The decision by the United Democratic Party(UDP) to embrace former Jammeh enabler, Babadinding Jobarteh, who stands accused of human rights abuses is an extremely bad play in the game so close to December elections.
The recent NPP-APRC alliance offers a unique opportunity for UDP to find purchase on the public mind as a party of change. Instead of making a home run with an historic opportunity to govern after 22 years, UDP has fumbled the ball.
This strategic error and lack of fidelity to stated policy undermines the perception UDP is the party of change. Stinging dearth of principles and lack of imagination by UDP leadership has sabotaged the transition from two decades of brutal tyranny. Apparently, Ousainou Darboe and his overrated advisers are no political geniuses, nor do they prioritize national interest.
First, they saddled us with a president who has zero competence to run a country. He was supported to break a pledge to step down after three years. Stunningly, UDP leader came out on national television to defend him with devastating consequences. UDP can’t be trusted. How can you run a country if you can’t competently run a party?
As a veteran lawyer, I took for granted Ousainou Darboe would have evolved into a grand master of strategy, steeped in political history and there for best placed to lead his party to victory.
But his greatest accomplishment seems to be presiding over the death of his party. UDP has surrendered the moral high ground and is headed for an ignominious defeat in December. The yellow party is dying not by murder, but by suicide on national television. A Barrow win in December will be disastrous, but a UDP win will be no less apocalyptic.
Sainey Darboe,
Vancouver, Washington
