By Alieu Jallow
Civil rights activist Madi Jobarteh has launched one of his strongest criticisms yet against President Adama Barrow’s administration, warning that The Gambia is “drowning” under corruption, poor governance, and deepening national crises.
Jobarteh said the country is at a dangerous crossroads where poverty is rising, hate and division are festering, and corruption has become uncontrollable. He pointed to the National Human Rights Commission’s survey on hate speech, which highlighted growing polarisation, and the Gambia Participates Corruption Index 2025, which exposed widespread graft across government. The Afrobarometer survey of 2024 also showed that public trust in state institutions has collapsed, with many Gambians desperate to migrate, even at the risk of their lives.
According to him, public services are collapsing while government institutions are increasingly viewed as sources of despair rather than hope. The recently published audit reports for 2021, 2022, and 2023 revealed billions of dalasis unaccounted for, which Jobarteh described as “a betrayal of the Gambian people.”
“The country is drowning while its leaders look the other way, lost in self-delusion and surrounded by sycophants,” he declared.
He argued that Gambians are not protesting because they seek instability, but because they want “bread, safety, justice, and a predictable life.” Instead of meeting these demands, he said, the government has treated citizens as enemies.
Jobarteh pointed to a series of events that he said exposed state failure this year, including the Mandinari and Jabang tragedies, land disputes in Gunjur, the controversial Sukuta-Salaji demolitions, anti-corruption protests, the unconstitutional removal of the Auditor General, and the 2023 shooting of PIU officers.
He also criticised President Barrow’s latest national address, calling it “defensive, detached, and dangerously out of touch with the harsh realities Gambians face.”
“The President’s duty is to provide direction, hope, and solutions, not to divide citizens,” Jobarteh stressed.
He warned that Barrow risks repeating the mistakes of former president Yahya Jammeh, who only faced reality after losing power. However, Jobarteh added that Barrow still has time to redeem himself, but only if he embraces justice, accountability, and genuine leadership.
“If Barrow fails, it will not be protesters or the youth who bring down this country. It will be his own government, through incompetence, corruption, and failure to govern. The Gambia is sinking fast. The question is: will he save the ship, or go down with it?” Jobarteh concluded.
