By Omar Bah
Following his invitation to and participation in the Democratic National Convention (DNC), from 19 to 22 August 2024, in Chicago, which culminated in the historic nomination of Kamala Harris as the presidential candidate of the US Democratic Party, main opposition UDP leader Ousainu Darboe travelled to Atlanta to grace his party’s townhall meeting.
The townhall meeting brought together UDP militants and supporters as well as the wider Gambian community within the Atlanta metropolitan area, regardless of party affiliation. It afforded the Gambian community an opportunity to engage in an open discussion on a wide range of issues that impact The Gambia, particularly with respect to the current political, economic and socio-cultural environment prevailing in the country.
The UDP Atlanta Chapter expressed delight at the honour bestowed on them and their event through the attendance of Mr Darboe, accompanied by the Mayor of Banjul, Rohey Malick Lowe and the chairman of the UDP Diaspora, Lamin Mboge Saidykhan.
The townhall, organised around the election of the Chapter’s new executive, also raised $20,000 and bring together the wider Gambian community, representing diverse political views. The attendance interacted with the UDP leader and prominent party members. They asked questions on the areas of concern to diasporan Gambians representing views and affiliations across the entire national political spectrum.
According to the UDP deputy secretary external affairs, Lamin Manneh, these questions and the responses of the UDP leader were characterised by courtesy and insightfulness. “These exchanges demonstrated that in spite of our strong political views, which could be divergent and, sometimes, very passionate, we should and we can talk to each other courteously, thanks to our shared Gambian values of good neighbourliness and mutual respect, regardless of our political, social, cultural and/or ethnic differences,” he said, adding that the UDP will always avail itself of such opportunities and gatherings within and outside of the country, to foster a more unified Gambia, steeped in the desire for the common good.
“We seek to widen the political tent and convince Gambians that we can and must thread the path of unity. We must turn our backs on the divisive politics of the Barrow administration, which seeks to stoke political, ethnic, regional and religious tensions among Gambians. That is their way of deflecting attention from their all-too-evident failures,” he said.
Manneh added: “Conversely, the UDP will continue to advocate for political moderation and inclusiveness, without compromising on our resolute determination to fight corruption, mismanagement and hate speech. Our country is in a very difficult government-induced economic situation but the UDP wants Gambians to know that there is hope and all is not lost. Indeed, we can turn this economic hardship around if we replace this corrupt and insensitive administration with a virtuous, caring and capable UDP government in 2026.”
“We look forward to similar events in the future, in The Gambia and in the diaspora, as we strive to usher in a better Gambia to remedy the glaring failures of the Barrow administration,” he noted.
