By Tabora Bojang
Nine political parties forming the Inter-party committee set up to enhance political tolerance in The Gambia, Friday convened a press briefing at the IEC headquarters to demonstrate renewed ‘vitality and dynamism’ to engage in constructive public conversations that promote peaceful co-existence and national reconciliation in the country.
The committee recently concluded a nationwide sensitisation to promote the content of its MoU and galvanise participation in working towards national reconciliation and consolidation of democracy.
The chairperson of the committee, Halifa Sallah said the committee is seeking to facilitate and promote effective national dialogue and formulate responses to the need to foster inter-political dialogue and tolerance amongst Gambians.
According to Sallah, political parties must enhance the political awareness of the population and exercise their right to disseminate their political programmes on the economic, social and other policies that will enhance the development of the country on a national basis.
“Sovereignty resides in us as a people and not in us as a divided people, and that is why the cornerstone of this Interparty committee is to promote national unity and to understand that our parties must be formed by people belonging to different religious, ethnic, gender and coming from different regions of The Gambia.”
He said as members of the Interparty committee. “We have each signed and are duty-bound to acquaint ourselves with, observe, respect and uphold every provision of the Memorandum of Understanding.”
Various party representatives at the gathering renewed calls to resolve inter-party disputes and conduct public conversations with Gambians to set the country on a path of peaceful co-existence, national reconciliation and participatory democracy.
The nine signatory parties namely GDC, GMC, GPDP, NCP, APRC, NRP, PDOIS, PPP and UDP gave their commitment to create a peaceful and stable political environment underpinned by a transparent, plural and democratic dispensation.
They adopted resolutions to amongst other things put the past behind them and work in the higher interest of The Gambia, work constructively towards national reconciliation, and consolidation of democracy, respect for human rights, good governance and rule of law in The Gambia.
Cumulatively, 18 interparty committee members, 126 members of the sensitisation teams of the 7 regions and 1050 participants in the seven regions took part in the sensitisation process.
