Mai Ahmad Fatty, leader of the opposition Gambia Moral Congress party (GMC) has called on Gambians to unite and push for real change in the small West African nation.
He said Gambians can achieve great things should they unite just as they did in December 2016 when they peacefully voted out the 22-year-old regime of Yahya Jammeh.
“When we put The Gambia first as in December 2016, by putting aside our personal interests, we invented a new political infrastructure,” he said.
“That is not an end in itself. We must now be more serious about managing this change. It was clear we wanted change and we did put change into effect, the evidence which demonstrates that indeed we can achieve great things if we unite.”
The lawyer cum politician who served briefly as Interior Minister in President Barrow’s government before he was sacked for unexplained reason, said although the Gambian people had voted for change in 2016, they we were not adequately equipped as a people on the fundamentals of change management.
He added: “The political class whose responsibility it was to step up to the task unquestionably, did not rise up to tackle the emergencies of the moment. We should now focus on redressing this artificial imbalance with a more propitious determination to succeed with the elusive New Gambia Project. We must also put our minds at work on how to best make the change work for all, and not just the few. I invite you all to join me in making this happen.
“Sustainably engineering a national sense of unity and purpose to procure this milestone, is the challenge of our new democracy. And yes, it is possible.”
Mr Fatty reminded Gambians that change for a New Gambia will only happen if they are willing to do what it takes to transform themselves, mindset and attitude towards each other and civic duties.
“It is stated that God will not change the condition of a people until they change what is within them,” he said.
“As a Nation, we must take a sober and thorough reflection about the kind of country we would like to live in, raise families and build the future of their dreams: often the cliché – “The Gambia we want”. This will only happen if we become ‘The Gambian we should be’. Until we are willing to do what it takes to transform ourselves, our mindset and our attitude towards each other and our civic duties, The Gambia we want would be a distant dream. In the realisation of this goal, every citizen as equal stakeholder, should play a constructive part. Yet, admittedly, the right leadership vision is imperative in the equation.”
