By Makutu Manneh
Lamin J. Darboe, leader of the National Unity Party (NUP), has emphasized that a president’s legacy should be measured by the quality of governance rather than the completion of development projects.
Speaking during an interview on Kerr Fatou’s weekly public affairs program, The Brunch, Darboe said his party aims to educate citizens not to evaluate leaders solely based on infrastructure achievements, such as road construction, which he described as national projects financed by public funds, not personal accomplishments of the president.
He illustrated his point with an analogy: “If your brother in the UK sends you money to build a house for him in Gambia, you cannot claim that you built the house for him. It is his money that was used for construction.”
Darboe stressed that while the president is responsible for implementing projects for the public, the true measure of leadership lies in establishing enduring governance systems. He said voters should base their support on a president’s ability to ensure transparency, accountability, and the rule of law, rather than tangible infrastructure alone.
“People should examine legacies—whether a president can create a system of government accountable to its citizens. Without that, no amount of projects constitutes real achievement,” he noted, adding that development initiatives are funded by national resources and do not personally belong to the government.
Darboe also highlighted governance as the central challenge facing the country. “A government, a people, will only thrive on good governance. Once you are not able to do that, your developments are going to be temporary because ultimately, unless the people restrain themselves tremendously, there is a possibility that the society itself can collapse,” he said.
He further underscored the importance of the rule of law as a foundation for sustainable progress, contrasting governance in Western societies with local practices, and stating that the Barrow administration’s record falls short in this critical regard.
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