This is not the Time for Darboe to Break- away Under a UDP- banner
The ongoing political furor over Omar Jallow's (OJ) selection as the
presidential candidate for the 2006 presidential elections and not
Ousainou Darboe by NADD's Executive can not be contested on grounds
of OJ's electability. This is a flawed argument that undermines the
very democratic process that the Mou sought to engender and agreed to
by all parties. Flawed as the Mou is, Darboe and all the
presidential-candidate aspirants accepted the ground rules heading
into the meeting that selected OJ. To use arguments based on
previous election results or the UDP being the single largest
opposition political party has little or no relevance to the decision
already rendered by NADD's executive. Why must the rules now be
contested or changed just because Darboe was not favored? Why must
we second-guess the process and the thinking behind each executive
member's decision?
If the truth be told, Darboe has no choice but to support the
process that selected OJ, regardless of his reservations about the
process itself or possibly the candidate, if any. If Darboe had been
selected, I would have defended and supported his candidature despite
what OJ or anyone else may say. To do otherwise would be sheer
hypocrisy. To date, the Mou remains the best document for the
current coalition. It took months of tedious negotiations to arrive
at its painstaking details.
Furthermore, Darboe tried in 1996 and 2001 and could not dislodge
Jammeh. It is time for another candidate to give it a try. This is
partly because the political landscapes of 2001 and 2006 are very
different and the latter may require a different strategy and
candidate. In my humble opinion, Darboe's professional and personal
temperament may not be suited to counter Jammeh's brutish threats and
venomous attacks. His personal and professional skills would serve
The Gambia best, in my view, in a post-Jammeh ear in 2011 as a
presidential candidate and possibly president. What is needed now
is someone like OJ to confront Jammeh head-on as decided by NADD's
Executive, in spite of the reservations others or I may have about
his candidature. And, like many of you, I harbor many.
Therefore, the issue of OJ's political baggage can not be overlooked,
nor anyone's for that matter. He served the PPP for well over a
decade as parliamentary secretary and minister. Yet, unlike most of
his other PPP colleagues after the coup, he has been unflinching in
his opposition to Jammeh and has paid dearly for it; so has Ousainou,
Halifa, Waa and the other leaders who also have their own
limitations. If Ousainou were chosen the issue of baggage would
inevitably come up. This is not the time, nor the place to spell out
Ousainou's or OJ's.
Additionally, this is not the time for Darboe to break away under a
UDP banner to contest the presidency as it could aid Jammeh in his
re-election bid. If Darboe is truly committed to ridding the country
of Jammeh, which I believe he does, he must forego his short-term
interests and putative gains as a presidential candidate in 2006 for
the larger national good. After all, NADD's Executive chose OJ
cognizant of Darboe's standing as head of the largest opposition party.
I humbly urge Darboe, the UDP Executive, advisors and supporters to
rally behind OJ as he was duly selected by NADD's Executive. To do
less is to subvert the very democratic process they all claim to
uphold and wish to see in a post-Jammeh era. If NADD unravels into
its constituent political parties so could the effort to oust
Jammeh. Another five years of Jammeh, possibly ten is too painful to ponder.
Abdoulaye Saine
Hamilton, Ohio, USA
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