Wednesday, 5 September, 2007 22:36:38Subject: Re: WHY IS PDOIS OR NADD MISUNDERSTOOD
This is a reply to Suntou from Halifa Sallah. Jow, Interesting !! can you forward this message to Suntu either in private or through the L as you think properHalifa
My dear Suntu, You appear to be a man of conscience and religion is basically about faith and conscience. Stand firm on your own moral ground and seek for inspiration that is capable of moving you further towards your better self. I will share my thoughts on the subject in a constructive and inspiring way when time permits. However, I would like to inform you that farmers in Wuli are more enlightened on the subject of PDOIS and religion than the people you are alluding to.
The danger for PDOIS has not been the allegation you mentioned. Our approach to civic education had led people to say that we were preachers on a moral crusade rather than politicians seeking political office.I admit that at the beginning some people in the PPP did try to associate PDOIS with the aim to destroy mosques and put an end to marriage life .We used to share hearty laughter with the farmers when we asked them to quantify the number of Muslims and married couples in the country and then reason whether few PDOIS leaders, who want to win a subsequent election, would be capable of using force to destroy all the mosques and churches and dissolve all marriages in the Gambia and still turn to the people again to seek their mandate to rule.
We also used to ask where PDOIS will get the security men without faith and loved ones to impose the dictatorship of the unmarried and the faithless on those who have faith and marital partners in a society which claims to be 95 per cent Muslims and 4 per cent Christians. In all cases, the farmers would become impatient with such ridiculous allegations and urge us to go on with our sensitisation and forget what they often describe as foolish comments. I assure you that when I have the time to clarify issues your inspiration will increase a thousand fold. I want to assure you that PDOIS is not misunderstood. PDOIS’s messages are in booklets and cassettes and the fact that some of us refuse to accept posts in a government taken by force does not make our practice reconcilable with any Patriarchal or despotic regime.
What never cease to amaze me is that most Gambians subscribe to the view that the country should have a multi party political system yet few take the time to study and compare the principles, policies, programmes and practices of the different parties to make informed choices. Most of our people find themselves sleeping on grass mattresses infected with lice and bed bugs and sharing water with the larvae. They wear tattered clothes and shoes. Many of us are still proud to carry Avian water bottles to the countryside for fear that drinking water from the jars will lead to all sorts of infections.
The way forward to put and end to this state of destitution, degradation and ignorance should occupy the minds ofGambians whenever we meet. What political parties say and do to address the deficit in liberty and prosperity in the country should constitute meaningful political discourse. Halifa
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