On behalf of the United Democratic Party’s Students’ Wing, I sincerely like to register my condescension over the recent statement purportedly written by the President’s deputy youth adviser, Mr Saihou Mballow against the statement issued by the Secretary General and leader of the United Democratic Party regarding his party’s position on the 3/5 year controversy. Dissecting through Mballow’s statement could enable one to produce a new form of wisdom that does not only lack merit but also a simple dialectical reasoning between the thesis and antithesis surrounding the coalition MOU.
It is fundamentally important for Mr Mballow as one of the image makers of President Barrow to start distinguishing Ousainou Darboe as an individual from the United Democratic Party as a political entity. Ousainou Darboe is United Democratic Party but United Democratic Party is not Ousainou Darboe. Therefore, Osainou Darboe giving a statement yesterday on the stance of UDP about the coalition agreement is in no way a denegation on his previously stated statement on the issue of the 3years agreement but an affirmation of his party’s position. The United Democratic Party is not a centralized political organization with a commander in chief who has unrestricted tendencies of control over everyone and everything else related to the operation of a democratic political formation.
Perhaps, Mr Mballow needs to be availed the opportunity to be conscientized and schooled on the intra-party culture cum democracy that operates within the structures of the United Democratic Party. Ousainou Darboe is a lawyer by profession undoubtedly, and he speaks the language of the constitution and other laws binding to the Republic of the Gambia. He always keeps on reiterating such a characteristic of his on various media platforms whenever the 3years question is put out to him by journalists who occasionally tried to execute Socratic model of questioning in order to catch him in contradiction on what he had previously said about the coalition agreement, but he always maintains the highest standard of consistency. Just last week on ‘’Kerr Fatou’’ he still maintained his position that he is in for what the constitution states and by virtue of that his previously stated statement does not in any indication reflect the position of the United Democratic Party.
Besides, when he (Ousainou) was making such a statement he never said that was the position of the United Democratic Party and additionally, he did not make the statement on a UDP platform. Because he knew very well that the United Democratic Party has bureaucracies that needs to be observed and exhausted before passing a judgment or decision on behalf of the party and in the absence of the application of such due diligence, any decision taken by anyone irrespective of your class or position without the approval from the National Executive leadership of the party is treated as void. Thus, your recent rejoinder over the statement made by the Secretary General and leader of the United Democratic Party on his party’s position on the three years question, should be treated as a hunch and has in fact lacks moral justification.
Ousainou Darboe personally, still stands by what he had previously stated; Perhaps, if one should be characterized of being inconsistent, President Barrow would be the first person to be treated as such. Because he campaigned for 3years and later reneged on his campaign promise to the Gambians to the extent of saying “In campaign you can say all sort of things”. This statement alone verified the level of the internal inconsistency of Barrow’s previous statement and his political dishonesty.
Essentially, maybe we should also show some sort of benevolence by furnishing Mr Mballow with certain contemporary political realities occurring daily in the globe. The leader of the United Kingdom’s Labour Party, Jeremy Corbyn intends to discard the UK’s Trident nuclear programme soonest, a position of which contradicts that of his party’s position. Corbyn is a staunch believer and campaigner for Nuclear Disarmament and a nuclear-free world. He has been showcasing this throughout his political career. But interestingly, the Labour Party has a divergent position with that of Corbyn’s and this left Jeremy Corbyn with no alternative than to toe the party’s ideological stance on the Trident nuclear plan.
However, that position of his party has not changed the version of Corbyn’s personality and views on nuclear weapons. He still believes in the nuclear non-proliferation. Additionally, the current CIC of the Economic Freedom Fighters, Julius Malema whilst serving as the Youth President for the African National Congress (ANC) has sent out a BBC journalist and characterized him as a ‘’bloody agent’’ at a press conference staged in the ANC bureau. His actions were condemned by the ANC but it would be very illogical, irrational and unreasonable for one to use that attitude of Julius Malema as the collective attribute of the ANC because there will be an injustice done to the ANC as a political party and that will change the version of the history of one’s personality. The reason why we still have zero percent growth is because of the inability of people in differentiating an individual from a nation or a political party; maybe such a tendency in our characteristics is what makes leaders feel that they are the masters instead of the chief servants.
Besides, the United Democratic Party’s statement on its position over the 3years coalition pact is not calling for the forceful removal of the presidency as the tone of your rejoinder insinuated, but it is humbly and respectfully reminding President Adama Barrow to respect the Coalition accord and fundamentally, the social contract he made with the people of the Gambia during the 2016 presidential campaign. I do not think you are even the right person to remind Mr Darboe on the values of principles and legality because every bit and piece contained in a statement issued by the United Democratic Party through its Secretary General and leader, does not in any way show discourtesy to the 1997 constitution of the Republic. It is explicitly clear as noon light that the 1997 constitution provides for a five (5) year presidential mandate but Section 65(1a) gives the President the latitude to willingly relinquish power by resignation. President Adama Barrow’s true integrity would soon be scientifically established by all Gambians for he is about to journey through the most important episode in human existence and that is the ‘’Test of integrity’’. And I believed he would not trade his integrity with the temptation of power and privilege.
Respectfully, I think Mr Mballow’s primarily responsibility in this day and era is to genuinely advise and guide the president on the never-ending plights that Youth in the Gambia are facing rather than blowing the whistle on behalf of the President. I believed that President Barrow has already recognized your loyalty enough but can you please advise him to do something on youth unemployment rather than moonlighting with him to do the dishonorable thing. The young people in the Gambia have suffered enough and such frustrations sometimes tempt them to do undesirable things for a leaving because their government has woefully failed them. School going children are without sufficient, efficient and effective transportation system during school days. I think your department’s fundamental moral responsibility should be geared towards youth development in the country in terms of sports, education, entrepreneurship etc. Your department to us as a Students’ Wing of the United Democratic Party should have been the most progressive department but sadly enough, the lacunae in your department is beyond expression. Do have a good day!!!
Secretary-General
UDP Students’ Wing
Momodou Lamin Sawo
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