By Sulayman Waan
The Secretary General and party leader of the Gambia For All, Mr. Bakary Bunja Dabo, popularly called BB, has made it clear that the party’s doors are open for all political parties in the country, for alliance, but on a condition that both parties must have the same political ideology.
The erstwhile Vice President-(1982-1992)-and Finance Minister in the deposed People’s Progressive Party (PPP) administration of Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara-(of blessed memory)-made this revelation in an interview with this medium on 24 June, 2020 at his Fajara Residence.
[It could be recalled that Dabo and others formed the new party following their rejection of the election, at PPP congress, of Mr. Papa Njie as the new leader of former ruling PPP. They have faulted the election of the new PPP leader, while the Papa Njai team maintained the process was free and fair.]
Dabo said for GFA to form an alliance with any political party, both of them must have the same political ideology, same policies and democratic principles.
“Our attitude to alliance with other parties is determined by how much the party or parties who want to [form] alliance with us; share our fundamental policies and principles,” BB maintained.
He pointed out that currently, no political leader has ever approached GFA leadership concerning an alliance ahead of the 2021 presidential election.
Nonetheless, the economist and leader of the new party, divulged that if any political leader approaches GFA regarding coalition ahead of the next president election, they (GFA) will invite the person for a meeting and present GFA fundamental policies and principles before him or her, in order to know whether the two political organizations have the same political thoughts.
But despite the aforementioned, the GFA chief intimated his party’s readiness to work with any political leader with the same ideology. The Gambia now has fifteen (15) political parties and one female independent aspirant candidate, all about to compete in the next presidential polls for the country’s political seat.
However, some political analysts and commentators have argued that no single political party can win presidential election in The Gambia, in the next twenty-years; that more political parties have to forge alliance to defeat the incumbent.
Consequently, the GFA leader said they are on good terms with “all political parties, and our doors are open”.
When asked whether GFA could win the hearts of Gambians in the next presidential election, the seasoned politician informed that GFA is optimistic to win the hearts of Gambians ahead of the next presidential election. He reasoned that the party’s leadership has a very sound understanding of the problems of the country. “We also believe that we have sensible ideas to solving those ideas,” said the Kiang-born former VP.
Recalling how the Gambian electorate responded to GFA party during its recent political rallies in the West Coast Region, BB expressed optimism that other Gambians around the country would also listen to his party.
The former state minister who briefly served the Jammeh dispensation after the toppling of their three-decades PPP government on July 22 1994, but later resigned and went into exile in England until the fall of the military-turn-civilian regime of Jammeh, had indicated to Mansa Banko Online that, many Gambians would admit that the solution to their problems relies on GFA.
Therefore, he said that will motivate them to rally behind the party. The GFA party leader held:“I believe we can win their (electorate’s) hearts; and I believe, the way to win their hearts is by explaining our ideas to them. And we believe those ideas are very sound because they are founding on a profound understanding.”
