By Mathew K Jallow
It seemed as much an expression of frustration as it was of concern. But Dr. Momodou Lamin Sedat Jobe was adamant. “If this struggle is to make any progress we need leadership,” says the former director of UNESCO’s division of culture and erstwhile Gambian Minister of Foreign Affairs under the regime of Yahya Jammeh. Dr. Jobe’s statement came on the heels of the recently established Raleign Steering Committee and Omar Jallow’s (OJ) much publicized rejection of any portfolio in the Steering Committee as constituted. But that is only part of the story. Dr Jobe, while praising both the rationale for Raleigh and the event itself, is equally concerned about the possible proliferation of even more organizations.
The central point of Dr Sedat Jobe’s argument concerns the emergence of new organizations, yet his specific focus is on how Gambia can move forward, provides a breakthrough in preempting any possible future leadership impasse. “I declined to be a part of the Raleigh Steering Committee mainly because I believe we need a structure where the person with the most political clout deserves to lead the growing struggle for political change,” says Dr. Jobe. Speaking from Paris, Dr Sedat Jobe was borderline sermonical and certainly didactic in declaring that the sincerity of the political struggle for liberation is best articulated by Gambians coalescing around the person who won the last presidential elections; Hon Ousainou Darboe. Dr. Jobe concedes that Hon Ousainou Darboe is the only person with the political capital lead h struggle; adding that Hon. Darboe’s impressionable modesty and sincerity of purpose are the true characters of a leader. Driving home his point, the sagacious Dr. Jobe advised that to ensure a smooth post Yahya Jammeh transition, Gambians must coalesce around Hon. Ousainou Darboe’s leadership now as it will save the country unnecessary jockeying for leadership positions later.
Dr Sedat Jobe’s apprehension about a divided future is highlighted by admitting that post Yahya Jammeh Gambia will not be politics as usual, and selecting Hon Ousainou Darboe as leader now will guarantee us a struggle-free post Yahya Jammeh power transition. In agreeing with the position held by the Gambia Consultative Council (GCC) Dr Jobe agreed he too is in favor of a liberation struggle with leadership that commands respect and acceptance at the international level. “Hon Ousainou Darboe, internationally renowned as the leader of the main opposition, can easily lead an equally illustrious delegation to anywhere in the globe and gain unequivocal acceptance and recognition,” Dr Jobe said. And to the extent that the struggle for freedom is in a bit of a disarray, the GCC shares Dr Jobe’s sentiments. The need to concentrate authority in the hands of a select few, headed by the leader of Gambia’s largest opposition, makes sense in many ways. The selection Hon Ousainou Darboe to head an Executive Committee consisting of a limited number of Gambians with resumes that appeal to the sentiments of institutions and governments around the globe, will respond to both the issue of legitimacy as well as the struggle’s seriousness in resolving the perennial crisis of leadership. As it is, the deficiency of the Raleigh Steering Committee is manifesting in organizations with tactical and strategic differences. Dr Sedat Jobe’s point of creating a Committee that is limited, and led by Gambians of repute headed by Hon Ousainou Darboe, is the saving grace of a struggle that seems to increasingly slide into acrimonious divisions. This opinion of a high-profile member of the dissident community vindicates GCC’s insistence on a leadership of ten or less with intellectual depth and experience acceptable to a deeply status conscious international community. As Dr Momodou Sedat Jobe’s politically pedantic sermon admonishes; “unless we unify now, we may continue to put roadblocks to success.” And the GCC’s coordinator, Mathew K Jallow, shares Dr. Momodou Lamin Sedat Jobe’s sentiments.