By Omar Bah
A Gambian-diasporan has appealed to senior politicians Ousainu Darboe of the UDP and Halifa Sallah of PDOIS to hold talks with President Barrow on the current political situation ahead of the local government elections.
Concerned about recent developments in the country’s political landscape, Modou Lamin Faye, a national security crisis expert, urged the two veterans to also engage other political leaders and try to get them sit in a roundtable with the president to sort out their differences in the interest of national security.
Faye said as a means of controlling the situation Mr Darboe and other critics of the government should refrain from making statements that could agitate their supporters.
“By the look of things, the president still has great respect for Darboe and Sallah. So, I am sure if they engage him in a dialogue he will not refuse that because it is also in his interest if the country remains stable and governable,” he stated.
Faye added: “It is important for our political leaders to engage and foster mutual understanding among themselves in the interest of national security. I particularly urge Darboe to lead the negotiations as the president’s political Godfather. We should not allow our egos, prides, or political expeditions to supersede the country’s interest”.
He said if the UDP leader feels President Barrow is going astray he should engage him through dialogue and not attacking him at political rallies or press conferences.
“That is not how a mature leader especially someone that many people look up to should behave. We expect Mr Darboe to lead by example, so I urge him to as a matter of urgency respectfully engage President Barrow in a dialogue together with Mr Sallah and other senior politicians. We are just a little over two million people and we must not engage in confrontation when there are ample means to dialogue,” he said.
Faye urged the country’s politicians, especially the opposition to respect and value the decisions made by the country’s courts and the IEC, “for it will defeat the purpose of having a rule of law, if we do not abide by our laws”.
“You might find pleasure in insulting these entities today but remember you could be the next government and the same entities will continue operating under you. Let us get in the habit of doing the right thing and not letting our feelings and emotions get in the way of how we lead the nation,” he said.
NPP/UDP
Turning to tensions between the NPP and UDP over the inquiry into local councils, Faye commended Mr Darboe for his unquestionable stance and sacrifice for a better Gambia but advised the senior statesman to give chance to the inquiry.
“Mayor Talib is a public servant so he should be subjected to inquiry whenever deemed necessary. If there is nothing to hide, then any reasonable person would agree that the commission of inquiry should be encouraged and not be made to look like it’s politically motivated or a witch hunt,” he added.
He urged the government and all political leaders to start doing their homework and gather all the facts before commenting on matters.
“It is time for the government and other political leaders to understand that the public gives their votes to them to pave the way for generations to come and not to play with their future. I urge the government to use whatever force necessary in accordance with the law to safeguard the nation’s best interest and make sure that our rule of law is respected and valued by everyone including the president,” he said.
