Darboe Praises UDP Diaspora’s Loyalty, Honors Late Party Pioneers

By Seedy Jobe

The leader of the United Democratic Party, Ousainu Darboe, praised the party’s diaspora chapters for three decades of loyalty and financial and organizational support, describing overseas members as an enduring pillar of the UDP since its founding.

Speaking on Saturday at the party’s third Diaspora Convention in the United Kingdom, Mr. Darboe thanked the UDP’s British chapter and its chairman, Saihou Saidyleigh, for hosting the gathering, saying an event of its scale required considerable time, resources, and patience.

He also acknowledged delegates from continental Europe, the United States, and other diaspora chapters who traveled to attend the convention.

Mr. Darboe said UDP members at home and abroad had remained committed to the principles that initially brought them together and had repeatedly answered the party’s call to service over the past 30 years.

He contrasted that loyalty with what he described as a more transactional approach to politics by politicians who abandon their principles for personal or political advantage.

For Mr. Darboe, that distinction underscored the importance of character in public life. He said UDP supporters had demonstrated that political principles should not shift with circumstances or expediency.

Drawing on Islam, Christianity, and Gambian traditions, he said each emphasized the importance of truth and integrity.

“Truth does not have an expiry date,” Mr. Darboe said.

The UDP leader said the party had maintained a particularly close relationship with its diaspora chapters since its early years, crediting overseas supporters with contributing to the party’s strategy, fundraising, and diplomatic outreach. He said diaspora members also played an important role in reaching voters in The Gambia through relatives, friends, and community networks.

Mr. Darboe asserted that no Gambian political party had developed a broader diaspora network than the UDP, adding that overseas members remained closely engaged with the party’s leadership and activities. He said he was in almost daily contact with members abroad.

He described that commitment as rooted not in personal loyalty to him but in shared political values. Even among members who have never met one another, he said, those common principles have fostered a strong sense of connection.

Mr. Darboe also welcomed the UDP’s political allies, including Gambia For All, led by Bakary Bunja Darboe, the latest group to join the alliance. He said the partners shared a commitment to presenting voters with policies and proposals aimed at improving governance and living conditions in The Gambia.

He pledged that the UDP would honor its commitments to its partners and said the party remained open to cooperation with other opposition groups that shared its principles and political objectives.

Mr. Darboe devoted part of his address to honoring deceased party members who helped establish and strengthen the UDP’s overseas presence.

Among those he remembered was Musa Ceesay, the founding chairman of what Mr. Darboe described as the party’s first diaspora chapter, established in France in 1997.

He also paid tribute to Omar Trawally of the UDP New York Chapter; Sainey Jammeh of the Sweden Chapter; and Mariama Touray, a pioneer of the Denmark Chapter who died shortly before that chapter was formally launched.

Their contributions, Mr. Darboe said, formed part of the foundation on which the UDP’s diaspora network was built.