UDP regional spokesperson Karamo Njie has asked the Barrow administration to explain the whereabouts of the rice donated to the people of The Gambia by the Japanese government.
It would be recalled that Japan, through the government of President Adama Barrow, donated tons of rice to food insecure Gambians sometime in 2024.
However, The Gambia government later announced that it had other plans for the donation. The government said it intended to sell the rice to finance sectors of the economy and since then, nothing has been heard of the donation.
JollofNews wrote several articles about the rice diplomacy after suspicions were raised that the donation might end up in the hands of ruling party supporters.
Well, the UDP spokesperson for the North Bank Region (NBR) Karamo Njie told JollofNews on Monday that some NPP supporters had told him that they were direct beneficiaries of the Japanese largesse.
“These claims have to be investigated to ensure transparency and accountability in the management of the Japanese rice donation,” Njie stated.
The UDP NBR spokesperson meanwhile called on Gambian youths to assume a central role in the political affairs of their country in order to effect the change they desire.
“Youths are changing the political direction of their countries for the better. We have seen what happened in Senegal. The Gambian youths must come to the quick realisation that the Barrow administration does not work for them. We all saw Ebrima Sillah accuse them of laziness, but this must awaken them to the government’s insensitivity to their plight,” stated Njie.
He maintained that Minister Ebrima Sillah’s characterization of Gambian youths as indolent was unfair, uncalled for and unwarranted.
“If there are prospects for the youth in this country, why would they continue to imperil their lives on high seas just to get to Europe, where pastures are greener? If opportunities exist for the youth in this country, why would the government send them to Saudi Arabia or Spain to do menial jobs such as house-keeping and fruit-picking?” asked Njie.
According to the UDP regional mouthpiece, the Barrow administration has failed The Gambia youth in many aspects of their development.
“But all hope is not lost. The youth should see salvation in the UDP by voting for the party en masse in the approaching presidential election,” he added.
Njie asserted that the NPP feeds on tribalism, but he advised Gambians to unite for their betterment.
“Do not embrace the NPP’s tribal politics. Every Gambian has more than one relative in all the tribes of the nation. So, why should we allow NPP to pitch us against each other,” Njie emphasised.
“Tribalism has no place in The Gambia. We have a common problem and that is retrogression. The Barrow government has proved weak in the face of deepening poverty, deteriorating security, soaring food prices, plunder of state coffers among many other governance ills,” he added.
