By Demba Bah.
Sidia Jatta, the honourable National Assembly Member for Wulli West and Chairman of PDOIS said campaign is about contending manifestos. He said this during the rolling out of the PDOIS’ manifesto at the Penchi Mi hall, Paradise Suites Hotel on Sunday, the 7th of November 2021. It was also an event which was dedicated to all Gambia students who themselves graced the occasion with enthusiasm. Hon. Jatta reminded the gathering that:
“We are gathered here this evening for an important task; important in two fundamental respects. Legally, a presidential candidate has to have a manifesto. This is required because there may be many contending candidates. The other fundamental requirement is; each of these candidates has to articulate to the people of this republic what he or she would do to change their lives. That manifesto must contain that. It must be made accessible to the people for them to make up their minds as to who to entrust with the responsibility of running the affairs of this country for the next five years.”
So campaign (in this regard), he said is precisely about contending manifestos. It is about talking to the people about what you intend to do. How do you want to run the affairs of the country in the next five years in the supreme interest of the people and under their authority?
Sidia explains:
“Those who cast their votes are those who own this country and are those who own the authority and the voice of this country. Anybody they entrust that responsibility to, is and should be under their control. If you do not have that, then you have a very sad situation where you may have an autocrat or a dictator who does things according what he or she wants and in his or her own interest.”
He tasked supporters, sympathisers, particularly militants, to read, understand and become apt in making the Transformative Agenda (manifesto) accessible to the people before they can make up their mind as to who to vote for on the 4th of December, 2021.
Sidia referred to the historical records by saying that, for the last fifty-six years we have been voting every five years. For these fifty-six years we have never succeeded in establishing a republic worth living in. The time has come for change. The time has come that we change that situation and that is the key salient aspect of the Transformative Agenda – Change, System Change.
