By Fatou Sillah
Minister of Transport, Works and Infrastructure Ebrima Sillah said this week that opposition parties have built a presence on social media but lack meaningful support among voters, arguing that online visibility has created a misleading impression of their political strength.
Mr. Sillah said the ruling National People’s Party continues to dominate grassroots organizing and suggested that opposition figures are unsettled by the governing party’s capacity to mobilize supporters.
“The opposition that is making a lot of noise, the loudest, is only present on social media,” he said. “On the ground belongs to the NPP. They have no significant presence.”
His remarks came as he reflected on a recent rally held by the NPP and its allied parties in Brikama, which he described as a substantial display of public support.
“The crowd was amazing; the turnout was fantastic,” he said. “It was a litmus test, and the opposition are really, really frightened now about our capacity.”
The minister cautioned against equating engagement on social media with genuine political support, arguing that the two should not be conflated.
“To have a few likes on social media and to be shouting and making noise on social media does not necessarily translate to anything in terms of support for any political party,” he said.
He also questioned the opposition’s ability to mobilize supporters at the same scale as the ruling party, singling out the United Democratic Party.
“I challenge the UDP to organize a political rally in Westfield, and I know they will bring everybody from the rest of the world,” he said. “I can assure you that they will not even be able to pull a significant 2,000 people at this time now. I challenge them.”
Mr. Sillah attributed the NPP’s continued growth to public confidence in the government’s record, pointing to what he characterized as stability and experienced leadership.
“People appreciate what this government is doing for them,” he said. “We are talking about continuity, we are talking about progress, we are talking about stability, we are talking about hands that have experience in governance.”
He went on to question the credibility of opposition figures, he said had never held positions of governing responsibility.
“These are people that have never been tested,” he said. “You want to entrust your country to them just because they are making a lot of rhetoric?”
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