Political Dynamics In The Gambia

if the people want to be hoodwinked by the political class they will but what's happening in our political space the past few days is quite normal if one is a student of politics. Political wishes and political realities diverge from where they are conceived. I for one believe that Gambian political evolution is going through a natural selection process (survival of the fittest). The first phase has completed successfully and we were all happy of the outcome. That phase dealt with the convergence of political foes and nemesis  to dislodge a tyrant (Despot Jammeh). The Second phase is the political storm we witnessed during the parliamentary elections and this phase was for the imposition of power and dominion within the political machinery and this is almost at the tail spin and the National Assembly elections was the final arbiter of this phase. The third and final phase will be that of power consolidation. This phase will be the calm after the storm and hopefully that's when the legislative and political agenda will be fast tracked. If we understand these principles then we will understand fully well why Halifa had his preferred stance and Darboe had his entrenched position. Remember politics is a game of vested interest and in as much as these people talk the beautiful rhetoric of galvanizing the interest of the greater good, they have a vested interest they want to secure. Halifa's choice of a coalition led initiative for the National Assembly is premised on diluting the perceived relevance of the big boy (UDP) by making all parties as equals among men. On the contrary, The UDP want  a tactical alliance so as to display their might by differentiating the boys from the men. This in the eyes of the the UDP will be an equitable dispensation of power and authority. So lets not fret as these politicians will always be politicians but the electorate must be smart enough to decipher the political nuances from our established reality. The current boisterous move by the president to fire a sitting National Assembly Member is surely a test of his perceived might to consolidate his dominion. Unfortunately the move is an encroachment by the Executive and a clear unforced error on the part of the Secretary General to be an interlucutor inter alia to the whims and caprices of the Presidency. The Judicial branch of Government will only act when an aggrieved person(s) file in a suit.

I am watching the space and I do hope we don't allow ourselves to have extreme blood pressure over the jockeying and maneuvering of our political operatives. So let the games begin and it is only the shallow amongst our midst who see these tactical moves in the prism of tribal lenses. Politics is nothing out a game where the end justifies the means. Gambians must be smart enough to outwit and challenge the moves made by our politicians. A servant can't control the destiny of the master. God day Gambia let us rise up and wise up rather than fussing and fighting. Much ado about nothing must be in the past of the New Gambia.

#NyangNjie

Gambia A Case Of Poor Social Disconnect

The development of our dearly beloved Gambia will forever stall unless and  until we address the underlying social nuances that impede our development. Using Gambian social media circles as a yardstick of our behavioral traits clearly shows a country that is not at peace with itself and lacks a cohesive and homogeneous identity as Gambians.

Having stated the above, we have deep undercurrents of distrust, prejudice and social deficits that plague our collective progress as Gambians. This malaise is borne out of a poor social contract which is an extension of the colonial legacy of divide and rule. Behavioral traits are very important in the manner in which people think and ultimately behave. Gambians across all socioeconomic and ethnic divide suffer from one form f prejudice or inferiority syndrome. Living in 2019 and Gambians being a highly traveled and exposed group of people baffles me that we haven't adopted to the good things we learned from others over the years. Oftentimes, I feel like throwing in the towel and move on with all things #NYANGNJIE  but then again I am  microcosm of the bigger scheme of things. Therefore I have to relent by being part of the solution. The herd mentality and crab in a barrel syndrome is really retarding our collective resolve to build a better Gambia. Where have we gone wrong? Well in my view, Gambia is yet to address the social anomalies inherited from its colonial past and this in my view make  a lot of people harbor ill conceived and misplaced hatred towards each other. Art thou forsaken us or we just dont want to up our game to be a great nation in the neighborhood we find ourselves in.

The dog eat dog mentality will finish us sooner than we think. We bicker, we hate, we despise and most of the time without a justifiable reason. I am worried about my generation and the Gambia we want to pass on to the next one. There is advantage in our diversity and we need to harness that in furtherance of a better Gambia. Most of the people who  lash out on others have never come to a close proximity with their perceived nemesis. Thanks to the virtual space of social media, the lives of others have come closer to us than ever before. Hate the idea or issues raised by an individual not the individual for the individual is not your problem. My guide to life, the Dissiderata proclaimed that "we should not compare to others for we will always be vain and bitter". I implore on Government to create a better social contract to avert the notion of us and them cos we are all in the same boat called the Gambia and our collective resolve is what's going to make Gambia a better place.