By Buba Gagigo
Lawyer Ousainou Darboe, Secretary General and Party Leader of the United Democratic Party (UDP), has vowed that his party will take a tough stance against corruption if voted into office. While comparing their approach to China’s strict anti-corruption policies, he clarified that no one would be executed, but those found guilty would face severe penalties.
“Maybe we will be like Chana. If you are found corrupt, we will not kill anybody but some very, very severe punishment will be meted to you,” Darboe stated in response to a question on how his party intends to tackle corruption if elected.
He reaffirmed UDP’s commitment to fighting corruption, emphasizing its role in revitalizing the Gambian economy.
“Certainly, when we come into the government, corruption is one thing we will fight against. We want to revamp the economy of this country. We want to make sure that the Gambia’s economy is in the hands of the Gambians. We will protect our strategic national assets, we will not sell them. We will make Gambia benefit from it.”
Darboe highlighted the decline of GAMTEL and Gamcel, once profitable state-owned telecommunications companies, attributing their struggles to poor management.
“Why are they now down? Why is the government even thinking of selling them? An asset as important as your communication outlet. There are security implications in that,” Darboe told ECO TV INTERNATIONAL.
The UDP leader also stated that the Gambia Ports Authority was highly profitable. He highlighted that its first Managing Director, Captain Sallah, started with a small office and successfully laid the foundation for growth. Over time, the Port Authority expanded significantly, even acquiring a sailing boat that operated along the West African coast.
“Pap Cham, Alieu Mboge, Modou Gaye were managing the Ports Authority and making good profit. What has gone wrong for the Port not to be able to compete with Senegal? Those days, Guinea-Bissau were having all their goods landing in Banjul. There were a lot of transit activities benefiting both the Gambia and Bissau. Mali had their goods brought to our ports here, why is it not happening? Why was the opportunity not taken to expand our ports,” he asked.
Darboe criticized the public-private partnership between the Gambia Ports Authority and Al-Bairak, arguing that it was equivalent to selling the port.
“In fact, they have sold it now. Because if you give your asset to someone for 30 years with 80 percent going to that person and only 20 percent coming to you, that is literally selling it.” he asserted.
He added that while privatization was not necessarily a bad idea, it should prioritize Gambian ownership.
“We do not mind getting Gambia Ports Authority privatized, but we want Gambians to take it. We want Gambians to be the owners, and that can be done in so many other ways. The foreign company that is taking it must be able to get financing somewhere so why can’t you also get a syndicate of Gambians with the Government intervention to help them get financing and take the ports so that, that important national asset remains our property?” Darboe argued.
Commenting on the Massembeh by-election, Darboe said it served as a referendum on President Adama Barrow and his National People’s Party (NPP).
“If you follow the happenings during the by-election, you cannot help but conclude that it is a referendum on the Barrow administration. The entire cabinet was there except for the vice president and the president. All the bigwigs of the NPP were there, all of them. It was an election that attracted every Gambian. People in URR, North Bank Region, in the West Coast Region and indeed Barrow and his executive were all very interested in the outcome of that election,” he noted.
Darboe concluded that the election results reflected the people’s dissatisfaction with the president.
“It means a lot because Barrow was facing a referendum and the verdict of the people is that you (Barrow) have failed us. We don’t want you, and we are going to repeat this in 2016,” he said.