Dear Editor,
In China, no one wakes up thinking, “Today, I’ll vote for my president.” Why? The president isn’t elected by the people. Instead, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) selects the leader. The CCP isn’t just any political party—it’s an exclusive group. Membership isn’t open to everyone; it’s reserved for those chosen based on merit, education, and proven strategic, economic, and political skills.
These are trained, disciplined elites who’ve demonstrated their ability to lead.Why This System? China’s approach stems from a pragmatic view: people struggling with poverty or survival lack the clarity to choose a nation’s leader. Without knowledge of geopolitics, economics, or national defence, can the average person wisely select a leader for a nation of 1.4 billion? China says no. Instead of emotional votes or populist slogans, China prioritises competence, discipline, and proven results.
The CCP selects leaders who’ve earned their place through rigorous assessment, ensuring they can handle the nation’s complex challenges. Power isn’t won through popularity—it’s earned through capability. This system avoids gambling the nation’s future on uninformed choices. It entrusts responsibility to those who’ve proven they can bear it.
Strategic Lessons from China’s Governance Model
Competence Trumps popularity
A nation thrives under capable leaders, not the loudest voices. China selects strategists based on merit, not promises. Result: In 40 years, China transformed from a developing nation to the world’s second-largest economy, potentially soon the first.
Elites drive elite results
Well-managed elites are essential for progress. The CCP’s meritocracy rewards intelligence, rigour, and results, not populism. This has lifted 800 million people out of poverty and built global giants like Huawei, Alibaba, and Tencent.
Stability over chaos
Long-term planning beats short-term shifts. China plans decades ahead, enabling megaprojects like the Belt and Road Initiative. Stable, centralised power avoids the policy reversals that cause waste and stagnation elsewhere. Guided Vision Outpaces Disorder
A unified vision moves faster than fragmented opinions.
China’s elite-led system enables swift decisions, rapid infrastructure growth, and global influence, while others debate, debate, debate without action or eventually the wrong action.
China acts while others talk. Something to ponder about.
Almamy Fanding Taal
Brusubi
Open letter to Hon Ebrima Sillah and Mayor Talib Bensouda
Dear Editor,
I write to you as a lifelong son of this soil, a native of the Kotu area, and someone whose childhood memories and daily routines have long been intertwined with one of the Greater Banjul Area’s most iconic and indispensable landmarks, the Kotu–Bungalow Beach Hotel (BB Hotel) Bridge.
Today, that same bridge lies in a state of heartbreaking neglect. No longer the vital artery it once was, linking residents and tourists to the golden coastline and its vibrant hotels, restaurants, and nature retreats, it now stands crumbling and condemned-closed to vehicular traffic and hanging by a thread even for pedestrians. Once a living, breathing structure that bustled with activity and offered quiet communion with nature, it has now become a fading relic, teetering on the edge of collapse.
For me, and for many in this community, this bridge was more than concrete and steel. It was where we learned to swim, cast our fishing lines, jogged through the cool morning mist, and marveled at the majestic birdlife dancing through the mangroves. Tourists lingered at its edge, binoculars in hand, capturing moments of serenity that define our ecotourism charm. Canoe riders once passed beneath it, offering visitors tranquil journeys toward the famous Traffic Light Bridge. That whole rhythm has now been disrupted.
I recorded a video (see below) to document the bridge’s current state. What it shows is not just decay, it reveals a scandal of inaction. For months now, not a single sign has emerged to suggest that rehabilitation is even on the horizon. And with the rainy season now in full swing, one strong downpour could sweep away what little remains.
While I applaud the recent roadwork along the Gambia Golf Course area, an effort worth recognising, it should not become a quiet excuse to abandon the BB Hotel Bridge altogether. Let’s not mistake substitution for progress. That bridge is no outdated relic. It’s a living conduit of culture, community, and commerce. To lose it would be to lose a part of ourselves.
Hon Minister Sillah, Mayor Bensouda, your continued silence is beginning to speak volumes. We need bold leadership, not bureaucratic foot-dragging. I implore you to prioritise this bridge, not just patch it up, but reimagine it. Elevate it, literally and figuratively, so that it supports not only foot and vehicle traffic, but also the canoe riders and eco-tourists beneath. Let it become a model for thoughtful, sustainable infrastructure in The Gambia.
Let us not wait until it collapses into the riverbed before we scramble into action. That would be an unforgivable failure, not just of planning, but of imagination and responsibility.
Lt Colonel (Rtd) Samsudeen Sarr
Kotu
