Africa-Press – Gambia. Alhagie Mamadi Kurang, a former independent presidential aspirant who later endorsed The People’s Democratic Organisation For Independence and Socialism PDOIS, has opined that veteran leader Halifa Sallah step aside.
Following the 2021 presidential elections Mr Sallah had said he would not make himself available for elections again, as a presidential candidate. However in recent days, there have been speculations that he may come back ‘by popular demand’. Mr Sallah himself told over the weekend that those who desire for him to come back would have two possibilities- either he comes back or someone he backs will come.
However, according to Kurang, who holds no official position in the party, he would not support any possible comeback for Halifa because PDOIS has a lot of capable individuals best suited to lead the party, for example, the likes of Wuli West NAM Suwaibou Touray.”
“Halifa has a right to contest but he does not have my support. I think he should just hand it over to Suwaibou Touray who is an intelligent man,” Kurang said in a panel discussion on Eye Africa TV.
He however acknowledged that such a decision is vested only in the party’s congress.
But according to Kurang during the party’s congress, PDOIS militants had sought clarification from Sallah about his resignation from active politics with the veteran politician responding that he was going to leave after his term expired in two years’ time. He said some of the militants welcomed that declaration as it will give time to the party to prepare a successor.
“After that congress I did not hear anything about this until Halifa granted an interview to QTV and was asked about people suggesting he should come back. Then Sidia came and said if the people want Halifa..etc. etc, So they are no longer speaking for PDOIS because PDOIS already had a congress,” Kurang stated.
He said the problem in PDOIS goes beyond whether Halifa will continue or not but a number of internal issues including the party’s “lack of spark.”
“After the presidential and parliamentary elections, we had an assessment to see what the problem was. Some said the party did not do what it needed to do while others said Gambians are sentimental in voting and because of that they did not vote for us. But I stood up and told them not to say Gambians have not woken up. This country went through an apartheid where people of Banjul and its surroundings were the only people who could vote in elections but the people got up and formed the PPP and got universal adult suffrage. So you cannot tell the people that they are not aware when they did that in 1959,” Kurang said.
He said PDOIS may not push much political weight as long as it “surrounds itself with this ideology that we know more than the people. ‘An opposition is a government in waiting and it must therefore reflect a government.’ If we say we don’t want Barrow and the system has to change, then we must show the people that we are ready to replace Barrow,” he said.
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