since everything is clear to all. What i said is Halifa never said Land will be confiscated from anybody but it would depend on the land owner’s consent and will be on a share basis. And if that is what you are also saying then we are together.Hellooo!
So you never said this below??
“Lafia: Fallow land is land waiting to be used over and over again and it is a property of someone. Halifa never said fallow or unused land.”- Yero Bah
Halifa never used the word “consent” in the interview and it is not used even in the statement you pasted here. What everybody heard him say loud and clear is that “unused land will be taken to create community farms”. That clearly connotes confiscation. They don’t have to use that word for people to understand that’s what PDOIS’s policy is. Scary!!
PDOIS is clearly saying they will preserve family ownership of land but that families with unused land will be dispossessed to create community farms. Scary!!
“Land unused by families shall be put into productive use by communities for social benefit.DIDN’T YOU ALSO HEAR:”Any investment in land shall be done on a shareholding basis so as to avoid any exclusion of the people from land ownership.”And by the way who are the community in this context, it is the same people who own land together with those who do not own land in that community. Are land owning farmers not allowing non land owners to use their land they do not use? So where is the scare?
You are like the APRC government who will quote one phrase of a legal provision and leave the rest of the section to mean what they wish to implement.”Your argument is that Halifa said unused land will be confiscated from land owners and i said i did not hear that and call on you to show me where that is said. You cannot still show any evidence but continued to belabor that he mentioned it. Even if he mentioned it under what context did he do it? Know that you are dealing with intelligent people in this forum and not fools.You are just out to spread mischief and alarm where there is none.
You said:”The party I support does not pose any threat to my family land,” and which party is that? Any party that wants to maintain the statusguo in terms of production and economy as its programme is not fit to advocate for change because it is brewing the same system to keep the vast majority of our people in abject poverty. As Bax requests from you, please afford us your party’s program especially on how to attain food self sufficiency and the economy in general. You will deserve my response only if you do that, otherwise consider the case closed.
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Lafia, the logic you are attributing to PDOIS in your statement above does not make any sense. This is the reason why you should refrain from attributing statements to people that they do not make. Even if they make a statement that you are quoting try to consider the quote within the context of the statement that is made.
If PDOIS says that they will “preserve” family ownership of land and unused land is part of the land that is under family ownership, it stands to reason that unused family land will also be “preserved.”
Now what can PDOIS mean that unused family land will be “preserved” as part of the family ownership of land? It simply means that the family ownership of land both used and unused will be protected; that families can use the land they own and the family land that is unused can be used by entering into a shareholding.
I listened to Halifa on Gainako and he explained very clearly how unused family land will be protected; that families will not be alienated from their land ownership. Whether family land ownership is used or unused the interest of the family and the community is paramount.
The above is my understanding of what I heard and read about the issue and not necessarily PDOIS’s official explanation. And nowhere do I come remotely to the conclusion that PDOIS will confiscate unused land from families.
If you say that Halifa said in the Freedom interview that unused family land will be “taken”, in the Gainako interview Halifa has explained clearly that is not the case. Everyone who listened to that program will support the latter contention. It was very explicit.
Is there a contradiction? No. Unless if you are Lafia “taken” means confiscation. But if you are someone else “taken” can mean entering into an agreement; seeking the consent of which is already implicit.
We also have to remember that PDOIS has made two distinction about land. You have family owned land and you also have state owned land. State owned land is not the issue under question because it is land that belongs to everyone. Family owned land which is the issue is what PDOIS is committed to protect. Whether used or unused.
shareholding?? So families will be forced to share land ownership with others under pdois?? Interesting!! It is still deprivation.
By the way, the Shareholding pdois spoke about is regarding the proceeds of the community farms they intend to establish. Families will still be deprived of their unused land against their will.
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shareholding?? So families will be forced to share land ownership with others under pdois?? Interesting!! It is still deprivation.
By the way, the Shareholding pdois spoke about is regarding the proceeds of the community farms they intend to establish. Families will still be deprived of their unused land against their will.
Thanks
What is your understanding of shareholding? If PDOIS has recognized family land ownership and has developed a policy to protect such ownership, what makes you think that they will force families to share land ownership with others? This proposition does not make any sense. And PDOIS is not the one proposing it. You are the one alleging that they will.
If you are looking at shareholding as an alien concept that PDOIS will force upon family land owners, let me bring you closer to the reality as someone who was a development initiator or facilitator in my village.
First, you start with an organization. Most of the women in the village have their own individual farms or garden. You organized all these women into a women’s organization; a kafo.
Second, you secure the land for these women to farm or engage in gardening. The land to be secured belongs to a family as most of the farming land in villages and communities belong to families; a kabilo.
In our experience the land was made available by the alkalo whose family owns most of the farming land in the village.
In my stubbornness I have questioned how a family can own most of the farming land in the village. That once the Gambia became independent all farming land should be considered state land. I have even gone to the physical planning to ascertain the demarcation of land in the village as to what is state land and what is land that is owned by families. This is besides the point.
The Alkalo secured for our women organization an expanse of land for our community farm or gardening. At the time as a facilitator I was working with the Community Development through their area representative who also happened to be a classmate in high school. Together we supervise and coordinate the activities of the women in the community farm or garden.
Through the help of the Community development we secured funding to fence the whole area of the land with wire fencing. We also secured funding to dig five wells, if I remember correctly, so that all the women can have easy access to water. The land was demarcated into plots for each woman to farm or make her garden and each is responsible for the maintenance and care of your particular plot. But it was also not uncommon for the women to work in groups helping each other in one another’s plots.
Now if you consider the scenario above three things become obvious. First, women who have individual farms and gardens are organized into an organization. Notwithstanding that they still maintain their individual farms or gardens. They also agreed to be part of the women’s organization.
Second, the land that is secured and made available is a family land that is used for a community purpose, in this case a community farm or garden.
And thirdly, the involvement of the Community Development which was part of the government machinery. Now you tell me: What is different from what PDOIS is advocating for?
I have earlier explained how people asked to use family land that is unused and enter into an agreement whereby the land owner will have a certain percentage of the produce. This is shareholding. Not only does it happen but I have seen it happening.
The family owns the land. The produce is shared between those who farm the land and the family that owns the land. How then can you say that families will be forced to share landownership with others? How are the families deprived?
“‘Are land owning farmers not allowing non land owners to use their land they do not use? So where is the scare?” Yero Bah.
This is happening in the Gambia all the time. It is a common practice. I remember in my village people always go to the alkalo whose family owns most of the faming land to ask for permission to cultivate the land that was unused.
And the interesting thing is the agreement that is entered into for the land to be used. It is not in terms of monetary value. That is asking to be paid a certain amount of money. It is mostly in terms of having a certain percentage of the produce. And before the alkalo consent to allowing the land to be cultivated he will have to consult with other members of the family.
PDOIS has recognized the family ownership of land, and not only do they develop a policy to protect this ownership, but they also have developed a concept of land production that will benefit both the family and the community, and mirrors exactly what has been happening in our villages and communities for ages.
I have been part of a youth organization in my village that has participated in community gardening in the village. We have organized so many community-oriented programs and activities in the village. The community farms that PDOIS is talking about are not alien concepts. It is just a matter of being part of a governing policy that PDOIS will develop and integrate into the larger economy.
Kamalo: I cannot thank you enough for this wonderful intervention.