By Omar Bah
A number of opposition parties have told The Standard that they are not opposed to any dialogue or engagement proposed by the ruling National People’s Party, NPP.
In an exclusive interview with The Standard Tuesday, the administrative secretary of the ruling National People’s Party (NPP), Seedy Ceesay, outlined plans to engage the opposition to push for a more robust relationship between them (opposition) and his party to end the endless hostilities.
Reacting to the suggestion, UDP spokesperson Almamy Taal said his party is open to participating in any forum dedicated to reconciling The Gambia.
“Anytime we are invited to a dialogue about issues concerning this country, we will give it a yes without having to think twice because we all have the Gambia at heart. We are equally concerned that the situation has gotten to this level, but as a political party, we always come in peace and speak for peace, and anywhere you call us, our doors are always open,” he said.
Taal said it has been the mantra of UDP leader Ousainu Darboe from the very beginning that “we must bridge the gap between us because Gambia is a small community where people are tied by blood, faith, and cultural beliefs”.
He said a dialogue was urgent to deescalate the political tension.
“There is a political season everywhere, whether during presidential or parliamentary elections, but once you have gone past that, it should no longer be a matter of scoring political points or grandstanding in any shape or form. It is time to find common ground and purpose because this is our country and we have nowhere to go. If we have peace in The Gambia, everybody wins,” he said.
The administrative secretary of the Gambia Democratic Congress (GDC), Samba Jallow, said his party will participate in any dialogue geared towards promoting peace and stability among political parties and the country at large, irrespective of who initiated it.
“We have not received any letter concerning that from the NPP, but if we do, we will consider it,” Jallow told The Standard.
The spokesperson of the Gambia For All (GFA), Malamin Barrow, said his party welcomes the idea but advises Mr Ceesay to channel it through the Inter-Party Committee (IPC) to facilitate it. “There is no harm in his idea, and we welcome it,” he said. “I think we should be able to sit and dialogue within ourselves to find a common ground for The Gambia, if the desire is genuine, without involving any external entity,” he said.
