The head of the APP-Sobeyaa political party, Essa Mbye Faal, recently criticized President Adama Barrow’s administration harshly, charging it with extensive corruption and poor leadership. Faal compared the administration to “Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves,” a metaphor taken from the well-known Middle Eastern folktale that depicts corruption and greed, while addressing supporters.
Faal claimed that the government has signed contracts that are exploitative and disadvantage Gambians, especially with regard to the nation’s fishing and river resources.
“The government signed a contract that is making Gambians suffer and unable to get fish. Just recently, I watched a video showing Chinese fishermen chasing Gambian fishermen in our own river,” Faal remarked.
He emphasized that The Gambia’s resources must benefit its people, not foreign interests, and warned that a government under his leadership would immediately end such accords.
He vowed, “Those kinds of Chinese contracts in The Gambia will end the day we form a government.”
Faal claimed that graft under the current government had escalated to previously unheard-of levels and accused the Barrow administration of protecting dishonest officials.
“We used to hear that past governments stole thousands or millions, but now we are hearing billions. That is why I call them Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves,” he remarked.
He asked Gambians to support the APP-Sobeyaa party, which he said will place a higher priority on youth empowerment, good governance, and anti-corruption initiatives, and to vote out the existing government in the impending elections on December 5, 2026.
In his criticism of the administration’s management of the health sector, Faal pointed out that a large number of competent physicians and nurses are still unemployed as a result of what he called financial mismanagement. He asserted that the administration fired the Auditor General for exposing corruption, citing conclusions from the Auditor General’s reports.
Faal concluded by urging people to “open their eyes” and demand responsible leadership, particularly among young people.
“Let’s remove Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves from government and build a Sobeyaa government that will truly work for the people,” he pleaded.
