By Dr Lamin K Janneh
In The Gambia, it has become almost second nature to point fingers at our leaders whenever the nation faces challenges. While leadership is indeed central to national progress, we often overlook an equally important reality: leaders are not outsiders imposed on us. They emerge from our very communities, shaped by the same values, habits, and behaviours we live by every day.
When we continuously blame leaders without examining ourselves, we risk misdiagnosing the real source of our national problems. Corruption, inefficiency, and negligence do not exist in isolation at the top; they often reflect the culture that is tolerated at the bottom. A society that neglects discipline, honesty, and accountability in daily life cannot expect its leaders to suddenly embody those values.
Leaders are products of their communities
Every president, parliamentarian, minister, or mayor was once a child learning lessons from family, neighbourhood, school, and workplace. If lateness, shortcuts, and lack of accountability are normalised in society, these habits are likely to follow individuals into positions of power.
This means that sustainable change must begin not only with reforming political structures but also with reforming ourselves. Whether you are a cleaner ensuring a workplace remains hygienic, a carpenter building homes with precision, a nurse caring for patients with compassion, or a civil servant processing documents on time, your daily actions contribute to the culture of accountability, or the lack of it, in The Gambia.
A question of attitude and commitment
We must ask ourselves hard but necessary questions:
• Do we arrive at work on time, respecting the hours we are paid for?
• Do we give our full effort during those hours, or do we spend half the day distracted?
• Do we treat customers, patients, or citizens with the respect they deserve?
• Do we uphold the values of honesty and fairness, even when no one is watching?
If the answers are uncomfortable, then the responsibility for change lies not just with “them up there” but with each of us in our everyday lives.
The hidden cost of neglect
When a cleaner fails to do their job correctly, an entire office suffers. When a doctor delays appointments, patients pay with their health. When a teacher comes late to class, a generation loses learning time. When a civil servant keeps citizens waiting unnecessarily, the nation loses productivity. Small actions multiply into large consequences.
On the other hand, diligence also multiplies. A nurse who goes the extra mile for a patient restores not just health but trust in the system. A mechanic who delivers quality work without cutting corners strengthens confidence in Gambian craftsmanship. A secretary who organises efficiently helps an entire office function better.
Every role, no matter how “small,” is part of the national machine. If one cog is broken, the whole system slows down.
Building a culture of responsibility
National development requires a collective shift in mindset. Imagine if every Gambian worker committed to the simple principle: “I will give my best in the role I occupy, however humble it may seem.” The results would be transformative.
This is not to say that leaders are exempt from responsibility. On the contrary, leaders must model the very values they wish to see in society. But leadership without followership is hollow. Citizens must hold leaders accountable while also holding themselves accountable.
A call to national renewal
The path to a stronger Gambia does not begin only with new policies or elections. It begins with a new attitude. It begins when we stop excusing lateness, negligence, and corruption in our daily lives. It begins when we decide that honesty, punctuality, and responsibility will define us, not just in speeches, but in practice.
If each of us commits to working diligently in our roles, no matter how small, we will create a culture where good leadership is the natural outcome, not the exception.
So before pointing fingers, let us look inward and ask: What am I doing differently to contribute to the Gambia we dream of?
Because true change begins not with “them,” but with us.
