Citizen Alliance National President
By Landing Ceesay
The Citizen Alliance (CA) National President Dominic Mendy alleged that Halifa Sallah, Leader of People Democratic Organisation for Independence and Socialism (PDOIS) said his party would only partake in the coalition, if he (Halifa Sallah) would lead.
“CA Is the only party apart from the existing NPP coalition that has taken initiative to bring parties together to ally coalition talks, this was done in recognition of CA’s love of the country and the need to come together in order to accomplish the task at hand. CA tried to bring together CA and PDOIS, and PDOIS categorically said through their leader that (it) was not interested in alliance talks except thus in which the precondition is that they will lead. So the talks could not continue. If anyone who was approached and refused to engage in alliance and coalition talks now wants the public to perceive them as those that love this nation, then I wonder what The Gambia is getting at and I’m afraid The Gambia is in serious trouble,” Mendy said.
Explaining how the CA approached PDOIS leadership for coalition Mendy said he drove in his car to meet with Halifa Sallah, but to no avail.
“We reached out to PDOIS because our membership based on the information we are getting on social media and all other platforms thought that PDOIS and us (CA) could narrow down our differences and if we have a coalition, it will enhance the chances of all of us providing for The Gambia a credible alternative for a government that can transform the country. We sent our representatives to the PDOIS leadership and they did. It was very difficult to get the PDOIS leadership because they are very bureaucratic.
“PDOIS asked that they must be written to, I drove my car on a Saturday and I went to the PDOIS leaders’ house (Halifa Sallah) to talk to him about this initiative. I did not meet him there. I met his wife and I spent time there chatting with his wife to make sure that she will not forget that I went there. But 3 to 4 days after I left that house, this man (Halifa Sallah) did not even call me. I called him up. What he said was that he heard that I went to his compound. I told him that not only did I go to your compound, but I went to your office no one was there. I told him that I am expecting that he will call me back,” he said.
The CA National President said Halifa told their delegation that he is only interested in a coalition that he (Halifa Sallah) will lead and PDOIS would only be part of a coalition they would lead.
“He (Halifa Sallah) met with our delegation and he told them that he was not interested in alliance, yet probably after the nomination. But in fact, he (Halifa Sallah) was not interested in an alliance that he (Halifa Sallah) will not lead. He was only interested in an alliance, which he will lead. After a long discussion, they could not convince him (Halifa Sallah) and they (our delegation) left. So our delegation came back and we agreed again that we should not drop the matter [and] we continue pursuing PDOIS. He was sick at some point and he was inaccessible.
“But after he was able to re-engage with the public he came through our delegation to say again that PDOIS could not be in an alliance which they will not lead. They are interested in having an alliance with only CA and if CA is interested in bringing other people into the alliance, it must be people who will come and support PDOIS as flagbearers. So we decided we did not just want a coalition, we wanted a coalition that was going to be the product of a process,” Mr Mendy said.
The CA national President made these remarks at a press conference organized by his party on Friday
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