Bakary Badjie, the National Assembly Member for Foñi Bintang, has sharply criticised the president’s State of the Nation Address, calling it “misleading”. Badjie focused on several key areas where he said the president’s statements did not align with reality.
Badjie challenged the president’s claim about the stability of the dalasi.
He stated: “The dalasi is not stable against CFA, the dalasi is not stable against any of the currencies, the dalasi is constantly depreciating.” He provided current exchange rates for euro, pound, and CFA to support his point, saying, “There is no way that the dalasi is stable.”
Badjie also noted that while the president thanked Gambians abroad for remittances, he along with parliament “deliberately refused to allow the diaspora to vote.”
On the agricultural sector, Badjie said the focus should move beyond providing seeds, fertiliser, and tractors. He called for “real agricultural mechanisation” to achieve “food self-sufficiency.”
Badjie questioned the status of the president’s earlier promise from 2023 to create 150,000 jobs for youth, noting that this was not mentioned in the recent address.
Addressing irregular migration, Badjie linked it to “unemployment” and “low income earning.” He pointed out that police officers and teachers are leaving the country due to these issues and suggested that paying “decent salaries” to civil servants is an imperative for overall development.
Badjie said he was dismayed that the issue of Foñi was not mentioned, despite the current flare-ups in neighbouring Casamance with shells reportedly landing in The Gambia and hundreds displaced.
“The president is moot about the issue of Foñi. It’s like the president doesn’t care about our suffering. The president doesn’t care about the shells that are landing in our region in Foñi. The president must have concern for his people at heart.”
