Candidate Barrow during one of his campaign rallies in KM, a few days before the polls opened on Saturday, said he wants to win the presidential election, and then his NPP party wins the National Assembly and local govt elections.
He added that this will ensure he has a solid grip at all levels of government to pursue his programs and policies without hindrance.
Now, after winning the presidential election, one wonders how he could win the National Assembly election in April 2022 and local govt election in 2023 without his NPP engaging in serious and massive politicking nationwide.
Yet, again, Candidate Barrow was adamant that after the presidential election, politicking must cease and all concentrate on joining him to focus and work on his development agenda.
This was the declaration he made at his Serekunda West campaign rally, where he dismissively recalled that when he first made such declaration, there was talk of him wanting to become a dictator.
Yet anyone whose closely watched the GRTS video must be concerned, seeing his body language, his facial expressions and the way he raised his hand in a warning gesture!
Is this a looming danger that must be recognized as such? Indeed, it is necessary to remind people that when Barrow earlier uttered his desire of clamping down on continued politicking, it set off alarm bells ringing.
By voicing his thoughts once again, it is evident that he is nursing such ideas – a sign of something gnawing at the mind – you badly want seeing something done; you cannot help saying so from time to time; it’s a manifestation of one’s psyche!
Of course, the lack of a proper grasp of governance issues based on the rule of law is highlighted by such pronouncements.
The safeguard, however, is that since he cannot govern alone; we’ll see how he could succeed in achieving his wish.
Moreover, it is clear that Barrow does not know that man is inherently a political animal; that man eats and breathes politics; that man cannot live and survive without politics!
Therefore, it is definitely time that our intellectuals came to the rescue, and shared the insights of philosophers on what politics entails in every modern society!
Just to mention one simple truth – that it is only through a political process that a person occupies the State House; that the constitution provided for a laid down political process – not through coup d’etat or some other illegal means – that one becomes the president of the Republic.
Indeed, it is through politicking that our National Assembly members get elected as the people’s representatives – to debate and approve the national budget proposed by the sitting govt through which it carries out national development, international relations, among others.
Indeed, it is through politicking that we select the municipal and area councillors to operate as local govt, and carry out the tasks we the people assign them at the local level.
And, we must remember that all these are based on laws crafted to ensure the sovereignty of the people.
Thus, it would be undermining good governance should any president, voted into office, ever attempts to interfere with the political process as spelt out in the constitution and other laws of The Gambia.
Thus people must be alert and be prepared to go to court to prevent any such attempt to stop politicking.
Definitely, whoever is president must respect the very first provision of the Constitution – Chapter 1, which states that “sovereignty resides in the people from whom all organs of govt derive their authority, and in whose name and for whose welfare and prosperity the powers of govt are to be exercised in accordance with this constitution.”
This same constitution outlines how authority to govern is obtained through a political process, again – not through a coup or some other unconstitutional means.
Definitely, Gambians after going through the TRRC process, with all the enlightenment received about what their govt could and could not do, would not allow anybody to seize their political rights!
It must Never Again happen in this country, and be rest assured that after our experience under the Jammeh dictatorship, who ever attempts to seize our rights will be confronted head on by patriotic Gambians!
