Omar
Jallow, alias OJ, the Peoples’ Progressive Party (PPP) Leader, recently said
the people of Banjul have manifested that they are the one who decide their own
destiny in terms of electing their representatives into public office.
He
said this was manifested when Gambians did a convention to elect Adama Barrow
as Gambian President through a Coalition Government, ending the Yahya Jammeh’s
APRC Government on 18 January 2017.
Mr
Jammeh now lives in exile in Equatorial Guinea, after refusing to accept
Presidential election results – a week after conceding defeat.
He
said the strategy for the Coalition was to elect a President, National Assembly
and Local Government representatives, to review unfriendly laws, formulate laws
and policies, and approve projects for development programmes for the
citizenry.
He
said initial plans were to contest as Independent Candidates under the
Coalition Government to support Adama Barrow in Parliament, because according
to him, no project can be implemented by Government without Parliamentary
approval. “Parliament is more important than the Presidency because they can
remove the president,” he added.
Mr
Jallow noted that following the Coalition break away ahead of the parliamentary
elections, individual parties contested against each other, instead of
contesting as Independent Candidates under the Coalition- as agreed, as they did
in the case of Adama Barrow. While some attempted to form Tactical Alliance,
Banjulians came up with a convention to elect Parliamentary Representatives.
James
Gomez, Fisheries Minister, a PPP member, explained that Team Tahawal Banjul was
the name given to the committee that took applicant candidates through
Primaries, leading to selection of three candidates for Banjul Central and
South, a male and female drawn from the PPP and for North from PDOIS party.
All
the candidates selected by Team Tahawal Banjul won the 6 April 2017
Parliamentary Elections.
OJ,
who is also the Agriculture Minister, said Team Tahawal Banjul looked at those
they believe would serve Banjul’s interest, adding: “What we see is Banjul, not
party or individual interest. Those elected want peace for Banjul, and love
Banjul.”
Jallow
said Banjul is backward because they give their good things to outsiders, but
expressed hope and confidence with the renewed spirit.
