By Olimatou Coker
Saikou Marong, the past National Assembly Member for Latrikunda Sabiji has said his successor Yaya Menteng Sanyang has done exactly what he hauled him over the coal for.
Marong said Sanyang excoriated him by labelling him a “betrayer”, “disrespectful”, and “lacking integrity” when he decamped from the UDP to the NPP saying Sanyang has made a similar move by joining Talib Bensouda’s new movement.
Marong, now serving as counsellor at The Gambia Embassy in Morocco, said he found Sanyang’s resignation from UDP and joining Talib Bensouda’s movement ironical.
He wrote in an open letter issued earlier this week: “You labeled us ‘betrayers’, ‘disrespectful’, and ‘lacking integrity’ simply because we exercised the same freedom of choice you now claim for yourself. You stood before our supporters and the nation and questioned our loyalty to the UDP, the very same party that gave you a platform, a voice, and ultimately a seat in the National Assembly. You spoke of discipline, unity, and respect for party decisions. You reminded us, forcefully, that the UDP is bigger than any individual, and that true loyalty means standing with the party even when internal outcomes do not favor us personally. “Today, you resign from that same party, citing ‘a principled disagreement’ over the choice of flag bearer. You now describe your departure as an act of conscience. But I must remind you, Honourable Sanyang, that many before you took similar steps out of principle, and for that, you condemned them in the harshest terms…”
Marong teased: “Your resignation may indeed be your right, but let it not be rewritten as martyrdom. Principles must be consistent, not convenient. You once demanded loyalty, now, history will demand the same from you.”
