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| Barrow, Bojang and Darboe |
UDP supporters went on a rampage, insulting anyone who dared question the direction of the party - most of which they wish they can take back - and President Barrow, determined not to be outdone decided that he is sufficiently comfortable, politically and financially speaking, to go it alone with the support of a bunch of opportunistic bureaucrats and hangers-on who are driven more by greed than political acumen.
The combination of these developments have plunged the country in uncharted territory thus exposing the country to great danger by increasing the likelihood of political instability which the IMF did not rule out in its June 2018 mission report. So it is, therefore, not the wild and irresponsible machinations of a wide-eyed blogger.
It is real and Gambians must sit back and take notice that the political transition is more perilous than we all bargained for when we embarked on our journey along the path of our new political dispensation. The period we are in represents an inflection point in our history. We must, therefore, take what is happening seriously.
Sidi Sanneh
Read on
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The United Democratic Party (UDP) has swept the municipal elections after a short but gruelling and divisive campaign, peppered with tribal altercations that was on full display across various social media platforms.
The win allows the UDP to control all but one of the seven municipal governments across the country in its quest to consolidate its political power.
The party now controls the presidency (executive) and the National Assembly. As sweeping as UDP's political victories appear, on paper the arithmetic, on aggregate, is not spectacular to write home about because of the under of political parties and independent candidates who contested the parliamentary and municipal elections.
A cursory glance at the results reveal as much as they mask which will, most certainly, occupy the attention of analysts into the foreseeable future
Regarding the third branch, although the process of identifying and, subsequently, appointing the Chief Justice, Supreme Court judges and the staffing of subordinate Courts is controlled by the Executive, it is expected that the judiciary will be free from political interference.
Recent government decision not to renew the contracts of some foreign judges is an encouraging development that suggests the passage of an era in our history when the judiciary was weaponized by the dictatorship, using foreign judges and magistrates to punish political enemies, real and imagined. The decision also signals government commitment to Gambianizing the judiciary.
We join others in congratulating the entire UDP membership and urge the leadership, and particularly he rank and file, to be magnanimous in victory. And to the vanquished, we say be gracious in defeat. Violence has never been a proper response to losing an election and neither is using the law to coerce political opponents after winning a very good idea.
The country is in a state of trauma, characterized by anemic economy, coupled with extremely weak and ineffectual institutions, rendering it ill-prepared to respond to emergencies of any kind. What is needed now, more than ever, is a calm, peaceful and reconciliatory environment to help dampen an emotionally-and politically-charged post-electoral atmosphere that must start with the leadership of all political parties and independent candidates.
When all the campaign paraphernalia have been discarded and reconciliation engagements done with, it will be the moment to pull ourselves together, as a country and not a supporter of a political party, to commence addressing the numerous and now all-too-familiar problems facing us as a country; such as constitutional and electoral law reviews, a properly constituted economic management team, restructuring of the civil service as well as the security services etc. etc. UDP alone cannot do it and neither can any single party. It is time for all parties to pull together - as the only governing option likely to succeed. Going it alone is unwise.
