Fellow Banjulians, fellow Gambians,
This is the last thing I wanted to do. I have held my silence through injustice after injustice, through blatant disregard, through a well-orchestrated effort to strip Banjul of its dignity. I have watched, endured, and prayed that wisdom would prevail, that conscience would find its place in leadership. But today, I have been pushed to the wall.
I regret that I am out of the country at this critical moment, but even from afar, I feel every tremor of this latest attempt to violate our city. The Office of the President’s claim over MacCarthy Square is not just a legal overreach—it is a violation of our history, a betrayal of governance, and a deliberate insult to the people of Banjul.
I did not want to speak, but Banjul is not just my city—it is my bloodline, my history, my father’s struggle, and my life’s mission. And if I do not stand up for it, then who will?
The sacred ground of McCarthy square
When I was a little girl, my father would walk me through Banjul’s streets and tell me stories. Stories of struggle, of sacrifice, of how our people stood their ground even when they had nothing but their dignity. He taught me that Banjul was never just a city; it was a symbol. And at the heart of that symbol, MacCarthy Square stood as our living history.
MacCarthy Square is where our fathers, our uncles, our grandmothers and mothers gathered when the voices of Gambians demanded their rightful place in governance. It is where, year after year, we come together as a nation to celebrate our independence—a space where unity triumphed over division, where history was written not by the powerful, but by the people.
It is where, as a little girl, I watched elders debate the future of our city. Where I saw leaders stand before the people and make commitments, knowing that Banjul holds them accountable. It is where processions of grief and triumph have walked, where prayers have been whispered into the wind, where the heartbeat of this city is felt most deeply.
And now, they want to take it away.
By what right? By what justification? By what conscience does the Office of the President lay claim to a place that belongs to the people?
I do not believe those behind this reckless move have truly educated themselves on the history, the significance, or the rightful ownership of MacCarthy Square. If they had, they would know that it does not belong to any government. It belongs to Banjul. It belongs to its people. It belongs to history itself.
The systematic effort to erase Banjul’s autonomy
This is not an isolated incident. It is part of a long and deliberate campaign to make my leadership untenable, to suffocate the authority of the Banjul City Council, and to diminish the voice of the people who elected me.
I did not seek a fight. But let history record the relentless attacks that have been waged against this city:
• The Banjul Project, a dream for our city’s transformation, was stripped from us. I let it go.
• Crab Island, once a beacon of education, was divided, and half of it handed to private interests without Banjul’s consent. I let it go.
• My new office, which was co-funded by the World Bank but with the full counterpart contribution paid by BCC, was nearly taken under the false pretense that it belonged to the state. I let it go.
• A commission of inquiry was set up, not to cripple KMC, as many believed, but to bully BCC. The President and I both know this.
• My internal auditor was taken into the Office of the President, conspiring against me, fabricating false allegations that were meant to destroy my leadership. Yet the people of Banjul saw through it.
• My staff were dismissed, leaving me with an empty council, but I continued my work.
• The people of Half Die were displaced, reducing my city’s revenue by 10% and rendering many families homeless. I swallowed the pain and let it go.
• Bond Road, an integral part of our city, was taken from the council. I let it go.
• Mining operations in Banjul pay not a single dalasi to the city—twice over. I let it go.
• Bur Banjul is now being claimed.
For how long must I keep letting go?
Even in the darkest days of the past regime, with all its excesses, never was there such an obsession with seizing council-managed assets. Yet, under a government that claims democracy and justice, we have seen the most ruthless assault on Banjul’s autonomy.
“You have made my leadership untenable” – who is really under attack?
The President once lamented that the UDP has tried to make his leadership untenable. But I ask: Has he not done worse to me?
I have been called his informant by members of my own party. I have endured Mark Janneh’s vicious and relentless attempts to discredit me. I have been bullied, stigmatised, and vilified—not because I have failed my people, but because I refuse to bow.
And yet, i have delivered
Despite all of this, I have delivered for Banjul.
· Banjul is on the global map because of my leadership. From REFELA to Bloomberg Philanthropies, from international city networks to youth and women’s empowerment initiatives, I have fought to bring opportunity to my people.
· Banjul has built partnerships never before seen—while my counterparts in Lusaka and Freetown are supported by their governments, I have to fight for every inch of progress.
· I have done more with less while those in power deliberately deprive Banjul of what it rightfully deserves.
But imagine what more could have been achieved if I had been allowed to lead without interference. Imagine a Banjul was not strangled by political agendas, but uplifted by a true commitment to progress.
Banjul will not be erased
Mr. President, I ask you: Why is Banjul treated as an orphan in this country? Why must its leadership be sabotaged rather than supported?
I have never been included in your international delegations. I have never been invited to negotiate for my city as other mayors do. I have never been given the basic courtesies of leadership.
And yet, I stand.
I stand as the daughter of this city.
I stand as the woman who refuses to bow.
I stand as the Mayor who will not be erased.
MacCarthy Square will not be taken.
Banjul will not be silenced.
The people’s voice will not be stripped away.
I did not seek this fight. But I will not run from it either.
Out of the love we share for our people; the commitments we made on being elected into office, I implore on the Presidency to put petty, partisan politics aside for true development. We owe it to our people and generations yet unborn to deliver legacies that will emancipate our people from poverty. Our children must hear stories from us as I heard from my beloved father on the sacrifices made to make lives and living better. These cannot be achieved if we continue to engage in squabbles over Real Estate even outside the legal and ethical perimeters surrounding them. The Office of The President should – must be bigger and better than this.
Throughout history, Banjul has been a resilient city against the impact of climate change, dictatorship, war and community disharmony. This is not a war against the Mayorship of Banjul but against its people and their heritage.
Your Excellency, of all the lines that have been crossed, this, will be the one my people will not forget. We shall overcome!
Banjul will prevail!
Thank you.
Rohey Malick Lowe
Mayor of the City of Banjul
