The Witness Bench # 0035: Diaspora in Dissonance: When Gambian Democracy Suffers from Political Myopia
By Alagi Yorro Jallow

Fatoumatta: In the annals of democratic struggle, the Gambian diaspora has long positioned itself as a voice of conscience—an external force calling for accountability, transparency, and reform. Yet in moments that demand collective maturity, its political engagement often mirrors the very dysfunction it claims to oppose. The obsession with electing a godfather and dethroning another leader has reduced diaspora activism to a cyclical contest of personality, revenge, and populist bravado—divorced from the foundational purpose of democracy itself.
The Gambian diaspora once symbolized a collective moral voice—calling for reform, accountability, and unity. Today, that voice is fractured, drowned by partisan ambitions and tribal loyalties that mimic the very dysfunction it claims to challenge. Democracy is not domination—it is compromise, persuasion, and consensus. Yet diaspora politics have become a battleground of bravado and emotionalism. Leaders are idolized or vilified, while the common interest is forgotten.
Democracy is not a battleground for unbridled emotions, nor a canvas for tribal politics and toxic partisanship. It is the art of compromise, persuasion, and consensus-building—a sacred space where patriotism is measured by one’s commitment to the common interest, not partisan victories. The Gambian diaspora’s failure is not in its passion, but in its priorities. When national discourse is anchored in narrow nationalism, the soul of democracy erodes, and governance becomes hostage to personal agendas rather than public good.
The National Assembly’s recent rejection of diaspora voting, despite a Supreme Court affirmation, is emblematic of how political vengeance overrides constitutional fidelity. Even as diaspora activists decried the Assembly’s rejection of the draft constitution, their own ecosystem fails to model unity, strategy, or civic restraint. This failure is not merely procedural—it is moral.
Clause 14, which would have enfranchised Gambians abroad, was struck down again, blocked by the very machinery that democracy is meant to temper. That 21 lawmakers chose political loyalty over legal clarity and national interest should alarm us. Meanwhile, members of the diaspora rail against the exclusion, yet their own political behavior rarely rises above tribal echo chambers and factionalism.
And what of the D1 million presidential deposit reinstated by a vote of 33 to 3? Or the raised endorsement threshold—now 15,000 signatures, 1,000 from each administrative region? These are not reforms; they are legal barricades masquerading as electoral integrity. Such measures entrench political elites and silence the independent candidates who give democracy its oxygen.
Where is the diaspora’s rallying cry for systemic fairness—not just favorable outcomes? Why has civic engagement been reduced to personality cults and online outrage? The late Senator John McCain, a Republican, in poor health, cast a decisive vote to preserve Obamacare—a law crafted by his political rival. His act was not of partisan weakness, but democratic strength. He chose principle over party. Patriotism over pride.
Gambian democracy demands such acts of courage—from leaders and the diaspora alike. But courage requires compromise. It demands a willingness to sit across differences and imagine a nation bigger than our tribes, egos, and ambitions. Until the diaspora reorients itself as a true civic force—committed to constitutionality, consensus, and conscience—it will remain a political spectator, not a stakeholder.
Fatoumatta: Democracy is not what we scream into microphones or post on social media. It is what we build together, piece by principled piece. And we have no time left to waste. Until the diaspora embraces compromise over conquest, it will remain a political bystander. Democracy is not in slogans—it’s in choices, coalitions, and conscience. Let us build a republic not of tribes but of trust.