By Omar Bah
The leader of Gambia Action Party, Musa Yali Batchilly has confirmed to The Standard that his party has written to President Adama Barrow and copied the IEC Chairman to immediately facilitate a national dialogue on the political uncertainty that could engulf the country in December.
“Our stand as a party in the Gambia remains crucial especially when it comes to issues of this magnitude. We want to support national dialogue to tackle this political conundrum. We went a step further to write to the President and copied the IEC chairman to facilitate immediate dialogue before it is too late,” he said.
He said although the President has not responded to their request, the party deems it necessary to openly address him to consider calling for national dialogue ahead of December.
“As we call on Gambians to remain united, we express our dismay to some disgruntled camps scrambling for power. We should concentrate on uniting this country and not disintegrate it. In unity, we stand vigil to protect ourselves. A finger cannot pick a pebble which clearly demonstrates that our strength lies in collaborative effort,” he added.
Batchilly said he is of the view that Barrow became President unprepared, and that there is no shame for him to re-engage the Gambian people to pave the way for peace and national cohesion.
“Let us go back to square one and discuss to reshape our country. Whatever we choose to do, we still have a country to build especially at a time when we are in a healing and reconciliatory process. We must avoid causing extra havoc to the already damaged society,” he said.
He said Barrow or the Coalition partners cannot claim innocence about the issues currently happening in the country and “if things go wrong, they should shoulder the blame for betraying the trust of Gambians”.
“Our desire for greatness as a nation cannot be complemented when our individual desires for self-improvement supersede the nation’s interest. For the Gambia to remain our homeland, relentless pursuit of hard work, unity, sincerity and genuineness shall top the scale of preference. Let’s build on the legacy of our heroes who fought for our independence,” he noted.
He said GAP will strive to salvage Gambians from the pothole they are subjected to by leaders who choose to neglect them after voting them into office.
“For this to happen, our collective consciousness, efforts and the zeal to make Gambia a self-sufficient and productive nation is fundamental. Clinging on to power for decades doesn’t guarantee efficacious impact on the native Gambian,” he added.
