Commentary
We are all Gambians, and will remain so, and that is all that counts
.
By Mathew K Jallow, Associate Editor
The recent outbursts of often vexing, but always internecine diatribes between the two polar opposite nemesis; UDP’S unofficial representatives, and PDOIS and its Diaspora proxies, like all their previous bursts of acerbic political rhetoric, mirrors the interface of tribe and politics in our country. Half century after independence, our politics remains tarred with the historical legacy of tribal conquests that characterized the Darwinian survival instincts of our pre-colonial history. Today nonetheless, the innate fear of being labeled tribalists has compelled us to avoid interrogating the subliminal and insidiously bigotry of the tribal distinction, which is hijacking the sanity and sobriety of our politics. The pre-eminence of the insipid tribal affiliation that seems to inhere as the overriding maxim of our politics, and to some degree, the driving force of our existence, would have been an easy picking for a comedic parody had it not been the reality of the antediluvian political mindset that characterizes our sadistic reptilian nature. The absence of deftness in the protagonists’ projections of our political realities has succeeded in exposing the ridiculous arbitrariness of the bigotry and ignorance characteristic of the narrative that is driving a wedge between the fatuous and mutually destructive political rag-tags.
On the surface, it is not difficult to conjecture that the perennial drawing of samurai swords and the hate-filled baring of ghastly fangs is nothing more than the degenerate use of politics to express tribal contempt deeply embedded in the dark recesses of our subterranean consciousness. The hypocritical, if not ambivalent posturing, which stands out in sharp contrast to the protagonists’ expressed belief systems, is at once tinged with rambling effrontery and lethargic edification of self righteousness. The continued inhibition of the development of a broader political agenda for our country is largely determined by the lack of consensus relative to the substantive and meritorious issues of the day, but this divisiveness is fueled by the radical nationalist posturing that continues to engage us in a perpetual, if not futile effort at aligning power with our identified tribal interests. But, this is nothing more than an attempt to escape the reality of the post-colonial political reconstruction that in theory and practice, seeks to equalize our social and political boundaries by usurping power from the tribal hegemonic tendencies of our peoples. The senseless rants and blind demagoguery of the UDP surrogates and PDOIS proxies is a far-cry from the tamed Jeffersonian and Jacksonian intellectual discourse relative to the imperative definition of ideal democracy. Because of the nature of the rift between them, and the inorganic nature of the frivolous and contemptuous exchanges driven primarily by conceited tribal agendas, the spurious and fretfully irrelevant argumentativeness has become politically divisive beyond measure, and this divisiveness has created a jarring political abyss that may take decades to subjugate.
At the heart of the seemingly irreconcilable tribal tug-of-war, lies the destructiveness of tribal pride born of a history far removed from the reality of our existence today. Yet in spite of our history of tribal conquests and subjugation, it is hard to pin down with any accuracy, the defining historical issues that continue to drive wedges of mutual suspicion, if not of hatred, between our tribes, which in our case, is more pronounced among the three dominant tribes; Fulas, Mandinkas and Wollofs. The standoff has historically produced a political stalemate that is conquerable only by mature political sensitivity and tribal tolerance. While strides have been made in achieving tribal integration through marriages, the well founded fear of losing our unique tribal identities, and the casualty of tribal pride, often comes in the way of accepting the stabilizing forces of unions born of inter-tribal marriages. Since inter-tribal marriages are consummated at the expense of the survival of the larger tribe, resistance to it is not so much the marriages as such, but of the larger concerns for the survival of the tribe. Yet, this does not begin to explain the tribal animosities manifested in the UDP and PDOIS quandary, which is not driven by rational thinking, but by the stubborn adherence to and defense of antiquated notions of tribe.
For many of us, the defense of tribe has become second nature, in spite of its divisiveness and irrationality in the context of social cohesiveness in our country. But, for some of us who have grown out of the limitations of tribal identity, the jockeying for power and influence transcends any notions of tribal pride. There are no better examples of this higher level of social consciousness than a few of those who have reached a level of awareness many of us can only dream of. In this small club of enlightened Gambians, the names that come readily to mind include, of course, Sarjo Jallow, Fakeba Juwara, Halifa Sallah, Sweabou Touray, Sam Sarr, Sedia Jatta, Deida Hydara, Abdou Karim Sanneh, Adama Bah and a few others. This high bar of social integrity excludes Ousainou Darboe, Hamat Bah and to a degree, Omar Jallow (OJ) himself, and of course yours truly. For we have yet to reach that level of social maturation that can compel us accept the irrationality of tribal pride anchored solely on the notions of our tribal identity preference. The vitriolic and banality of the diatribes that continue to rage between PDOIS’s loose canons and UDP’s off-the-wall political stalwarts, cannot be settled politically, as it is deeply ingrained and firmly rooted in the depths of the tribal consciousness of the protagonists. We only hope that like Halifa Sallah and Sarjo Jallow, and many others, the protagonists on both sides of the acrimonious debate will reach a level of social maturation that will preclude the use of tribe as the barometer to define the larger interest of society. For like it or not; and for better or for worst, we now share a common identity that has nothing to do with tribe. We are all Gambians, and we will forever remain so, regardless of the delusional thinking of some Gambians. In the end, that is all what counts anyway.
Send comments and ideas: editormj@thegambiaecho.com