By Melville Robertson Roberts Esq
Africa-Press – Gambia. We all cry democracy. We sing it in our songs, we write it in our slogans, we wear it on our lips. Yet, when democracy itself comes knocking, when its force shakes our doors, we barely can stand its weight.
Today, democracy has come knocking in the Gambia. Talib Bensouda has stepped forward to seek the flagbearership of the UDP. Yes, he once said he would not contest if Ousainou Darboe ran. That truth cannot be erased. Integrity and promises matter and this will be tested by the Gambian public when the time is right.
However, democracy also matters and democracy demands that he, like every son and daughter of this nation, has the right to stand, to be tested, to be weighed, and to be chosen or rejected by the people.
The easy path would have been to walk away, to break away, to form another party and divide their strength. That would have been the true betrayal. But to stay within, to contest side by side with Darboe, that is not betrayal. That is democracy in its purest, hardest, most uncomfortable form.
Democracy is not meant to be comfortable. It is not meant to flatter egos or soothe ambitions. It is meant to challenge us, to test us, to humble us, and to force us to face the one truth that matters: the people alone will decide.
So, my people, let us not insult those who rise to be contest. Let us not turn democracy into bitterness. Instead, let us welcome the fire, the test, the contest. Because only through this fire will the will of the Gambian people be refined and revealed.
Also we cannot lie to advance our democratic cause. The truth is Lawyer Ousainu Darboe applied for the position of flag-bearer weeks ago. To distort this truth for any purpose would be dishonesty at its greatest height. Mayor Besounda and his supporters don’t need to tell a lie to advance their cause. They have a right to contest and that right is well placed.
In the end, democracy will knock. And when it does, may we not hide behind fear or insult, but stand tall, open the door because democracy is here and its force cannot be denied.
Source: The Standard Newspaper | Gambia
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