“If You Don’t Participate in Politics, Then Politics Will Participate On You” — Says NCCE’s Bah

By Seedy Jobe

Momodou A. H. Bah, a senior program officer at the National Council for Civic Education, has urged Gambians to turn out for the Dec. 5 presidential election, saying that citizens who stay home surrender their opportunity to help choose the leaders who shape their daily lives.

Speaking on QTV, Mr. Bah said civic participation begins with setting an example. People who encourage others to vote, he said, must also show up at the polls themselves.

“If I tell you to vote, and then it’s election day, I’m in my house; I don’t go out to vote. Obviously, you will not also go out to vote,” he said.

Mr. Bah said the NCCE has been holding community engagements across the country, reaching both young people and elders to emphasize the importance of political participation.

With several elections approaching in relatively quick succession, he cautioned against voter fatigue. Gambians are scheduled to elect a president in December, followed by National Assembly and local government elections in 2027.

“Where do you see yourself in the next five years if you don’t have a leader who you think is going to get you the things that you need?” Mr. Bah said. “So it’s better to go and vote, making your voice heard by participating. It’s your constitutional right.”

Mr. Bah said voting should not be viewed as separate from the everyday concerns of citizens, arguing that decisions about roads, hospitals, electricity, and other public services are ultimately shaped by politics and the people elected to office.

“If you don’t participate in politics, then politics will participate in you,” he said. “The clear-cut example is the roads that we are having come through politics, the hospitals, the electricity, and everything comes through politics.”

He added that although by-elections may be held when vacancies arise, general elections provide citizens with their regular opportunity to choose their leaders. “Staying home,” he said, means leaving that choice to those who do vote.

Mr. Bah said the NCCE’s recent outreach was part of a broader effort to educate citizens well before the election, including raising awareness about supplementary voter registration and the responsibilities of voters as political activity intensifies ahead of Dec. 5.