Mandinka Opposition to Jawara, Jammeh, and Now Him, Can not Proceed – Kerr Fatou On-line Media Home

President Adama Barrow

By Buba Gagigo

President Adama Barrow, throughout a gathering with elders within the Lower River Region (LRR), voiced his considerations about what he described as persistent opposition from the Mandinka group towards successive Gambian presidents, together with former leaders Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara, Yahya Jammeh, and himself.

Barrow addressed the gathered elders, emphasizing that his authorities’s growth tasks should not influenced by political assist or opposition.

“We don’t determine the place to implement growth tasks primarily based on assist or opposition. In truth, a few of our supporters had been upset as a result of we prolonged assist to areas the place we didn’t obtain assist. We’ve constructed nearly 86 kilometers of street, which is a major stretch. I traveled on that street yesterday, and it felt like paradise in comparison with the challenges I used to face there. Despite this, some individuals proceed to oppose me.

When others suggested towards taking part two of the undertaking to that space, I stood agency. I instructed them that the work had already begun and wouldn’t be relocated. Let them oppose me; I’ll preserve doing the work as a result of that street isn’t only for one group—it serves all Gambians. However, can this sort of opposition proceed indefinitely? It can not. During the 2021 elections, I misplaced in all of the Mandinka villages in LRR. Not a single polling station in Mandinka village in LRR voted in my favor, and I imagine it was deliberate,” Barrow defined.

Barrow additionally took purpose at United Democratic Party (UDP) chief Ousainou Darboe, questioning his affect inside the Mandinka group.

“I am a Mandinka. Ousainou Darboe is urging you to support your relatives. He hails from Bansang, while I come from Mankamang Kunda. So, who is your relative between the two of us? I lost in all the Mandinka villages across the entire LRR—all the polling stations. But can we, as Mandinkas, continue to oppose Jawara, Yahya Jammeh, and Adama Barrow? Are we going to keep this up? These are things we need to reflect on. It won’t benefit us or take us anywhere. However, I am pleased that you all have come together for us to collaborate. We are ready to work,” President Barrow remarked.

The president urged the individuals of LRR to rethink their assist for Darboe, highlighting the UDP chief’s lack of success in his hometown.

“I’m pleading with you, Mandinkas, let’s be patient. The Ousainou Darboe you are supporting doesn’t even win in Bansang, his hometown. If you want to understand someone’s character, you should ask their relatives or neighbors. He doesn’t win there, and there’s a reason for that. Do you know him better than they do? You can’t possibly know him better than they do. They don’t vote for him because they know him well. I, on the other hand, win even at his own polling station in pipeline, the very place where he voted, surrounded by his neighbors. So why didn’t they vote for him? It’s because they know him. You don’t know him, and that’s why you support him. However, I will sit with my Minister to discuss all your concerns, and as a pledge to you, I will deliver the 2km road.”