By Makutu Manneh
Political analyst Lamin Juwara has argued that the United Democratic Party’s participation is crucial to any opposition coalition seeking to unseat a sitting government in The Gambia.
Speaking Tuesday on Kerr Fatou’s Politic Kaacha show, Juwara said the UDP has built a substantial support base over the years, making it a significant force in opposition coalition politics.
He argued that The Gambia’s political history shows that whenever the UDP withdraws from coalition negotiations, the combined electoral strength of the remaining opposition parties becomes significantly weaker.
“To unseat a sitting government in The Gambia, UDP has entrenched themselves to a certain level that you need them to remove the presidency,” Juwara said.
Juwara also criticized the handling of the Coalition Mediation Committee (CMC) talks, saying the process fell short of some basic principles of effective negotiation.
He said that where mistrust already exists among participating parties, mediators should place greater emphasis on careful bilateral engagements before bringing all sides together for broader negotiations.
The political analyst also pointed to external political pressures as another challenge to opposition unity, citing rhetoric from members of the ruling National People’s Party (NPP).
“If you look at their political rhetoric and gimmicks, NPP tough members who will defend the party were saying the coalition-building stakeholders were treating UDP unfairly,” he said.
Juwara described such comments as political tactics, arguing that the ruling party would naturally have an interest in divisions among its opponents because a united opposition could pose a greater electoral challenge.
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