Every dysfunctional relationship requires two parties. One party believes that, in order to be true, it must beat the other over the head with whatever would inflict the most pain. The other party believes, in order to be true, it must take the beating.
The President stood up before religious leaders, put on his customary clenched-jaw scowl, and with a show of palpable, smoldering anger told the whole country that he was going to teach the opposition a lesson and that some of them will not witness the 2006 elections. True to his dare he arrested three of them and imprison them without any cause. What has been the response of the remaining NADD executive members? It went something like:
Whoa there buddy. Let's simmer down.
Then they ran to the courts and behold their old nemesis Paul was waiting to put the final nail on the coffin. If you know the rules are stacked against you but you play the game, you can’t cry foul at the results. By running to a judiciary that is corrupt and stacked with mercenary judges, NADD gave them credibility. Couldn't at least one prominent NADD leader just say: We demand the release of our compatriots in X days or I will lead our supporters on a non-violent demonstration. Yes, the aggressive tone will put the government on notice that the opposition is serious and here to stay. It will turn more people on. Frustrated Gambians everywhere, who are fed up with Yahya’s brutality and all the accompanying B.S, and who are looking for a leader, will think: it's about time somebody had the guts to say the obvious and stood up to Yahya’s bullying.
However, the response of NADD’s executive to this crisis has little to desire. It seemed that they have confronted the situation with a personal and political style based more on personal preservation - or attempting at least not to offend Yahya even more. But in the process, they are losing the respect of some of their most loyal friends.
0 Comments:
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)