By Makutu Manneh
The Minister of Information, Media, and Broadcasting Services, Dr. Ismaila Ceesay, criticized a recently signed agreement among opposition parties, calling it evidence that their political engagement is rooted more in acrimony than substantive policy discussion.
The “tri-vengeance accord,” signed by multiple opposition parties and movements, is intended to curb internal hostilities among its signatories. Speaking on the television program Coffee Time With Peter Gomez, Dr. Ceesay argued that the pact merely confirms a long-standing perception of opposition politics as dominated by insults and partisan hostility.
“So, this accord has already validated what we have been saying, that they insult each other,” Dr. Ceesay said. “What was the point of this accord if they do not realize that there was a problem? They detected there was a problem, that they insult each other every day online, and insult other political parties.”
Dr. Ceesay acknowledged that a political environment free of acrimony and hostility is desirable but questioned the accord’s narrow scope, noting that it applies only to the parties involved.
“So they are giving license for people to insult and be hostile to parties outside the Accord,” he said.
The minister further suggested that the opposition has historically focused on internal disputes rather than offering solutions to the nation’s challenges. “All they were doing was insulting each other and being hostile to each other,” he said, emphasizing that the accord underscores this pattern.
The tri-vengeance agreement comes amid ongoing tensions in Gambia’s political landscape, where opposition parties have struggled to present a united front against the ruling government. Critics of the pact have questioned whether it will have any meaningful impact on the broader political discourse.
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