Over the last couple of weeks, there has been a lot of political bickering in the country. This has mainly been between the president and his ruling National Peoples’ Party (NPP) on the one hand and the leader and supporters of the main opposition the United Democratic Party (UDP).
It is well known that this bickering has led to the further polarization of the country. It has unnecessarily increased and heightened the political tension in such a way that many citizens have begun to worry about the state of security in the country. Many voices of conscience have been raised to advise that the political leadership tone down the rhetoric.
One unfortunate aspect of all this is that it has caused some other losses to the country. There have been many unforeseen and perhaps unintended loss of opportunities due to this unwarranted political tension which are indeed a huge loss to the nation.
The success of the first ever elected mayor of Banjul, Rohey Malick Lowe, generated a lot of goodwill for Banjul City and indeed the entire Gambia. She was elected president of the female mayors in the subregion which was a huge success for not only her, but also the country at large.
This position comes with a lot of opportunities and goodwill for the women of Banjul and indeed the whole country. However, this has been derailed which caused a lot of lost opportunities by the Gambia because she did not receive the support she needed from the relevant officials simply because she belongs to a certain political party.
It is sometimes necessary to put political differences aside for the good of the country. The Gambia is bigger than any individual or political party and therefore love for country should make people put certain differences aside and work towards the wellbeing of the country.
Recently, Rohey Malick lowe was awarded by UN HABITAT for her work in empowering women and youths in Banjul. These are all success stories which can generate a lot of goodwill and/or investment opportunities for the country with the right support from relevant officials in the country.
It is hoped that the political leadership will shelf their differences long enough to give her the support that she needs.
