The most powerful tool at our disposal as citizens is our collective ability to vote. To entrust someone with our country to steer us towards a better Gambia. That is why voting is our responsibility but most importantly voting right is our right unto each other and duty towards each other. So it is beyond individual preference. It is my right over you to vote right, as is yours over me. Thus as each other's keepers, we must all endeavour to appeal to one another's judgment to vote right.
Voting right might be complex and too vague. However, the key is to ensure whichever candidate you are voting for has the aptitude, ability, integrity and intellectual pedigree to preside over the affairs of the state. Ensure that you are familiar with their policies and intentions once they hold office. It is like seeing someone throwing stones at a beehive within your vicinity. If you are familiar with the havoc bees can wreck, you would ask them to stop or force them to stop. You would do this because you are very aware of the repercussions that would follow such irresponsible acts.
To vote Barrow for a second term equals throwing stones at a beehive.
Of course, we mustn't fight anyone or even force them to vote against Barrow. However, we should appeal to their sense of logic and convince them why voting for Barrow is fatal to our country's fate. That is why it is incumbent upon us all to vote Barrow out, and here are four fundemental reasons:
Home to inefficiency
If there is anything President Barrow is consistent at is his inefficiency. When he came new into the Gambian political arena, his inexpertise got excused because he had the backing of Gambia's veteran politicians. These are individuals whose capabilities were never in doubt. Things changed since he severed ties with all coalition partners or at least those who could honestly lead and see him and the country through.
His inability to articulate himself was, as was the case then, excused. Then he was our Barrow, the President of hope until he decided to go solo and launch his political party because of his desire to stay longer at the Statehouse thereby, reneging on every campaign promise. Barrow's tenure is, however, undoubtedly characterise as one of inefficiency. His government's handling of the COVID19 outbreak in the Gambia, more so the allocated funds. The further dilapidation of our health care system where pregnancy is literally a death sentence. The insecurity and dastard spike in crime rates, the continued presence of the ECOMIG are all indicators of his government's inabilities and inefficiencies. The total and absolute failure of the NDP serves as a stark reminder of Barrow's government. This government does not deserve a vote from the Gambian people.
Barrow is not a man of his word
His not excellent excellency President Barrow took Gambians for a very long ride of untruths. As he would say, during campaigns and politics, people can say anything. That statement of his alone should disqualify him in the eyes of Gambians.
His betrayals to the aspiration of the Gambian people are testaments to the untruths he fed and continues to supply Gambians. The whole world knows Barrow promised to serve three years and resign to his business. Today, the contrary is happening. Barrow is determined to stay fifteen long years, and a pass would see him remain at the helm of our affairs for Jawara years. So, this is also why entrusting him with the country's state of affairs is dangerous and outright selfish. We can go on the many promises Barrow made to Gambians that went unfulfilled, but I believe these are equally common knowledge. For instance, Barrow's pledge of donating 10% of his Salary towards the NDP has remained to be but fiction. Up to date, there is no show of this happening.
A Bromance with the APRC
In an interview for what I believe is the BBC documentary covering the murder of Solo Sandeng, President Barrow said he would never seek advice from Yaya Jakut Jammeh. He mentioned that he was merely employing diplomacy when Jammeh was felicitating him (Barrow), and he told Jammeh that his guidance and advice would come in handy during his tenure. Today, in his attempt to lengthen his luxurious stay at the Statehouse, Barrow had done the unthinkable by going into alliance with the APRC. Of all his scandals, and betrayals this ranks the worst.
During their long and laborious reign, the APRC party has brought nothing but suffering, economic mismanagement, corruption, and death upon the people. This plan is not only an insult to the Gambian people, more so the victims, but whatever wrongs that's transpired over APRC's tenure is set to be excused, thus, setting a dangerous precedent. Some might contend that there is nothing wrong with affiliating with the APRC, but I dissent from this view. It is, in fact, in my book the greatest sins one can commit against the Gambians. I based this on the fact that the APRC is a murderous, unrepentant regime. Honestly, Barrow's alliance with the APRC alone should get him voted out.
Economic Mismanagement
Barrow's regime is synonymous with economic mismanagement and scandals, which somehow gets talk about only fleetingly. And it is crucial to note that this trend started from the onset. In 2017, Mai Fatty said Jammeh left with millions of Dalasis only for Halifa Sallah to deny those claims. Both politicians claimed to have taken the info from the Central Bank. We never got clarifications on this up to now, and seriously we never asked as it mattered. Of course, it is evident that Jammeh left with our money but what prompted those claims and counterclaims?
The government's appointment of people to oversee the OIC summit, which got morphed with nepotism, scandals, and absolute failure, is perhaps the highlight of the corruption of this Barrow-led government. It was the appointment of relatives, friends and well-wishers; there was no regard for competency, aptitude whatsoever. The only eligibility requirements were to know someone from Barrow's corridor or be related to them. Thus, the relatives of the newly appointed cabinets got the jobs. Meanwhile, the average Gambian who campaigned through the breadth and length of this country to get Barrow elected is left wallowing in misery. Then came the Janneh commission and how its recommendations got executed by robbing Paul and paying Peter. In essence, the government bastardised the advice of that commission, and fears are the same would be the fate of the TRRC. It is no brainer why some echelons of the TRRC decided or considered running for office. They have no faith in this government to follow the recommendations that they will make. Not that it justifies their decisions in my book.
The reasons to not vote for Barrow are as numerous as are the scandals that continue to mire his tenure of office. He torpedoed everything transitional about his regime, from killing the draft constitution to bastardising the recommendations of various commissions such as the Faraba and Janneh. Barrow is a man who only cares about getting a second term.
Also, Barrow has already honed his abilities to employ Jammeh's playbook. Kanilai-ing MakamangKunda with our monies and spending more than D100K daily just on food at the "Stayhouse" goes on only to show that this is a man who, if left to power, would push us further into the gutters of the bottom billion.
Editor's note:
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