By Arret Jatta
Saikou Camara, the opposition United Democratic Party’s Administrative Secretary for Media and Communications, has accused President Adama Barrow of introducing what he described as a “very nasty style of politics” in The Gambia, following remarks the president made about opposition leader Ousainu Darboe at a NPP rally in Brikama on Saturday..
While reacting to Darboe’s criticism of power outages, Barrow had said the crisis was due to technical issues which can happen to even human beings. He then went ahead to tease that Darboe has had a break down himself five years ago, referring to the veteran politician’s hip injury.
But in a sharp condemnation of the president’s comments, the UDP media chief said claims that the president is tolerant and respectful come from people who have never experienced the effects of his style of politics.
“A leader who resorts to personal attacks, tolerates the suppression of dissent, and undermines democratic values cannot credibly claim the mantle of tolerance or respectful leadership.”
“The standard for judging a president should not be whether he is better than Yahya Jammeh. That is setting the bar far too low,” he said.
According to him, the true measure of leadership lies in adherence to principles of good governance, respect for democratic freedoms and the ability to treat political opponents with dignity.
“By that standard, Adama Barrow falls short,” Camara stated.
Camara alleged that under Barrow’s administration, citizens, including relatives and children of perceived political opponents, have faced arrest for exercising their constitutional rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.
