I am not mad at Essa Faal. I am just shocked

By Fatou Jaw Manneh, Presidential Aspirant

Essa has every right to form an alliance with any political party, including the NPP. That is his democratic right, and we MUST respect it. But the timing of it all is what shocks and disappoints me.

Just about a month ago, I was running around like a headless chicken, talking to any opposition figure who would listen, including political heavyweights, insisting that Essa Faal must be accommodated and that a stronger opposition team needed to be built. His interest, however, appeared to be focused on the flagbearership, something none of us could simply accord him. None of us had that power. The opposition itself is still flexing, negotiating and reorganizing and, frankly, remains in disarray as more political outfits join the race.

The guy could not sit still.

Some of us are still studying the political scenario, watching developments, talking to people and trying to convince opposition leaders to hold hands for the greater good of The Gambia.

It is OKAY to work with President Barrow. But first, we MUST give President Barrow the political fight of his life at the ballot box.

This is a serious matter. The Gambia is in serious trouble, and if we are to make any meaningful headway, we must be willing to challenge the status quo.

Opposition politics cannot simply be about captivating voters, earning their trust, asking them to believe in you and then, when political negotiations do not go your way, abruptly walking into the camp you spent years criticizing. Opposition voters have already placed enormous confidence in opposition candidates to help salvage this country. So when Essa, or any other opposition leader, drastically withdraws and runs to the NPP and Barrow camp at this critical moment, people have every right to ask questions.

This is not a game.

The Gambia is in dire straits, and we have to put our hands together and salvage it. Hands down.

If President Barrow wins a free and fair election, so be it. We can all put our hands on deck afterward and work with him where the national interest requires it. But FIRST, we must do everything democratically necessary to challenge his government at the polls because many of us genuinely believe that this government has failed to deliver the change Gambians were promised.

Look around our country. Are we happy with what we see?

Electricity remains unreliable. Families and businesses continue to suffer from power cuts. Water remains a struggle for many communities. Healthcare remains inadequate for too many ordinary people. Food prices and the cost of living are crushing families. Young people are struggling for jobs and opportunities. Poverty remains painfully visible. Concerns and allegations surrounding corruption, transparency and accountability continue to undermine public confidence in government institutions.

The Gambia is on life support while even the basics, water, electricity, affordable food, decent healthcare and economic opportunity, remain unattainable for far too many Gambians. Yet those in power continue cruising as though everything is fine.

That is why bolting at this critical time raises legitimate questions about political character, conviction, patriotism and our willingness to stand up for what we tell the Gambian people we believe in.

Is President Barrow going to make Essa Faal his flagbearer for 2026? I doubt it. Will the NPP suddenly trust him enough to hand him the keys to their political house? I doubt that too. Even some NPP supporters seem shocked by this new political romance. LOL. Politics really does make strange bedfellows.

So what exactly changed?

What does Essa gain politically from this alliance that he could not achieve by remaining part of a serious opposition effort? Was his interest in opposition unity only about securing the flagbearership? If that was not the case, then Gambians deserve to hear clearly what political or policy agreement convinced him that joining President Barrow now serves the country better.

After spending years presenting yourself as an alternative to the Barrow government, how do you suddenly convince your supporters that joining that same government is now the better path?

And if you lose the flagbearership, does that mean the opposition project itself must be abandoned?

What about voter confidence? What about the people who believed in you precisely because you presented yourself as an alternative to the government you are now joining?

These are legitimate and fair questions, and Gambians have every right to ask them.

Anyways, I wish Essa Faal all the best. I still believe he is a brilliant Gambian who can make a difference in moving The Gambia forward, whichever political camp he resides in. But I am seriously disappointed and shocked by his judgment at this particular time.

Nevertheless, we MUST respect his choice.

Good luck, brother.

And to the rest of us, WE MUST MOVE ON.

No individual is bigger than The Gambia. No flagbearership is bigger than The Gambia. No political party is bigger than The Gambia.

THE GAMBIA DESERVES BETTER.

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