(JollofNews) – The leadership of the Gambia’s main opposition United Democratic Party (UDP) is embarking on another country-wide tour to present their vision and initiatives for the country and to expose the ‘two decades of maladministration under a dictatorship in disguise as government’.
The tour is also being used by the party to further remobilise and reenergise its members ahead of the 2016 general election.
“The first leg of the tour has totally unmasked the “fear factor” that has encompassed the life of ordinary Gambians,” said Lawyer Ousainou Darboe, leader of the UDP.
“The party will continue with that pattern of engagement in this second leg to encourage Gambian people to muster the necessary courage and speak out openly against a government that has institutionalised corruption; betrayed the confidence of its people; continues to use deception to divide people through narrow fault lines of tribe and religion; and continually ignoring the plight of our farmers and youths.
“Today, the whole country is engulfed in economic hardship with no end in sight. Corruption and corrupt practices continue to be chronically synonymous to the everyday life of the Gambian government where few cabal continue to plunder the nation’s resources. Farmers continue to be saddled in unending abject poverty because of the government’s inability to buy farmers’ groundnut.”
Mr Darboe added: “The alarming rate at which the economy is declining to a near collapse points to the emptiness of a government that has nothing new to offer. The recent move by the dictatorship to forcefully regulate the free market should serve as a warning to IMF, World Bank, ADB, IDB, EU, USAID, EDF and other donor community that, assisting a failing government is tantamount prolonging the difficult climate Gambians are trapped in.
“Today the president and his cabal of enablers have high jacked every facet of the economy elbowing out decent competition. Now almost the entire country felt betrayed by this dictatorship that has no interest of the Gambia at heart.
“Now, more than ever, is the time to direct our energy towards demanding resolutely, the end to one man domination and an end to fear dominated politics. We as a people can only take so much. 20 years is the region every society takes urgency in ending strangulation and Mafioso style administration. Stand with us in this important task of taking our country back from this brutal dictatorship. Should there be an obstruction in our legitimate constitutional mandate, we will stand our grounds as always.”
