Dear editor,
This past weekend was symptomatic of a nagging problem that goes far beyond politics; party politics, that is. It was APRC’s turn, and certainly the largely ostracized party didn’t disappoint. Both UDP and GDC have much larger following, but when it comes to revelling and indulging in the fantasy of invincibility, no one does it like the party that’s still struggling to emerge from its tattered image. But a little fantasy as an ego booster isn’t a bad thing, after all.
The APRC brouhaha, paradoxically, epitomizes the state of politics in Gambia, nowadays. Just pick up a public address system on a street corner and watch the crowds come pouring in, like the pied Piper. Even PDOIS had its moment in the sun, recently, it’s first to attract a crowd, might I add. The competition for crowds is glaringly obvious. In fact, “crowd hire” is in vogue in some dark corners of the web, but it hasn’t yet caught fire and explodes on the web. And behind all these crowds, are two familiar themes.
Where are all these crowds from? And don’t these massive crowds have anything better to do? Like working to earn a living. Isn’t that the central tenet of our lives? Survival. I know very few make decent living in politics, but that number is miniscule, compared to the massive crowds willing to grace the political rallies of UDP, GDC, APRC, PDOIS; you get the drift. And the crowds that tag along with Adama Barrow. I just have to say, this is a failure of leadership. If government’s priority is to draw crowds and feed them with Japanese donated rice, donated Indian oil, imported Idaho potatoes, Senegalese tomato paste and Chinese dressings, one has to wonder when we’ll eat what we produce. After all, I remember a time when each of these donated food stuffs was produced with the blood and sweat of our own people. Can we go back to that? Sure, we can. But it takes imagination and foresight. Both are severely lacking in Gambia. And with all these crowds, we now live in dream land, sort of. It’s what sustains us. It boosts the egos. Fantasy.
Mathew Jallow
USA
Draft Constitution: Gambian Diaspora Vs indigenous
Dear editor,
For real, diaspora Gambians are good enough to DIE or be INCARCERATED to liberate Gambia but yet not good enough to vote or be voted in as MP.
Gambia constitution 2019-2020: Time to put up or shut up. Diaspora Gambians should take a pause, reflect on the proposed draft scenario, ultimately the ball of national cohesive responsibility is in the court of our current Gambian Government, emphasis on GAMBIAN GOVERNMENT! Not just Adama Barrow, the usual characters at constitution review commission members, or members of parliament, but the government in its entirety.
These questions listed are for consideration by every Gambian to ask ourselves. Naturally, all the answers to these questions would be extrapolated from the ultimate and final degree of integration of the Diaspora and indigenous Gambians encouraged by our sitting Government.
Is our Gambian government truly interested in the concept of infusing new blood, fresh minds into our national political dynamic?
Is Gambian Government interested more in the preservation of the status quo to the determent of advancing our national cause and predicament?
Should diaspora Gambians along with their newly found plethora of skills and technical knowhow, read between the lines, take the cue from these Gambian government bodies, thus reverting back into the usual customary and easy position. THAT IS PRESERVATION OF SELF AND SELF INTEREST.
Ultimately, failure of our Government to make the decision to integrate all Gambians would be considered as a decision made to exclude and leave Gambian diaspora out in the cold.
The ball is in the court of our Government. Time will tell.
Dr. Samuel . B. Artley
