By Omar Bah
Gambian diplomat Facuru Sillah has defended President Adama Barrow’s right to seek a third term, saying objections are motivated by moral resentment, political fear or misplaced reliance on term limits.
Writing on his Facebook Page recently, Sillah said Barrow’s critics are those angered by the 2016 coalition’s broken promise of a three‑year transition; political rivals who cannot beat him at the ballot box and use moral arguments as cover; and advocates who believe fixed term limits alone guarantee peaceful transfers of power.
“The president has the legal right to stand,” Sillah said. “Debate must focus on the law and institutional safeguards, not selective nostalgia or political expediency.”
Sillah challenged the notion that term limits are a universal democratic standard. He noted that many respected democracies and developed jurisdictions — including the United Kingdom, which has no constitutional term cap for heads of government — manage leadership change through political processes rather than rigid constitutional limits. He cited countries with long‑serving leaders and varying development outcomes to argue that continuity of leadership is neither a guaranteed recipe for progress nor failure.
Acknowledging that term limits can promote orderly exits, Sillah insisted national choice and institutional strength matter more.
“What matters is functioning institutions, transparent processes and respect for the rule of law,” he said, urging legal clarity and public debate over emotional appeals.
