´Dis´-United Democratic Party: (Father UDP and Son NPP) – “Fervent Support” vs “Fervent Opposition” “A cow that has no tail should not try to chase away flies”- (Fullani Proverb).

“Why are Gambians so reluctant to identify UDP as a problem party?”

The Germans say; „Mein Name ist Secrecy – ich bin mitten unter euch und kenne all eure Geheimnisse.“ (My name is Secrecy – I am in your midst and I know all your secrets).

“I am aware of my responsibility,” or “I am not aware of my responsibility”! Leadership and “eldermanship” is both a responsibility and a privilege. If our leaders and elders first fail themselves and then the Gambians, we shall be deprived of God´s Grace and our Nation will grow worse and worse. Let us not seek the NPP answer or the UDP answer, but the right answer. Let us not seek to fix the blame for the past. Let us accept our own responsibility for the future. You cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today.

“If the people cannot trust their government to do the job for which it exists – to protect them and to promote their common welfare – all else is lost.” –Barack Obama

Personally, I may have enemies but I do not fear them. What scares me most is the current leadership of our dear country, the insincere discontented political leaders.

TRIP DOWN MEMORY LANE

The dominant forces in American life in the last quarter of the 19th century were economic and social rather than political. This fact was reflected in the ineffectiveness of political leadership and in the absence of deeply divisive issues in politics, except perhaps for the continuing agrarian agitation for inflation. There were colourful political personalities, but they gained their following on a personal basis rather than as spokesmen for a program of political action. An example of  sayings in Fulfulde (Fulani proverbs) “Tid’d’o yod’ad’d’o” (Work hard and succeed). And “Hab’b’ere buri ginawol” (Actions should be judged according to intention).

“I have a moral obligation to speak up in the face of these dangers while there is still time to avert them. It is better to stop something bad from happeningthan it is to deal with it after it has happened.”

We should not only stand to be proud of our political party individuality and self-determination (to get to the seat of power), but also our collective success as a nation, in repulsing the unending attempts by our insincere politicians and other detractors to disturb our peace, stability and tranquility.

I’m glad to see a parade of insincere politicians here, five years on we still are waiting on genuine leaderships in all sectors. “You can’t celebrate lessons of history from one period while standing on the wrong side of history today.”

I couldn’t even begin to get my hands around the enormity of the insincere political hypocrisy and the tragic consequences.

At a time when rudeness, mistaken for freedom, is on the rise (Social Media), we need to begin an epidemic of love and respect to our parents, in particular “Motherhood.” “Honour to womanhood and reverence to maternity are conditions of permanency in any people, nation or race” – Farnham. My late-mother used to tell me; “The mother that bore us must ever have our reverence.” And, “The wife, through whom you enter parentage, must have your reverence-your reverence in the highest sense of the word.”

So one shouldn’t be hypocritical.

I call on everyone to take that into consideration, to not violate Gambian law….DO NOT revile others´ parents.

My self-exiled brother in the bushes of Casamance-Sénégal (my former classmate 81-83 “Amber Class”- Brikama Secondary School) Famara Sanneh (O.F.S.) now politically alias “Baitul´laah” (“Allah´s House”), a mouthpiece of frustration,diagnosed with suffering from both Conduct Disorder (CD) and Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) – which is characterised by a repetitive and persistent pattern of defiant, disobedient, hostile and wrong behavior in which the basic rights of others or major aged-appropriate societal norms or rules are deliberately violated. Such a person must be mandated to Correctional Therapy at Tang-ka Tang-ka Psychiatric Facility. However, he can and may talk all his talks and reveal all his revelations, but DO NOT insult peoples´ parents. I will not use any ´please´ here. STOP this MADNESS! Swallow your foolish pride, misplaced anger and then listen, hear and accept the truth. “Then you will know the truth, and It “(The Truth) will set you free…” – says the TRRC; re-echoing a Biblical saying (John 8:32).

Anger against anybody or tribe could not justify it. Reviling others´ parents is as “disgusting” and “reprehensible” as anything rubbish. I expect the rest of the Gambia to help us face these cowardly criminal acts. The oil of courtesy takes the friction out of life.

Here, I’d advice that (1) we forgive injuries, insults, and persecution; (2) we should all keep away from liars and their fabricated speeches and stories full of jealousy, taunting malice, and lack of understanding: -one that would drive mad any one less endowed with patience and wisdom; (3) to pay no attention to ignorant fools, who raised doubts or difficulties, haul taunts or reproaches, or devised plots to defeat the Truth: they were to be ignored and passed by, not to be engaged in fights and fruitless controversies, or conciliated by compromises.

GETTING EVEN TAKES YOU DOWN TO THE LEVEL OF YOUR OFFENDER.

The Holy-Bible teaches, “do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth. Let another praise you, and not your own mouth; someone else, and not your own lips. Stone is heavy and sand a burden, but provocation by a fool is heavier than both. Anger is cruel and fury overwhelming, but who can stand before jealousy?” (Proverbs. 27:1-4)

In a time of deceit (political campaigns) telling the truth is a revolutionary act. ― George Orwell.

What The Gambians don’t care much about is the piffle the insincere politicians put on Newspapers and TVs these days, what they don’t care about is boring, irrelevant, badly told stories, and what they really hate is the presumption that they’re too stupid to know the difference.

I´ll here remind us about the famous proverb in Mandinka: “n´Ning Faloo ye damfu, (Ifanang) yaa damfu, al bey fali;” meaning; “If a donkey kicks you, and you kicks it in return, you are all equal-donkeys.” I’m sure all of us must have experienced: If we don’t counter insult for insult, we’ll get stepped on. We lower ourselves to the level of the person who irritates us. Let us not seek to quench/satisfy our thirst for freedom/the truth by drinking from the cup of unnecessary anger, bitterness and hatred.How can we search for the truth and reconcile while at the same time we are eating from a bowl of unnecessary anger, bitterness and hatred!

« Be conscious of your words, especially when you´re not in the best mood. You never want to mix bad words with a bad mood. You can always reverse your mood, but your words cannot be replaced. » (Kristen Butler). Mr. Bra-Rabbit says; “If you bite and devour one another, beware lest you be consumed by one another!”

Any Gambian should base his/her opposition to another Gambians or issues on “proved cases/evidences” rather than “unproved/imagined charges.”

SURFACE RECONCILIATION: HOLY-BIBLE:

“Familiarity breeds contempt.”  Some have hinted that “Darboe and Barrow cannot again live under the same roof. (Because) The closer they are, the harder they fight… …”  I reject that line completely.

On the surface, Jacob and Esau had reconciled. Underneath the niceties, however, seeds of bitterness, mistrust, jealousy, rage, and intrigues continued, at least on Jacob´s part. (Gen. 33:15). UDP (and “break-away Baby NPP) was and is a one big political family; Ousainou Darboe as the father and the rest as sons and daughters.  In the UDP, he alone is Truth itself. Absolute obedience was the supreme rule; each and every order had to be accepted without questions.

A WORD FROM OUR MOUTH SPEAKS VOLUMES ABOUT OUR HEART. The wise say, “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.” Our speech tells much about us. Our accent indicates the country or region from which we came. Our words reveal education or refinement, or the lack of it. Our topics of discussion point to our chief interests in life; for we talk about the things, we love the most. What is your tongue saying about you?

COUNTERPOINT-not only HARMONY IN MUSIC but in POLITICS

In the ongoing discussions about Gambian Opposition Political Parties´ Unity, I’d say that “The key to a good and genuine unity is that “All Gambians Shall Become One.” If anyone counters by asking, “Yes, but which one?” Is it possible to be “one” without sacrificing our individuality?

Consider the musical term counterpoint—“the combination of two or more independent melodies into a single harmonic texture in which each retains its linear character.” In Gambia Police Band’s “The Gambia National Anthem,” a moving assorted instruments accompaniment (which sounds like a simple finger exercise) is set against a beautiful melody. Together they form a single piece without losing their distinctiveness.

I will here instruct that Followers to submit to their leaders, and Leaders to show their Followers discipline, tolerance, understanding, honour and respect. All those who follow Barrow and Darboe, you have to do what is right, what you know is right, and what you know is best for our country, which is what you are to do. Do it with responsibility. That is absolutely the right thing to do. The apostle Peter said, “Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tender-hearted, be courteous; not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing.”(1 Peter : vv. 8-9)

How can we become one? My GrandMa had always said; “If you clench your fist, no one can put anything in your hand, nor can your hand pick up anything.” It´s been also said that, « He who cannot forgive others breaks the bridge over which he must pass himself.» Only through kindness and love, tolerance and forgiveness; never by selfishness and retaliation will The Gambia know Peace and Stability. In the mystery of political unity, God allows each contending political party to be a unique melody. And in concert together, they (contenders) become a beautiful harmony (Government+Opposition camps) in the hearts and minds of the population.

Harmony is pleasing in music and in life; what beauty when it resonates in Leaders and in Followers.

UDP and NPP Authority and Leadership:  

“IT DOESN’T TAKE GREAT PEOPLE TO DO GREAT THINGS— JUST UNSELFISH ONES.” I believe that you are an intelligent being just like the rest of us. Everybody, let’s use our hearts, our love, and our intelligence to work together to show the rest of the world how humans are supposed to treat each other. Gambia is great when we behave greatly.

Government Administration (Leading the Nation) is not a field in which one gets far alone, nor indeed one in which going it alone is very advisable. The stresses are too great, issues are too big and the field of knowledge too broad that is never altogether readily clear. Leaders who believe they do not need others, or that they do not have any others, are rather dangerous to themselves, and to the Nation. Helping hands are necessary. What is important is to know that helping hands are necessary, to have some idea what they might be, and a readiness to reflect on a whole range of possibilities.

When we think of tribalism, we tend to focus on the primal pull of race, or ethnicity. But partisan political loyalties can become tribal too. When they do, they can be as destructive as any other allegiance. We all can understand this. In 1780, John Adams wrote that the “greatest political evil” to be feared under a democratic constitution was the emergence of “two great parties, each arranged under its dynamic leader, and concerting measures in opposition to each other.” George Washington, in his farewell address, described the “spirit of party” as democracy’s “worst enemy.” It “agitates the Community with ill-founded jealousies and false alarms, kindles the animosity of one part(y) against another, and foments occasionally riot and insurrection.”

For all our fears of partisanship, the Gambians failed to prevent the rise of parties, and indeed, it’s hard to imagine modern representative democracy without multiparty electoral competition. We were right to be apprehensive, as is all too clear when you look at the current state of Gambia’s political institutions and tribal cohesiveness, which are breaking down under the strain of partisan divisions.

TAMING YOUR TONGUE

The time comes upon every public man when it is best for him to keep his lips closed.
Leaders and Followers: Bridle your pen/tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. Solomon wrote, “He who restrains his lip is wise.” (Proverbs 10:19)HOLD YOUR PEN/TONGUE! It is a “fire” ignited by Hell itself, and “an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.”If one word, innocently misspoken, can cost millions; think of how much damage malicious words can cause. They can ruin a person’s reputation and destroy the closest relationships.

Our Political Leaders: As they hit the Campaign trails; It’s the first issue of the two sides (UDP and NPP leaderships) plan of campaigns to dominate and take possession first of the minds and hearts of the people. We may not consider ourselves so evil and cruel, yet do we really know what damage our words and actions might have caused to others, to people? Suddenly, the political campaign; it’s all become rather too personal instead of National. Between H.E. Barrow and H.E. Darboe, “who made who”? Its like the case of the “egg” and the “chick; who did come first?” The answer may be determined by “which political side one may belong to.” “Whoever is careless with the truth in small matters cannot be trusted with important matters.”-Albert Einstein

A serious political party aspiring to convince the electorate that it is fit to govern should think about its integrity and avoid using people’s tragedies to achieve its political ends.

As dirty and disgusting as it may sometimes be, “false accusations” and “counter-accusations” is part of all stages of political campaigns or propaganda and should be an ongoing process that characterizes the work of politics together. But these should be done with responsibility.

-Undertake not what you cannot perform, but be careful to keep your promise.

-There is but one straight course, and that is to seek truth, and pursue it steadily.

-Your actions must not fall short of the required or expected standard.

-You should be devoted to duty in the interest of the Gambian Nation and with the right attitude to work.Anything short of this; It’s illegal, unethical, unprofessional and against the interests of the masses of The Gambia.

-Don´t try to confront each other or say anything that would be viewed as hurtful during your political sittings/campaigns because that would add more firewood to the smoking ashes under which is already a smoldering fire. Let the embers of political fights die down…

The packaging of a political party or its leader as “Mine is “untouchable”, a demi-god and “faultless/blameless leader of the blameless party” and yours is a devil…” is the beginning of our political nightmares in the land.

H.E. uncle Ousainou Darboe @ Bansang & Basse: Ranting and threatening fellow Gambians (the electorates). “We never know the worth of water ’til the well is dry.”- Proverb Don´t forget; you need their ´single´ votes each. A man’s reputation may be sacrificed in a moment of ill-considered action. My advice „You should not die trying to win, and trying to win should not kill you as well.” We should have in you “Uswatun Hassanah”an excellent exemplar, the intrepid standard bearer of good leadership qualities of patience and tolerance. Don´t let hate lead sound judgement astray. Your political world should always be full of wisdom. Allah´s Plan for you is framed in universal principles that cannot be altered by human action.  You may win the Sat. 04th Dec. 2021 P&PEs. Allah Alone Has the Keys. By God´s Power; H.E. Adama Barrow that H.E. Uncle Ousainou Darboe bragged to have “created as President” may also win. Allah is One for all of us! In any case, the “Dis-United UDP house (UDP-Darboe or NPP-Barrow) will win.

If a man doesn’t live by his principles, he’s not worth of a man. I don’t think one is ever really fully pleased with what one has achieved, there is always more. “Does Ousainou Darboe knows the words Patience and Gratitude?” an NPP supporter asked.  The answer may surprise you…  She continued, “ It is very hard to dislike someone you have helped. Adama Barrow literally made OD, an expression which cannot be too strong if we consider the exceptional honours rendered by Barrow (“prodigal son”) to his “political god-father”: from Marabout spiritual fortifications to pardoning OD and freeing him from Mile II Prisons, appointments in Government; firstly as Foreign Minister and later to the second most highest office of the land, Vice President. There can be no doubt that this was an “exceptional honour.” Allah reminds us in “Surah 49: v8 “Al-Hujraat The private apartments”; “(This is) a Grace from Allah and His Favour. And Allah is All-Knowing, All-Wise”.

“Chapter 3: v26-27 – Aal-e-Imran The family of Imran “Say (O Muhammad SAW): “O Allah! Possessor of the kingdom, You give the kingdom to whom You will, and You take the kingdom from whom You will, and You endue with honour whom You will, and You humiliate whom You will. In Your Hand is the good. Verily, You are Able to do all things. You make the night to enter into the day, and You make the day to enter into the night (i.e. increase and decrease in the hours of the night and the day during winter and summer), You bring the living out of the dead, and You bring the dead out of the living. And You give wealth and sustenance to whom You will, without limit (measure or account).”

PORG H.E. Adama Barrow @ SH Bjl:Communication is very important, because it’s the key…! My little advice, “Please, [President] as the present president, renew your commitment to truly love and honor the Constitution by truthful words, thoughtful actions, and respectful communication.” Peace thrives in a climate of honour, truth and mutual respect.

President Barrow should speak to the citizens and the country. He should speak for justice and for safety, for reform and against riots and partisan tribalism politics, for the crying need to bring the country together.

Stop talking (about unimportant matters) about a fellow politician OD, a one-time political buddy. A President’s hardest task is not to “do what is right,” but to “know what is right.” For as a President, if you “know what is right,” you will then “do what is right.” Stop talking about individuals. I disapprove of it because it is not important; we have a lot serious and more important State issues that matter to the Nation (for example, tackling Criminality and drug trafficking, “Corruption at KMC…” and “Land issues in WCR…” indiscipline in the workforce, etc.). Talk about the Nation and her problems and possible intended solutions; sell your political agenda to the people.  And to be honest, talking about individuals; it is what it is – “tittle-tattle!” Leave that to the Social Media “Tittle-Tattle Forums TTFs.”

Both UDP Uncle Ousainou Darboe´s and PORG NPP Adama Barrow´s message is to be construed by the circumstances and purposes for which it was made.

It is total rubbish like when a crow is killed by a storm, the fortuneteller says, “He died by my curse.” “I CREATED BARROW’S PRESIDENCY AND I AM GOING TO END IT ON DECEMBER 4TH”- DARBOE TOLD HIS SUPPORTERS! (Courtesy: FREEDOMNEWSPAPER, November Monday 1, 2021). “A cow that has no tail should not try to chase away flies”-(Fullani Proverb).When Darboe can create the Presidency for his opponent (Barrow), why couldn´t he create it to himself since 1996!

But Barrow could also have said; “I created this Darboe for I pardoned and released him from Mile II Prisons.” If it true, he may believe he is going to end Barrow´s Presidency… It is also true that past successes don´t guarantee future victories. “It is only a fool that tries the depth of the river with both feet.” (Proverb). The Apostle Paul wrote, “Let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall” (Holy-Bible, 1 Cor. 10:12). OD said he is ready to “wrestle” Barrow… Peace! Peace! Peace! “The coconut Fruit is the only fruit that carries its own water up and keeps it there. If anyone wants to get it, and you go up there, if anything happens to you, it’s your own doing.” (Proverb)

In 2016/17 when the Coalition-2021 defeated Yaya Jammeh, like when the crow was killed by the storm—“He died by my curse,” says the owl; every Gambian bragged like the owl.

This is a real setback for the peace process. The way to peace and stability is through an end to talking from the wrong side of one´s mouth. I don’t think that such talk helps in any way to promote the national peace process. We are citizens of The Gambia. The tragedy of our times is that we do not know this. These multitudes of insincere politicians believe in nothing good for the nation or her people “other than their own political party pledges.” Don´t entangle yourself in any senseless tribal political snare: “Gambia is for all”. Meaning, irrespective of what tribe one is born into; we all share the same and answer to the same one single name “´Citizen´ of the Gambia.” I call on Gambians to deprive the partisan tribalism politicians of the publicity they craved by never uttering their names, and to instead mention only the issues of their stupidity. But they will be, when we speak, be nameless.

May we never confuse honest dissent with disloyal subversion.

There is no indispensable man. A presidential campaign (for the Saturday 04th December 2021P&PEs) may easily degenerate into a mere personal contest, and so lose its real dignity. Truth is often very bitter to the taste of those who live on Falsehoods, and Shams and profit by them. They hate the Truth, and plot against it. But will they succeed? All Power, Authority, Knowledge, and Truth are with Allah. He neither begets, nor is begotten. Glory to Him! The choosing of a (wo)man to be the recipient of leadership-to be the President of The Gambia (4th Dec 2021 elections)-is the highest honour possible in the Kingdom of Humanity on earth. And Allah bestows that honour according to His own most perfect Will and Plan, which no one can question, for He is the Fountain of all Honour, Dignity and Authority.

CAMPAIGN PROMISES.

For many years, each political party has given major consideration to a civil and human rights plank in its platform. Insincere politicians! Go back and reexamine your pledges to the country as you sought the suffrage of the people and for a grant of authority to manage and direct their affairs. Were these pledges so much campaign stuff or did you mean it? Were these promises on civil and human rights but idle words for vote-getting purposes or were they a covenant meant to be kept? If all this was mere pretense, let them confess the sin of their hypocrisy now and vow not to delude the Gambian people again.

The Coalition-2016, just like many others in the world, had neglected to keep their campaign promises pure. The process of welding the original political elements together has not gone so far as to warrant Gambians in saying that a better “New Gambia” has emerged. On the contrary, the poison that has invaded the body of the Coalition, especially since the dismissal of OD, has destroyed the uniform constitution only of our tribal blood but also of our national soul.

I doubt if the already tested and failed political parties and politicians could do so, simply because I do not believe the Gambian people will uphold any political party or individual that puts political exploitation above national interest.

A MORAL ISSUE WHOSE TIME HAS COME

Politics is nothing other than the eternal struggle of people against people for dominance.

My GrandMa had always liked to joke that “the soup is never eaten as hot as it is served.” I appeal to all Gambians. We are confronted with a moral issue. Today let us not be found wanting in whatever it takes by way of moral and spiritual substance to face up to the issue and to tell the Truth and to vote Peace, Togetherness and Stability (Security). Moreover, the physical, mental but more, the moral condition of a candidate had to be perfect. Morality must be in one´s nature. A liar has no morals. A liar is not believed even though he tells the truth. But a lie is a lie, and in itself intrinsically evil, whether it be told with good or bad intents. But Bo Bennett said; “For every good reason there is to lie, there is a better reason to tell the truth.” Men lie, who lack morale and courage to tell the truth-the coward! There is nothing higher than reason. In law a man is guilty when he violates the rights of others. In ethics he is guilty if he only thinks of doing so. If the truth shall kill him, let him be killed now. True politics cannot take a single step without first paying homage to morals, and while politics itself is a difficult art, its combination with morals is no art at all; for morals cuts the Gordian knot which politics cannot solve as soon as the two are in conflict.

I urge and earnestly call for an unreserved renewal of “the right to independent thought” and a return to the principles of the Gambianism as “the nation of unity and prudence.” I equally appeal to all citizens to exercise restraint and observe the rule of law in the exercise of their rights in the interest of peace and national security.

It is as idealistic as the spirit of liberty which imbues our Constitution. It requires nothing less than a continued dedication to Democratic principles by each element in our society—government, business, labor, and every citizen—to the promise and potential of our nation.

We live in a time when effective policy requires an understanding of the web of competing values and interests which exist in our country. We must combine compassion with self-discipline. We must forego simplistic answers for long-term solutions to our problems.

Gambians have to be in reality times; live together like brothers on earth, holding all things in common.

Praying for the Nation:

I call upon the people of Gambia to honour this prayer (Du´a) request which shall shape Gambia’s political destiny. We can pray anywhere we are; in land, sea or air… Even in the middle of our beds, God will hear! Representative from the mosques, the churches, students’ unions, political formations and other pro-democracy groups are called upon and expected to converge in any places to pray for the nation currently facing a deep-seated and multi-layered national crisis – Partisan Tribalism Politics.

Sana-Bairo Sabally (SB)

Kassa Kunda Village, WCR,

The Gambia