By Buba Gagigo
The Minister of Information, Dr. Ismaila Ceesay, has publicly criticized the Gambian opposition, highlighting their lack of unity and clear vision. He stated that opposition parties have yet to present a credible alternative to the governance of President Adama Barrow.
Speaking to West Coast Radio, Dr. Ceesay emphasized that the opposition has failed to convince Gambians that they can deliver better leadership or policy outcomes than the current administration.
“The opposition, to be honest, as we have now, doesn’t have an alternative to what His Excellency is giving to Gambians, and that is a fact. The opposition is not united. They don’t have vision. They lack foresight, and they have not convinced anybody that they can do better than President Adama Barrow in every sector,” he said.
Dr. Ceesay further challenged opposition leaders to articulate detailed plans, particularly regarding infrastructure development. He urged them to engage critically with the government’s current policies and demonstrate a clear understanding of the administration’s initiatives before making promises.
“Don’t just listen to them to say, I’ll do X, Y, and Z; no, let them first diagnose what we are doing. As an open opposition, you need to understand the government’s policy, policy stances, and policy prescription. You need to understand that; if you don’t understand that, there’s a problem. But most of our opposition doesn’t even know what the current government is doing. They don’t have any clue about our policies, about our strategies, about our vision,” he said.
The Minister also accused the opposition of focusing primarily on negative rhetoric aimed at discrediting the government. He warned that this approach is misguided, as Gambians remain informed and appreciative of the progress achieved under President Barrow’s leadership.
Highlighting the administration’s achievements, Dr. Ceesay cited improvements in access to water, electricity, education, healthcare, roads, and empowerment programs for farmers, women, and youth. He described the current development trajectory as unprecedented in Gambian history, surpassing gains made during the colonial era and previous governments.
“They are making a serious, grave mistake. Gambians are not sleeping. Gambians are conscious, and Gambians have appreciated enormously what His Excellency, the President, has done for them in providing the most basics to them that they’ve never, ever experienced in their entire existence in this country, since the time of the colonial period, to the PPP and to the APRC government, in terms of water access, in terms of electricity access, in terms of education, health care, roads, support for farmers, women empowerment, youth empowerment, you name it, the President is embarking on an explosive model of development never witnessed before in this country, so they will vote for him come 2026,” Dr. Ceesay concluded.