Alagi Yorro Jallow
Fatoumatta: Every nation deserves a pacesetter who epitomizes progress, accountability, and unwavering dedication to the individuals’s welfare. The Gambia, a rustic brimming with cultural richness and potential, stands at a crucial juncture, questioning the true nature of its management. President Adama Barrow, as soon as heralded as a transformative determine, is now entangled by the very forces he pledged to dismantle. This essay scrutinizes the troubling state of governance underneath President Barrow, figuring out the components which are clearly holding him hostage and the pressing implications for The Gambia’s future. “It is no use saying, ‘We are doing our best.’ You have got to succeed in doing what is necessary.” It is excessive time President Adama Barrow understands the load of this assertion by Sir Winston Churchill. Everywhere we glance, we encounter ache, poverty, bitterness, and despair. Yet, the person tasked with remedying these points appears extra all in favour of whining, dawdling, and exhibiting indifference.
President Barrow has boldly declared his intention to run for a 3rd time period within the 2026 presidential elections, flaunting his confidence of victory. He claims he isn’t speeding and stands unafraid of accountability, asserting he’ll keep away from the errors of his predecessors. However, it’s obviously evident that President Adama Barrow is “locked up” within the Statehouse, completely disconnected from the individuals he serves. He enjoys a lifetime of consolation whereas his constituents grapple with hardship. His lethargy is widely known, however in a race, slowness equates to failure, and the chance of him profitable in 2026 is more and more uncertain. Basic life classes train us to be environment friendly and well timed in our actions; that is essential in management. The points plaguing our nation starkly contradict the ideas of accountability and good governance.
Timeliness and decisiveness are non-negotiable if we count on our impartial establishments to function successfully. Responsibilities include authority, but the inefficiency displayed by the police and judiciary is unacceptable. Their actions are seemingly reactive to social media slightly than guided by constitutional mandates. We have witnessed the unjust removing of the late former Commander of the Anti-Crime Unit, Gorgui Mboob, as a result of whims of social media activists. Recently, the police failed to handle the inflammatory remarks made by NPP loyalist Bahoum towards a complete neighborhood, displaying a harmful disregard for due course of.
Furthermore, a police officer, who ought to stay apolitical, is defiantly difficult authority, seemingly on the behest of opposition figures and social media critics, all whereas avoiding the required disciplinary actions as per the Gambia Police Force’s Code of Conduct. Recent experiences counsel that President Barrow, Ousainou Darboe of the UDP, and Dr. Chambass of the African Union carried out closed-door conferences concerning the draft structure, all with out transparency or the involvement of different political leaders. Why was solely UDP chief Darboe current for such a crucial dialogue? This raises critical questions on who is really holding the President hostage. President Barrow has made a number of important assertions, together with the declare that his occasion leaders are “closer to the people” than he’s. With these evident disconnections, we should ask: why would he permit discussions laden with ethnicity, regionalism, and vulgarity to proliferate? The politicization and tribalization of impartial establishments have to be firmly challenged.
Fatoumatta: Do the President’s actions not resemble these of a hostage in search of liberation? Is he a hostage to sure conditions, shadowy entities, or detrimental fears? This can not proceed. As George Kohlrieser, a psychologist and hostage negotiator, provocatively questions, “Are you being held hostage without knowing it?” If a pacesetter stays oblivious to the truth that he’s a hostage to energy and influential pursuits, then the trail to liberating him will probably be arduous. The one who’s asleep must be roused. Unfortunately, our President seems conscious of his captivity and appears complacent in it, suggesting a regarding acceptance of his predicament. It is crucial that we discover a approach to assist him—and ourselves—break away from this cycle. The President of The Gambia wields formidable energy, and he needs to be the one inserting his “captors” in examine. Instead, he has develop into the very embodiment of being “held hostage” to the detriment of the nation. Our legal guidelines designate that the President’s actions and inactions considerably influence the well-being of all residents, and he should acknowledge the urgency of swift, decisive management. The query stays: what does it signify for a pacesetter to be successfully in captivity? We should prioritize the avoidance of this hostage state of affairs and advocate for survival, not only for the President, however for the well-being of all Gambians.
Darryle Pollack, a well known American creator and most cancers activist, was simply 14 years outdated when she unknowingly sat subsequent to the world’s quickest human on a airplane in 1964. Captivated by the person, she requested for his title, and he replied, “Bob Hayes.” Pollack, nonetheless, shook her head and mentioned, “Sorry, never heard of you.” The subsequent morning, Bob Hayes’ photograph appeared on the entrance web page of the Miami Herald because the gold medalist within the 100-meter sprint on the Olympics. Pollack later regretted not asking for an autograph, calling herself the “world’s slowest woman” for not recognizing greatness when she was seated subsequent to it.
Fatoumatta: I typically surprise in regards to the missed alternatives Adama Barrow has had in practically ten years to uplift The Gambia. I additionally take into consideration what sort of books some individuals learn whereas rising up. In main college, there was a narrative a couple of rich man whose son was fairly gradual. Despite the daddy’s efforts to assist him succeed, he remained unchanging, and the daddy died, leaving all his riches to his solely son, who by then lived overseas. The gradual son realized of his father’s dying however, accustomed to his leisurely tempo, took his time to return dwelling, believing the world would watch for him. When he lastly arrived, nobody was there to mourn with him, and his inheritance was gone without end. Heartbroken, he realized it was too late. Friends of gradual people typically share the fable of the Tortoise and the Hare, insisting that “slow and steady wins the race.” Yet, they fail to say the implications when the gradual one can be unsteady. In that race, the unbelievable occurred: the gradual Tortoise gained solely as a result of the swift Hare, in his conceitedness, underestimated his opponent.
The story tells us that proud Hare “lies down halfway through and goes to sleep,” whereas Tortoise, regardless of being gradual, remained targeted and protracted. As Tortoise plodded alongside, he ultimately handed the sleeping Hare and crossed the end line first. At his present tempo, Adama Barrow can not win any race or rating any objectives. If he does rating, it could solely be an personal objective. His practically ten years in workplace have been marked by indecisiveness, resulting in important prices in properties and workplaces. Jobs are being misplaced in company settings, and lives are tragically misplaced each day to rampant crime and an absence of self-discipline inside the police drive. This drift persists as a result of absence of clear directives from these in energy. Toxic rhetoric fills the air, and unfit trialists and populist politicians create an environment of uncertainty. The response from the general public, fueled by social media, typically retains safety forces on edge. The world watches and shakes its head.
How can a rustic be so blessed but so cursed? The Gambia is a difficult nation to manipulate, no matter who’s president. It boasts Africa’s largest “Smiling Coast,” but its progress has all the time been hindered by political divisions, ethnic rivalries, militancy, theft, and corruption. These points necessitate leaders who perceive the tempo at which the world is shifting. The world isn’t slowing down, neither is it ready for any sleeping large. The race towards progress and prosperity combines parts of each sprinting and endurance. Slow and ineffective leaders can not sustain.
President Barrow, an Arsenal fan, embodies slowness and failure. He has declared his intention to run for a 3rd time period, hoping to win in 2026, very similar to his workforce that has been struggling to win trophies for years. Although Barrow is now not inexperienced, he appears trapped in a “go-slow” mentality, celebrating it like a typical Arsenal fan. He continues to waver when decisiveness is required, remaining ensnared by the complexities of energy. The Gambia can not obtain greatness whereas remaining underneath the affect of outdated management. What it wants are people with clear imaginative and prescient and powerful resolve. No chief ought to really feel detained within the Statehouse or imagine that they don’t must act rapidly and intelligently. Leaders mustn’t view their humility and compassion as limitations. Ineffective management solely exacerbates the problems plaguing our politics, economic system, and the well-being of our individuals. We can now not afford to have gradual leaders in cost.
Fatoumatta: In conclusion, the way forward for The Gambia completely depends upon its leaders overcoming the challenges of indecision and inaction. President Adama Barrow’s administration has been marked by missed alternatives and an alarming disconnect from the residents he was elected to serve. As the nation gears up for the 2026 elections, the citizens should demand a management that’s not solely swift and decisive but in addition unwavering in its dedication to accountability and good governance. The Gambia deserves a pacesetter who will break away from complacency and confidently steer the nation in direction of a brighter and extra affluent future.