Together in an opposition alliance in 2006, and separated in the 2011 Presidential Election with each a presidential candidate, leaders of the opposition United Democratic Party (UDP) and the United Front have been urged by their former ally to “give up” following what he called their woeful failure in the just concluded election.

Lamin Waa Juwara, current governor of the Lower River Region (LRR) and an outspoken veteran politician advised Lawyer Ousainou Darboe and Hamat Bah to “step aside” during an exclusive interview with the Daily Observer Tuesday afternoon. It would be recalled that President-elect Jammeh, 46, polled 470,550 votes representing 72 percent of the total votes cast in the November 24th Presidential Election, whilst his main opposition challenger, Lawyer Ousainou Darboe, 63, of the UDP who has been in the election wrestling field with him since 1996 polled 114, 117 votes, representing 17 percent of the total votes cast. Meanwhile, Hamat Bah, 51, an independent candidate under the banner of the United Front, a coalition of four opposition political parties, came third in the race and polled 11 percent, representing 73, 060 of the votes cast.

But in the words of the veteran politician who threw his weight behind the governing party in 2008, the main opposition leaders should give up after receiving what he called a ‘knock-out’ in the presidential race. He recalled that Darboe and Bah who teamed up with other opposition politicians to form the National Alliance for Democracy and Development (NADD) to face Jammeh in the 2006 Presidential Election had pulled out of the said alliance, asserting that the people are bent on punishing them for that. He said such an unceremonious move was a betrayal of their supporters, while noting that majority of the people has disowned them.

Governor Juwara, who has been in the political arena for decades said that as politicians they should be consistent and truthful as far as the people are concerned, stressing that their primary interest should be the people. He pointed out that Darboe and Bah were together in the 2006 Presidential Election, but went their different ways in the 2011 race. Noting that the people have been observing the behaviours of these two people, Juwara argued that in normal democratic circumstances, these opposition leaders should not stand as candidates.

He therefore enjoined Darboe and Bah to “give chance” to others within their own political organizations, given that they have been in the wrestling field in futility. Quizzed on what this 72 percent landslide victory means to the opposition, the veteran politician said it has taught the opposition a lesson that Gambians are politically mature to choose who they want to steer the affairs of the country. He added: “The interesting thing about the two opposition leaders [Darboe and Bah] is that they could not win in their own native constituencies and they have lost their major strongholds. The best thing for them is to call it a day and they should declare that they are not going to be candidates [in future]; give up their leadership; and select a new leader before next year’s National Assembly elections.” When asked if the opposition can recover from this blow, Juwara asserted that they can never recover from this, because according to him, they don’t have the will to give up and agree.

Free & fair
The LRR governor also commented on the massive turnout of voters for the election [83 percent]; something he underscored shows the level of political awareness in the country. In the same vein, he credited the November polls as free, fair and transparent, adding that it corroborates with that of the independent election observers. “The ground was level and the IEC has done a good job. Gambians went into the campaign and polls peacefully and we are all proud to be Gambians because we have conducted a fair election which is a big credit to the nation,” he stated. The fact that the government single-handedly bankrolled the 2011 Presidential Election, according to Juwara shows its fervent commitment to democratic process.  

Not surprised
Asked his take on the 72 percent victory of the president-elect, the veteran politician said such a record was not a surprise to any keen observer in that the Gambian leader has been very consistent with his development agenda, which has positively impacted on the lives of the citizens. He therefore seized the opportunity to congratulate the president-elect on his own behalf and that of the LRR for this landslide victory, assuring the president that the confidence bestowed on him is based on his performance as a leader and his love for the Gambian people.

Diaspora
Juwara also urged some Gambians in Diaspora to change their mindset with this record verdict given to the Gambian leader by his people, saying “the Gambians at the receiving ends who are in The Gambia know better and their verdict is final”. Such a percentage, the veteran politician argued has once again proven the sceptics wrong. He urged them to accept the true choice of the Gambian people. “My opinion is that the opinions in the Diaspora whether they like President Jammeh or not should respect the verdict of the Gambians,” he stressed.

While indicating his impression of the current democratic space, Governor Lamin Juwara applauded President Jammeh for behaving very statesmanly, apparently referring to his comportment during the electoral process. He added that such a stance reassures Gambians from all walks of life that they are in safe hands. The LRR governor then urged Gambians to join the president-elect to move the Gambia forward. “Nation building is primary and all hands must be on deck to make positive contributions for The Gambia’s development efforts. President Jammeh is the president of the entire people and we should give him our fullest support in a democratic context,” he concluded.