Dear Editor,
The remarks by the Minister of Lands, Hamat Bah, at the NPP rally yesterday in Farafenni, held in the presence of President Adama Barrow, represent a dangerous descent into ethnic politics that must not be tolerated in The Gambia. This is becoming the trademark of the NPP government, and it is very dangerous for our democracy and national cohesion. It is even more serious coming from a state minister.
At the rally, Minister Bah declared that “Gambia will never be Lebanon” and warned that “no foreigner will run this country”. While he did not name any candidate, we all understand who he is targeting. What makes this even more serious is that it follows the leaked audio attributed to Seedy Njie, in which he is heard boasting about blocking government appointments and promotions for members of the Mandinka ethnic group. This rhetoric is not only dangerous and hurtful but is a deliberate attempt to distract from the pressing issues of poverty, crime, electricity, financial mismanagement, the weakening of our currency, and governance failures facing our nation.
The Gambia belongs to all Gambians, regardless of their ethnic background or where their great-grandparents came from. The fundamental principle of our democracy is clear: A Jola, Manjago, Serere, Fula, Aku, Sarahulè, or Mandinka born in The Gambia and holding Gambian citizenship has the right to become somebody in this country and to participate in a presidential election, regardless of whether their great-grandparents came from Casamance, Guinea-Bissau, Senegal, Guinea-Conakry, Sierra Leone, Mali or Lebanon.
Political disagreements are legitimate. Our political discourse should not focus on questioning who is Gambian enough or not based on ethnicity or ancestry. No Gambian should have to prove that they are Gambian enough because of the ethnic origin of their great-grandparents. Every citizen deserves equal dignity, equal protection under the law, and the opportunity to participate in our democratic process in accordance with the Constitution.
We acknowledge the frustration the government is facing due to our unprecedented popularity across the country and in the diaspora. However, this should not become a license to promote tribalism, attack citizens’ constitutional rights, or distract from the real issues: poverty, unemployment, financial mismanagement, and mediocrity in Barrow’s governance – these are the issues deeply affecting every Gambian regardless of ethnicity.
We appeal to President Barrow and his government to calm down and focus their discourse on the real issues for which Gambians are waiting for answers and solutions. That will be far more beneficial than the divide-and-rule tactic they are playing. We condemn this divisive rhetoric in the strongest possible way. We also call on all human rights organizations, civil society groups, religious leaders, and the international community to unequivocally condemn these dangerous statements. The peace and coexistence we have enjoyed for generations are too important to put at risk. We urge President Barrow, as the custodian of the Constitution and the guardian of national unity, to publicly condemn these divisive remarks made by his officials. Silence from the highest office will be interpreted as endorsement and Gambians will not tolerate that.
Coalition 2026
After 10 years, President Barrow should not need ethnic politics to win
Dear Editor,
After ten years in government, President Adama Barrow should, in principle, have a straightforward case to make to the Gambian electorate: point to measurable improvements in people’s economic and social conditions and ask voters to renew his mandate on the basis of his record.
That is why the use of ethnic politics and the cultivation of fear around Mandinka communities deserve serious scrutiny. If the president and senior members of his government are encouraging non-Mandinka communities to view a political party perceived as Mandinka — as a threat, this raises an obvious question: if the government’s development record is as strong as it claims, why does its campaign need ethnic anxiety to persuade voters?
The apparent contradiction becomes even more striking when one considers the government’s outreach to Mandinka communities. In those communities, Barrow and NPP representatives can emphasise roads, infrastructure and other development projects as evidence of what the government has delivered. Yet when addressing other communities, the political message can shift toward warnings about the consequences of supporting the UDP, portraying it as a predominantly Mandinka party.
The same contradiction appears in the president’s repeated calls for peace and national unity. President Barrow’s calls for peace will carry greater credibility when he consistently reject ethnic profiling. Therefore , it is difficult to reconcile President Barrow’s public commitment to peace with clapping hands for political rhetoric that portrays an entire ethnic group — or a party associated with that group — as something other communities should fear.
There is another irony here. President Barrow has continued to convene religious leaders and encourage them to speak against ethnic division and political hostility. Yet religious and traditional leaders cannot credibly be expected to condemn ethnic profiling in the abstract while senior officials of President government are preaching tribal profiling , as Barrow himself simultaneously benefits from, tolerates, or encourages ethnicised campaign narratives.
As an incumbent, who believes his record speaks for itself, should be able to campaign on jobs, incomes, education, healthcare, infrastructure, governance and the broader social and economic wellbeing of Gambians. Those are measurable issues on which citizens can judge a government.
Ethnicity should not have to do the work that policy and performance are supposed to do.
And if a government that has governed for ten years still finds it necessary to mobilise voters through ethnic fears, while simultaneously seeking the support of former political rivals and repeatedly invoking peace and unity, then Gambians are entitled to examine these contradictions very carefully.
The electorate deserves a campaign based on competing visions, records and policies — not one that asks Gambians to vote out of fear of one another.
Alieu SK Manjang
Gunjur
