By Kejau Touray

By Kejau Touray, University of Liverpool

Alleviating Poverty

The Central Committee of the People’s Democratic Organisation for Independence and Socialism (PDOIS), had earlier informed the general public, that since the December 1st democratic change was meant to bring about a transitional state that would give Gambia a new start, and all Gambians the opportunity to take ownership of their country irrespective of party affiliation, has mandated its ward and regional Committees to select their candidates and hold consensus building initiatives or primaries where more than one person applies for candidature.

Let me agree with Mathew Jallow when he said that UDP and PDOIS are fundamentally different in style but I want to add that they are different in every other way.

According to Prof. PLO Lumumba, “parties that rely on the support of an ethnic group are not really parties but mob groups”. And I say “Any party which does not have an ideology that it could rely on to mobilize its supporters but relies solely on trumpeting ethnic sentiments is a mob and UDP is precisely such a mob.”

The Gambia was regarded as one of the most democratic country in Africa since the tiny nation attained her independence from British Imperialism in 1965. The Gambia under Jawara’s 30 years was not impressive. For three decades Jawara could not provide us good roads, medical facilities, recreational centers, university and our economy was badly weaken.