President Barrow's utterances at his meeting with the traditional rulers of the Gambia(Seyfolu and Alkalolu) at state house were both disappointing and embarrassing. He talked like a toddler would do. Yes, Senegal is no doubt our closest neighbour and probably the most important partner in development, but that doesn't give it or its citizens the right to meddle or interfere in our domestic politics. We are a sovereign independent state which means we can play our domestic politics without any interference from outsiders.
To say some Gambians are also citizens of some western countries and that they partake in their politics, doesn't mean any foreigner from Senegal, Guinea Conakry or Guine Bissau could come into our country and partake in our domestic politics. Every country has its laws and constitutions which must be adhered to by both citizens and residents. So if you're not a Gambian citizen and want to become one, there are ways and means you can channel through to get your citizenship. Nobody is stopping any foreigner from becoming a Gambian citizen through the rightful legal ways. Our political leaders must stop misleading and betraying our country and its people. We have been betrayed enough by those we have always entrusted with running the affairs of our state. Nobody says no foreigner should come into our country but they must be told and shown their limits. Our domestic politics is no go area for any foreigner. Foreigners of all ethnic backgrounds, whether Mandinka, Fula, Wolof, Jola, Serahule, Serer or Manjako should stay away from our politics. Our politics is our politics.
Why should President Barrow be devastated by the approach taken by certain political party members to bar senegalese and other foreign nationals from partaking in the ongoing voter registration exercise to the point that he had to raise the issue when he met the country's traditional rulers from the West Coast region? Or were the allegations that the president and his camp attempted to register as many foreigners as they could to help him win the upcoming elections true? As we approach December 4th, it becomes clear and evident to him that most Gambians have already distanced themselves from him and his camp. If you are fully convinced, Mr President, that the supposed thugs wearing the 'black black' uniforms are breaking the laws of the land, why this waste of time? Send your police, army, SIS or even ECOMIG personnel to arrest and arraign them before the competent courts so that the law may take its proper course on them. I must say I was gravely disappointed that he (Barrow) condoned rather than condemned the attack on the voter registration monitoring team by some natives of Kanilai. Remember, what goes around comes around. It was the monitoring team yesterday, it could be NPP members tomorrow as kanilai, the native village of former president Jammeh, remains unpacified.
Our country is just unfortunate to be blessed, shouldn't I say cursed, with a semi-educated and primitive thinking Leader like Barrow who thinks the USA belongs to the white folks and that all blacks in that country are foreigners and are only privileged to partake in its politics. President Barrow needs lectures on basic history of the USA. Even our primary school pupils know that not all blacks in the US are foreigners. Some of them had their great-grandfathers and great grandmother born on the soils of the US. It is rather unfortunate that our leader's knowledge and understanding of international and current affairs are very minimal. Maybe, he (Barrow) should hire Dr Ensa Touray, a seasoned history lecturer at the UTG who also happens to be his supporter, to help lecture him on basic history to avoid future blunders on historical records.
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