Dear editor,
I cannot be much prouder of The Gambia Government’s decision to endorse His Excellency Dr. Mamadou Tangara for the position of Commonwealth Secretary General. It is my strong conviction that Dr. Tangara’s exemplary performance track record as Minister of Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology, Permanent Representative to the United Nations and Minister of Foreign Affairs for three consecutive times will be an added impetus to the Commonwealth. Plus, his media/communications background and experiences garnered while working at the European Union Office in Brussels will remain valuable expertise to his work as Secretary General of the Commonwealth. I remember quiet vividly when he was The Gambia’s Permanent Representative to the UN, he amply demonstrated thoughtful initiatives and leadership qualities to galvanize support within the UN system thus averting a potentially explosive situation in The Gambia in the immediate aftermath of the 2016 presidential election impasse. He was later awarded by the UN for taken such a sterling position at a very difficult time. I have worked very closely with Dr. Tangara from 2018 to date and I have known him to be straight forward, truthful and believe in extended family values. Serving as a lecturer at the University of The Gambia/ The Gambia College for a number of years, contributed to the development of young minds in Africa which is in line with values so dear to the heart of the Commonwealth. Dommo arigato gozaimasu as Japanese would say. Good luck FM Dr. Mamadou Tangara.
Saikou Ceesay
US
I have a distinct perspective on this subject
Dear editor,
I think if the UDP were to choose Mr Darboe 2026 Flagbearer without a genuine contest, this would affirm the very point that the party lacks an effective internal democracy process capable of promoting full participation of its membership. I must say, this is not only unique to UDP but common with the main political parties whose leadership seems beyond the dispensation of their membership as they firmly installed themselves without a sight of genuine leadership challenge.
It is for this reason, which makes the political parties operate like limited companies in which Directors own the greater percentage of companies’ shares, and function as the primary decision makers, therefore making them operate like private entities as opposed to public utilities that are accountable to its membership.
I absolutely believe that running political parties in such a way makes them ineffective oppositions as they are structurally inept to whip the members elected to promote the parties’ respective agendas. This also has the potential to create a power struggle between the leadership and the elected membership as the former struggle to claim legitimacy because they have not been elected members of the parliament or executive, while the latter uses legitimacy as a device to break away from legitimate parties’ lines without fearing consequences or backlashes for such a decision. Obviously. In most cases the leadership tends to derive its power from perceived ineffective internal democratic process, this makes them languish in dictatorial modes while making feeble attempts to control and manage the party that seems beyond their control. The struggle to justify legitimacy, is indeed a struggle to credibly exercise political power; and without legitimacy the authority of those in power will be severely restrained.
In my view, to strengthen the internal democratic mechanism within the political parties, it is sine qua non for the political leaders to be serving members of the parliament which will not only bolster their authority, but also cure the glaring legitimacy deficit in them. Indeed, the 2026 Flagbearer choice for the UDP, is a matter I hope will be decided by UDPians on the basis of who is best placed to win the polls in 2026.
For me, as it stands, it seems incredibly naĆÆve to think that one political party can unseat a President who has been in power for a decade.
Solomon Demba
UK
