When Adama Barrow was declared the winner of 2016 elections, I was beside myself with joy. I called friends and neighbors from far and near to celebrate the liberation of our beautiful Gambia from the clutches of a murderous dictator. Few days later, I realized I celebrated too early as Jammeh in his signature “for the purpose of clarity” annulled the elections in totality. I never slept a day and went through and excruciating suspense for weeks until the day Jammeh fled in a hurry to Equatorial Guinea. Of course, in the face of ECOWAS intervention with ECOMIG soldiers.
For The Gambia, it appears like we are back to our time of desperation, confusion, suspense, executive mediocrity and corruption. Our case is like the proverbial one step forward and two steps backward. Whoever sold us the idea of embracing the illusive perception that our worse days are behind us lied to us enormously. Whoever the sales man is or the media committed a great wrong .Are we cursed somehow? whenever we appeared to be on the cusp of finally having our dream leader that will lead us to the promised land, some accidental, idiotic leader pops up with his demonic, clueless advisers and political prostitutes like Henry Gomez, Seedy Njie and Siaka Jatta to derail our march to progress.
Bombastic, unethical, propagandistic presidential advisers and speakers
Regardless of what the government’s spin master Ebrima Sankareh may try to make you falsely believe; you would not be wrong for thinking that: “operation three years Jotna” movement has enough organizational muscle and support of the masses to successfully force Adama Barrow out of power. The recent diplomatic passport scandal, poor state of our health facilities, executive fiscal indiscipline, slow pace of security sector reform and the release of the jungulars are enough ingredients to force a disappointed and angry population to pour into the streets like angry volcano to demand his sacking from the state house.
When Mr. Mballow as the interior minister threatened the “three years Jotna” movement with hot water and Henry Gomez came on board to dare the protesters to come out in December in dramatic fashion littered with threats as the president laughs in the background. With these uncalculated rants by the president’s men, Barrow’s destiny for better or worse this December and January seem to have been sealed by the ironic geniuses he keep around him who invited protesters from all over the country to protest and see the hot water that will be visited upon them. Barrow’s advisers, their lack of education and certified cluelessness reminds me of a chapter in the Bible, proverbs 13:20: “He who walks with wise men will be wise, But the companion of fools will be destroyed”. I pray and hope Barrow’s mediocre advisers and spokesperson won’t destroy him. Amen.
Three years or five years, Barrow can be overthrown in a popular uprising
I have watched so many credentialed idiots say Barrow cannot be overthrown because he is a democratically elected president. This assertion is false, and Barrow can be overthrown in a mass up rising. Don’t believe what I am telling you. Look it up on google. Democratically elected governments in countries like Lebanon, Guatemala,Egypt,Iran,Tunisia,Algeria, Bulgaria, Venezuela, Ukraine, Thailand, Macedonia, Spain, Iceland, Hungary, Moldova, Brazil, Bolivia and Poland were all challenged and some of them forced to step down by mass-based popular uprisings.
Is this the beginning of the end of Barrow or can he weather the coming storm
Is yesterday’s popular uprising the beginning of the end of Barrow or can he weather the coming political storm brewing and percolating through the land from Kartong to Koina? For now, we can’t tell. But I can tell you one thing for sure: if Barrow and his genius advisers don’t handle this well 3 years “Jotna” protest could be his waterloo.
Alhassan Darboe is based in the United States
Editor’s note: The views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect the editorial position of The Fatu Network
