Gambia: PDOIS Not Contesting With Any Political Party - Halifah

26 April 2023
The Point (Banjul)
By Battor Ceesay And Ali Jaw

Halifah Sallah, the secretary general of the People's Democratic Organisation for Independence and Socialism (PDOIS) says the party is not contesting with any political party in The Gambia but rather aiming to win the hearts and minds of Gambians.

"We started it together; we will end it together and start a new beginning together. There will be no break in this national conversation that we have initiated to ensure that the Gambian people take charge of their destiny. To us it is a journey towards our better selves and a better country, a country fit for us to call our own," Mr Sallah said at a press conference on Thursday held at the PDOIS Bureau in Churchill's Town.

The veteran politician and former Gambian lawmaker explained that the local government elections are a very significant exercise that aims to involve the people at the grassroots level in governance, delving even further to elaborate that it is the reason for having village and ward development committees just elected officials.

"To us, it is a duty to serve. To do so, we must create association, political association, and the associations are designed to prepare people, to put them up for public service."

"We are not coming to you to talk about success or failure, victory or failure. PDOIS is not contesting with any other political party in this country. Our candidates are not contesting with any other candidate in this country. What we aim to do is to win the hearts and minds of the Gambian people and accept any responsibility bestowed on us to serve them."

The Gambian statesman argued that election is not a contest, but a process of seeking a mandate to serve the masses.

"Just like somebody will go to the public service commission, with all your certificates, and say, 'I want this job.' Another person will be sitting, and another person will be sitting, all qualified. There is nothing in-betweens those people who are seeking the job. It is left to the public service commission to select one and say, 'Serve the nation."'

"That does not mean that those people who are there seeking the job had anything wrong with them in character or knowledge. That is the essence, that all these parties, all these individuals had prepared people who would be candidates to be ready to serve the Gambian people," Mr Sallah explained.

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