Gambia’s Opposition Leader Warns About Dire Consequences For 
The Country, If Jammeh Continues to Rule!!! Darboe: A Gambia Without Yahya Jammeh Means Progress
As Darboe Laments About the $700,000 Dollars Aid Extended To Taiwan
Says Poverty Stricken Gambian Disaster Victims Are In Desperate Need Of Such Funds
-JAMMEH HAS TAKEN OVER EVERY SECTOR IN THIS COUNTRY
By Pa Nderry M’Bai, Raleigh, NC.
“We can only have a better Gambian society, without Yahya Jammeh. As long as we have Yahya Jammeh, in control of The Gambia, then The Gambia will be for the worst. And I do not think we deserved to pass that Gambia to the generation not yet born. We want to leave a legacy for our children, and grandchildren, which they could be proud of. But we cannot do that if we still leave Yahya Jammeh to be in charge of the affairs of the country,” These were the exact words of the leader of the opposition United Democratic Leader Ousainou Darboe. The UDP leader also faulted President Jammeh’s recent move to extend financial aid to the Taiwanese disaster victims. For Darboe, their are poverty stricken Gambians, who are in dire need of such funds. He accuses Jammeh of The Gambia of being insensitive to the plight of the average Gambian. “As recent as two days ago, he donated $700,000 dollars to Taiwan to assist them in their disaster, when people in Ebo Town, in Jeshwang, in New Jeshwang, in Abuko, in Kotu are the victims of disaster.20All of them have had their houses destroyed. Nobody is paying attention to them. But he donated &700,000 dollars to Taiwan. It is ridiculous,” Darboe posited. Speaking in an exclusive interview with the Freedom Newspaper Darboe also expresses concern over President Jammeh’s total monopoly of the country’s commercial sector. The UDP leader charged that Jammeh has almost taken over every sector of the country. “The Kanilai bakery, or the Kanilai farm bakery is opening outlets in various parts of the country. You already have one in Banjul, opposite the McCarthy Square-the former Corporative building. You have one there. You have Unique Transport. You have the poultry farm. So he is still a businessman. And obviously, The Gambian people have not elected him to become a businessman. The Gambian people have not elected him to use the Presidency in order to create opportunities for himself to engage in business. The Gambian people have not elected him to do that. The Gambian people have elected him to look after their welfare. Address the health problems of the country, address the problems of agriculture in the country, address the problems of citizens in the country, address the environmental problems in the country. That is what The Gambian people have elected him to look after-not to create the conducive environment for himself to engage in business,” he noted. Below is the full text of the interview. Please read on…
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Freedom Newspaper: If Yankuba Touray decides to join the UDP will you welcome him?
Ousainou Darboe: Well, the UDP is a mass party. Every Gambian has a right to join the UDP, and we will welcome any Gambian that wish to join the UDP.
Freedom Newspaper: There have been a lot of propaganda in the Daily Observer, claiming that UDP supporters are defecting to the APRC. Do you received APRC supporters coming to your party as well?
Ousainou Darboe: Certainly, we have been receiving APRC supporters coming to our party. We think that it is a political immaturity to announce that Mr. A, or Mr. B from village A, or village B has defected from the APRC to the UDP. That is an act of political immaturity.
In any case, the announcement by the APRC is a kind of political propaganda. I remember that in Soma, they say that 300 people defected from the UDP. I do not think those were correct reports, but in any case, Observer is one of the political instruments of the APRC. They can go propagate this, and disseminate what I would call misinformation.
Freedom Newspaper: Laughter… Okay Mr. Darboe, the APRC propaganda Secretary Antouman Saho, recently told20the Daily Observer that the opposition is not capable of winning elections. Your views?
Ousainou Darboe: Well, you know Antouman Saho is very much out of tune with Gambian realities. The fact is that: Antouman doesn’t know much about Serre Kunda itself-much more to talk about The Gambia in general. He is out of tune with the realities in The Gambia. Freedom Newspaper: What can you tell us about President Jammeh’s wealth? Is he wealthy?
Ousainou Darboe: Well, good question. I do not know whether he is wealthy. I do not know whether he is poor. What I know is that he dishes out of mone y into hundreds of thousands. Are these his personal funds? I don’t know. Are they public funds? I don’t know.
As recent as two days ago, he donated $700,000 dollars to Taiwan to assist them in their disaster, when people in Ebo Town, in Jeshwang, in New Jeshwang, in Abuko, in Kotu are the victims of disaster. All of them have had their houses destroyed. Nobody is paying attention to them. But he donated &700,000 dollars to Taiwan. It is ridiculous.
But as I said, I do not know whether these are his personal funds, or these are public funds. But whatever…..Wherever the money comes from-whether they are public funds, I do not think it is being properly used. That much I can say.
Freedom Newspaper: Are you serious that Jammeh extended financial aid to Taiwan?
Ousainou Darboe: Well, it was on national TV.
Freedom Newspaper: And what is he trying to achieve by doing that, when there is poverty in the country?
Ousainou Darboe: Well, it is just misplaced priority. He just used that….The man is insensitive to the plight of The Gambian. A poor country like The Gambia extending an assistance to Taiwan is ridiculous.
Freedom Newspaper: I remember you branded Jammeh as a businessman in one of your political rallies. Is Jammeh still involved in business?
Ousainou Darboe: The bakery, the bakery…the Kanilai bakery, or the Kanilai farm bakery is opening outlets in various parts of the country. You already have one in Banjul, opposite the McCarthy Square-the former Corporative building. You have one there. You have Unique Transport. You have the poultry farm. So he is still a businessman. And obviously, The Gambian people have not elected him to become a businessman. The Gambian people have not elected him to use the Presidency in order to create opportunities for himself to engage in business. The Gambian people have not elected him to do that. The Gambian people have elected him to look after their welfare. Address the health problems of the country, address the problems of agriculture in the country, address the problems of citizens in the country, address the environmental problems in the country. That is what The Gambian people have elected him to look after-not to create the conducive environment for himself to engage in business.
In fact, he has imported cement. So he is also gradually getting into the building industry, threatening people of.
Freedom Newspaper: So he has virtually taken over everything in the country?
Ousainou Darboe: It appears to be so. He has virtually taken over everything in this country.
Freedom Newspaper: And what are the implications of having a comm ercial President?
Ousainou Darboe: Well, the implication is that some of them who are not well of would just hold up. They just hold up. It seems if you can’t compete with him you just hold up.
I think some of the things that have to be investigated is the labor that is charged…the cement. The labor that is charged with the cement. Is it ordinary labor that is paid for, or is it labor that is coming from some other quarters against their will. I thinks these are some of the things that need to be investigated.
Freedom Newspaper: What would a UDP Government do to improve the living standards of Gambians?
Ousainou Darboe: Well, in the first place, when we have a UDP Government, in place, we want to improve the economy of the country, so that Gambians will be able to censor themselves. Gambians will be happy participants in the economic activities of the country. And by that way, I mean to earn a decent living for themselves.
We do not want to create a continuity situation, where every Gambian is a beggar. That syndrome… We have that syndrome we have to break. To make sure that the farming activities in the country are carried out for the benefit of the people of The Gambia. We want to promote farming so that Gambians will have sufficient food to feed themselves.
Freedom Newspaper: How many UDP supporters are currently declared missing?
Ousainou Darboe: Well, I am aware of only one. I am aware of only one, and I wouldn’t say that he is missing. I am aware that one UDP supporter is in the custody of the Government of The Gambia. And that is Kanyiba Kanyi.
Freedom Newspaper: But President Jammeh said that his Government does not detained Kanyiba Kanyi. Where is Kanyiba then?
Ousainou Darboe: Well, I know President Jammeh is out of tune with realities. His Secretary of State for the Interior Baboucarr Jatta, publicly admitted that he ordered for the arrest, and detention of Kanyiba Kanyi. And he was arrested, and detained, and since then=2 0he has not been released. So really President Jammeh is talking with his tongue in his teeth.
Freedom Newspaper: Are you convinced that Kanyiba is alive?
Ousainou Darboe: Well, I cannot….I will not conclude that Kanyiba is not alive. I will not conclude that until certain matters that are afoot when that is complete then I will then ask The Gambian Government.. I will then say that The Gambian Government is responsible for whatever happens to Kanyiba Kanyi. I wouldn’t conclude that he is dead. But I would definently conclude that has abducted Kanybia Kanyi, and they have refused to release him. We have reason to believe that they have refused to release him to avoid any embarrassment to themselves. That is why they have refused to release him. We will not conclude now that he is dead.
Freedom Newspaper: And why is the Government disrespecting court orders?
Ousainou Darboe: That I think the Attorney General should be asked why the Government is not respecting the court orders. But one thing is clear that this Government is known to breaching court orders that turn against them.
Freedom Newspaper: And Mr. Darboe one final question. You were recently quoted as saying that “We do not question the legality of the conviction and sentence imposed on Mr. Sawaneh and his colleagues. We however question the moral justification for their trial and subsequent conviction and sentence when one considers that the two media houses reproduced the reaction to some aspects of the President’s interview with KEBBA DIBBA of GRTS.” From a layman’s perspective, we kind confused here. What do you mean by saying that we are not challenging the legal ity of the convictions?
Ousainou Darboe: I made that press statement as a politician, and not as a Lawyer. So whether it is right, or wrong, it is clear that I made the statement as a politician….So I will not challenge it as a politician-to challenge whether a matter is right, or wrong. Whether the judge is right, or wrong. I as a politician, I will not do that. This is besides my profession as a lawyer … And even as a Lawyer, a judgment is deemed to be valid until it is set aside. So that is the issue. It was a very…. It was a ….When I was making that statement, I was treading on a very thin line because I was talking as a politician, and not as a lawyer.
Freedom Newspaper: It is good that you clarified because some people thought that your were talking based on legal analysis, or perspective.
Ousainou Darboe: No, I was not talking as a Lawyer. That is why it is the UDP Secretariat. It was issued by the UDP Secretariat. We approached it from a political perspective. The legal perspective, certainly that we have not addressed that.
Freedom Newspaper: And any last words, Mr. Darboe to your supporters?
Ousainou Darboe: Well, I would ask all our supporters-that is on every Gambian to be steadfast in their quest for a better society. And we can only have a better Gambian society, without Yahya Jammeh. As long as we have Yahya Jammeh, in control of The Gambia, then The Gambia will be for the worst. And I do not think we deserved to pass that Gambi a to the generation not yet born. We want to leave a legacy for our children, and grandchildren, which they could be proud of. But we cannot do that if we still leave Yahya Jammeh to be in charge of the affairs of the country.
Freedom Newspaper: Thanks Mr. Darboe for taking your time to grant us this interview.
Ousainou Darboe: You are very welcome. You are very welcome.
