Yankuba Darboe Calls Barrow’s Five-Year Record ‘Very Bad,’ Says UDP Offers Alternative

By Seedy Jobe

Yankuba Darboe, chairman of the Brikama Area Council, has sharply criticized President Adama Barrow’s record in office, saying his government has failed Gambians and should not be given another term.

Speaking in Switzerland at a fundraising event organized by the United Democratic Party’s GASH Chapter, which organizers said raised €70,000, Mr. Darboe argued that Gambians were increasingly yearning for political change.

“Barrow’s five-year record was very bad,” Mr. Darboe said, contending that the president rarely discusses his administration’s record because it is difficult to defend.

Mr. Darboe pointed to agriculture, the rising cost of living, electricity shortages, and the management of public assets as examples of what he described as the government’s failures.

He said many Gambians depend on agriculture for their livelihoods but argued that farmers have not benefited sufficiently from government policies. He cited the price of groundnuts, which he said had remained at D38,000 for three years, while salaries for some public officials had increased.

Mr. Darboe also blamed the government for worsening economic hardship, pointing to rising prices for rice, cement, fuel, and other essential goods.

He accused the administration of disposing of public lands and other state assets, including property associated with Mile 2 Central Prison, and argued that the government had placed too much public property in private or commercial hands.

“If they could even negotiate with the EU to sell the entire Gambia in the next five years, they would,” he said, using a rhetorical exaggeration to underscore his criticism of the government’s management of public assets.

Mr. Darboe also accused the governing National People’s Party of fueling ethnic divisions for political advantage. He alleged that comments by some NPP figures were intended to provoke Mandinkas and later portray opposition supporters as tribalist. He cited previously leaked remarks attributed to NPP official Seedy Njie as evidence of what he described as a broader pattern.

Turning to the country’s electricity problems, Mr. Darboe criticized President Barrow’s handling of the crisis and rejected explanations linking some of the challenges to climate change.

He also attacked the president’s educational background, claiming that Mr. Barrow had never passed an examination and questioning academic records he said had previously been submitted to the Independent Electoral Commission.

Mr. Darboe said the accumulation of what he described as policy failures had left Gambians frustrated and ready for a change in leadership.

He urged UDP supporters in the diaspora to build on the Switzerland fundraiser by organizing similar events through party chapters elsewhere to support the party ahead of the election.

Mr. Darboe expressed confidence that UDP leader Ousainu Darboe could transform the country if elected president, saying a UDP government would prioritize honesty, hard work, and the fight against corruption.

Drawing a comparison with Rwanda, he argued that the East African country had achieved significant development despite lacking major oil or mineral wealth. He attributed its progress in part to a tougher stance against corruption.

A government led by Ousainu Darboe, he said, would operate under a straightforward principle: public officials should neither steal nor lie.

“The Gambia can change,” Mr. Darboe said, arguing that better leadership and stronger accountability could put the country on a different path.