By Omar Bah
The Chairperson of the Coalition media team in the West Coast Region, Essa Dampha has responded to calls by Mamma Kandeh for President Adama Barrow to step down.
Last week, the leader of the opposition Gambia Democratic Congress told The Standard that President Barrow should consider stepping down since his Coalition partners are no longer interested in anything but who the next president shall be.
In his response, Mr Dampha said Mamma Kandeh’s ranting is still short of a mature politician since his style is “blackmailing Gambians with unfounded allegations and childish comments not expected from someone who wants Gambians to respect and trust him with their country.”
He described the GDC leader as a man looking for cheap attention.
“If Mamma Kandeh and the GDC are wiser they should concentrate on restructuring and reforming themselves so as to stand in a position of a responsible political party that will be able to hold government to account.
Because even a little boy knows that calling a sitting president to step down is political immaturity to the lowest level and even an insult to the Gambian people,” Dampha said.
The Coalition man said Mamma Kandeh has missed his opportunity and Gambians would not forgive him for turning his back on the people when he was most needed to join the crusade against Yahya Jammeh. “When he Kandeh refused to join people to remove the dictator, what moral justification does he have to criticise people who did that job for the freedom of everyone including Kandeh himself?” Dampha said.
He said Kandeh should be thankful to the Gambian people who came together to remove the tyrant and created the freedom of speech which Mr Kandeh is abusing to scream unfounded allegations just to seek relevance again.
“But again we are not surprised because having served Jammeh’s APRC in the national assembly, Mamma Kandeh is nobody but a graduate from Jammeh’s university of politics.”
Mr Dampha said just as Gambians ignored Kandeh and went on to do the job in his absence in the presidential election, people must turn their backs on him in every way possible
“Yes we welcome criticism from the opposition but it has to be constructive criticism from which everyone can learn but not the attention seeking Kandeh,” he concluded.
