‘No to third term must not be limited to Barrow’

Economist, author and political analyst Musa Basadi Jawara has said the idea of term limits should not be selective but applied in all Gambian political situations.

In an opinion piece shared with The Standard, Jawara said the loudest voices shouting “No to Third Term” against President Adama Barrow must extend that principle to opposition leaders who have already contested two presidential elections.

“If UDP leader Lawyer Ousainu Darboe is seeking his fifth or sixth five-year term, then he cannot claim the moral authority to challenge the incumbent on term limits alone. The political system is broken and the fix must be comprehensive, fair, balanced, and total. You cannot demand limits for your opponent while asking for exemptions for yourself. That is not reform. That is replacement,” Jawara argued.

On energy and other pressing national issues, Mr Jawara said criticism must graduate to engagement. ‘The UDP leader Darboe and his party played a leading role in the coalition government of 2017 and 2018. They could have addressed the myriad of challenges the nation faces. Instead, they chose politics, enjoyed the power of the day, and for personal aggrandisement and megalomaniac tendencies, the UDP leader opted for a bid to replace the presidency before he was ignominiously sacked,” Jawara said.

He said the UDP leader appeared in a video on social media mocking the president and decrying ongoing power outages and blackouts. “Whatever his intent, if he is serious about solving the energy crisis, what stops him from approaching President Barrow, the Energy Minister, Nawec executives, and National Energy authorities?.

Darboe must present his party’s energy policy and contrast it with that of the current government. That is statesmanship. Mockery creates clicks. Engagement creates light.”

Gala
Mr Jawara called on the protest group Gala who vowed to protest against power outages to abandon the protest.

“Teargas, arrests, mayhem, imprisonment, chaos, and inordinate hardship will not bring meaningful change. It only deepens wounds we are trying to heal. I have already written to national leadership and the most prominent authorities in the international community. My letter has reached them. The issue is engaged. Please stay home. The work of reform has begun, and it cannot be built on the backs of broken families and shattered streets. The Gambia needs solutions, not smoke,” Jawara said.