The former vice president of the Gambia, Ousainou Darboe, has warned that the country risk returning to dictatorship “if the destabilizing forces are not removed.”

Darboe made this statement at the closing ceremony of a five day workshop to promote inclusiveness in Gambia’s governance for marginalised groups.

The former kingmaker and political godfather to the incumbent president urged Gambians to put the country first in order to defeat the disrupting forces hindering the country’s progress.

 “If we put Gambia first and remove the destabilizing forces, the #Never Again will be never again, but if we do not, there is likely going to be a repetition of what led to that #NeverAgain,”Darboe said.

“Institutions can only serve our aspirations if the people who lead those institutions are with impeccable characters. There is no institution that is strong…It is the people who lead the institutions that are strong.

“If you don’t have a person of probity, a person of character, a person of honesty and dedication at the head of our institutions, the institutions will just be like those who lead them.

“So it is not the institutions that should be strong it is the people who lead them that should be people of strong character.”  

The leader of the United Democratic Party said: “We cannot implement these nice aspirations without really having a stable society and that stable society is borne out of unity. We must first and foremost appreciate that we are Gambians and then UDP and then Christians and then Muslims.

“All our efforts must be geared towards harmonizing our relationship. We must remove polarizing and destabilizing influences and forces to have a Gambia that will certainly be the Gambia for all.”

Mr Darboe said the national debate should be centred on the need for people themselves to take the decision and come onboard and not to wait to be taken onboard.

“If you allow someone to take you onboard that person will only tell you to do things that will satisfy him and I believe once you decide to join a political party you should ensure that you are not there to satisfy the executive of the party, but your conscience.”  

He said the UDP has taken steps to ensure that women and young people are given the rightful positions in the party, saying in the next two years of the UDP’s transformation the party will have a youthful leadership.

The five day workshop on governance and inclusivity was organised by the Westminster Foundation.