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Message: [QUOTE="Nehanda, post: 23604, member: 2262"] Alhaji Kalilu Singhateh, a key figure in Gambian politics, died Sunday in Banjul at age 90. He came from a noble family and rose from a clerk job to serve in the cabinet and at UNESCO. He studied at Armitage School and later worked as an audit clerk. In 1962, he joined politics with the Peoples Progressive Party (PPP) and won an election in Lower Badibu. He helped build the PPP into a party that welcomed all groups, even though it started small. His career grew fast. He moved up from a regular member to an important role in parliament and later joined the cabinet. He then had a successful time working at UNESCO. In his first election, he beat two other candidates with 2,857 votes. He spoke up against white rule in South Africa and Rhodesia. He and Paul Baldeh pushed for ties with China and Russia instead of Britain. Their leader, Sir Dawda, did not agree, but the press liked what Singhateh said. His bold views made Sir Dawda give him cabinet jobs to keep him quiet. Singhateh stayed loyal to Sir Dawda. He turned down chances to join others who left the party in 1968 and 1975. People say he told Sir Dawda when S.M. Dibba planned to start a new party. He helped make big choices for the country. In 1964, he went to London with other leaders to talk about making The Gambia free from British rule. This meeting showed how much these leaders cared about doing things the right way. He won more elections in 1966 and 1972. From 1968 to 1972, he led the education ministry, and then he ran the health and labor ministries. People respected him as a leader. But in 1977, he lost his seat after he stopped a workers' group from operating. Some say he lost because dock workers voted against him. He says his own family and party worked to defeat him. After leaving the cabinet, he worked at UNESCO as an adviser to Director General Amadou Muctarh Mbow. In his later years, he shared his knowledge about Gambian politics with many people. He wanted to write about his life story. His death marks the end of an era. Leaders like him may not have had fancy degrees, but they had wisdom. They helped make The Gambia strong and peaceful. [/QUOTE]

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