GALA Spokesperson Levels Sharp Criticism at Barrow Administration, Defends Civic Accountability Movements

By Fatou Sillah

The spokesperson for Gambians Against Looted Assets (GALA), Omar Saibo Camara, has delivered a pointed assessment of President Adama Barrow’s leadership, describing him as incompetent and accusing his administration of entrenched corruption and a systematic disregard for the rule of law.

Speaking in an interview with West Coast Radio, Camara was responding to questions about whether the government views GALA as a destabilizing force rather than a reform-oriented movement. He argued that administrations with weak leadership are inherently uncomfortable with organizations that demand transparency and accountability.

“The Adama Barrow government is corrupt to the core, continues to disregard the rule of law, and he is incompetent,” Camara said.

He went further, suggesting that the government’s unease with GALA stems directly from the movement’s anti-corruption mandate—and that such discomfort is, in his view, telling.

“These features in a leader will be very uncomfortable with a movement like Gambians Against Looted Assets that is up to fight against corruption to ensure that accountability, transparency, and the rule of law are the cornerstone of our democratic governance. So there is no way that government will be comfortable with us,” he said.

Despite the sharp rhetoric, Camara was careful to draw a distinction between institutional critique and personal animosity toward the president, framing GALA’s work as a function of office rather than personal grievance.

“We don’t hate President Barrow; we don’t have any business with President Barrow. When he was only CEO at Majum, I didn’t even know him. I don’t have a business with him, but you see, if you carry public office, you must be ready to receive the hit that comes with accountability,” he said.

Camara also mounted a broader defense of civic pressure groups, arguing that movements like GALA are not peripheral to democratic governance but integral to it.

“Movements are part of democracy; we are part of the governance structure. The governance is not just about Mansa Kunda, it’s not just about the parliament, it’s not just about the judiciary, and it’s not just about the civil society; also, you need to have pressure groups, which is why political parties exist,” he said.

Camara also made clear that GALA has no intention of engaging the government in dialogue at this stage, citing what he described as the administration’s resort to violence as disqualifying.

“For now we don’t want to seek dialogue, because if the government wants dialogue, they don’t go violent,” he said.

He used the moment to broaden his critique beyond the current administration, arguing that Gambians have endured decades of misrule and economic mismanagement stretching back to independence—and that the country’s struggles are a product of poor governance rather than a lack of resources.

“Gambian people have suffered since 1965 out of bad governance. Gambia is not poor, Poorly managed from 1965 as of 2026, people go to bed hungry in this country, people die in hospitals because we don’t have healthcare and even our schools cannot educate us, that is catastrophic and this is the vision of GALA,” he said.