By: S. Waan& I Sonko
Fatoumatta Jallow–Tambajang, former vice president and chairperson of Coalition 2016, has revealed that coalition members were sacked from the government by President Adama Barrow without consultation or approval from coalition members.
“We did not approved it and we were not consulted about our member sacking,” Madam Jallow–Tambajang told waiting journalists shortly after what seems to be a futile close-door meeting held by leaders of the coalition at Kairaba Avenue, on Saturday as four key leaders of the coalition didn’t show up but sent their representatives while PDOIS was absent from the meeting.
It could be recalled that among the coalition members Gambia Moral Congress (GMC), leader Mai Fatty was the first to be sacked followed by former interim People Progressive Party (PPP) leader Omar Jallow, chairperson of the Coalition 2016 Fatoumatta Jallow – Tambajang while the United Democratic Party (UDP) leader Ousaniou Darboe with other two executive members of the party were recently sacked, too.
The meeting which aims towards the survival/way forward of Coalition was the first public forum of Coalition 2016 since the body ended the 22 years of former president Yahya Jammeh regime on December 1, 2016.
Meanwhile, Chairperson Jallow – Tambajang also revealed that team members have been meeting among themselves when crisis occurred, but declined to elaborate on those meetings.
She said Saturday meeting looked at what the coalition has achieved such as reform agenda, truth and reconciliation commission, economic and the constitution reforms. Also, she continued that the Coalition worked with communities to stabilize the country and the coalition has truth reconciliation committee.
Commenting on the Coalition agreement on the three years mandate for the president, she said three years agreement was part of the agenda on Saturday, but due to absent of key members of the Coalition it was not discussed and it will be table today, Monday.
“The three years term is on the agenda but we couldn’t discuss it because we don’t want to discuss anything in the absent of the key leaders. The key stakeholders are absent while some sent their team members but the key members were not present and if we discuss, it will be undemocratic,” she pointed out.
On the Memorandum of Understanding that created the coalition in 2016, she said Coalition leaders will continue discussion on it today, Monday, and the MOU will be discussed, noting that three key members were absent.
She said President Barrow is inform on all progress of the Coalition and after reviewing the MoU, they would present it to him and discuss way forward before disseminating the information to the public.
“The MoU is fundamental and the guiding principle that governs the coalition, we know it’s important and we are giving it our best,” she noted.
She said either President Barrow step down after the three years or not the coalition will remain united, adding that there is no one party that can win 51% in Gambia’s presidential elections for the next 20 years.
In her humble opinion she said “this country will be governed by a coalition because I don’t see any single party that can get 51% if it’s indicated in constitution.”
Madam Jallow assured that her team will look into the challenges affecting the process of the Coalition so as to address them and implement the best practice in order to nurture the coalition, as it made history in the Africa and the world as a whole.
It is “historical and unprecedented, so the best way forward is to reconcile. As a coalition we want to remain one voice as a family.”
She went further that as an institution of people with different ideologies and commitment there cannot be 100% common front.
Despite saying President Barrow has the full support of the coalition; she reiterated that the coalition was not consulted when some of its members were fired by their standard bearer.
