The leader of Gambia’s main opposition United Democratic Party, Lawyer Ousainou Darboe has said that his party is not afraid to mobilize it supporters and face President Jammeh in the streets as part of broader demands to open up the democratic space. Lawyer however said any such action has to be measured and well calculated where the people themselves are ready for such action.
In a wide ranging interview lasting more than three hours with The Fatu Network where thousands of listeners tuned in to the program, the UDP leader swore that he was not afraid to lead people in the street. “But you have to know that from experience, the populace needs to be fully prepared for any eventual showdown because the opposition is dealing with a callous, brutal regime that is ever determined to unleash terror on defenceless civilians,” he said. Lawyer Darboe said any protest action will need to well be organized in such a way that they the organizers would not have to regret their actions afterwards.
On the contentious issue of an all-party coalition against the incumbent, the UDP leader said so far they have not held any discussions on that yet prompting many callers to vent their frustrations at what they called the lack of urgency on the part of the opposition to put aside their differences and form an formidable coalition for an electoral showdown with the ruling party.
Some of the callers even went as far as denouncing the opposition for putting in unnecessary stumbling blocks to the efforts put forward by the diaspora in seeing through a united opposition front. But Lawyer Darboe while acknowledging the concerns raised by the diaspora said they too should understand that the opposition parties are still united on several issues including the need to put their efforts together to press for electoral reform. “In politics anything is possible. So people should not be frustrated to the point of despair. I believe that what unites us is bigger than anything that could divide us,” he said.
On the issue of independent candidate, Lawyer said his party has not been approached by any group yet to suggest the idea of opting for an independent candidate. He however cautioned those pushing for such an idea to also carefully study the political dynamics on the ground so that their pronouncements would not lead to costly error that would be difficult to correct.
The UDP leader also called on the diaspora to continue the engagement because as he put it: “you are an important constituency with immense power and if you wield that power appropriately, it would surely lead to some very positive impact on the ground.”
He also pleaded with those dissenters in the diaspora who are calling on people not to register in the ongoing supplementary voter registration to “please reconsider their position because the sure way we can defeat this callous system is when people get registered and then also vote for the opposition.”
Following the interview, a number of callers have also suggested the need for the diaspora to also get organized to prepare for the task ahead.
