By Mariama Jallow
Sadibou Jadama, a diaspora supporter of the opposition Gambia For All (GFA) has said that the party, led by former vice president and finance minister BB Dabo, offers the requisite experience and leadership to salvage The Gambia from the path of a failing state.
The GFA was one of the 18 political parties that emerged after the 2016 ousting of former dictator Jammeh.
According to Jadama, a long-term resident of Sweden and trained journalist, the Gambian people endured an obscurantist dictatorship whose sinister features included reckless abuse of power, a bewildering level of incompetence in the management of public affairs and kleptomania which proceeded with an outrageous squandering of scarce resources and opportunities.
“Such a country therefore needs coherent, solid and sound minded people to run it and not a bunch of political amateurs.
“We in the GFA stand firmly for a competent, prudent and effective stewardship of the national resources including the environment. We will promote sustainable economic empowerment and wealth creation to lay the foundation for sustainable socio-economic development, a sine qua non for lifting present and future generations out of the grinding poverty which until now has been the lot assigned to them.”
The GFA is led by former vice president of The Gambia, Bakary Bunja Dabo, who is expected to run the presidential race this December. “During President Jawara’s regime, when Dabo was minister of finance The Gambia had one of the best economies in West Africa and for those that do not know, that is where our name the Smiling Coast of Africa comes from. But this enviable image was totally destroyed by Yahya Jammeh,” said Jadama.
He said with the experience and competence of the leadership of the GFA, it will only take five years for the party to make Gambia a model in Africa, as an exemplary nation to inspire other African nations, in terms of democracy, transparency and accountability.
“I believe strongly that the GFA under Dabo whose impeccable record in office is unrivaled, would create a new Gambia under a better administration,” he said.
