Mai Ahmad Fatty, leader of the Gambia Moral Congress (GMC) and former interior minister, has reaffirmed his commitment to democratic principles and political alliances in a statement addressing recent criticisms of his party’s strategic partnership with the ruling National Peoples Party of President Adama Barrow. Fatty emphasized that disagreement should not devolve into hostility and called for a politics of ideas over hatred.
“I remain firmly anchored in the principles of democracy, including the right of every Gambian to hold and to express their opinion,” Fatty said, noting that he views critics not as enemies but as compatriots who share a love for The Gambia despite differing perspectives. He acknowledged that much criticism comes from one political camp, apparently referencing the United Democratic Party, attributing it to misunderstanding rather than malice. However, he drew a firm line against personal insults, particularly those targeting him or his parents, stating, “Disagreement is not a license for indecency. To insult is to degrade oneself.”
Fatty defended the GMC’s history of forming alliances, particularly with the United Democratic Party (UDP), as a cornerstone of Gambian political culture. He cited past collaborations, including partnerships in the 2011 and 2012 elections against the APRC dictatorship, support for a UDP candidate in the 2016 Coalition Convention, and a joint tactical platform in the 2017 parliamentary elections. “Those choices were applauded loudly while denounced by political parties outside of it,” he noted, underscoring that alliances are routine in democracies worldwide and do not require full ideological alignment.
“We still reserve the same independence to choose any political association, and that must be respected,” Fatty asserted, addressing the current backlash against GMC’s alliances. He argued that critics would likely have praised the same decisions had the alliances favored their side. Reflecting on past UDP partnerships, he explained, “We did not agree with every position of the UDP, yet we proceeded because a larger national interest demanded it. Nothing has changed this time around.”
Calling for unity, Fatty urged Gambians to rise above hostility and suspicion. “Politics should not be a contest of hatred, but a duel of ideas. Dogma does not build nations. Vision and flexibility do,” he said. He concluded with a plea for national cohesion: “We are many voices but one country, one destiny.”
Fatty’s statement comes amid ongoing political debates in The Gambia as parties navigate alliances and rivalries ahead of future elections.
