In ten days, the change that was brought about by the Gambian people after the 1st December 2016 polls would have lasted for three years. Those who pioneered the change aimed to give The Gambia a new start that would put partisan politics behind and put the national interest at the forefront. Coalition 2016 called for one Gambia, one nation, one people.
Since 2017, partisan politics is the order of the day. Promoting the interest of political parties has superseded the promotion of the national interest. In fact, in three years The Gambia has more political parties than it ever had throughout its history.
Interestingly enough as we move towards the end of the third year of the Barrow administration not a single political party dares to talk about Coalition 2016. Its agreement has been torn to shreds and the members have been absorbed into different political camps with different political agendas.
The most decisive development that confirms the death of Coalition 2016 is the registration of a political party by the president and being registered as its secretary general and party leader. This cements the death of Coalition 2016.
Foroyaa calls on all the political leaders to call a spade a spade. They should acknowledge that there is no Coalition 2016. Historians may write about its emergence, development and death on the day of the registration of the party of the president.
The future of The Gambia is now in the hands of the Gambian people and not in the hands of the political parties. It is the people who make political parties and political leaders relevant. The support political parties and political leaders receive is a reflection of the level of political consciousness of those who support them. In short, political parties and political leaders are mirrors of their supporters. Few people could imagine that Jammeh could be gone in 2017 and few people could imagine that Coalition 2016 would be dead before the third year of the presidency of the person they made flagbearer.
In politics a day could be equal to a million years. It all depends on the people. They are the makers of history. They could keep a government for thirty years or twenty-two years. This has happened in The Gambia. A promise of a three-year term government was made, now movements have developed to support either a three year or five-year term. What is next? The future will tell and Foroyaa will write the happenings for posterity.
