By: Mariama Njie
Honorable Halifa Sallah, the leader of PDOIS party in his New Year’s message disclosed that his decision not to participate as candidate in presidential, National Assembly and council elections is dictated by necessity.
In the statement he stated that “there is more for me to do than to seek a mandate to be in the National Assembly, after showing my worth in that domain and other PDOIS members would still be there to hold the fort.”
He explained that it would not serve the national interest in spending another five years in legislative and oversight work in the Assembly to manage or reform the system, adding that “when I stood for its change and could be conducting research and educating a generation on the rudiments of changing it for the better.”
“To sit for another five years as an aspiring president in the waiting would transform me into a political careerist. I have more value to add to society than to be an aspiring president in waiting,” he said.
He went further saying history has assigned him to prepare the ground for the evolution of the party and the country so that posterity will not find them wanting in clarity and commitment to country and people.
A person does not have to lead by physical appearance. One can lead by ideas and force of example. That is the verdict of truth and common sense and it is irrefutable, he stated.
“PDOIS accepted the tactics of staying outside of Government so that it would be able to pursue the agenda for which the party was established and the leadership has remained focused since 2016 in keeping away from Government and safeguarding the party from being a power grabbing instrument without any vision, mission, principle or policy to eradicate poverty, ignorance and injustice,” he said.
Meanwhile, he added that PDOIS is credited by all electoral observers for running a campaign based on programmatic policy issues on how to eradicate poverty, ignorance and injustice.
However, he said the future of the party depends on the institutionalization and operationalization of the instruments of the party, as the party has held a well-attended Congress with delegates coming from wards elected by the members without any interference from any personality of the party.
