We must thank God, pray harder, and strive hardest to see a better Gambia than what the president and vice-president of the Gambia are comfortable with. The circumspect six: What, when, how, who, why, and where are great tools to analyze choices, and the political situation of the Gambia is at one end scary and the other end is brighter than we merit. When do parties choose flag bearers and why is the UDP choosing Darboe and now?
God, through Darboe, is giving Barrow and Gambians a wake up call that must be smartly viewed as opportunity to meet our responsibilities beyond thinking.
Barrow should not form a party, but rule more fearlessly and less politically for the rest of the five years, then retire. If it was coordinated with Barrow, the timing is awkward, considering he is a sitting vice president and we deserve 100%, not split time for three years. Gambians, especially the opposition must focus on national interest and avoid bringing Barrow down, prematurely.
The Journey of the Gambia and any person or place must be analyzed through character than financial achievements, donations, or even aspirations. Our largely praise oriented people lack the honesty and courage to question the choices of our precolonial leaders and people.
The same praise oriented people praised the highly questionable Dawda Jawara and Yahya Jammeh in very narrow minded ways – these two leaders are thumbnail pictures of Gambians, except we are capable of being much better than them, like them, or worse than them.
The marvelous Recitation and common sense does not only claim leaders are thumbnail pictures, but hinted us that we are tested with them on character than earthly achievements.
Although, we cannot totally separate character from achievements, because bad character cause little or no achievements, good character guarantees heavenly than earthly achievements , and great character guarantees earthly and heavenly success. Our thought pattern plays a crucial role in our character through words and actions.
Character has an evil side that we must overcome and a good side that we must strive to attain. The evil side of character are fear, greed, and arrogance. During the days of Jawara, Gambians were seemingly tested on greed, then arrogance than fear – how many were guilty of greed, enco[u]raging greed, normalizing greed, and others then? During the days of Jammeh, Gambians were seemingly tested on fear than greed and arrogance – how many were guilty of fear and enco[u]raging fear? In these days of Barrow, Gambians are seemingly tested on Arrogance, then greed than fear – how many are or will be guilty of what? The good side of character is ENOUGH respect for intelligence, truth, and kindness – all of which are extremely broad for such a writing, but how well does Darboe, Barrow, and Gambians measure-up to both sides of character?
How did Darboe contribute to the problems in Jawara days through actions and inaction? Jammeh may had used a wrong how, but Darboe and many of us were proportionately guilty and ineffective to change Jawara or his worsening of Gambian character than colonial days, or may be even precolonial days. God has every reason to like and helped Jammeh than Darboe at that particular time to possibly wake Gambians up.
Like many leaders, power was gradually corrupting Jammeh, and Darboe was indeed among the few ‘fearless’ ones to challenge him, but how intelligently and truthfully was his challenge? Darboe failed to condemn the Jawara administration in political fear he sees as political ‘intelligence’. He was neither truthful about Jammeh, nor of Jawara.
Many saw the UDP as PPP shadow, and this contributed to people voting for Jammeh than the vote stealing Jammeh is accused of. Darboe failed to intelligently lead the UDP party, he personalized it then and further re-personalizing it today with open inaction and hidden actions.
God’s love for the Gambia was greater than His love for UDP and Gambia; so God, through Jammeh, inadvertently offered someone better than Darboe by jailing Darboe. Jailing was about the only way to tame Darboe and give Gambians a chance. Barrow being better than Darboe does not make him great, he is a student of Darboe, but beginning to learn his true colors and the test God is putting him with Darboe, Gambians, and the world is not an easy test.
Like Macky Sall and Abdoulie Wade, Pharoah and Moses, Barrow must choose God and Truth to see all sides, not just one side.
Darboe may have taught and helped Barrow on many fronts, but he misled him too, and how and where did God helped Darboe through Barrow? Barrow won a man Darboe repeatedly failed to win. Right after elections, Barrow worked on his release in questionable means, through negotiations than judicial process. Darboe misled him or under-fight his disrespecting of the constitution on age and vice-presidency.
Darboe was likely behind the Barrow’s political visit to president Jawara, which affirms how UDP is a shadow of PPP? Barrow and Darboe are yet to significantly condemn the Jawara ways or acknowledge any of the limited good ways of Jammeh – this tell us how truthful or untruthful both Barrow and Darboe are, but who will repent first? Political ‘intelligence’ are often at odds with truth, kindness, and real intelligence.
Where as I am one of the few, if not the only one, who openly offers to debate Halifa Sallah or anyone on why we should scrap their cowardly ‘gentleman’s agreement’ and try to put national interest first; I am also one who affirmed the arrogant way of Darboe on it is wrong. Darboe’s cowardice is evident on Jawara, his arrogance is on multiple fronts as minister and vice-president, his greed is re-manifesting in seeking the presidency in very questionable means and times.
How early is he splitting the time for country versus for party or politics? God has just confirmed how right I am, because Darboe will probably win any Gambian within a year to possibly rule five more years, totaling eight of ruling and co-ruling.
Now those who oppose both Darboe and Barrow have time to study and re-educate the questionable Gambians who repeatedly chose Jawara, Jammeh, and Darboe as party or country personalized leader. Like the U.S, ‘smart’ democrats understand defeating Trump is much easier than defeating Pence, so they are cautious of impeaching Trump on multiple fronts.
The Gambians who called for ‘three years’ for Barrow are intolerant, overconfident, and ignorant of crucial matters. Learn, tolerate, and grow – or you may suffer. Defeating Darboe should be lot easier in three years time than now or defeating Barrow – GOD is making it easier.
I advise Barrow not to fire Darboe in anger or in any unjust way, but to divorce the reverence and be lot more careful of someone who seems inconsiderate, untruthful, and recklessly divisive.
Forming a party is not sinful, but not smart for Barrow to try, if he truly study politics and its generally questionable people. Being Neutral in the coming elections can be an earthly legacy and heavenly repentance. Among the good changes of Jammeh that Barrow undone with Darboe is the age limit in our constitution. Leadership is more about receptivity than experience, more about thinking than education.
The constitution is about safety based on average than exceptions. Just like there are people whose third term may be better …, There may be few elderly people who are receptive and capable of thinking, but they are better as advisors than giving room to questionable elders as dictators. Constitutional age limit means me, Jammeh, Barrow or anyone should train and trust people – that we are not interested in forever leading.
The Bible and common knowledge said ‘the age of man is ‘seventy, anything above is a plus’. When you are in your plus years, you should be thanking God and advising people than seeking to dictate people. The constitution or law demands people retire from less challenging jobs at sixty or sixty five, so it must not allow over seventy year olds on much more challenging jobs.
The presidency may seem easy, but it is real hard work that I won’t want at old age, nor would I entrust such a burden on any over seventy. You cannot consider only the health status, receptivity, and other issues at the time of voting, but the whole term, based on reasonable probabilities.
Heartless gamblers believe in possibilities than probabilities, but feel free to gamble money and your personal self, not a whole nation. Now even if Darboe gets sick or dies before election day, how many will support conspiracy theories to further divide our country? The sickness budget of an elderly president , vice president, or minister; probable time lost to rest and sickness; probabilities of national funeral; and security risks that comes along are too serious for a person, country, or constitution to gamble with.
Whether or not the constitution bars the overly elderly in the spirit of national interest and security, Smart African youths and caring elders must never support the elderly for political positions or the deserve the hell the thought pattern gave them since precolonial days.
Africa must change its thought pattern on elderly worship than principles, because ‘God never change the condition of a people unless they change their character or thought pattern…’ The news claim about thirty percent of the UDP leadership are now women to court the questionable women of Jawara, Jammeh, Barrow, and Darboe; then claim youths are also ‘fairly represented’ without stating a percentage, but how many youths were delegates or decided on his leadership? The same news claimed ‘Darboe was unopposed’ as usual, which reaffirms the personalization of parties and the weakness of party ways.
Only in a weak country or party can a human candidate goes unopposed on leadership. Among the things Barrow can do for the Gambia is opening the voter registration process continuously and help encourage even early and long distance voting. Like term limits for country leadership, we need term limits for party leadership and the constitution should consider it. Reinstating age limit in our constitution must be debated now than later.
Absolute majority must also be in the constitution, not just simple majority. May the Lord free all or most Gambians from fear, greed, and arrogance; improve our intelligence, truthfulness, and kindness. May the Lord continue to help the Gambia, Africa and the world; and gives us much better leaders than we have, including the aspiring ones. May God bless Showlove Trinity: Let’s learn, let’s work, let’s have fun.
Author: Jarga kebba Gigo
An activist and Transformer
WWW:jargaworld.com
