Winners
APRC – Unlike its breakaway faction, the so-called ‘No-to-Alliance Movement’, the former ruling party, or at least a sizeable number of its former chief adherents, have wormed themselves into government and positions of great power and influence.
Abdoulie Bojang – The Bakau-born Gambia Under-20 coach has done the unthinkable by taking the national team to the final of the Africa Under-20 football competition and he deservedly ended up winning the sports personality of the year award.
Mohammed BS Jallow – The soft-spoken almost diffident retired civil servant was named vice president of the republic after the demise of the outspoken Badara Joof. Before his appointment, the president hinted that he would not appoint anyone to the position who may harbour a desire to succeed him. Given the look of things, in MBS, Barrow has his man!
Yankuba Darboe – The former London lawyer and UDP firebrand has cultivated a reputation as a fierce defender of the common man and common woman and shown ample willingness to take on the full might of the government. Now, like Kanifing mayor Bensouda and Lamin Sanneh of the OIC fame, he is marked as a possible successor to Darboe whenever the old man retires or is jettisoned.
Seedy Njie – Once he was loudest in saying Barrow will not be president. Although the sound of his megaphone has not gone down a decibel, it is blaring a completely different tune now: that Barrow is the best! Though he is officially deputy speaker of the House, Njie is regarded as one of the closest confidants of the president and wields enormous influence within the NPP and the government at large.
Muhammed Jah – He’s slowly turning The Gambia into Jah Inc. but the QGroup czar is apparently not content with being the richest Gambian with the most beautiful home and driving the priciest vehicles. It is rumoured that he is… ahem. Whatever, Jah’s stock in business and in politics is rising like a soaring peregrine falcon.
Ebrima Jawo – Every five years or so when a new election cycle is about to start, this former thespian would hop into town from the UK and create a buzz about wanting to run for one office or the other for the PPP or some other nondescript party. Each time he would fail and would return licking his lips to wait for another five years. But this year, he seemed to have jumped on Barrow’s white horse and has been rewarded with the curious nomenclature of Executive Coordinator. A kind of governor for the capital for the 30,000 residents of the capital?
Madi Jobarteh – The nation’s paramount human rights defender has spoken out the loudest about every infringement on the rights and freedoms of the people of The Gambia and railed against the excesses of an increasingly assertive state. He was arrested. Detained. Surveilled upon. Publicly lambasted by the president and called an insurrectionist and kaffir. But he stood his ground and refused to bow or keep quiet. Word in the grapevine is he is eyeing Halifa’s title of Conscience of The Nation as the big-haired Torodo considers exiting.
Kinza Jawara – It was rumoured that the president once asked her to be a minister of state. She declined. It was rumoured again that the president wanted her to be the vice president. Again she declined. But there’s no hiding place for a gold fish. Ecowas named her permanent representative to the UN in New York. And this time there wasn’t the luxury of having the option of saying no. Who knows, perhaps, she herself lobbied for it.
The Judiciary – Despite the usual criticism from some quarters, the magistrates and judges on The Gambia’s bench have shown in this year as in the previous years that they are not beholden onto any power and that they will dispense justice without fear or favour, affection or ill-will. Of course, we do not expect anything less. It cannot be otherwise in an arm of government managed by a lord who is temporal and spiritual.
CepRass – Definition of credibility: the quality of being trusted and believed in aka CepRass. This pollster has shown in every instance that it knows its onions. Every election it would make predictions and every single time it would be spot on. CepRass as a pollster has demonstrated an uncanny knack for pointing out the grain from the political fufulé at elections.
