A political party is
defined as an organised group of people with at least roughly
similar political aims and opinions, that seeks to influence public
policy by getting its candidates elected to public office.
Parties tend to be deeply and
durably entrenched in specific substructures of society in a sustainable and well-functioning
democracy. They can link the governmental institutions to the elements of the
civil society in a free and fair society and are regarded as necessary for the
functioning of any modern democratic political system.
The Gambia Moral Congress (GMC)
was founded by Mai Ahmad Fatty in 2009.The motto of the party is People Power
for Human Rights and Economic Justice. The GMC was part of the Coalition 2016
presidential election, where Adama Barrow was declared the coalition's candidate
and subsequently won. Mai Fatty served as the Interior Minister for nine months
before being consumed by the law on a Friday.
The last time I checked a
political party is a group of people who come together to contest elections and
hold power in the government. The party agrees on some proposed policies and
programmes, with a view to promoting the collective good or furthering their
supporters' interests.
While there is some international
commonality in the way political parties are recognized, and in how they
operate, there are often many differences, and some are significant. Many
political parties have an ideological core, but some do not, and many represent
ideologies very different from their ideology at the time the party was
founded.
The question one might be quick
to ask will be is GMC a political Party? Or a party made up in thin air during
the night where everyone is highly intoxicated? If so then the leadership of
the said party need to make a hay while the sun shine as it is not the way its
aims will be achieved.
The party don’t have
representative in the parliament and at the council level. Such representative
are so important because they are so close to the voter. The Member of
Parliament and the councilors are responsible for motivating the electorate to
vote for an entire slate of candidates, from the councillorship, parliamentary
board all the way up to the Presidential. It is involved in all aspects of
campaigning, from fundraising to getting out the vote. In order to build a
strong national political party.
Political parties are often
described as institutionalized mediators between civil society and those who
decide and implement decisions. As such, they enable their members’ and
supporters’ demands to be addressed in parliament and in government. Even
though parties fulfil many vital roles and perform several functions in a
democratic society, the nomination and presentation of candidates in the
electoral campaign is the most visible function to the electorate.
It is believed that if you plan
on motivating your members and local leaders, you must be in constant
communication with them. Luckily, this is easier than ever. Establish an e-mail
mailing list and e-newsletter that you send out regularly. Keep one list of
activists and another of more passive members, and use it to spread your
message, organize events, and keep your political party motivated for a small
fraction of what a traditional snail mail newsletter would cost.
It is clear that there are
tensions within political parties over how they relate to their young members
and the way that young members want to do politics. The membership of young
people in political parties should be seen as positive both in terms of
providing opportunities to encourage active life-long forms of citizenship and
also strengthening democracy by making their voices heard. However there is
urgent need for a review of the terms of party membership offered to young
people, particularly regarding opportunities within political parties offered
to younger members, and the organisational relationships between youth wings
and the main parties.
In another note the problem that
often plagues party leaders is a refusal to delegate. Often, the qualities that
make a good political leader, such as confidence and specific know-how, also
make a poor delegator. In order to strengthen your political party, it is
imperative to delegate. In order to increase the role your political party
plays in the local community, encourage your members to build
mini-organizations on their own, under the umbrella of the GMC Party.
Saidina Alieu Jarjou
Political Activist
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