SEEDY SK NJIE: A WISE POLITICIAN

Seedy SK Njie is one of the famous and arguably one of the greatest politicians in the history of Gambian politics. It is clearly evident that many Gambians despise him mainly due to his stands in the aftermath of December 1^st 2016 presidential election.  He robustly stood beside the former president, Yaya AJJ Jammeh, and defended him to the last dot of his presidency. Seedy, despite his age, had served as an executive member of the APRC party for 11 years and as a nominated Member of Parliament for 10 years. Seedy’s role during the impasse elevated him to a ministerial position as Minister of Information which equally earned him a lot of hatred.

 Through a holistic analysis about Seedy Njie, I found him to be a very astute politician. He is intelligent and eloquent. Mr. Njie demonstrates that he can comfortably survive under any political dispensation. One could conclude that Seedy’s political life was doomed after the fall of Jammeh; but he has shown a character of resilience which enables him to maneuver a difficult moment of his political history. He is able to penetrate the hurdles and finds his way to his current destination.

Seedy’s intelligence makes him to appreciate the reality of the day; as it is crucial and part of wisdom for one to adjust to the reality of the day.  Seedy knows what he wants and pursues them with determination. Despite the robust public backlash against him, he consistently paves his way in establishing himself in the political limelight.

Many argue that he is not honest as he supported Jammeh for many years and stood by him during a crucial and difficult moment for the country (the political impasse). He was also one of those who fought tooth and nail for Jammeh to stay in power, and now turned to be one of the strongest outspoken supporters of HE President Adama Barrow after quitting the APRC.

I acutely submit that, in respect to the nature and the current system of our politics can’t be considered as worship; therefore, if one wants to be closer to Allah the Exalted He, the current phenomenon of politics is certainly not the right option. Politics of today is heavily anchored on interests. It is no secret that our key political players advance their interests first before that of the nation. Thus, to my humble opinion; Seedy should not be blamed or scorned for pursuing his interest in this respect. Of course, he is not a degree holder in politics, but irrefutably a great and a wise politician. Many could not have bounced back like Seedy from that political impasse. He was in the core of the previous dispensation and able to find his way to the gardens of the current one. Few could have politically survived what he survived, managed and coped with.

It is not part of wisdom to distance yourself from what belongs to you because of your despise for someone whom you think should not be part of the equation. Politicians do not have permanent friends in politics but permanent interest. No wise politician rejects anyone especially an influential figure because he previously opposed him. In politics, numbers matter a lot, therefore politicians do many things to increase their support base. Thus they should not be blamed for accommodating their previous political opponents.

WHERE WERE YOU? A CHALLENGE TO GAMBIAN INTELLECTUALS

“Where were you?” has been obviously the question of the year. Many people give their opinions and interpretations about the statement. The opinions and interpretations vary; seemingly the majority condemns it. But in another way around, it is a huge challenge to the intellectuals to prove themselves. It is constantly perceived that the intellectuals have the know-how to effectively and efficiently steer the affairs of the country. But to my humble opinion, they fail to do what they got to do in establishing their presence in the political arena. The majority of the intellectuals therefore, fall their hands in respect to the political struggles and became merely spectators, which makes them scramble for employment from those perceived of lacking the intellectual pedigree to direct the affairs of the state.  

“Where were you?” when the clueless had the foresight, courage and determination with the support of others to bravely stand against a leader who was believed to be feared by many.  The majority of our intellectuals only manifest their support where they expect to gain employment not where the interests of the masses lie.  They should be ready to get into the geneses of politics; either to join political parties or form new ones in order to establish credibility for themselves, not to wait in the corridors of the game; only to be given food on a silver plate.

Laurent Gbagbo   of Ivory Coast was a history professor and a member of the National Trade Union of Research and Higher Education, who formed a small political party called Ivorian Popular Front (FPI) in 1982. He contested and won a seat in a parliamentary election in 1990. He later became the president of Ivory Coast from 2000 to 2011. He has shown his intellectualism not only in the classrooms, conferences and interviews, but practically in the political arena as well. It is relatively easy to articulate big ideas on different platforms, but implementing them is another issue.

Thus I sincerely salute intellectuals like Sedia Jatta, Halifa Sallah, Lawyer Ousainou Darboe, Femi Peters, Mai Ahmad Fatty and others, who sacrificed a lot and used their intellects in the struggle of the emancipation.  They contributed immensely in creating political awareness among Gambians to gain the freedom we all enjoy today. They could have patronized the previous dispensation and lived a relatively better, but may be a selfish life.