There is a video trending on social media in which President Adama Barrow is reportedly saying that he would not relinquish power until Ousainu Darboe, leader of the United Democratic Party (UDP) is dead and buried. He is alleged to have added that he will attend Darboe’s funeral to confirm his death before considering stepping down and paving the way for a new president.
If indeed the video is genuine and he made such a statement against the UDP leader or any other person for that matter, this is beyond despicable and the lowest that a head of state would stoop down on the moral ladder.
Apart from the moral aspect, this type of language is also very much at variance with our societal norms and values, particularly when referring to someone he often refers to as his “father”.
We can all recall that when former President Yahya Jammeh got intoxicated with power, he used to make similar outrageous statements which led to a majority of Gambians despising him and eventually booting him out in 2016. Therefore, President Barrow should avoid making such morally offensive statements which can also lead to his own downfall.
May be one cannot blame his unnecessarily large cabal of advisers for such serious gaffes attributed to him, because he may not have discussed whatever he was about to say with them, but we expect them to discuss the matter with him immediately after so that he would avoid repeating such morally offensive comments in the future. We are also anxiously waiting to see what our vocal imams and religious leaders would say about it, considering how quick some of them are in condemning offensive statements directed at the head of state.
Therefore, if we go by what President Barrow alluded to, it is no longer about a term limit but we have to wait until after the death of Ousainu Darboe, even if he (Darboe) lives for more than a hundred years, for President Barrow to consider stepping down from power. Where are we heading to as a nation? What has happened to the so-called ‘National Dialogue’ that he himself initiated?
By indulging in such politics of intimidation against his opponents and critics, President Barrow is definitely not making life easy for his government. He had the opportunity to learn a lot of good lessons from former President Jammeh but it appears that as he also gets intoxicated with power, he is also committing the similar mistakes. He should however realise that after their bitter experiences with Yahya Jammeh, Gambians are no longer ready to allow any leader to become another monster in this country.
