MANY WILL BE LEFT UTTERLY DISMAYED,
ANGRY AND BETRAYED BY A PARTY THAT HAS MORE MANDINKA FOLLOWERS THAN ANY OTHER TRIBES
By Ba Matarr Jaiteh, UK
Many will be left utterly dismayed, angry and betrayed by a Party that has more Mandinka followers than any other tribes. Only to single out the Mandinka's with grotesque accusations of playing tribal politics that in a wider view will be considered by many as ill-advised, unnecessary and distasteful. Bizarrely enough, the message was even read out by a Mandinka man, playing the vicious little monkey leading the parade on national television - But we all know the main organ grinder behind all these. Throughout the half an hour long broadcast, Mr. Sabally's body language suggest all but ease and comfort. Visibly embarrassed by having to rip into his own skin. That makes it fundamentally flawed, so to speak. A classic case of political manipulation gone too far. Morally unjustifiable and a willful incitement of ethnic tension.
Let's be clear, Gambia as a country is all but not a society with problems of tribal divides. Of course, in every society, there are bound to be pockets with extremist views, inevitably. However, our national politics has never been thread on tribal lines. Nor has elections been fought and won on the bases of race, gender or crude. Our country stands out as one of the most ethnically cohesive and integrated societies in the sub-region. A good example of that points to the current status quo, being run by a man who is from the least minority group. A man who has won three elections on a spin. In essence, that tells you Gambians don't go to the polls with tribal sentiments weighing heavily on their minds. Therefore, it is grossly inappropriate for anyone to condemn any of the ethnic groups with wild accusations of tribalism. A line must be drawn on the sand on how far politicians can go in scoring political points. The issue of ethnicity must not set the tone in the political discourse of a country that is known for its ethnic diversity and tolerance.
The UDP Party like any other Political Party in the country comprises of people of different ethnic background with the cross section of society. As a former journalist reporter, having covered election campaigns in The Gambia, I can tell you with utmost certainty that, the overwhelming majority of Gambians don't get affiliated to a political party with the ultimate aim of scoring tribal points or advancing ethnicity as a political statement. The charge that the UDP is an all Mandinka club only exposes the APRC as a party fast losing its grip. For those of us who has witness declining popularity of the APRC, this latest howler will hardly be a surprise.
As the young pretender and his boss could testify, a week is a long time in politics - Ah, what a week?