The People’s Progressive Party (PPP) is deeply concerned about the dangerous direction our politics is taking as a nation. Political discourse is increasingly being reduced to insults, intimidation, division, and the politicisation of institutions that are meant to serve all Gambians equally.
What is even more alarming is the growing perception that some civil servants are being denied opportunities, promotions, or fair treatment because of their political affiliation, tribe, or regional background. Such actions undermine national unity, weaken state institutions, and threaten the democratic values upon which our country was built.
The civil service must never become a political battlefield. Civil servants are employed to serve The Gambia, not political parties. No Gambian should fear victimisation because of his or her surname, tribe, political opinion, or family background.
The PPP therefore calls on President Barrow, government officials, and all political actors to place national interest above partisan considerations. Leadership must be guided by fairness, inclusion, tolerance, and respect for the dignity of every citizen.
The PPP strongly condemns the recent alleged leaked audio involving Deputy Speaker Seedy Njie, who also serves as Deputy Spokesperson of the NPP. The contents and implications of the alleged remarks have raised serious national concerns and sparked widespread public anxiety about the growing politicisation of state institutions and the potential targeting of individuals based on political affiliation or tribal background.
Any statement, action, or attitude that appears to encourage discrimination, exclusion, or victimisation has no place in a democratic society. The Gambia belongs to all Gambians, and no citizen should ever feel threatened, sidelined, or disadvantaged because of tribe, region, surname, or political belief. Silence or failure to decisively address such concerns only deepens fear, mistrust, and division within society.
If President Barrow had placed national interest above partisan considerations, he would have publicly reprimanded Seedy Njie over these alleged remarks. Equally, if Seedy Njie truly respected the dignity and responsibility of the office he occupies as Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly, he would have apologised to the Gambian people and resigned from his position.
If both the President and Seedy Njie fail to act, then the National Assembly must rise to its constitutional responsibility and invoke all applicable laws and procedures necessary to remove him from the position he currently holds. This is necessary for the sake of protecting the dignity, credibility, and integrity of both the National Assembly and the Office of the Deputy Speaker.
Without doubt, no PPP politician could have survived such divisive statements under the leadership and principles of Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara. The PPP leadership believed that public office was a sacred national responsibility that demanded discipline, restraint, tolerance, and respect for national unity at all times.
This principle was not only theoretical but demonstrated through decisive leadership. Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara took consequential decisions when the “Butut scandal” emerged as a major political and financial controversy in The Gambia during 1972. The scandal led to the resignation of Hon. Sheriff Mustapha Dibba, then Vice President of the Republic, despite being one of Sir Dawda’s trusted compatriots. The issue, which involved his younger brother Kutubo Dibba, was handled with firmness, and the government ensured that accountability and the integrity of public office were upheld above personal or political loyalty. This reflected a clear standard: no individual, regardless of rank or closeness to power, was above the principles of public accountability.
At this critical moment, we must learn from the leadership and wisdom of Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara and the founding generation of our nation.
Following independence, national unity and cohesion were treated as the highest national priorities because the PPP government understood the fragile nature of our young nation. At that delicate stage of nationhood, there were both regional and international doubts about the viability of The Gambia as an independent sovereign state.
Under such circumstances, Sir Dawda believed that wasting national energy on partisan quarrels, tribal division, and political hostility was a luxury the country could not afford. Instead, the urgent task was to mobilise the country’s limited resources toward national unity, institutional stability, and the consolidation of independence.
That is why the PPP government made genuine efforts to bring political opponents together in the national interest. The PPP openly expressed willingness to cooperate with opposition parties, even to the extent of forming a Government of National Unity.
To demonstrate sincerity and good faith, Sir Dawda Jawara invited ED Njie, Deputy Leader of the opposition United Party and younger brother of the main opposition leader, to join the government and appointed him Minister of Health during the first cabinet reshuffle after independence. This was not weakness; it was statesmanship. It was leadership rooted in reconciliation, inclusion, and nation-building.
Today, The Gambia once again stands at a crossroads. The President and national leadership must treat national unity as a central pillar of national development and not allow political interests to overshadow the broader national interest.
Unfortunately, many of these important historical lessons are not being sufficiently discussed in the public space. Our media institutions must do more to invite experienced individuals who can contextualise Gambian political history and inspire a new generation of leaders. Many young politicians today have limited understanding of the political sacrifices, tolerance, and nation-building efforts that shaped modern Gambia because these stories are rarely taught or discussed in depth.
The PPP speaks with moral authority on these matters because the foundations of many of The Gambia’s successful public institutions and governance systems were established under PPP leadership through discipline, planning, and inclusiveness.
Recently, senior government officials have acknowledged the value of PPP-era policies. For example, the Minister of Works, Ebrima Sillah, publicly acknowledged plans to revive the PPP vehicle policy — a policy framework that successive governments over the past 32 years failed to replace with a more effective and sustainable alternative.
This acknowledgement is not simply about vehicles; it is evidence that many of the policies introduced under the PPP were carefully designed around efficiency, accountability, and national development. Whether in agriculture, transport, public administration, education, infrastructure, or economic planning, the PPP laid foundations that continue to influence governance today.
There are still experienced PPP-era civil servants and technocrats alive today who possess invaluable institutional knowledge and experience. Instead of sidelining expertise because of political history, the country should utilise these individuals to strengthen governance and improve public administration. Nations progress when experience and competence are respected, not discarded because of partisan considerations.
As we reflect on the state of our politics today, we conclude with the timeless wisdom of Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara:
“I urged all the PPP candidates that issues and politics were what the people wanted to hear, and not abuse. Throughout the campaign, unnecessary vilification and abusive language was used to ruin the decorum expected of people who wanted to take up seats in government.
Speakers would set aside the real issues and speak disparagingly of their opponents’ parentage and blood line. They vilified those with caste labels about them, especially those of the gewel caste or the oudeh or the tegga caste as not fit for leadership in government. I simply treated such puerile notions with disdain and always wondered what caste had to do with one’s ability to serve one’s nation.”
Sir Dawda further reminded us:
“In all my time in politics in or out of office, my preferred role has been to influence my surroundings with the principles of equity and to encourage due consideration of divergent views.
Difficult as the actual practice of fairness, thoughtfulness and tolerance were, they were central to the focus and conduct of the convicted democrat. Every conflict in the field of human endeavor needs the benefit of hearing the other side.
Dialogue is crucial towards the objective of human reconciliation when bonds have been broken.”
These are the principles that built The Gambia. These are the values that can preserve our democracy. And these are the lessons our political leaders must embrace before division, intolerance, and bitterness consume our national cohesion.
The future of The Gambia must be built on unity, justice, mutual respect, and national purpose — not fear, tribalism, or political vengeance.
Hon Ousman Madikay Faal
Secretary-General and party leader
People’s Progressive Party (PPP).
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