PDOIS Calls on Jammeh to Resign

In a swift and uncompromising statement the opposition PDOIS party Secretary General, Halifa Sallah, has called on President Yahya Jammeh and cohorts to resign from power by allowing other progressive citizens to lead The Gambia.

Mr. Sallah , who was assertive in his approach also invited the president, cabinet ministers and members of parliament to initiate an open debate on the state-owned Gambia Radio and Television Services (GRTS), in the   run up to November 24 presidential election.
 “My invitation to the President and his government is open. They can choose their venue, time and topic on issues of national interest to be shown on the national television,” Sallah a long time critic of Jammeh’s government since 1994 told cheering party supporters in the commercial town of Serekunda.

Bad governance

The revered politician cum sociologist for People’s Democratic Organization for Independence and Socialism (PDOIS) said the sorry state of Gambian economy, collapsed of parastatals, the abrupt bankruptcy of The Gambia Public Transport Cooperation (GPTC), collapsed of businesses and development projects are all cues for bad governances system.
Mr. Sallah said the country has a loan amounting to D 22 billion, expecting to graduate over 300,000 students from senior schools each year to join the growing numbers of unemployed youth roaming the streets with little hope for job opportunities.

Position on opposition coalition

Sallah said the PDOIS party recommended opposition parties to select 10 delegates from each of the seven electoral regions to attend a convention to elect an opposition candidate for 24 November polls.
However, PDOIS suggestion for convention was rubbished by adversary political parties as inconvincible and unacceptable, resulting to the disintegration and cancellation of united opposition front ahead of the November general election.
He revealed that the recommendation stated that all opposition parties would approved a list of wise men and women to participate as delegates and the delegates would then elect one candidate by secret ballot.
The convention proposes the taking of oath and by the oath undertaken to serve only one term, in order to rectify all the major shortcomings of the present order and then hand over to a democratically elected presidential candidate.
 
“The local and international media and other important institutions in Africa and abroad would give coverage to the convention and provide enough publicity to the candidate nationally and internationally,” he said.