By: Muhammed Lamin Drammeh
Political commentator and social activist, Coach-Pasamba Jow, has argued that Citizens’ Alliance (CA) Doctor Ismaila Ceesay’s claim that the CA’s alliance with the ruling National People’s Party (NPP) is done out of national interest is deceitful.
Coach-Pasamba explained that CA as a party and Dr. Ismaila Ceesay have the right to associate themselves with any group or party but argued that CA’s alliance with NPP is misleading.
“CA as a party and Dr. Ceesay as a private citizen have the right to associate themselves with any group or organisation but arguing that it is done purposely in the ‘national interest’ is to my estimation, disingenuous. The question remains, does being in the opposition in a democratic country against the national interest?” he quizzed.
Coach-Pasamba, who referred to the NPP-CA Alliance as so-called, pointed out that only a few Gambians will be surprised by the alliance. According to him, President Barrow and Dr. Ceesay have been playing footsies for a while.
Yesterday, October 1, the Citizens’ Alliance political party leaders visited the President at the State House, after which the party leader announced they are in for an alliance with the ruling party. However, Coach-Pasamba questioned why CA should ally with NPP without a memorandum of understanding.
“Ironically, how can CA, a party that is supposed to be of the new breed of Gambian politicians, ally with another political party without a Memorandum of Understanding signed? I guess Dr. Ceesay and CA will have to reconcile their past utterance against Barrow and their recent actions,” he said.
Speaking on the future of CA as a political party after forming this alliance, the resignation of a founding member and chairman Dominic Mendy and the suspension of former spokesperson Neneh Freda Gomez, Jow said he doesn’t see CA recovering from this.
“There is a great chance that CA will suffer the same fate as the other parties that joined Barrow. The CA may very well be consuming the NPP,” he said.
At the beginning of Adama Barrow’s presidency, Dr. Ismaila Ceesay was a vocal critic of his government. Together with others, being unsatisfied with the government, formed a political party to unseat Adama Barrow. However, when Dr. Ismaila Ceesay was rejected to run for the presidency and later successfully appealed, he was given a vehicle to campaign for NPP, a claim that was confirmed by his party after an investigation.
CA, for the past months, have been hit with the resignation of the founding chairman, Dominic Mendy, citing deviation of the party leadership from its founding principles.
