By Seedy Jobe
The Executive Director of the Edward Francis Small Centre for Rights and Justice, Madi Jobarteh, has welcomed the establishment of the Unite Movement for Change (UMC) while raising concerns over what he described as a “deeply troubling lack of diversity and inclusion” within its newly elected leadership.
In a statement issued on Monday, May 18, 2026, following the party’s congress and the unveiling of its national executive committee, Mr. Jobarteh noted that the UMC had generated considerable public interest by pledging to promote a new political culture grounded in “democracy, accountability, transparency, and inclusion.”
“There is no denying that the Unite Movement for Change (UMC) brings renewed flavor and vigor into our political space,” he stated. “I warmly welcome them and wish them all the best.”
However, he argued that the composition of the party’s leadership reflects longstanding patterns of exclusion seen in traditional political structures.
“A cursory look at the composition of its executive committee reveals a deeply troubling lack of diversity and inclusion,” he said. “The committee is overwhelmingly male-dominated. Among the first fifteen top leadership positions, only one woman appears.”
He further observed that within the broader 39-member executive, women occupy only a limited number of positions, largely outside key leadership roles. He also highlighted the absence of visible representation for persons with disabilities, as well as limited ethnic and religious diversity.
According to Mr. Jobarteh, these shortcomings undermine the party’s claims of being reform-oriented and reflective of modern democratic values.
“A contemporary political party operating within a democratic framework should adopt a human rights-based approach to governance, where diversity and inclusion are not treated as optional public relations slogans but as foundational democratic principles,” he said.
Placing the issue in a broader national context, Mr. Jobarteh pointed to similar representation gaps within the Cabinet and National Assembly, where women, Christians, persons with disabilities, and minority ethnic groups remain underrepresented.
“This persistent exclusion is not accidental. It stems from the fact that political parties themselves have largely failed to prioritize diversity and inclusion in their internal structures and leadership,” he stated.
He called on the UMC to take corrective steps by restructuring its leadership to ensure meaningful representation of women, persons with disabilities, and other marginalized groups. He noted that he had expected, at a minimum, gender parity within the national executive.
“UMC had a unique opportunity to break from the past and establish a new political standard. Instead, its executive committee largely reproduces the same exclusionary political culture that Gambians have witnessed for decades,” he said.
Mr. Jobarteh emphasized that for democracy to be legitimate and inclusive, political parties must reflect the demographic composition of the populations they seek to represent.
“A truly democratic political movement must look like the people it seeks to lead. That is what will mean unity and a future that is ours,” he concluded.
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