In the April 29 edition of The Standard, PPP leader Omar Jallow (OJ) said: “Ousainou Darboe and I will continue to engage other political parties to fulfill the aspirations of thousands of Gambians who look on to us not only for leadership but meaningful change”.
Mr Fatty said that particular statement “connotes a sense of acquiescence on the part of the rest of us, which is incorrect. PPP and GMC are equal partners with the UDP at Gambia United for Change (GUC), and we remain partners. By excising other leaders out like he did, you seek to belittle their contributions, or negate their role.”
He went on: “Honourable Omar Jallow served our country with distinction. He is a man of prodigious intellect, and his utterances do make superlative impact on local politics. Emerging public officials such as others and I, would like to be inspired more by his wisdom and life time experience. The decision not to participate at elections for reasons abundantly substantiated in the public space was the collective agreement of the Group of 6 (G6).
“Although this may not be immutable, so far, no decisions or discussions were conducted by G6 to amend or vary this collective position we signed unto each other since February 2012. Therefore, unless this is done, to the best of our knowledge as corporate parties to the accord, there will be no elections for all opposition parties, excluding the NRP. So far, no opposition party can contradict this information.
“Any opposition political party member of G-6 (PPP, PDOIS, UDP, GPDP, and GMC) that parades the 2016 election suggestive of its participation would be breaking the agreement made by G6 member political parties, including PPP. It is necessary for that party to consult or request for a meeting within the G6 framework so that we can review progress and take another collective decision on the issue or otherwise. This is the correct approach. Political agreements freely entered into in good faith, should not be trivialised,” Mr Fatty argued.
He maintained that his party is part of both Gambia United for Change and the Group of Six. “Within the consultative mechanism of GUC, we shall continue to honour our commitments. In the context of G6 under which we were excluded from participating at subsequent elections, we would have to reconvene together as a group to assess the relevance of our existing collective position. I would not seek to pre-empt or undermine that process with a preconceived position without the benefit of further information.
“Clearly, our exclusion from participating produced no positive impact on the attitude of other stakeholders like the IEC. GMC will propose another conclave to study the challenges and opportunities that present themselves. We will support any outcome that will strengthen the process and assure fairness, and at the same time maximising electoral prospects,” he said.
By Sanna Camara
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