Editor’s Note: Dr. Owl famously remarked that "Biting is bad for the teeth". So it is that when we recently came across a good "Bite" from the POINT we took permission to reprint it. As you may have read in the Daily Observer, we did, like the POINT, assume that Waa had joined the APRC – hence the same assumption is in the piece below. So here it is, esteemedreaders, for your enjoyment – it is a mature POINT!

Courtesy of the POINT Newspaper.

Everyone’s A Winner!

Mr. Lamin Waa Juwara’s recently announced decision to defect to the APRC has many people talking. The leader of the opposition National Democratic Alliance Movement (NDAM) party declared his preparedness to join the APRC party last Sunday at a mass political rally held in the village of Katamina, Niamina West, Central River Region, as part of President Jammeh’s Dialogue with the People tour.People will of course tend to have their own opinions with regard to the motivation behind the momentous decision, as is their right in a democracy where free speech and freedom of expression are the order of the day. Perhaps the most interesting comments have been made by Femi Peters, Campaign Manager of the main opposition United Democratic Party.

He asserted that Lamin Waa Juwara is a Gambian and, like any other Gambian, he has the every right to belong to any political party of his choice. According to the UDP Campaign Manager, people should respect Mr Juwara’s right no matter what. "I want to put it very clearly that Waa Juwara is a Gambian like anyone of us and he has the right to belong to any political party of his choice," he said.

For his part Mr. Henry Gomez, leader of GPDP, had this to say: "I accepted Waa Juwara’s opinion. He has the constitutional right to belong to any political party of his choice."

These comments show an extreme political maturity on the part of the opposition and bode well for the future democracy of The Gambia. It is well known that Lamin Waa Juwara has long held the reputation for being among the most open and articulate critics of President Jammeh. So there is no doubt he went through an enormous amount of soul searching before embarking on such a radical shift in his political outlook. To make a political U-turn of this magnitude in public is a brave thing in itself and for this Mr. Juwara must in some way be admired.

Many people would rather drop out of politics altogether rather than be seen to so radically recant their deeply held political beliefs. To president Jammeh and the APRC we say well done on the effective horse trading it must have taken to land such a high profile scalp. To the opposition we say congratulations on your political maturity in accepting the defection and to Mr. Juwara we say best of luck in your new job as nominated councilor on the Brikama Area council.

Veteran Niamina politician and leader of NDAM party, Lamin Waa Juwara, has spoken of his desire to engage the country’s opposition to join hands with the goverment for the sake of national reconciliation and development.

Speaking at the APRC victory celebration rally in Brikama last Saturday, Juwara said that he will meet with the opposition [parties] on that issue, because President Jammeh is the legitimate president of The Gambia.

“The opposition then have all agreed to work with whoever won the election in a free and fair manner. This is what exactly happened and they have to honour  it.”

From now on, I would like the opposition to be present at all state functions to make the country a shining example. They have to agree to my request. They cannot escape me or else they call it quits with politics,” he concluded.

Still leader of NDAM!

In a point of clarification with the Daily Observer managing director, Mr Juwara emphasised that he is still a member of NDAM. What he wants is for all the opposition parties and the APRC governing party to work together for national reconciliation and development.

Waa emphasised that this was contained in the Memorandum of Understanding signed by all parties under the guidance of former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo in 2006. The MoU obligated all Gambians and all parties to work together for national reconciliation and developmen. The Daily Observer heartly welcomes Waa as a fellow-supporter of the government, and apologises for any error in our story last week. We are happy to publish this clarification.

Mr. Lamin Waa Juwara, leader of National Democratic Alliance Movement (NDAM), has clarified that his link with the ruling APRC party is not a defection but to work in close collaboration for the interest of the country.

Speaking at a mass victory celebration in Brikama on Saturday as the President’s Dialogue with the People tour continued, Mr. Juwara called on all those in the opposition to overlook their respective distinctions and collaborate with the ruling party in the interest of The Gambia.

“What I am after is to have the whole country reconciled. To see to it that whatever difference is between us, is forgotten and become one,” he remarked.

“I am calling on the entire opposition to put The Gambia first before anything else,” he said, adding that the current government is everybody’s government and Yahya Jammeh is every Gambian’s President.

He expressed his expectation that in a year from now, the opposition would be gracing such state functions as the President’s Dialogue with the Peoples’ tour. He revealed that in furtherance of the goal he would take it upon himself to discuss the idea with all the opposition leaders in the country.

According to Mr. Juwara, the Memorandum of Understanding signed by all political party leaders in the country stiplates that whenever free and fair elections are held, the winner becomes the President of all and maintained that the MOU should be put into effect. 

It could be recalled that Mr Lamin Waa Juwara, who has until recent times been reputed for being one of the most implacable critics of President Jammeh’s regime, declared his preparedness to join the APRC party recently at a mass political rally held in the village of Katamina, Niamina West, during President Jammeh’s Dialogue with the Peoples’ tour.

Waa Juwara had first served as the Propaganda Secretary of the main opposition United Democratic Party (UDP) for years before breaking away to form NDAM.

Meanwhile, Ya Fatou Sonko, a staunch militant of United Democratic Party on Saturday declared her defection to the ruling APRC at the victory celebration in Brikama.

Mr. Lamin Waa Juwara’s recently announced decision to defect to the APRC has many people talking. The leader of the opposition National Democratic Alliance Movement (NDAM) party declared his preparedness to join the APRC party last Sunday at a mass political rally held in the village of Katamina, Niamina West, Central River Region, as part of President Jammeh’s Dialogue with the People tour.People will of course tend to have their own opinions with regard to the motivation behind the momentous decision, as is their right in a democracy where free speech and freedom of expression are the order of the day. Perhaps the most interesting comments have been made by Femi Peters, Campaign Manager of the main opposition United Democratic Party.

He asserted that Lamin Waa Juwara is a Gambian and, like any other Gambian, he has the every right to belong to any political party of his choice. According to the UDP Campaign Manager, people should respect Mr Juwara’s right no matter what. “I want to put it very clearly that Waa Juwara is a Gambian like anyone of us and he has the right to belong to any political party of his choice,” he said.

For his part Mr. Henry Gomez, leader of GPDP, had this to say: “I accepted Waa Juwara’s opinion. He has the constitutional right to belong to any political party of his choice.”

These comments show an extreme political maturity on the part of the opposition and bode well for the future democracy of The Gambia. It is well known that

Lamin Waa Juwara has long held the reputation for being among the most open and articulate critics of president Jammeh so there is no doubt he went through an enormous amount of soul searching before embarking on such a radical shift in his political outlook. To make a political U-turn of this magnitude in public is a brave thing in itself and for this Mr. Juwara must in some way be admired. Many people would rather drop out of politics altogether rather than be seen to so radically recant their deeply held political beliefs. To president Jammeh and the APRC we say well done on the effective horse trading it must have taken to land such a high profile scalp. To the opposition we say congratulations on your political maturity in accepting the defection and to Mr. Juwara we say best of luck in your new job as nominated councilor on the Brikama Area council.

Reliable reports reaching the Daily Observer, have revealed that Lamin Waa Juwara, leader of the opposition NDAM party and member of the outgoing interim management committee of Brikama Area Council which served for three months, has been made a nominated councilor at the Brikama Area Ccouncil.. Juwara was nominated with three other prominent personalities in APRC in Western Region. Nominating individuals as councilors to add up to those elected to serve in local councils is a requirement in the Local Government Act of 2002.

According to reports, the three other nominated councilors are : Aja Ndey Jatta, APRC Western Region Womens Mobiliser, Chief Bakary Badjie of Foni Bondali and Lamin Kassama a youth representative.

Brikama Area Council consists of 24 elected ward councilors and four nominated members, bringing the number to 28. All of them are expected to take the oath of office at the BAC chambers today at 10am to assume their four year term of office.

Since the direct election of Chairmen for Area Councils in the country have been abolished by the recent amendment to the local government act ,the councilors are expected to elected a chairman among themselves today shortly after taking the oath of office to steer the affairs of the council for the next four years.

Aready, three councilors namely Alhaji Bolong BLK Jatta of Busumbala Ward, Lamin Haja Bojang of Nyambai Ward and Sunkary Badjie of Somita Ward are reportedly vying for the chairmanship position. Reports say that there is no clear favourite, but Alhaji Bolong BLK Jatta seems to carry more weight than the other two based on his vast experience in the public service.