Dear Editor,
The UDP should not listen to those saying that the party should not go into a coalition with the APRC. I can understand why some people are against the UDP going into a coalition with the APRC but politics is about facing up to the realities on the ground.
The most important political question facing The Gambia and the UDP is how to remove President Barrow from power in 2026. And unless one believes in fairytales, the UDP needed to lead the opposition coalition against President Barrow in 2026 to win.
The political reality is that the UDP has to lead the opposition coalition against President Barrow in 2026 to win. What do you want, another ten years of President Barrow or a change of government in 2026? It’s almost impossible for the UDP to win the presidential election on its own outside of leading the opposition coalition. The most important political question facing The Gambia and the UDP is how to rectify the grave mistake called President Barrow.
Every other thing is secondary. Darboe and the UDP should not listen to the reactionaries against a coalition with the APRC. Rescuing The Gambia from President Barrow is the most important political challenge facing the UDP, the APRC, Essa Faal, Mamma Kandeh and others. President Barrow is severely incapable and handicapped to be the president of The Gambia.
Everyone in The Gambia is paying the expensive price of having Barrow as the president. There will be no national economy to speak of in The Gambia after another ten years of President Barrow.
The UDP has to do everything in its powers to lead the opposition coalition against President Barrow in 2026 including the APRC if possible. Halifa Sallah said he’s not going into another opposition coalition. It’s understandable but an unfortunate decision. I hope he changes his mind.
Given the diabolical political situation in The Gambia, it doesn’t make any political sense for anyone to be opposed to the UDP going into a coalition with the APRC in 2026. Politics is not about getting obsessed with the past and playing the sanctimonious, ignoring the political realities in the country. What will be the point of the UDP losing the 2026 presidential election again?
Politics is about making rational decisions in the public interest. What we want in The Gambia more than any other thing is a president who can manage public finances and the national economy in the interest of the people. Then politics in the country will begin to re-correct itself becoming more informed, accountable and transparent serving the Gambian people. Whatever else anyone is thinking of is small potatoes compared to the challenging political task of removing president Barrow from power.
President Barrow is a disaster. I’m a liberal and a pragmatist in my approach to life. Don’t mind the colourful language in which I write, I’m as open to dialogue and consensus building as possible. I have to write the way I do because to write about Gambian politics is intimidating: lots of stupid people and stupid ideas in Gambian politics. And when we want to contribute and raise the standards of the national political debate, some self-appointed party political operatives wrongly think that they can tell us what to say or silence us. I don’t know how people who do not understand much about democratic politics, economics, international affairs and how to develop our national economy stop us from saying what we think? The UDP should not listen to the reactionaries against the party going into a coalition with the APRC.
Yusupha ‘Major’ Bojang
Scotland
Tribute to the Late Alioune Badara Beye,
President of Association des Écrivains du Sénégal
Dear Editor,
It is with deep sorrow and profound grief that the Writers Association of The Gambia receives the news of the passing of Alioune Badara Beye, the president of Association des Écrivains du Sénégal, on 1st December, 2024. His departure is an immense loss to Senegal and the entire literary and cultural community across Africa and beyond.
Beye was more than a writer; he was a luminary whose wisdom, creativity, and relentless dedication illuminated the path for generations of writers. His literary works, leadership, and unwavering commitment to the arts have left an indelible mark on our collective history. His passion for storytelling and belief in the transformative power of literature continue to inspire us all.
The Writers Association of The Gambia, extends our heartfelt condolences to his family, friends, and the members of Association des Écrivains du Sénégal. We mourn with you in this moment of loss and share in your pain as members of a united literary family.
As we reflect on his remarkable legacy, we pray that his soul finds eternal peace, and we hold on to the hope that the earth will embrace him with the same warmth and grace with which he touched the lives of many. May we all honour his memory by continuing the work he so passionately championed.
May Allah forgive his shortcomings and grant him Jannatul Firdaus.
Alioune Badara Beye, your words and your spirit will remain with us forever.
The Writers Association of The Gambia
