UDP Ousainou Darboe's Congress 2010 Speech

Breaking News: Gambia: The Gambia Is Becoming A Major Cocaine Hub—UDP Leader Tells Congress Attendees
The Gambia Is Becoming A Major Cocaine Hub—UDP Leader Tells Congress Attendees
As UDP Elects Darboe As Party Leader

By Staff Reporter Bakary Gibba, Banjul

“Party militants, it is sad that our country one that we proudly call the Smiling Coast of Africa is fast becoming a major hub in drugs and drug related activities. This is an unfortunate development which washes off on Gambian nationals travelling outside the Gambia. A few days ago, over two tones of hard drugs reportedly worth over one billion dollars (not less than 26 billion dalasi) was seized in this country. What is even more worrying is the discovery of arms when the seizure was carried out. It is stating obvious to say that where trade in drug flourishes violence also flourishes. Unscrupulous people are taking advantage of the weakness in our drug control system as well as the lenient approach of our justice system to this global menace. You and I have a responsibility to protect our country against this menace. This will not be achieved by mere rhetoric’s. We must do more than that,” Lawyer Ousainanou Darboe, leader of Gambia’s main opposition party UDP tells his supporters at the Party’s Congress held in Jarra Soma Saturday. Below is the full statement of the UDP leader.

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Mr. Chairman,

Deputy Secretary General

Hon. Hamat Bah, Party Leader, NRP,

Representatives of sister political parties,

Representative of the chairman of the Independent Electoral Commission

Distinguished delegates

Invited guests

Ladies and gentlemen

All protocol dully observed

Let me first of all welcome you all to the National congress of the United Democratic Party. This is the second congress we are holding since the founding of the party in 1996. The first congress was held in Brikama in 1998.

As we gather here today, our hearts go to our comrades who were founding members of the party but are no longer with us. Amongst them we remember Pa Kaba Sanneh the first National patron of the party, Pa Sansang Sanneh the second national patron of the party, Sidia Sanyang first senior Administrative Secretary, Ansumana Dibba our first national chairman retired colonel Sam Sillah, second national chairman, Sarjo Kunjang Sanneh, Honourable Abu Karamba Kassama of Badibu Central, Honourable Buba Samura of Kiang East, Sarjo Kunjang Sanneh Brikama Yai Kompin and member of the National Executive, Okuta Thomas, Mba Sally Makalo of Bakau, Haddy Njai of Bakau Sanchaba, Jarai Fatty of Talinding, Alhagi Amba Sey of Basse, Sukuta Jafunneh of Dippa kunda, Horja Ndure and Fatou Secom Secka of Banjul.

The entire membership of the party wish to pay tribute for the immense contribution made by these in keeping alive the struggle for a better and prosperous Gambia.

In the same vein I wish to extend condolences to the Lower River Region Area Committee and to the families of our party officials who passed away since our last congress. We remember Alhagi Fanding Saidyba of Jarra Soma. This great Gambian patriot apart from putting to the disposal of the party his energy and personal wealth donated to the party the land on which this Bureau stands. Yankuba Saidyba the first Chairman for Lower River Region Area Committee, Babucarr Saidyba, the second chairman of the area committee, Labally Ceesay of Toniataba, Aja Mama Kalo Ceesay of Toniataba, Lang Karantaba Drammeh, Chairman Sikunda, Duwa Ceesay of Pakalinding, Tomaring Njie of Sankuya, Lamin Neneh Ceesay of Kiang west, Babanding Jobe of Karantaba, were among several people who held the fortress in Lower River Region but are no longer with us. Their contribution in building the party to what it is today is invaluable. May Allah in his infinite mercy grant them all a peaceful repose and amen.

We are saddened by the absence of two prominent members of our party who have fallen victim to the maneuvers and the illegal activities of the current regime. Mr. Femi Peters our Campaign Manager would have been here today with us had it not been for his conviction and imprisonment by an unjust system applying an unjust law. We miss his towering figure in our midst and hope he will soon be reunited with us and his family.

Mr. Deputy Secretary General and party militants, on Wednesday afternoon I visited Femi Peters in his place of imprisonment. He was the usual Femi Peter we all know and he has asked me to convey to the entire membership of the United Democratic Party his devotion and dedication to commitment to the struggle. And he believes that his imprisonment will not be in vain.

The other official who is not with us today is Kanyiba Kanyi the constituency Secretary for Kombo East who was abducted by National intelligence operatives during the 2006 presidential election campaign and has since not been seen. The party and myself, have done everything possible to get him released but to no avail. His case is a matter of not only national but international concern. The government shamelessly denies having him in its custody even in the face of clear admission by the former Minister of Interior Babucarr Jatta that he ordered Kanyiba Kanji’s and Ousman Jatta alias Rambo's arrest.Aja Jambanding Drammeh the first president of the Women’s Wing sends her sincere greetings and prayers to you all. As most of us know, old age and ill health prevents her from being with us. She has been a pillar in our struggle and we have on several occassions leaned on her shoulder and like the good mother that she had always been carried us to where we are today. We pray for her speedy recovery.

Our first congress was held when the party was young. At the time of the holding of that congress our grass root organization was not as solid as it is now. The party had to embark on establishing and setting up structures at the grass root level. These presented enormous threat to the ruling party and consequently the then Inspector General of Police routinely denied us permits to hold rallies on imaginary security grounds.

The party had resort to court action against the Inspector General of Police. I am pleased to report to you that the court found the conduct of the then Inspector General of Police discriminatory, unjustified and incomplete violation of the constitution. This was a major victory for the party as it was generally believed no institution or person would challenge the excesses of the dictatorship.

Our decision to challenge and bring into focus the unconstitutional behavior of the then Inspector General of Police is in line with the party’s commitment to constitutionalism.

In the same spirit the United Democratic Party challenged the unconstitutional removal of Bishop Teresa Johnson as chairman of the Independent Electoral Commission, the purported amendment to some entrenched provisions of the constitution, the failure of the IEC to conduct elections to fill the vacancy in the office of Chieftaincy in Sami District. Currently your party, the UDP, and the NRP are challenging the constitutionality of vesting power in the President to dismiss elected Councilors by dissolving Councils and confining the right to elect Mayors/ Chairmen to only Kanifing Municipality and Banjul City. Let me also mention in passing that I have personally challenged the unlawful and unconstitutional removal of judges and am pleased to say that the challenge has yielded fruit because Government on being served with my summons quickly rescinded the terminations.

The party saw the most ferocious attack to its existence in June 2000. Whilst on a mopping up campaign in Upper River Region some anti-democrats and thugs ambushed our convoy at Chamoi Bridge in Tumana. It is alleged someone lost his life . I and four other supporters of the party stood trial for murder. The trial lasted almost five years. This tragic incident is completely un/Gambian and totally alien to our political landscape. Despite threats to our lives and liberty we were un-deterred in our resolve to pursue the cause of the Gambian people.

In 2001 we lost two of the most admirable, effective and conscientious parliamentarians of the Second Republic– Honorable Abu Karamba Kassama and Honorable Buba Samura-in a tragic motor traffic accident . Their demise has not only caused and still causes some emotional distress to us but also caused some dent in our party support and this is evidenced by our defeat in the Kiang East By-election.

The UDP registered success in its campaign against Decree 89 which prohibited certain political class and groupings from participating in the political life of the country. I do not attribute the repeal of Decree 89 to the efforts of the UDP alone. I am aware that there were others involved in the campaign for the repeal of this Decree. However the role played by the UDP in this matter is not matched by others.

The repeal of Decree 89 led to the creation of the UDP / PPP/GPP alliance to contest 2001 presidential election. The campaign was not smooth. There were interferences by security agents, Seyfolu and commissioners with our various campaign teams. The party and its alliance partners were prevented from holding its last rally that was scheduled in the Kanifing Municipality. Our protestation to the Independent Electoral Commission was not heeded: in fact our protestation fell on the most unsympathetic ear. You party militants will recall that one of our youths was shot at close range in Talinding by a person believed to be a member of the security services. No one has been arrested in connection with this cold blooded murder.

We boycotted the 2002 National assembly elections, a decision for which I take personal responsibility. I regret the decision which was influenced by my trust and confidence in a fellow party member who on 18th December 2001 hailed such decision as a history making event.

Indeed it was a history making event that today no member of the United Democratic Party, particularly me, will be proud of. This so called history making event has seriously retarded our drive towards establishing a true democratic dispensation.

The opportunity to repair the damage brought about by the boycott presented itself to the people of this great constituency, Jarra West. Full advantage of the opportunity was seized by re-electing Kemeseng Jammeh to the National Assembly following the disqualification of the then Majority Leader.

Between the by-election which saw the return of Kemeseng Jammeh to the National Assembly and February 2006 the party did not engage in a lot of political activities. This was due to the long drawn out negotiations for the creation of another alliance to contest the 2006 presidential election. The negotiations resulted in the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding establishing the National Alliance for Democracy and Development (NADD).What was conceived to be an alliance of political parties saw itself metamorphous into a registered political entity under the Elections Decree.

The registration of NADD as a political party was devastating. Some members of the UDP including myself resigned from NADD the registered political party and returned home to UDP. The National Reconciliation Party forged an alliance with the UDP and contested the 2006 presidential elections and 2007 National Assembly and Local Government Elections.

Deputy Secretary General and party militants, our activities have not been confined and limited to the Gambia. We have established links with the Socialist International and its youths associate (The International Union of Socialists Youths). Over the years our officers have attended meetings of the parent body in an observer status whilst our youths have fully participated in the meetings of the International Socialists Youths in Denmark, Cameroon, South Africa and Bulgaria to mention a few.

Mr. Deputy Secretary General and party militants, the reasons for the founding of the UDP in 1996 is as valid now as it was then. The regime is as autocratic today as it was 1996.

The constitution has been subjected to amendments that suit the regimes political agenda of self perpetuation. The National Assembly’s role and function as an oversight institution has been greatly diminished because the President has unfettered power to expel from his party any member of the National Assembly. This power which hangs over the head of every APRC National Assembly Member, who constitute the majority, like the sword of Democles, prevents National Assembly from effectively performing its oversight functions.

The public service has lost its neutrality and apolitical image. Public servants particularly those in senior positions are actively engaged in partisan politics. Gambia is the only country where a civil servant is appointed a minister, a purely political office, for a month or two and then redeployed as either a permanent secretary or head of the civil service.

It is also in the Gambia that one finds a cabinet minister concurrently serving as head of the civil service. There is no distinction between party and government.

An independent judiciary is imperative in any true democracy. However the independence of the Gambian judiciary is and has been under constant threat. Judges and magistrates are removed at will without due process. The ordinary citizen has lost confidence in the ability of some judges to decide impartially in matters between the state and the ordinary citizen.

Yesterday the weak and the poor were confident that the rich and powerful will be treated with them equally in the law courts but not now. Sometimes when there is a dispute between a citizen and government or a public institution the question that is invariably asked is “who is the judge or magistrate handling the case”. This does not augur well for the rule of law and the confidence of the public in an important institution such as the judiciary. If other oversight institutions fail in their duties one can and should look only to the judiciary to compel the defaulting institutions to perform the duties assigned to them, Gambians are getting poorer by the day. The much talked about the “Gambia Vision 2020” is virtually a dead letter. Its major deficiency or set back has been its lack of vision. It has no policy package and strategies that could lead to the achievement of the objectives it sets for itself. With only ten years to go from now before 2020, we still have not seen any tangible action for the possible realization of vision 2020. The most glaring contradiction is that this supposedly major development strategy does place high premium on the agricultural sector.

Fertilizer, seed nuts and other farm inputs and implements are not easily available to the farming community and where they are available, the cost is prohibitive .The so called Back To The Land policy which I think should appropriately be called “Back To My Land” is only designed to exploit communal labour for the benefit of the promoters of this policy.

If there was any vision in Vision 2020, Gambia would by now be near self sufficient in food production; Gambia would now be processing its agricultural and horticultural produce; Gambia would by now be canning fruits and indeed processing milk.

A culture that is fast developing in the Gambia is one which for want of better words I call “the party culture”. Our young men and women are being made to believe that all that is to life is to attend musical jamborees and festivities for days and sometimes weeks to be entertained by artists from every corner of the globe. Attendances at these parties by our young people and indeed others that are not young serve to make them temporarily forget their unemployment problems, their inability to provide for themselves three square meals, or pay the bills for their children’s educational needs or meet their medical expenses.

Party militants, it is sad that our country one that we proudly call the Smiling Coast of Africa is fast becoming a major hub in drugs and drug related activities. This is an unfortunate development which washes off on Gambian nationals travelling outside the Gambia.

A few days ago, over two tones of hard drugs reportedly worth over one billion dollars (not less than 26 billion dalasi) was seized in this country. What is even more worrying is the discovery of arms when the seizure was carried out.

It is stating obvious to say that where trade in drug flourishes violence also flourishes. Unscrupulous people are taking advantage of the weakness in our drug control system as well as the lenient approach of our justice system to this global menace. You and I have a responsibility to protect our country against this menace. This will not be achieved by mere rhetoric’s. We must do more than that.

I salute Gambian women for their loyalty, steadfastness, and sense of purpose particularly those in the opposition camp. Since colonial times, women have been pivotal in politics. They have been principal “king makers”. The potentials of the Gambian women have not been fully harnessed. There is a lot of lip service about women empowerment. And much of the so called empowerment of women appears to stem not from government policy but from the personal benevolence of the president.

Women must take up their rightful places in society. It is high time that women in large numbers contest for elective offices rather than vote people into elective offices. They have the unique opportunity and indeed ability to serve as agents of change. And in this regard there is a greater honor in being part of the opposition than the ruling party particularly under the current dispensation. I must admit that there are risks in politics and the hazards in African politics tend to discourage and deter women from playing their rightful role in the political life of their countries. What had befallen some women who played and continue to play prominent role in Gambian politics provide a stark warning to other women that unless you agree to the enslavement of your mind and thinking you have no future in the political life of the Gambia. Empowerment necessarily means the ability to voice out views that are coterminous with or in opposition to current Government policy on any issue. This is what is lacking in the Gambia.

United Democratic Party believes in a change of government through the ballot box. Any election contested on a level playing field will leave all contestants happy that each of them has been given a fair chance to contest. The levelness of the playing field is not measured by only the opportunities afforded to each contestant in presenting his program and policies to the electorates. There is another factor which is important and that factor is institutional. The institution that has the responsibility and the mandate to conduct free and fair elections is the Independent Electoral Commission.

We have witnessed how in the past the executive tampered with the independence of this institution by removing its members including persons who have served as chairman without due process. The membership of the commission are selected and appointed by the president. This leaves the commission members at his mercy. A commission whose membership is drawn from civil society organizations and who cannot be removed from office without the sanction of the civil society organization to which they belong will better ensure its independence. The equitable procedure for appointment of member of the commission will be to afford opportunity to all stake holders to nominate their candidate to membership of the commission and once appointed there removal from office should be in strict conformity with the constitution. This will ensure that members of the commission will take decision and carry out their duties without fear of reprisals of any form.

As we approach the 2011 elections some of the questions we should continually ask ourselves are:-

- How transparent have government affairs been conducted?

- Is corruption on the increase or on the decline?

- Have the standard of education fallen or not?

- Do we have the required medication in hospitals and other government runs health facilities?

- What is the state of press freedom in the country?

- How viable is our tourist industry?

- Why is agricultural production low?

- Why are the farmers unable to access markets for their produce?

- Why are our lands being taken from us and given to institutions who

use them in their commercial ventures?

- How come our Head of State who is paid salary like any other salary

employer can afford to dish out millions of Dalais in a month?

- Why does our leader donate huge amounts of monies to such places as

Taiwan when our own people are hard hit by flood?

I believe the answers to some or all of these questions and others should serve as incentive for each and every Gambian to campaign against the regime.

Let me also say that this congress and other party gatherings should afford you the opportunity to critical appraise the way and manner your party is administered. You the delegates as representatives of your constituencies take the important decision of placing the affairs party in the hands of the people you elect at the congress. You must therefore continue to monitor in the interest of the Gambia how your elected officials carry on with the responsibilities entrusted to them.

This congress affords you the opportunity to make suggestions on the running of your party. This congress affords you the opportunity of tasking those you elect to run the affairs of the party to design and execute efficiently programs and activities that are time bound.

You as delegates represent the views of the constituencies you come from and you are here, I believe, convinced that the United Democratic Party your party is the party of the masses and that notwithstanding any obstacles you will take this party to victory at the next elections.

Mr. Chairman, ladies and gentlemen our party is open to work with other parties to confront the incumbent in the 2011 elections. We will however not engage in sterile academic debate or discourse. We will approach any such political working relationship with sense of realism and devotion to establishing a true democratic dispensation in which all party will operate on equal footing.

An occasion such as this cannot be organized without the necessary funding being made available to the organizers. Our supporters and sympathizers in the Diaspora as usual have played their role in funding this congress. We acknowledge with a deep sense of appreciation the contribution from the UDP Chapter UK. This Chapter was recently formed but as young as it is it is competing with older chapters in the Diaspora in terms of attending to the needs of the party. The chapters in Paris, France, New York,Washington DC area, Seattle, Washington State, North Carolina, Nashville and other parts of the United States have all provided immense financial support for the holding of this congress. The leadership of these Chapters assure me that as long as we continue with the struggle for the creation of a better and prosperous Gambia they will always give us the necessary support.

Our supporters and sympathizers in the Gambia have not been found wanting in their support to the party on this occasion. On behalf of the party I express our profound gratitude for their continued support.

Mr. Chairman, party militants I most single out for special mention three individuals in the Unites States whose personal contributions should be acknowledged.

Maimuna Ceesay the President of the Female Youth Wing of the party has donated to the party the pickup which we are currently using as utility vehicle. The shipping expenses were defrayed by herself, Musa Kanteh and Lamin Kanteh both of Anchorage Alaska. To them the united party says ABARAKA. NJARAMA, JEREJEFF,EMITEHKAPI, ANUWARI.

Our host, the people of Lower River Region, has shown again to the whole of the Gambia what they are capable of doing in hosting big political occasions. We have been provided with the best of accommodation, well fed and I am sure we will continue to be well fed until we leave this region.

The organizing committee, under the chairmanship of Dembo By-Force, in conjunction with the local organizing committee headed by Kajali Fofana, have done a splendid work. On behalf of the delegates and members of the National Executive Committee, I wish to congratulate them for a job well done and I have no doubt that if we are to organize another next week we will find no better committee than that of Dembo By-Force and his team.

I wish to congratulate also Tumbu Samateh and the entire Kiang Central Constituency on his election to the chairmanship of Lower River Region Area Committee. I have no doubt that Tumbu, the accomplished politician that he is, will live up to expectations and in 2011 lead the UDP to victory in each of the six Constituencies in Lower River Region.

Mr. Chairman and party militants let us rededicate ourselves to the cause that drove us in the first instance to espouse the ideas of our party and answer the clarion call to fight against impunity and dictatorship. Let us today rededicate ourselves to Rescuing and Reviving the Gambia. We know we can rescue and revive the Gambia.

Another Gambia, a better Gambia, a corrupt free Gambia, a drug free Gambia, a hunger free Gambia. A Gambia where the rule of law triumphs over tyranny and impunity is possible. We can make it and we should make it.

Long Live the United Democratic Party

Long Live the Republic of the Gambia

MAY GOD BLESS YOU ALL

I thank you all for your kind attention


Posted on Saturday, June 12, 2010 (Archive on Tuesday, August 31, 2010)
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