By Mama A. Touray
Lawyer Ousainou Darboe, the Secretary-General and leader of the United Democratic Party, pledged that if he becomes president, his government will combat corruption in The Gambia.
Darboe made these statements during his ongoing tour while addressing party members at a meeting held yesterday in Farafenni.
“What I have seen in this country is that, if you have a position, you take it to be eating. Corruption is here and few people benefit from the money of the people and the majority continues to suffer,” Darboe told party supporters, adding “my government will fight against that and the example is when Yankuba Darboe assumed office as [the] Brikama Area Council chairman, he fixed the holes and when he was doing that The Gambia police arrested and detained them because he was fighting for the wellbeing of the people”.
Darboe claimed that the police, acting on President Barrow’s orders, arrested him and his associates because he opposed individuals who were misappropriating funds meant for the Brikama Area Council.
He also stated that Talib Bensouda had fought against the same corruption, which resulted in the government transferring that individual from the Kanifing Municipal Council (KMC) to the Kerewan Area Council, allowing her “to continue what she was doing at KMC.”
Darboe believes that the fight against corruption is achievable only if the Barrow government is voted out of office. “We can stop this [corruption] and how we can [do that] is to vote against Barrow and put in a government that will be the government of the Gambian people”.
Darboe further emphasized the importance of voting for the United Democratic Party and encouraged Gambians to do so.
“Vote for UDP so that they can do the kind of work that the chairman of West Coast Region Yankuba Darboe, Banjul Mayor Rohey Malick Lowe, [KMC Mayor] Talib Ahmed Bensouda, and Landing B Sanneh are doing. That is the only thing that can save the country from corruption,” he said.
