DEMOCRATIC GOVERNANCE AND THE POLITCS OF PATRONAGE GRTS FEATURES THE MARRIAGE OF OPPOSITES

 

Ignorance is the major enemy to human dignity, freedom, the sovereignty of the human person and democratic governance. What is our argument?

 

It is very common for people to look at the dramas unfolding on GRTS and then lament that money has transformed human beings into slaves. The fact of the matter is patronage can only give hand to mouth existence. Let us give a concrete analysis to prove our point.

It is incontrovertible that over 95 percent of the Gambia population has never held the sum of 100000 dalasis in cash in their hands. Hence when they see our famous Musician Musa Ngum walk into the Office of the Vice President to receive 100,000 dalasis given by the President some would assume that Musa has been enriched. The same goes for an extended family from Gunjur who came to visit the President to express their loyalty. In the same vein, the Minister of energy had also announced an electrification project for Brufut valued at 1.5 Million dalasi which may be interpreted as the reward for declaration of political loyalty.

 

Let us now proceed to confirm the view that patronage does not lead to the eradication of poverty. It in fact, increases the ignorance which keeps poverty alive. In short, Musa Ngum is a famous Musician. He like other musicians cannot perform without a supporting band.

Foroyaa has had interviews with many band leaders and we know their realities.

 

Sometimes such band leaders would have up to twenty people hanging around them for their survival. If hundred thousand dalasis is shared among 20 people, each would go home with only 5000 dalasis in his or her pocket which cannot even provide 200 dalasis worth of petrol a day for an artist with a car. It could only provide an artist with a middle income family means to get the basic necessities of life so as to live from hand to mouth, for just one month.

 

On the other hand if a music industry exists in a country and the people become interested in the songs produced by a musician, a person like Musa Ngum, could earn millions from his songs.

 

A CD costing D150 would yield One Million and Five Hundred Thousand Dalasis if bought by just 10000 persons . It is the interest that the public shows in a product which enriches an artist and not patronage.

 

In the same vein sums of money given to an extended family would only provide a days meal for each member but could never free them from poverty.

 

Poverty is eradicated by National Development which enables each to rely on one’s knowledge, skills and other human and material resources to improve one’s condition. Development of a person or village is not a gift from a Government but the right of a sovereign citizen which is constitutionally established.

 

First and foremost the constitution says that "The sovereignty of the Gambia resides in the people of the Gambia from whom all organs of Government derive their authority and in whose name and for whose welfare and prosperity the powers of the Government are to be exercised..."

 

Furthermore, Section 215 asserts that "The state shall endeavour to create an economic environment that maximises the rate of economic growth and employment and secures the maximum welfare and prosperity for all persons of the Gambia " The Gambian people don’t need patronage. They need a functioning state which guarantees them welfare on the basis of their own sweat.

 

"Recognizing that the most secure democracy is one that assures the basic necessities of life for its people , the state shall endeavour to establish an efficient , dynamic and self reliant economy whose underlying principles shall include ensuring a balanced development of all parts of the Gambia , improvement in the quality of life in rural communities and redressing economic imbalances between rural and urban communities."

 

The Government has the duty to serve the people of Brufut and not to give the impression that it is rewarding them for political loyalty. If the APRC’S AIM is to give the impression that Brufut is being electrified because of party loyalty then it would be guilty of deception.