By Salifu Manneh
We are in an election year. This is the best opportunity for Gambians to critically assess the anatomy of our politics and the character of those who seek to govern us. The stakes are too high.
After ten years in office, President Adama Barrow and his administration appear to have little left to offer the Gambian people. Their legacy has become associated with financial scandals, rising public debt, an unbearable cost of living, and persistent failures across key sectors of the economy. Health and social care services continue to struggle, while many citizens are finding it increasingly difficult to meet their daily needs.
Perhaps one of the most troubling features of the Barrow era has been the normalisation*/ of corruption and financial mismanagement, as well as the repeated concerns highlighted in the Auditor General’s various reports. It is difficult to comprehend how a government can manage public resources with so little accountability and oversight.
The apparent laissez-faire approach to governance displayed by the country’s chief administrator, the President, has raised serious questions about leadership, responsibility, and institutional effectiveness.
There often appeared to be no coherent long-term plan, no clearly defined national strategy, and no measurable roadmap to guide development. Instead, governance frequently seemed driven by knee-jerk reactions, improvisation, and political expediency.
Across many sectors, the same characteristics repeatedly emerged: greed, dishonesty, misinformation, self-interest, avoidance of responsibility, empty rhetoric, and poor communication. These have become recurring themes in the anatomy of our politics and among some of our politicians.
In countries that govern effectively and achieve sustainable development, leadership is often guided by a clear vision. That vision is usually presented to voters through election pledges and manifestos. It is then translated into policies, strategies, implementation plans, timelines, monitoring mechanisms, and measurable outcomes.
Unfortunately, our political culture has often become obsessed with the wrong priorities. Too many individuals are captivated by luxury vehicles, mansion houses, fame, multiple marriages, and the accumulation of wealth beyond reasonable means. Consequently, some politicians view public office not as a platform for service but as an opportunity to enrich themselves before they are eventually removed from power.
Ten years of the Barrow administration will be remembered by many as a period of disappointment and missed opportunities. While it cannot be compared directly to the human rights abuses and loss of life experienced during the dictatorship years, it has nonetheless produced its own form of national suffering.
The Barrow legacy may ultimately be viewed as an extension of many of the governance failures that Gambians hoped would end in 2016. The difference is that while the dictatorship era was characterised by fear and repression, the current era has become associated with growing cronyism, weak accountability, public neglect, and a widening disconnect between the government and the people it was elected to serve.
As Gambians prepare to cast their votes, the question before us is not merely who should govern next. The more important question is what kind of country we want to build. Do we continue down a path of complacency, patronage, and unfulfilled promises, or do we demand competence, integrity, transparency, and a genuine commitment to national development?
The future of The Gambia depends on the answer. The key question for all of us is whether you are at home or in the diaspora; Are we ready for change, regime change, leadership change and meaningful change? The social and political problems brought before us by successive governments are problems of our own making. We must tackle every issue in unison and in a concerted manner. For the Gambia, our homeland. We must stand up and be counted come 05 December 2026—no more excuses.
