UDP official defends Darboe over term limits comparison with Barrow

By Sirrah Touray

A senior regional official of the opposition UDP Karamo Njie, has responded to an opinion piece by analyst Musa Basadi Jawara,who noted that the idea of term limits should not be limited to President Barrow alone and questioned UDP  leader Ousainu Darboe’s moral authority to advise President Barrow against a third term. Jawara said political parties and their leaders should also consider term limits within their own entities.

In response, Karamo Njie took issues with Jawara’s suggestion, arguing that parties are not governments and therefore cannot be bound by term limits.

“Even during the time of the Prophet, he faced opposition but ultimately prevailed. Political parties are institutions, not governments. A party does not have a term limit,” he said. He cited former Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade who contested several elections before eventually winning the presidency.

Njie accused Jawara of seeking the attention of the Barrow administration or the NPP.

“I think Mr Jawara knows that everything in this country is difficult. There is no electricity currently among other ills of the country under Barrow. “He said Jawara’s comparison of Barrow and Darboe is ill informed an unfair to the UDP.

Njie defended Darboe’s right to contest future elections, stating that the UDP leader remains the choice of his party’s supporters and as long as that is the case, he has every legitimacy to contest. He also criticised President Barrow, saying the UDP brought him to power but he later “betrayed” the party. “A betrayer cannot deliver for the country,” he added.

He further alleged that the current government is promoting tribalism. “We will ensure that Ousainu Darboe enters State House in this election,” he concluded.