By Abdoulie John
The former Interim Chairman of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) has vehemently opposed, vowing to throw his weight behind anyone who pursues a non tribal political agenda.
“As Gambians, we have been known for our peacefulness and coexistence of all tribes,” Jallow told this medium in an exclusive interview.
Fears are mounting in some quarters that power-hungry politicians will not hesitate to use tribalism to trigger some voters to shift their support to their party, a situation that could pose a real threat to national unity.
Oj said it is a shame that the generation of people who are supposed to be more enlightened, more educated will go to the extra mile of introducing tribalism and religious discrimination in our politics.
“That is the most backward activity that has ever happened in The Gambia,” he deplored.
The political temperature of the West African country of less than two million people is going crescendo with rival groups — Three Years Jotna movement and Barrow for Five Years — are at ideological loggerheads.
“For me, I will never, ever support or condone anybody promoting tribalism in politics,” Jallow said, drawing a straight line between disruptive consequences of tribal politics and politics by the people and for the people.
He added that wherever tribalism and religious discrimination erupt, there is always violence.
“We should learn from other countries’ mistakes. The Gambia is so small that there is nobody whose part of his/her family is not married to a different tribe or belonging to another religion,” he emphasized.
Mr. Jallow reminded Gambians that our ancestors were able to nurture a peaceful coexistence that became the hallmark on which the nation is built.
“Why should we at this time with our exposure and our education try to introduce it for our selfish ends?” he quizzed.
The Gambia is navigating through a rough path with many hurdles that need to be surmounted. The long lasting peace prevailing highly depends on the ability of politicians to desist from crossing the Rubicon…
Ends