FOROYAA Newspaper (Serrekunda)
Publisher
26 June 2009
In his reaction to the situation in Guinea Bissau President Jammeh has called upon all the contending forces to think of the interest of the people of Guinea Bissau, surmount all tribal differences, carry out a peaceful campaign and accept the outcome of the elections.
Gambia has something to teach and something to learn from Guinea Bissau.
In Guinea Bissau Cabral warned before the triumph of the struggle for self determination that tendencies of corruption were emerging which could be destructive to Guinea Bissau. He observed that those in position of responsibility were starting to flee from responsibilities and had begun enjoying themselves. "Instead of advancing by studying more, learning more, they lagged behind through idleness and vice." It is clear that the battle against such weaknesses had not been won. Hence the attainment of Independence was followed by political and military interventions which have reduced the country to one of the most unstable places on the continent. A military coup took place in 1980, just six years after Independence, brought General Vieira into office as a military ruler. Various attempts were made to silence opposition and uproot rivals until the general drive for elected governments gave rise to elections in Guinea Bissau in 1994. President Vieira was declared winner and he remained in office up to May 1999 when he was removed. A transitional Government was established up to 2000 when President Kumba Yala took over after winning an election. The murder of General Ansumana Manneh was the key tragedy of the Kumba Yala administration. This created a big rift in the armed forces of Guinea Bissau which is still waiting to be resolved. Contradiction between the arms of the state, especially the Executive and the Legislature gave rise to political tension, which led the army to intervene again thus leading to the ousting of President Kumba Yala in September 2003 after staying in office for three years. An interim administration under the leadership of Henrique Rosa was sworn in which remained in office until Presidential election was held in 2005 which brought President Vieira into office. President Vieira's second coming should have led him to be a unifying force who would maintain a government designed to build instruments, institutions and a system of government adhering to the standards of best practice. He could have chosen to be in office just for two or three years to rectify all the mistakes of the past.
Unfortunately, the old hostilities remained. This led to the murder of the Chief of Staff and his assassination in March 2009.
Hence it is clear that Guinea Bissau has weak democratic institutions and under-developed democratic culture which has made it almost customary for the military to intervene to create an environment for democratic political successions because of the lack of commitment to democratic principles by successive civilian governments. This vacuum in the building of democratic instruments, institutions and normative practices must be filled to prevent crisis in Guinea Bissau.
In the Gambia, efforts are being made to build a political culture around the Coup d'etat of 1994 instead of 24 April when the country became a sovereign Republic. An anthem is even being prepared to mark the day when power was taken through the barrel of a gun instead of deriving its legitimate owners by consent.
Even though elections are two years away some are building up programmes tending towards the promotion of life presidency. History is however watching and recording. There are those who want to make the day of a coup, when all Gambian were deprived of political rights and transformed into subjects under Decree Nos One and Four, more important than the day of the Republic when each Gambian became equal in being a sovereign owner of the country who possesses equal rights to determine the manner of government of the country. A genuine multi party system is the road to peace, stability and development.
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