Being a president is supposed to be a servant for his country. It is an assignment based on trust and payed by the tax payers. It is a honour and a privilege, not a position that should be taken for granted. There are rules and regulations to follow, even for a president. This seems to be very hard for African presidents to accept, almost impossible. When they have managed to get the power, they will cling to it with their nails. Power comes with responsibility, but that seems to be a thing that weighs lightly for African presidents. Before the next election, in The Gambia, you should ask the candidates WHY they want to become a president. Don’t ask for what they want to achieve and their sugar-coated promises. You know they will not keep it anyway. Ask them WHY they want to be a president and give them the tough questions.
You have already had enough of the sweet talk and the empty promises. It is only hot wind without any consistence. Prepare yourself, before the next election in 2026, and make a list with the personal and professional traits you expect from a president. Educate yourself, educate your children. Learn things online and don’t waste your time on YouTube or TikTok. Learn from your own experiences, learn from your mistakes as well as other’s. Go back to what the candidates promise before the last election and check what has been achieved. Don’t allow the high and mighty to bluff you. If you are educated, have sought information and prepared yourself with well thought through questions, you will be able to look behind the surface.
Those who are in power in The Gambia are benefitting from your ignorance. They use the fact that most people are not informed enough to know their rights. Too many are still illiterate and as long as that is a fact, you will be used. Come on, people! Haven’t you thought of that? The colonizers didn’t want your people to be educated because they were afraid of losing power. They were afraid that you would claim your rights if you knew what they were. Can’t you see that those who rule the country, your own people, are doing the same to you?
If those who have the power to improve your lives wanted that to happen, then they would make it possible. They are not interested in you, only in what they can benefit from you. Sounds harsh, doesn’t it? Well, life in The Gambia is harsh, nothing comes for free, expect for those who know how to use the system. Why doesn’t all Gambian kids go to school? Why are not all Gambian schools well equipped? Why don’t all Gambian schools have proper toilets with running water? Why are Gambian girls forced to end their studies because of their menstruation? Why are you not asking what happens to these girls when they can’t study anymore? Why are you so used to all this injustice so you don’t raise your voices and demand a change?
President Barrow has a lot of people behind him who benefits from his position. Of course, they want him to run for a third term, that would fill their bank accounts even more. Being close to president Barrow means being close to a lot of power. The taste of power is so sweet and addictive, so the thoughts of responsibility are silenced. The clinking sound of money in your pocket is higher than the whispers of your conscience. Why listen to the boring voice telling you to serve your people when you can join the party and dance on to the sound of music made of other’s suffering? Why bother about the poor and dirty people? No, you have money enough to distance yourself from them and you are determined to keep that distance.
This year, in November, there will be a presidential election in the US. I am sure you have heard about president Biden and the issues with old age and a failing health. I have felt sorry for him every time I have seen him on the news. The man is 81 and his old age has caught him and made him fragile. The candidate from the Republican Party, former president Donald Trump, does whatever he can to get back into power again. The smear campaign against president John Biden has been cruel and brutal. Donald Trump has mocked president Biden in any way possible. Donald Trump is not much younger than John Biden, he is 78. They say that age is just a number, mostly when we speak about love affairs, but age is also about experience and maturity. Unfortunately, maturity is nothing we can apply on Donald Trump. He is a bully, filled with his ego and doesn’t care if he harms the one who comes in his way.
There is too much to say about Donald Trump, I have tried to find something positive but I wasn’t able to. Let us leave him and focus on John Biden. This is a man who has dedicated his whole life to serve his country. He is a good friend to the former president Barack Obama and is well respected in the US. To make a decision to step down from the election campaign must have been very hard. It is not a decision made over night, and it must have been hurtful to finally accept that he was unable to make it. All of you, readers or listeners, who have come of age know how it feels to be forced to accept that you are not young anymore. The body has become weaker and the mind is not working as fast as before. This is life, and it’s tough to accept.
Lucky for president Biden and also for the US, he has a vice president who is very qualified. Kamala Harris, a lawyer, a woman, her mother is from India and her father from Jamaica. Kamala is 59 years old and suddenly Donald Trump has turned out to be the ”old guy ”. He and his campaign leaders had prepared a lot of videos where he mocked John Biden and made a fool of him. Look now who is the old fool! Since Kamala Harris accepted to take over the position as the presidential candidate for the Democratic Party, she has won a lot of attention and so many are supporting her campaign financially. Donald Trump is furious and desperate to win over her. I pray that Kamala Harris will win the election. Imagine to have a female president in the US, a historical moment!
There is a time and a place for everything, and to accept that the time had come to step down is something to be admired. John Biden listened to his advisors, and to his vice president. He trusted their advice and also knew that he had a great successor in vice president Kamala Harris. He will always be remembered for his mature decision, instead of Donald Trump who will be remembered as a bully, a misogynist and a villain. How does President Adama Barrow wish to remembered? He can’t be the president forever, instead of forcing himself on the position, he should step down in dignity. He must understand that it is time to let someone else lead the country instead. Be wise, do a Biden!
