Ladies & Gentlemen,

 

I wish to take a moment to appeal for calm and constuctive criticism. calm to allow ourselves the peace needed for reflection and constructive criticism to reprimand responsible persons and suggest a way to correct their foibles. Afterall, PDOIS, UDP, NRP, ncp, gpp, ppp, and pdp all have in principle endorsed the idea of a coalition.

 

I regret that the UDP in its excitement over a ppp endorsement, and subsequent euphoria, was negligent in putting the endorsement in its proper perspective. ppp's endorsement of UDP is a friendly and therefore welcome gesture both for UDP and a potential coalition. It is a non-starter however for the coalition as envisaged by the registered parties. Due to ppp's valuable place in Gambian society, it could be the gum needed for cohesion, not the glue for a coalition. It is undiplomatic and an insult to PDOIS and NCP to elevate ppp to a registered party status and call its friendly endorsement a coalition and then invite the other parties to join an already formed coalition that has no binding agreement. The idea of a coalition is adhoc - to remove the decrepit and self-destructing government of yaya and return normalcy and God-given rights to Gambians in a non-violent manner. The coalition is not the assimilation of the various parties into one as if their ideals and principles are the same or similar. why are there different parties to begin with? 

 

PDOIS on the other hand is justified in its disgust at UDP's breach of discipline and gravitasse. They should approach the UDP, request that they recant the statements that a coalition of parties has already been formed and that PDOIS and NCP refused to join. UDP must be magnanimous enough not to call ppp's endorsement of Mr Darboe as his nomination for coalition presidential candidate. There is no coalition yet, and therefore no coalition presidential candidate. I am sure that when done properly and Mr. Ousainou Darboe becomes the duly nominated presidential candidate of the COALITION, PDOIS will not be averse to that. In fact, it would be most welcome if Darboe were to receive such an accolade from his peers because he is deserving of it. However, we must cut the arrogance crap out. That is what brought us here in the first place.

 

As to NCP, I urge Mr. Dibba to look beyond his demand to be the coalition presidential candidate absent that assignment by a meeting of all appropriate parties. That desire smacks of selfishness. Mr. Dibba is a well respected statesman and I'm sure he will rise above it. Here's the impression: If ppp, UDP, pdp, and Assan Musa had unanimously agreed to choose Mr. Dibba as presidential candidate of the commity held in PDOIS' and NRP's absence, he would not have walked out of the meeting and would not have questioned the appropriateness of the commity's actions absent PDOIS' and NRP's participation. Therefore, his reasons for walking out was not due to bad protocol but a feeling of personal sleight. So I would encourage Mr. Dibba to reconsider his position.

 

Finally, I urge PDOIS to take a proactive role in the forging of this coalition and give a more positive impression of its desire for such and consult with UDP, and NRP and all other registered parties on the parameters of the legal document that will bind them together into an adhoc coalescing force with limited mandate. I suggest that they not require the coalition president to be independent of the coalescing parties because the president and his cabinet must necessarily come from the constituent parties in order to actually conduct the nation's business in the interim year or two. The president of a caolition coming to lead Gambia post aprc will have a lot of disinfecting to do and will be laying the foundation for a democratic Gambia in order that the parties will be able to contest in a civil and respectable atmosphere.

 

Competence, Dignity, Liberty, Progress, Prosperity. God speed.

 

Haruna Darbo - SONS OF AFRIKA