By Suntou Touray, in Political Sabbatical
The assumption that people are involved in politics mainly because of advancing a singular ambition for an individual to be Head of State, and the total and complete worldview of everyone to be a follower who doesn’t have the ability to think and decide is not political at all; that is simply adherence of cultism.
This is the confusion some people are harbouring in their shallow minds. Every single Gambian is free to decide to support a political party, its agenda and ideology. However, what no one should do is to assume that people don’t have the right to change their opinions, assumptions and views of a political party and its ideology. Circumstances do alter the perception and worldview of people. Hence, the need for us to conduct ourselves with tolerance and mutual respect. Every single leader out there you make as infallible is actually very much FALLLIBLE and prone to making mistakes and errors of judgment. No human leader is Omnipotent, a feature reserved only for the Almighty Allah.
It is our duty to collectively refuse to see each other as enemies because of political leaders and their ambitions. I refuse to take and see any Gambian as an enemy because of political, religious and cultural differences. The Yahya Jammeh episode should teach us all that unforgetable lesson. I respect our political leaders, especially those I worked closely with. However, I have always had my own mind, ideas and views. We were comrades who jointly took risk to champion a struggle against an entrenched, murderous and monstrous colossus in the person of Yahya Jammeh.
Collectively, we attained a new state of existence, which must not be forgotten. All we need to is to conduct ourselves with Decorum and Civility in our democratic advocacy. Mature politicians sell their ideas and party agendas to convince people without putting up a fight. This is the Political Survival in the Gambia’s New Dawn. The Winning Strategy does not lie in bullying, insults and profanity. It is not lies and character assassination that will advance a permanent discussion in our body politics.
The journey towards consolidating our democratic gains will undoubtedly have ups and downs since politics everywhere is riddled with a lot of heated tempers. So long as we restrain our emotions and sentiments, we will all get along very well. Let us remember that our country’s illiteracy level is still high and that poverty as a social reality and existential threat is a difficult factor in having civil discussions. However, with tolerant political leaders and balanced moderators in our social foras, meaningful exchange of ideas can be achieved.
Ends