By Mark Saho
The Gambia does not need a coalition built on claims of large numbers or party size. What this country needs is a coalition built on compromise, humility, and a genuine desire to rescue the nation. Too much emphasis is being placed on who has the biggest membership, as if numbers alone can unite a broken political landscape. History tells us otherwise.
Across Africa and the world, coalitions are rarely about dominance. In many countries, smaller parties have successfully led or shaped coalition governments because leadership was negotiated, not imposed. Germany, Israel, Italy, Kenya, and even South Africa have all shown us that coalition politics works when parties meet each other as equals and agree on a common purpose. Size did not hold those coalitions together, compromise did.
This is exactly why the 2016 Gambian coalition succeeded. It was not perfect, but it worked because no single party tried to own it. Everyone came to the table with concessions, trust was built, and the mission was clear: remove a dictator and give the country a new beginning. That spirit of sacrifice is what we are missing today.
Insisting that only one party must lead coalition negotiations and automatically lead the coalition afterwards is a recipe for failure. Negotiations cannot succeed when the conclusion is already decided before discussions even begin. That approach shuts doors instead of opening them and weakens the very unity it claims to seek.
The UDP’s current position on coalition building, unfortunately, sends the wrong message. It is not an invitation to partnership; it feels like a demand for submission. And no serious coalition can be built on ultimatums. A coalition formed that way will collapse even before it is announced.
If we are serious about rescuing The Gambia, then we must let go of our egos and start engaging one another as equals. We must be willing to revisit the 2016 coalition model, improve it, make it legally binding, and put strong guarantees in place so that trust is not abused again. That model, with the right adjustments, remains our best reference point.
The Gambian people are tired. They are not asking for political pride or party supremacy. They are asking for unity, honesty, and leadership that puts country before party. Coalition politics is not about who leads alone; it is about who can bring the nation together.
Coalitions fail when pride takes the lead. They succeed when compromise does. And if The Gambia is to move forward, compromise is no longer optional, it is necessary.
