Prudence is a virtue, the absence of which has the potential to deliver a system into totally paralysis. It is even more injurious if this saintly character is found wanting in the arena of a national political terrain, as it had been the case in The Gambia for sometime.

However, current trends in this fledgling democracy of ours forecast a promising move from this old school type of politicking to a more compliant one. Of course, this is what Gambians have since been asking for.

Even among the common people, there has been a radical departure from politics of idealism to that of realism, for the latter only stresses the interest of individuals. People now know that there is a vast difference between the nation and the individuals that make up the nation.

This is demonstrable in the unshakable taste of preference of the masses for the progress-oriented ruling party, the APRC. From the unset, all the party’s machinery has been endeavouring to highlight has been unanimity in the interest of the nation.
 
But alas! Some say no to this. They prefer the path of unproductive antagonism. Often, in such a situation, instead of the opposing parties engaging in sharing of ideas in an effort to pushing forward the general interest of the society, they get enmeshed in the painful and destructive path of politics of confrontation.

Yes, politics is a continuous process, but politics must not be mistaken for the unacceptable game of merely outmanoeuvering one’s political opponents just to propel their own individual ambition. And unfortunately, this is what had led to the deep-rooted allurement to primitive ideologies among a section of our society, ensuring a perpetual subjugation of the progress of the nation. All of this is in the interest of a few. And the tendency now is that personality cultism will be the order of the day. But this, if Gambians do not ostracize its perpetrators, will annihilate the destiny of our succeeding generation.

If we really are in for the progress of the country, we must be able to tell party politics from national interest. Party politicking ceases when the curtain is drawn on the electioneering process. Ideally, this should mark the point we shed party identities and come together to pursue our collective goals. There is bound to be divergent views.

But, in fact, that is one of the most beautiful of gifts nature provided us with, for it is a perfect provision for a balanced society. But another thing also certain is that there is and there can only be one Gambia. This Gambia needs a unified front if it can make any headway.

Do they not say that two heads are better than one? One person would see the realities of a situation differently from the way another would. Upon argument, constructive argument indeed, a compromise is struck, and there we go. This is what is called politics of cooperation, as opposed to politics of confrontation.  

Just like Waa Juwara, the opposition politician of the National Democratic Action Movement (NDAM), said, Politics of cooperation should be distinguished from politics of confrontation. This is the distinguishable quality President Jammeh is endowed with. And this is what, apparently, has captured the imagination of Waa. His move is an endorsement of this fact.

A justifiable endorsement indeed.  

If only that the rest of the opposition figures in this country would borrow Waa’s lens for a fraction of a second, we will be sure of realizing the Gambian Dream within the shortest possible time.