Adama Barrow, President Of The Republic Of The Gambia
By Buba Gagigo
President Adama Barrow has expressed his willingness to engage in discussions with Ousainu Darboe, leader of the opposition United Democratic Party (UDP), regarding the 2024 draft constitution.
“We are open to discussions, we are open to talk to anybody. I am more than willing to engage Ousainou Darboe directly. I have worked with that man for ten years, I was an executive member of the United Democratic Party for ten years. We worked together, we used to sit together,” President Barrow stated in an interview with QTV.
When asked whether he missed those moments with Darboe, President Barrow responded:
“I will not put it that way. He’s my political father so obviously I have respect for him and at the same time, he’s an important stakeholder in the Gambian politics and whatever we are doing in this country as far as politics is concerned. So he’s obviously an important stakeholder, just like the president is an important stakeholder. So for us to sit together and discuss certain things for the supreme interest of this country I will be more than happy and willing to sit down with Ousainou Darboe and we discuss this constitution and move forward, it is not about us, it is about the Gambia.”
President Barrow also clarified that his openness to dialogue with Darboe should not come as a surprise, emphasizing that they are not adversaries.
“We are not enemies. We all have good intentions for this country. That’s what we are competing for, nothing else. I can sit down with Ousainou Darboe even with cameras on. I can do it, for me it is nothing. I am just given an opportunity to serve and I am not superhuman. I am just destined to be president that’s why I am president. Anybody else can be president tomorrow. Of course (Including Darboe himself) is possible but the interest of this country is paramount and it is bigger than all of us. So all of us should allow ourselves to discuss.” he said.
Addressing concerns about the privatization of The Gambia’s port, President Barrow acknowledged the sensitivity of the issue, admitting that the decision was not taken lightly.
“The port, it took me seven years to eight years first to make a decision to come to a conclusion, but we wanted something. Until we got a company that is offering what we want. That’s the time I told them, I think it’s better we go into negotiations. In doing this also there is risk. It cannot be 100% but we believe that the partnership that we have now will make a big impact at the port. It will change the waiting time, the demurrage that people are paying will reduce, and we will have a new deep sea port after six years, and I want that to be part of my legacy,” the president said.
The president acknowledged concerns about privatization, calling it an embarrassment, but defended the decision as necessary. “Is an embarrassment. It’s unfortunate (to privatize the port) but this is what we have inherited and we cannot do it overnight. We have to change our policy and change the way we are thinking and we cannot rush this. This is our most important and valuable asset, we cannot joke with the port. So it is not like a ‘Banabana’ thing, like meeting somebody behind the market and signing with him. It is not like that. This is high profile businesses, this is millions of dollars. So that’s why we took our time. But I think now we made the right decision. Very soon you will see the improvement and it will even affect the cost of living. Because the moment we have a deep-sea port, big ships will be coming to Gambia and that will definitely reduce the cost,” the president said.
When asked about his intentions for a third term in office, President Barrow gave a direct response:
“Yes! I will give you a direct answer. It is not about President Barrow it is about my Party. My party is a very young party and I don’t want my party to die at an infant stage. I don’t think we are that much organized to that level to afford losing their leader at this stage. So that’s why as a leader and Secretary General of that party my entire team feels that the party is too young for me to hand over the party.”
He further stated that while he personally felt ready to move on, his team convinced him to stay for the sake of the party’s future.
“For me, I thought that it is time but all of them think that is too early for me to leave. All of them think that if I leave now, then I am killing the party and I don’t want to kill this party. I started this party, I want the party to be an institution, I want the party to continue for the next hundred years and to be relevant in Gambian politics. All of them feel I should be the one who should lead that but to me alone, I think I have nothing to prove in Gambian politics.” He said.