Jabou and Musa,

Apparently, the message is directed to political parties among others. We
have done a print-out and our Central Committee will  be deliberating the
issue in due . In that regard, it will be difficult for me to respond from a
party position prior to the discussion.

From a personal angle,  I have always maintained that democracy is the
movement of the people for power from below, not mere declaration of
principles and laws from above. Rights and good governance can only be
ensured when the people themselves, in their villages, wards and communities
are aware of those rights and principles of good governance and are
organised and empowered to safeguard them.

The spirit of the recommendations manifest the principle of partnership and
collective responsibility in ensuring a certain governance environment in
the country. It is a right of every Gambian citizen, either as a person or
in association with others, to call for any medium through which our
collective liberty can be safeguarded.

Of course, reconciliation is an act of bringing contending forces together.
It presupposes a desire by the contending forces to sit down to talk. Such
talks generally come when contending parties have mutually exhausted each
other in their struggle for power and see no way forward than to sit down
and establish a climate of peaceful co-existence.

On the other hand, it can come through the exercise of magnanimity by an
oppressed group which has become victorious in a struggle for liberation
over an adversary.

If one looks at the situation in Ivory Coast today, those who have taken
over power can easily create a truth and reconciliation commission if they
sincerely have the interest of Ivory Coast at heart. They do not have to ban
any political party. They do not have to issue decree for the seizure of any
property. They can bring all the civic associations, political parties and
religious groups together to discuss about the future of the country. They
can involve the whole nation in discussions of tolerance, unity and
democratic participation from the village to the national level through the
media on a non-partisan and non-sectarian basis.

Political parties will be humbled and motivated to discuss all that was
wrong in the governance environment and propose rules, guidelines and the
institutional framework to rectify them. All judicial institutions can be
made to work with greater degree of independence and impartiality to redress
wrongs. The Auditor General's Office can be given all the authority to look
into the performance of public administration and redress whatever wrongs
obtain. In the process of transition, truth and reconciliation commission
may be established to satisfy all the diversed functions mentioned by Dr
Saine.

Finally, those in power can be the overseer of a free and fair election
where all political parties participate on an equal footing.

This was an option for the coup makers immediately when they took over power
in The Gambia. However, this option was not taken. There was interest in
maintaining power and it has been retained. With power comes vested
interest. With vested interest comes rigidity in positions that conserve
vested interest.

Of course, there is a second opportunity that could have undoubtedly
facilitated the implementation of the proposals, that is, if President
Jammeh was to declare to the Gambian people that he will only hold office up
to the rest of this term and then call on all Gambians to come together to
strategize on building a better future for The Gambia. This could have
opened up a climate of dialogue to shape that future.

In my view, if all the political figures in the country can, for once, put
the dictates of reason, conscience and the national interest to the fore,
the proposals would serve the nation in a splendid manner. However, as long
as vested interest hold sway there will always be one stumbling block or
another until a given proposal dies a natural death.

Suffice it to say,  whether those involved will put vested interest aside or
 to the fore will determine the degree of success of the whole enterprise.
This is my humble opinion. Notwithstanding, once the Central Committee
reviews the message, we will communicate our views on a more concrete basis.


Halifa Sallah.

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