It
is no secret that The Gambia is encircled with circumstances that have retard
its development for the past 55 years. Since independence, the governance
structure of this country has not significantly positioned The Gambia to be
reckoned as a great nation. This country has demonstrated up rightly in the
past that the burning desire for change inspired by people’s commitment to
remind the course of history was a scenario best depicted during our struggle
for independence. These where moments marred with fanatic nationalism on the
side of the oligopoly and the united forces in driving away foreign powers
sprout prominent in the agendas of all liberation forces. One could cherish the
symbolism of brotherhood which was highly palpable in people’s adoration to
create a country call The Gambia. Small as it is, the shrunken ambition of the
people was immune from all temptation of failure in the process of nation
building. The consciousness at the time became very adaptive to people’s
reasoning because the road map clearly sketches peoples vision and the sought
of understanding developed within the collective values of the people. The
preoccupation of freedom conquered the minds and as such precipitated a
sprinting gap in terms of real differences when it comes to reconciliation of
independent ambition and filling the gap of post independence. The two goals
become parallel with the former been achieved and the latter found itself in a
more loose dream. The first leadership was seen by many as the saviours of this
land and from a right sense, what would be appeasing to them is a moral reward
of unending leadership and time has justified this in the past. With the birth
of nations, those who understood what freedom meant to them merited their stay
in power and the directions they have pointed for their countries are enough
for a rational justification. I am not quite in conformity with the direction
of the first generation African leaders, neither am I also exaggerating nor
disclaiming their rulership.
Nonetheless, thirty years rulership of Sir Dawda Jawara was unarguably
obsolete within the parameters of development.The myth of a freedom fighter may
not necessarily translate into the fact that he or she had what it takes to
inspire a change from a greater political perspective that will encapsulate the
economic goal of a country or having a catalyst impact on the ordinary lives of
its citizens. A Plato argued the idea of a ‘philosopher king’ is to let society
be ruled by men with knowledge. In a definitive sense, I would not only coined
knowledge to mean those of degree holders or career academicians, but people
with a focus vision in whose political agenda and will become a propellant invincible course of action and
is legitimately at par with the greater good of all
In
order to affirm its independence, The Gambia needed to prove it’s survival by
first challenging what was a prejudice name duped by imperialist ‘The
improbable nation’. The size and the geographical position of the country
prompted such dubious theories to emerged, but frankly their questions were
rational. Independence was a victory for The Gambia. The Gambia, just like other African countries was
vicious of the fact that the rise into power from within by nationals will
serve as a pavement in building an ideal state. During the early days of
independence couple with the positive energy by the then independent leaders
was a genuine thinking and an unashamed political standpoint. The baffling
scenario for me during the first republic is their inability to dribble their
ideas into goals achieving. My opinionated views on the characterisation of the
first Republic have always been the fact that, for me, Sir Dawda Kairaba
Jawara, was a liberation leader and this was the sketched of his political
administration. He was visionary that is not an overstatement. However, I still
rank him among those African leaders who have ideas of liberation and not in
possession of ideal ideas of development. There should be a demarcation of one
having romantic political ideas and the pragmatism needed to reflect these
ideas towards changing the life of ordinary downtrodden masses of a country’s
people. The regime lacks that decisive vision and their prolongation in
political power attracts substantive divergence perception as to what composite
their rating or positioning in the history of Gambia’s political adventure.
America is what is it today because of the uncompromising stands of the
founding fathers who fiercely built a productive nations base on a philosophy
of democratic patriotism and a well established leadership structure that is
centered on progressivism and a sustainable governance system.
The
transformation of any nation most have revolved on a particular idea or the
assembling of values from thinkers of unselfish intention who sees it as a
patriotic duty to cement such doctrine that would concrete itself as not only a
dominant idea, but an accepted idea by a people of a country. A nation which
fails to orchestrate such a criteria is an essential partner to its own defeat.
What
appeal to our senses as humans is when we always relishes the moment that our
being into Earth is temporal and that the journey transit after death, what
informed our consent to not only excite ourselves with hope, but also to
believe that there is a prophecy of a great future that precedes after death.
The Biblical revelation and other theological references that has alerted our
conscience of what life entails and the fulfilment that awaits us in the
hereafter the wonders, miracles and signs has substantively given us reason to
be hopeful of a future after this world. But looking at the trajectory of
Gambia’s political governance one can entirely paraphrase it with politics of
Mediocrity. The leadership as a political mantra has not redirected what can be
defined as a political fiasco into somewhat workable unit and usher us into a
renaissance Gambia. The dominion and myth of nations in the 21st century is
closely link to the level in which state have transformed their societies
overnight and these tangible positive transitioning to a considerable extend,
must ideally sprout out of state that is aspired by the people and were the
governorship have a visionary reasoning that concomitantly correlate to the
interest of the wider society.
The
beginning of political fiasco in any given nation can be closely associated to
the betrayal of political promises by politicians. Lip service politicking has
been the hallmark of African politics and Gambia’s political narratives is of
no little player to such a political tricks envisage by disgruntled
politicians. Calibrating the current prefix and state of Gambia’s political
paradigm, one can say, affirmative, to the fact that our country lacks
political hygiene. Taken a closer look of political parties who per their
symbol of unification in ejecting former president Yahya Jammeh out of power,
visualised a great statement of intend by a political group who wanted to bring
a decipher to what was a degenerating political system under Jammeh. The
discovery of a new political voyage fill with hope and excitement arouses with
the shrunken ambition of so many Gambians who eagerly waited in anticipation
for a political redemption.
Referencing
the trajectories of Gambian politics, it is overwhelmed with growing discontent
from the populace who in their greater numbers felt been betrayed. The
aforementioned depiction arises out of a political system that for so long has
failed to usher us into better days and the spiralling socio-economic upheavals
continues to spike up the misery. The oligopoly of this country remains
increasingly sickening because their appearances and posture within the
political arena needs comprehensive scrutiny. It should be appealing to every
human conscience that politics should strive on ideas nor should it be on the
basics of self perpetuated desires by a proportionate percentage of segregated
personalities. It is highly palpable among many of our politicians that they
lack substantive political values to run a country. The changing nature of politics
commands for aptitude reasoning and this would come in the form of relating to
proper plans and panacea driven reaction to swiftly address such societal
inconsistencies. The new found democracy in the Gambia is protracted by many
political aspirants as a potential easy short cut to political power. It is not
with too much of a consideration that the number of political parties
germinating is on the increase, in a wise, the liberalisation of the political
space is the architect of such environment. If there is anything that we can
appreciate from Jammeh’s administration was the fact that his visions for the Gambia was nothing
differing from that of a loose political cannon because of his uncontrollable
ambition for power and also propagating rhetoric that lacks direction. Looking
at contemporary Gambian politics and the three years five years political
mayhem, we felt been betrayed and our political destiny been hijacked by
undesirable figures at the echelon of our political governance. The coalition
dream was a collective one at the time of its resurgence, but looking at the
standpoint of parties that where encapsulated within the agreement proof those
critics who believes in the nefarious nature of politicians to be correct.
Understandably, political parties represent certain interest which should move
beyond self seeking aggrandizement into a more resilient and broader
appreciation of the greater good. It is
in the new Gambia that we have seen nomadic politicians gallivanting from one
party to another searching for political greener pastures. No intention of
sabotaging their political conviction, wondering, if they even have any.
Parties should be representation of certain interest and political values.
However, these values should correlate to the individual’s ideological
standpoint. In The Gambia, the regard for such is never static and our
malleable political society permitted such a kind. It will be considered a
political earthquake in America that famous politicians can change colours from
a Republican to a Democrat like no man’s business. Even if we have such
registered trends in the US, the intensity of such occurring will be of no
close match to how it is been done in the Gambia.
The
spiralling nature of political indiscipline in the country is worrisome. It is
in Gambian politics that we still regard our party leaders as demy gods and
where their personalities are even accorded more credit than the parties so
call visions. Post independence Africa was an interesting times and that was
where the journey of decadence and tumultuous politicking began to sprout. When
Alex Thomson narrates on the level of political arrangement in the African
continent in his Book ‘Introduction to African Politics’ at the time of
independence the relationship of the state and civil society was balconied
through state clientele system. This was a system of client patron relationship
between the leadership and the varying groups in society. This sought of a
spoil system was seen by many first generation African leaders as a necessary
prank to gaining majority support and in return the regime will reward these
poor political illiterate with political favours. The gift from the ruler-ship
towards this fulfilment was seemingly on the basics of enhancing electoral
support either be it through ethnicity or by other means. At times when hopes
are very high in the new Gambia, the country is taken a paradigm shift and it
is without contestation that we are
hypnotised by the practice of somewhat undecorated political system that is far
from being rational with our political destiny.
After
decades of independence, our political arrangement is quite dubious for the
simple fact that we lack to synchronise one particular ideal pattern of
governance. The creation of a workable structure would have baptised our
oligopoly together with the civilian population into what could be an accepted
political philosophy that no one can betray. Is it highly noticeable that
within the fabrics of Gambian politics, the system is very susceptible and can
easily be dribble passed by narcotic politicians without been justiceably
penalise. If for years of attaining sovereign status, our country is still
dependant on mendicancy to provide for its citizens then somewhere lays the
problem. Gambia is still one of the most indebted countries in the Sahelian
region and it is crystal clear that the political leadership is yet to have any
presentable alternative to bring a decipher to such an unending economic
dependence
The
art of politicking in the Gambia needs to be canonised by both the governed and
the governors, who must be in tandem for such a desirable political goal to be
realistic. Having a political environment that is rotten to the core signals a
very transparent gateway towards a looming and catastrophic polity. No society
can strive with the absent of certain moral values and the internalisation of
such values should become intrinsic as a way of life for the people. It is a
sought of a moral appeal been consciously personalise by members in a given
polity and as such, it therefore serve as a prerequisite that will define
particular set of manners upon which people ought to compose themselves. The
broader perspectives is geared towards crafting a social and political
environment that will be sanitise and for people to draw inspiration from a
nationalistic view point as postulated by Kwame Nkrumah “seek ye first the
political Kingdom and all else will follow”. Nkrumah would not have put it more
precisely.
By
Biran Gai
Political
Scientist.
Email:
birangai10@gmail.com
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