Concerned citizen Kebba Kinteh has made an impassioned call on President Adama Barrow to desist from comparing his road infrastructure achievement to that of former President Sir Dawda Jawara, advising the President to leave the late president alone and allow him to rest in perfect peace.
President Adama Barrow has consistently pounded his chest in political meetings that what he was able to achieve in road infrastructure development surpassed those of both his predecessor and the Gambia’s first president.
The president has always prided himself that the number of kilometers of roads that his administration built across the country was in four digits while those of Sir Dawda and Yahya Jammeh combined were in three digits.
Recently, the President repeated the same claim when “special guests” from Lower Niumi, Upper Niumi and Jokadu in the North Bank Region paid a “special” visit to him at No.1 Marina Parade. The President referenced the Niumi Hakalang Highway as he enumerated his achievement in road infrastructure development in comparison to Jawara and Jammeh.
But concerned citizen Kebba Kinteh has responded to the President, advising him to leave the Gambia’s first President alone.
“I want to advise you [President Barrow] to leave the former President Jawara of blessed memory alone,” Kinteh said in a fiery audio listened to by JollofNews.
According to him, the late Sir Dawda has played his part in shaping the Gambia’s future, adding that the steps that the former President took will remain indelible.
“President Yahya Jammeh has served his time, and what he, too accomplished can never be erased. Your utterance to the people of Hakalang was a massive error and a president must not always live a life of mistakes. The steps the past leaders had taken, their starting points to where they stopped, that was the luck the people had with those leaders. But you stand and claim that what you accomplished [in road infrastructure] has not been attained by both Jawara and Yahya. That’s a story with a few of its kind. This kind of story of yours is arguably unprecedented and if its kind had ever been told, then it’s just fistful.”
Mr. Kinteh challenged President Barrow to provide proof of clearing any virgin forest to build roads.
“You, Adama Barrow, the road construction you talk about, where did you clear trees? What sand have you bulldozed to lay laterite and tar on? Where have you carved a road through a forest, felling trees? Adama Barrow think. Don’t say you have surpassed people whose work you never witnessed. How can your achievements outpace the accomplishments of those who have worked over 50 years ago?”
Kebba Kinteh, also referred to as chairman, asserted that Sir Dawda has done “a lot” for The Gambia and her people.
“Jawara did a lot. The way Jawara carved and constructed Hakalang road was not easy. Many trees were felled on the Hakalang Road and laterite laid on it because it was a sandy road. Jawara later deployed buses on the road [Hakalang Road] till the end of his rule and that eased the [transportation]burden on people,” he recalled. He added: “The rice he [Sir Dawda] distributed across the country. He distributed rice across the country and, did you do that? He carved [a road through] a mountain and the massive trees they felled, yet you bragged of doing the best. You did nothing, you only laid laterite and tar.”
Mr. Kinteh warned the Gambian leader to be mindful of his public statements.
“Adama Barrow, be mindful of the things you say. The elders [of Hakalang] who came to visit felt belittled because of the way you spoke. They all bowed their heads down because of your utterances. Jawara did a lot for these people. He salvaged them from a lot of things,” he stated.
Kinteh said the buses that Jawara deployed in the Hakalang area were grounded due to the “mismanagement” of the Jammeh government. He continued to say: “And you[President Barrow] did the same. All that Yaya built, all the plans that Yaya put in the pipeline should have been maintained and built upon by you, but you ruined everything. The financial resources that you squandered dwarfed your achievements for the Gambian people. You refused to face accountability, but you have a heavy burden on your head if you are subjected to an accountability process. Allow yourself to be subjected to an accountability process and that would be a nightmare for you. What you destroyed is more than what you built, but that day is approaching and it shall finally arrive, God willing. What you are running away from is what you are going to come face to face with and soon without fail.”
Kinteh opined that President Barrow cannot fool the masses.
“Adama, you cannot hoodwink the people. What you invest in the country belongs to the citizens. It’s that seat that gives you the authority to manage public resources the way you should, but you are not doing things the right way. You have kept mute on the number of investigative reports on your desk that require your decision. Your days are coming. My advice to you is to stop criticizing Jawara because it saddens the people,” he stated.
