Here is Pres. Barrow speaking at the NPP rally in Brikama on Saturday, June 20. On the issue of electricity, the President has once again demonstrated that he is either detached from reality, lacks the level of seriousness required of him as President, is attempting to mislead the public, is totally incompetent, or all of the above on such a vital national issue.
The issue of electricity is not a laughing matter and requires no humour or caricature. Electricity is literally a life-and-death issue for the country, hence no President should turn it into a disgraceful joking matter. But that is exactly what President Barrow is doing.
In the first place, this is not the first time he has made such a promise about ending blackouts. He first made that promise in 2017 during the Occupy Westfield protest, and nearly ten years later the problem persists.
Then, in 2021, when he inaugurated a 20MW plant in Brikama, he made a similar promise. Later, in a meeting with Muslim elders at State House, he again said the country was generating enough electricity that they had even shut down some of the generators. Yet today, electricity remains a major issue.
One wonders who gave the President such information, or whether he is deliberately spreading false information contrary to his government’s own campaign against misinformation and disinformation.
Aside from that, his government has contracted Karpower to supply electricity, and after seven years and billions paid, electricity remains poor. Meanwhile, his government has an ongoing contract with Senelec to supply electricity, which is serving the provinces. This contract also runs into billions, which in the long run is not sustainable and is therefore detrimental to the economy and development of the country.
This is because these contracts with Karpower and Senelec do not build national capacity and therefore leave the country in the same position while taking billions away. They are scam contracts. Is the President aware of this fact? What are his ministers and advisers telling him?
Clearly, it is obvious that he is either being misinformed and is too naive to detect the misinformation, or he is deliberately misleading citizens while failing to face the facts.
It is therefore both concerning and outrageous that the President would come up with yet another promise that in two to three years electricity problems will be over. In one sense, it shows that the President is detached from reality because he faces no electricity blackouts in State House or at his residence in Mankamang Kunda. In another sense, it suggests that he is being disgustingly dishonest with Gambians because he has provided no evidence to show that electricity blackouts will end in two to three years.
Even more scandalous is the fact that he expects citizens to continue living with and suffering from poor electricity supply for at least another 24 to 36 months. This is not only an outrageous idea, but it also exposes the gross incompetence, insensitivity, dishonesty, and total lack of accountability of this President and his government.
Is the President saying he is not aware that between 2017 and today his government has received between US$400 million and US$600 million for the energy sector alone? Where is that money? Where are the results and the impact of those projects?
That aside, is this President aware that the installed electricity generation capacity at Kotu Power Station is 45MW, and that a similar capacity is installed at Brikama Power Station? Combined, these two power stations can generate 90MW, enough to give the Gambia almost total electricity sovereignty. Yet these two power stations produce only about 20MW combined, which is less than one quarter of their installed capacity.
Why? Is the President asking questions?
If this President truly cares about the country, is committed to his job, and is courageous and honest enough, why is he not addressing the situation at Kotu and Brikama Power Stations? One would have thought that a sober leader who is patriotic, honest, and visionary would first demand answers from his Minister of Energy, the Managing Director of NAWEC, and the Board of Governors, and require them to provide a plan to fix Brikama and Kotu.
That should have been done since 2017. If they did so, how come the problems persist today? If they did not, why is he not holding them accountable?
Pres. Barrow is indeed a terrible liability for this country. The man either has no clue about the issues, is so naive that he can be manipulated and misguided, or is so dishonest and corrupt that all he cares about is accumulating and retaining power and wealth by any means necessary.
This statement in Brikama is shameful, dishonest, and a blatant affront to the dignity and intelligence of Gambians.
How can people be suffering from power cuts that are destroying lives and livelihoods, and all that a President can say is that machines have technical problems and even human beings experience similar problems, while using an opposition leader’s personal life as an example?
Is Ousainou Darboe our electricity, or is he responsible for it? If Ousainou Darboe is in the “garage,” how does that explain or affect electricity shortages in the country?
The President must be told to respect citizens and his political opponents, especially Ousainou Darboe. Our national challenges cannot be turned into a foolish joke about Ousainou Darboe. That is disrespectful to both citizens in general and Ousainou Darboe in particular, and it demonstrates gross leadership failure.
It is immature for one politician, especially a sitting President, to be so obsessed with an opposition leader that he turns every national issue into a storytelling about that leader.
Gambians are not interested in Adama Barrow’s disrespectful jokes about Ousainou Darboe. Citizens are paying Barrow a non-taxable salary of D500,000 per month, together with a seven-star residence and an outlandish lifestyle, so that he can fix our country, not to tell us tasteless “sulu nin san” stories about Ousainou Darboe.
Clearly Barrow has reached his limit and must be out on December 5.
For The Gambia 🇬🇲 Our Homeland
