Delivering a statement on behalf of APP and Youth for Change, Halifa Sallah, Secretary General of PDOIS stated that we are dealing with the second cycle – second phase of our electoral cycle.
“The first phase was the presidential election and the second phase is the National Assembly election. We have consulted at the Bureau level and Central Committee level with our partners (All People’s Party and Youth for Change). In the exercise towards the presidential elections, we have Youth for Change and All People’s Party. They are still with us. Progress has been made towards more amalgamation. We are here to deal with fact and figures.”
He added; “So in that regard, we as PDOIS did interrogate what Gambia holds for you as the electorate and what Gambia holds for those who want to be representatives. As participants in the political process for 3 decades, PDOIS is convinced that its politics must be based on a contract – a contract with nation and people. That we have a duty to serve our country and a duty to serve our people – and we call that ‘substantive democracy’. The democracy where people elect because they want service and people seek office because they want to render services. We are convinced that [it] is what has a future; that all those who base their political existence on just ‘formal democracy’. Ultimately, we will have parties that will not be able to survive. The trend is very clear from the results of the election.”
Sallah revealed that all PDOIS members are challenged to ask themselves that fundamental question, whether that is the type of political system they want.
“By extension, the PDOIS members are asking the Gambian people the fundamental question whether that is the political system we want. If there is to be fairness, then let’s open it up if that is the system we want and not to create laws that restrict those law abiding and leave those who hate to follow the law to do as they wish. And we only condemn and expose without having any impact in changing the destiny of our country.”
“We agreed that we must look at this very seriously as a party and we must challenge the Gambian population on the issue and before the next election we must resolve the issue,” he posited.
