President Adama Barrow on Wednesday congratulated new political parties that are gracing The Gambia’s political landscape, saying “it is a testament to the dividends of democracy that came through efforts and sacrifices made in the run-up to December 2016.”
A new political party called Citizen’s Alliance (CA) was launched on 29 November, stating its goal as “to lift Gambian people out of poverty with dignity, transparency, equality, good governance and inclusive development.”
Meanwhile, President Barrow has said: “The sacrifices and efforts we made to bring democracy to this country is been enjoying today by all. It is grounded on such development for everyone to enjoy its dividends.”
He informed the gathering that the dark days of political oppression is long gone, while he pledged that his government will continue to open up and expand the political space to accommodate political plurality and diversity. He recounted the challenges associated with being an opposition party under the 22-year dictatorship describing it as ‘a risky business.’
President Barrow also congratulated the leader of the opposition and former ruling party Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction (APRC), Fabakary Tombong Jatta for coming out to welcome him on arrival from a provincial tour at the weekend.
“It shows our politics is maturing… we may belong to different groups but we should be able to conduct our politics with maturity,” President Barrow said. He added that “The Gambia belongs to us all with irrespective of our political affiliations.”
