Culled From The POINT Newspaper

PDOIS For Tactical Alliance In Next Election - Halifa Sallah

Mr. Halifa Sallah, one of PDOIS strong men, has disclosed that his party
recognised the possibility of tactical allianc with other Opposition parties
during the first round of the coming Presidential election. This, he said,
was part of resolutions made during their recently concluded congres in
Wuli. Mr. Sallah was speaking in an interview with this reporter on Tuesday
at the PDOIS Bureau in Churchill's Town. On the issue of coalition, he said
their Congress saw it as a democratic instrument that do come about during
the second round of voting when no candidate gets a landslide victory in the
first round.

"The Congress resolved that PDOIS presidential candidate will be willing to
agree on a governance agenda where the presidency will be assumed just for a
year with the mandate to remove from the constitution all retrogressive
provisions and re-enact progressive provisions," he noted. Adding that once
that is done, people will be called for another presidential election to
allow political parties present their programmes to the electorate. Mr.
Sallah went on to describe the congress as a decisive one that enabled their
party to review its policies, strategies and tactics. Among other major
resolutions reached, he said, were: that there should be no tolerance for
any form of sectionalism based on language, religion or any other groupings.

Similarly, he continued, they would not entertain any sort of personality
cult among their ranks. But, rather, he stated truth would be their symbolic
leader while their members would be party workers of different categories.
The PDOIS, he noted, also looked at the governance programme of the country
and realised that the APRC Government had abrogated all its commitment to
democratic governance and was bent on amending the Constitution to
disempower the people. Such amendments, he pointed out, were aimed at
promulgating indemnity and other retrogressive acts against the interest of
the majority of the people.

He said they resolved to campaign for a "No Vote" against the amendments any
time it is put to Gambians in a referendum. "We resolved to open up to a
tactical alliance on the basis of a sound governance agenda which will
prevent any new leader from presiding over the ignorance subjugation and
poverty of the Gambian people," Mr. Sallah emphasised. On the economy, he
noted, that a PDOIS Government would pursue policies that would bring
self-sufficiency in food. Presently, he said 42% of the country's imports go
on food, amounting to over D1000m.

He cited the Bangulinding Women Garden which, he said, would be extended to
all parts of the country. The Congress, he added also recognised that 57% of
the labour force of the country depend on agriculture. As such, he stressed,
a PDOIS Government would give top priority to the sector. He said they also
studied the issues affecting
Youths such as unemployment and factors hinder the advancement and
empowerment of women. He called on the youths to be aware so that they would
not be used as tools by any selfish politician.
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