By Kemo Kanyi
UNITE Party has vehemently condemned politics based on ethnicity and divisive remarks, saying Gambia belongs to every citizen and divisive politics must not be tolerated in the country.
The party came up with condemnation on Sunday following an alleged remark by Minister of Lands, Hamat Bah at NPP rally on Saturday in Farafenni in North Bank Region. Minister Bah was quoted saying: “Gambia will never be Lebanon” and warned: “no foreigner will run this country.”
In a statement released on Sunday, UNITE Party said the remarks were made in the presence of President Adama Barrow and they represented a dangerous descent into ethnic politics that must not be tolerated in The Gambia.
The opposition party went on to emphasize that politics of ethnicity was very dangerous for the country’s democracy and national cohesion. The UNITE party continued to state that while Minister Bah did not name any candidate, “we all understand who he is targeting.”
“What makes this even more serious is that it follows the leaked audio attributed to Seedy Njie, in which he is heard boasting about blocking government appointments and promotions for members of the Mandinka ethnic group. This rhetoric is not only dangerous and hurtful but is a deliberate attempt to distract from the pressing issues of poverty, crime, electricity, financial mismanagement and governance failures facing our nation,” UNITE argued.
The statement pointed out that The Gambia belonged to all Gambians, regardless of their ethnic background or where their great-grandparents came from. It also mentioned that the fundamental principle of the country’s democracy was clearly stated that a Jola, Manjago, Serer, Fula, Aku, Sarahule, or Mandinka born in The Gambia and holding Gambian citizenship had the right to become somebody in this country and to participate in a presidential election, regardless of whether their great-grandparents came from Casamance, Guinea-Bissau, Senegal, Guinea-Conakry, Sierra Leone, Mali or Lebanon.
UNITE acknowledges that political disagreements are legitimate, stating that political discourse should not focus on questioning who is Gambian enough or not based on ethnicity or ancestry. It encouraged that no Gambian should have to prove that they are Gambian enough because of the ethnic origin of their great-grandparents.
“Every citizen deserves equal dignity, equal protection under the law, and the opportunity to participate in our democratic process in accordance with the constitution,” the statement noted.
UNITE also claims that it acknowledges the frustration the government is facing due to its unprecedented popularity across the country and in the diaspora, emphasizing that that should not become a license to promote tribalism, attack citizens’ constitutional rights, or distract from the real issues of poverty, unemployment, financial mismanagement, and mediocrity in Barrow’s governance.
UNITE appeals to President Barrow and his government to calm and focus their discourse on the real issues for which Gambians are waiting for answers and solutions, stating that will be far more beneficial than the divide-and-rule tactic they are playing.