Lamin Manneh Urges Gambians to Back UDP-Led Coalition in December Election

By Makutu Manneh

Lamin Manneh, the United Democratic Party’s deputy administrative secretary for external affairs, has urged Gambians to support a UDP-led coalition in the Dec. 5 presidential election, arguing that a change in government is needed to address economic hardship, corruption and shortcomings in public services.

Speaking Thursday on Kerr Fatou, Manneh criticized President Adama Barrow’s record in office, saying Gambians continue to struggle with unreliable electricity, inadequate health care, a high cost of living, unemployment and irregular migration.

He also raised concerns about crime, the education system and the management of public funds, pointing to findings in government audit reports as evidence of what he described as widespread financial mismanagement and corruption.

“Few people in the country are getting comfortably rich while many are living in poverty. That is not a developing country,” Manneh said. “You cannot continue to live in poverty until you die and have your children continue living the same way. No one should want that.”

Manneh said the UDP wants to change what he described as the relationship between political leaders and the public, arguing that elected officials should remain accountable to the people who put them in office.

He said citizens should not fear politicians, but instead use elections to hold leaders accountable when they believe those leaders have failed to deliver.

Manneh urged Gambians to allow the UDP to govern, saying voters could judge the party on its performance and remove it from office if it failed to meet their expectations.

He blamed the economic difficulties facing many Gambians on the Barrow administration and what he described as corruption and poor governance, and called on voters to seek a change of government in December.