Dear Editor,
I, Ebrima Jaiteh, a Gambian native of Sankulay Kunda, Lower Fulladu West District, Central River Region, currently living in the Netherlands since 2024, wish to take this opportunity to extend my sincere gratitude to Baba Ousainu Darboe and his party militants, especially those who were with him on his familiarisation tour from URR, CRR, all the way to the city. My greetings to you all.
It is an honour for me particularly seeing you and your delegation in my village, Sankulay Kunda, on 15th September 2026, to see and hear from my people about their dissatisfaction, and to witness firsthand the conditions in which they live.
Baba Ousainu, I was a Detective Police Officer before I travelled abroad, and to be honest with myself, observing you in the Gambian political space has clearly manifested to me that you are a true leader of our beloved nation, The Gambia.
This is because you are not only seeking political gains. You are promoting peace, humanity, love and unity across the length and breadth of our beloved nation. You stand firmly for truth and justice, accountability and transparency to prevail in every sector, to ensure equal rights and justice are served to those who deserve it.
To say a few good things about you: it is clear to everyone living in The Gambia that you were not and have never been a criminal in the history of The Gambia. You are not a thief, and you are not a betrayer. Hundreds of thousands of Gambians can attest to this fact.
To cut the story short, I am extremely happy about your visit to my village together with your delegation and the very productive meeting you held with my community.
I want to declare to all political party leaders: everyone is welcome in our village. But I firmly believe your party’s arrival in my community stands out as the best in terms of the love the youths of Sankulay Kunda showed to the entire Gambian people, both home and abroad.
Your type of good leadership is a significant example for every Gambian to learn from. You visit people even when there is no political campaign. You do it for humanity and to give advice on issues that will greatly impact Gambians and transform their living conditions.
I can guarantee you that 95 percent of Gambians are well aware and well informed, no matter where they live. As you heard from the youths of Sankulay Kunda, they are behind you 100 percent. Although there are some other political emperors in our village, you will defeat them because we have now realised they have been fooling us for their own selfish interest. No one can fool Gambians anymore.
My final remarks go to your upcoming presidency. I urge your government to restore peace in all community conflicts in The Gambia. You may have heard about the land dispute between Sankulay Kunda and Yerro Belli Kunda. I personally wrote an open letter to His Excellency President Barrow via social media for his government to look into that conflict and restore peace between the two communities, but up to now we have seen nothing and heard nothing from the government, especially the Minister of Lands and his Ministry. As it stands, we have no hope that this government will fix the problem.
To be truthful, we the community of Sankulay Kunda do not know how to blindly support politicians. Our politics is known: we always support the incumbent based on certain reasons — when living conditions are well taken care of and the rights of the people are respected.
I cannot conclude without thanking my parents, the Village Alkalo, for listening to my advice. I did not want people to label them as politicians who only oppose the incumbent to effect change of government through their votes.
Secondly, I thank all the youths of Sankulay Kunda for their massive turnout in welcoming Baba Ousainu and his delegation.
Baba Ousainu, we will patiently wait until the UDP government takes the State House in the upcoming elections on December 5th, 2026, so that everyone can have justice across the length and breadth of our beloved nation, The Gambia.
I wish you good luck and by the grace of Almighty Allah, we will celebrate your victory at State House sooner than later.
My regards to all Gambian people.
Ebrima Jaiteh
Sankulay Kunda
The Netherlands
Gambia deserves better!
Dear Editor,
With Essa Faal joining the NPP, Gambians who genuinely want change must not lose hope. We must continue demanding more from our leaders, our institutions and everyone seeking public office. Gambia deserves far better than what it has received.
Essa is a grown-ass man with free will. He has every right to join the NPP, support President Barrow or make whatever political decision he believes serves his interests. He does not require anyone’s permission.
What is not acceptable, however, is blatantly misleading Gambians and projecting an image that does not reflect who you truly are. You cannot present yourself as an independent alternative, build people’s hopes around that image and then expect them to remain silent when your actions reveal something entirely different. Gambians are entitled to question the contradictions between what Essa presented himself to be and the political choices he is now making.
Travel across Africa and one reality becomes painfully clear: Jollof is far behind most countries in development. Our infrastructure is inadequate, public services remain weak, opportunities for young people are scarce, and too many families continue to struggle merely to survive.
Our desperation for progress is precisely why we sometimes rally behind individuals who appear to offer inspiration. We are searching for someone; anyone, who can embody our hopes for a better country. Unfortunately, that desperation has also become our Achilles’ heel. It can make us overlook warning signs, excuse inconsistency and place too much faith in personalities rather than principles, institutions and credible plans.
Politics requires resources and a great deal of capital. Most well-intentioned Gambians who enter the political arena simply do not possess the financial machinery needed to compete effectively. This leaves them vulnerable to powerful interests and political parties capable of financing their ambitions. But while we should understand that reality, we must never allow it to lower the standards by which we judge those seeking to lead us.
As we approach December, every Gambian should ask one honest question: Am I better off today than I was in 2016, when we united to remove Jammeh from power?
If the answer is no, then you owe no politician your loyalty. Take your vote elsewhere. Support the candidates and movements that offer credible policies, accountable leadership and a genuine commitment to improving people’s lives. The struggle for change cannot depend on one politician. Individuals will disappoint us, switch sides or place their ambitions above the country. But our demand for better governance must remain stronger than any personality.
To everyone who still believes meaningful change is possible: do not surrender your hope, your voice or your vote.
The Gambia deserves better. Aluta continua!
Matarr Sillah
Serekunda