There is no functional Coalition government as far as we see at the moment. The MOU that brought the parties together is not being executed as envisaged.

Sources close to Coalition 2016 have made it clear that that with President Barrow taking over as President of the Republic  no consultation has ever been held in lieu of the agreements binding the Coalition to discuss some of the substantive matters contained in the MOU.

There is substantial evidence to show President Barrow’s desire to prolong his tenure in office beyond the three year agreement the Coalition agreed upon. There were no consultations leading to the removal from office of the former Chairperson of Coalition, Vice President Fatoumatta Jallow Tambajang, Mai Fatty and Omar Amadou Jallow.

Whether this was a unilateral Executive decision or a UDP motivated one is still unclear but the other coalition members were kept in the dark. For the Executive to appoint Ousainou Darboe as Vice President however sends a clear signal that the UDP Boss had fore knowledge regarding the sackings and his apparent appointment as VP. Right now the Gambia has an Executive President on the verge of looking for a second term in office, but how?

This Is the Million Dollar question.

There should be no mincing of words; the fragmentation of the Coalition government can be partly placed on the table of the UDP because it was their pronouncement for the adoption of what they termed “tactical alliance” in the National Assembly elections. This was the breaking point of Coalition2016 which is irreparable.

The UDP’s proposal for tactical alliance led to the demise of the Coalition. In effect such tactical alliance never took off the ground as coalition members were pitted against each other. There is no functional Coalition government as far as we see at the moment.

The MOU that brought the parties together is not being executed as envisaged. Now the heat is on regarding the dishing out of D10, 000 to NAMS and recently a Ward Councillor and the rebuttals coming from State House on the matter.

Alieu Darboe, the UDP Brikama Kembujeh Ward councilor, has confirmed receiving a call from Bolong Sanneh, the regional secretary of UDP in West Coast to go to one Lamin Cham at State House to be given money. NAM Madi Ceesay confirmed receiving the said amount and the Minority leader in the NA has noted that the revelations of the money offered came from members of the UDP and the recipients are all from the UDP.

What is going on? In the dilemma, we received this Press Release from the office of the DPPR at State House on the matter

“It is with great dismay that to learn of the series of serious unfounded allegations made by Sanna Jawara, a sitting National Assembly Member, most notably, that the President ‘has started paying some parliamentarians D10, 000 each month in envelopes’. Hon. Jawara went as far as suggesting that some

National Assembly Members ‘physically queued up for monthly handouts’ from the president – grave claims that he could not substantiate.

“The claims were maliciously designed to bring disrepute to the person of the president and the office he occupies. Contrary to what Mr. Jawara stated, without any evidence whatsoever, no National Assembly Member was invited to State House to receive money in return for any favours, including political support.

President Adama Barrow has been supporting and continues to support individuals and groups whenever he can. It was in the same spirit that His Excellency, the President donated vehicles to members of the same body to ease mobility and communication constraints with their constituents. “The president was elected as an independent coalition candidate. Thus, rather than politicking, he is occupied with finding solutions and addressing the development needs of the people that overwhelmingly elected him into office.

Which is why he succeeded in securing several capital investments that would directly impact the lives of ordinary Gambians and drive them out of poverty, as stated in the National Development Plan 2018-2021.  Moreover, the president’s focus is on the bigger picture of delivering a new Gambia that we could all be proud of; one that would provide a conducive place where all Gambians can realise their full potentials.

His vision is to see a country that is anchored on empowered institutions that would guarantee and protect the rights and dignity of all citizens irrespective of their political, ethno-linguistic and religious differences. It is in the same spirit that he constituted a Constitutional Review Commission, among other transformational and institutional reforms, to recreate a Gambia fit for all.”