After decades of ignoring our concerns or taking minor steps to address it, the regime waits until elections time to make ambitious long-term plans. The regimes political history is clouded with two decades of failed empty promises, criminalizing our concerns or arresting their ways of our problems. it is distressing to see the regime either drags it’s feet when it comes to its citizens needs or will immediately arise criminalizing it or arrest their way out of the problem. However, nothing they are involved themselves comes to fruition because — of the lack of fealty to our bedrock values of compassion. Everything they do for the most part is done with malicious heart and they will pick up the wrong battle that becomes the headline news instead. Many people took out of frustration of seeing their country folks suffer, take on the thankless task of being a champion of their causes. Hardly almost a month goes by without the regime giving us a lethal combination of slap-dash surprise and self inflected wound from stepping off their own political landmines.
The regime had high hopes for finding a silver lining in the mud pit of their detrimental policies they peppered the opposition with —to be a cliff-hanger catastrophe that will dutifully thwart out the coalition efforts but thankfully, there wasn’t much of the victory they hope for. Gambians in the diasporia have a constant theme of unity and are making donations to see the coalition efforts become a success. The online radio’s are donating their valuable time in making sure Gambians are abreast with issues concerning our country .The regime ought to take our determination as a wake-up call to get out of the way and allow Gambians to decide our future —on our terms instead of them forcing us kowtow to their whims.Theoretically, most observers have opine that they are afraid to allow the democratic process to go forward and will try last throws of some array of desperation measures at the ICE . Many pertinent and worrisome questions about the electoral register and regimes illegally games of voting card buying activities, remained unanswered.They loves using these same tired approach of sparking flames of mistrust to torch off our hopes of coming together .
The regimes faults are many, but they continue isolating themselves further by continuing to violate every citizen of their rights and always suppressing the opposition— instead of freeing themselves from scandals. There passion of doing whatever it takes to stay on power regardless of their failed presidency, has crossed all the line to incivility and even berate their own supporters. It has always struck Gambians as a little odd, when the regime takes political stances or advocate on policy issues to ensure Gambians lurch into failure . The developmental aid embargo they pushed on communities that voted the other way in the past, only caused untold economic damage to the nation as a whole without weakening those communities . Yaya Jammeh will never fix the issues of the country even having astute people around him because —he always see the negative sides of things and cannot stand certain people to have a fair share of the pie.
More significantly, the Gambian people patience, have hit rock bottom and we are determined— not to let historians continue to write the same old stories of the past. It’s ironic, though, APRC are trying to rebuild their brand in Gambia, a brand tarnished, if not tainted, by Yaya Jammeh. Offsetting the regime is a must and new direction is required for meaningful reforms of the lackluster bygone era detrimental policies —that have plaque our nation. We need government that appeals to our dreams and aspirations, not to our fears and anxieties as we have seen for the past twenty-two years. These people have nothing to offer us except putting out issues of scandals— from their binder list of absurd idea, likes pigs rushing to a full trough. The regime adhere to typically non palatable policies of the bygone such as limited electricity, discriminated developments in communities, reducing internet and running Yaya Jammeh only programs on TV .
The political dynamics and demographics needs of Gambians have shifted rapidly. This underscored the recurring challenge for APRC’s ability to govern Gambia again with their paper-thin ideas,that does not even appear genuine to many voters nor solve anything . More disconcerting though, he attempted to run away from his own persona by staying out of the limelight to stop the bleeding of his parties waning relevance. The man couldn’t help himself but kept duplicating the follies of fear mongering and Isolating the country further from world — that brought the party to its lowly estate in the eyes of majority Gambians.
On the flip side, though, all eyes are on Coalition Convention Caucuses on Sunday —that will perhaps propel one of the aspiring opposition candidates to a clear national front-runner status. All of them have enjoyed momentary surges in an election cycle colored by the same crowds of Gambian electorate seemingly dissatisfied the regime and want change. Gambians have a lot to be happy about of having a strong bench of rising political stars and our experience politicians. The reason why the opposition has massive a standing ovation and perhaps get the biggest explosion of applause each time they are returning from the campaign terrain is —Gambians see them as the best hope for our country. Gambians should remember the regime have nothing to offer us —except the same tired approach of demonizing people, using rhetoric that marginalizes and villainizes, dividing us all in groups by undermining our values of tolerance —which seeks to dissolve social, tribal, religious and economic barriers.
Beyond that, we all almost fall into Yaya Jammeh’s trap of turning us into a tribally segmented polarized nightmare – by his own design to assist him in winning reelection. In an act of desperation, they are pulling out all the stops to derail the opposition apparent impressive showing of momentum. Considering these trends on their dwelling support within the country, they ought to take it as a wake-up call and ponder about the evident public policy blunders —that laid the groundwork for such scenarios. Gambians are cautiously optimistic that we shall overcome.Most importantly though, As the nation now tightens its focus on the regime disappointing record of their failed president, the seedy characters who hang onto its fringes, on both sides of the aisle will be on their heels to stir division in our unity.
This is a great opportunity for all Gambians and those civil servants suffering from stagnant wages, meager opportunity, social isolation and household fragmentation. Let’s all vote for the opposition and refuse to Shroud our further with obsolete detrimental ideas from the murderous regime. This elections is the surest and quickest way to relieve our country peacefully from dictatorship.The opposition have the courage to come together and we should have the courage to cast our votes with them.
By Habib ( A concerned Gambian)
