The government’s plan to occupy McCarthy Square has drawn harsh criticism from Banjul City Council (BCC) Mayor Rohey Malick Lowe, who described it as a determined attempt to deprive the city of its autonomy and dignity as well as a purposeful insult to the people of Banjul.
“I didn’t want to do this at all.” “I said,” said Mayor Lowe. “I have remained silent in the face of injustice after injustice, flagrant disrespect, and a well-planned attempt to deprive Banjul of its honour. I have prayed for wisdom to triumph and conscience to take the lead, and I have watched and endured. However, I’ve been pushed to the limit today. Even from a distance, I can feel the tremors of this most recent attempt to violate our city, and I hate that I am out of the nation at this crucial time. In addition to being a legal overreach, the Office of the President’s claim over McCarthy Square is an intentional insult to the people of Banjul, a betrayal of government, and a breach of our history, Mayor Lowe stated.
The mayor, who is now abroad, conveyed her profound dissatisfaction highlighting that Banjul is more than simply a city to her; it is her heritage, her history, and her life’s purpose. It is my heritage, my past, my father’s battle, and my purpose in life. “And who will defend it if I don’t?” she enquired.
Mayor Lowe reflected on her early years, remembering how her father would take her on walks around Banjul’s streets while sharing tales of hardship, selflessness, and tenacity.
Tales of hardship, selflessness, and the way our people persevered when all they had left was their honour. He showed me that Banjul was a symbol and not merely a place. McCarthy Square, our living history, was at the centre of that emblem. When the voices of Gambians demanded their proper role in government, our mothers, fathers, uncles, and grandmothers congregated in McCarthy Square. It is a place where unity overcame division and history was penned by the people, not the powerful, and where we have united as a nation to celebrate our freedom year after year,” she remarked.
“By what right, by what justification, and by what conscience does the Office of the President lay claim to a place that belongs to the people?” she asked, challenging the government’s intentions.
It is where prayers have been spoken into the wind, where processions of triumph and anguish have marched, and where the city’s pulse is most strongly felt. And now they wish to remove it. By what right? For what reason? What right does the President’s Office have to occupy a space that is the people’s? Mayor Lowe enquired.
Mayor Lowe claims that the people who made this decision have either decided to ignore McCarthy Square’s historical significance or have not educated themselves on it. McCarthy Square, she adamantly declared, “belongs to Banjul, its people, and its history,” not any government.
The mayor also cited a number of previous instances in which it was claimed that the government tried to undermine her authority and leadership. She outlined what she called an ongoing effort against her administration, ranging from the withdrawal of the Banjul Project to the contentious treatment of Crab Island and her new office building. “I didn’t look for conflict. However, let history document the ceaseless assaults on this city: We lost the Banjul Project, a vision for the regeneration of our city. I gave it up. Once a shining example of education, Crab Island was split, with half of it being taken violently. I gave it up. Under the false pretence that it belonged to the state, my new office—which was co-funded by the World Bank but had BCC’s full counterpart contribution—was almost taken. I gave it up. Instead of crippling KMC as many thought, a committee of inquiry was established to intimidate BCC. I am aware of this, as is the President.
“My internal auditor was brought into the President’s Office, plotting against me and making up accusations that were intended to undermine my leadership. However, Banjul’s citizens saw right through it. Even though my council was empty after my employees were fired, I carried on with my task. Half Die residents were forced to relocate, which resulted in a 10% drop in my city’s income and the homelessness of numerous families. I let the anguish go and swallowed it. The council lost control of Bond Road, a vital component of our city. I gave it up. In Banjul, mining operations give the city twice as much in dalasi as they take in. I gave it up. They are now claiming Burr Banjul. How long do I have to keep letting go? She enquired.
She added that there was never such a fixation with seizing assets managed by the council, not even during the worst times of previous regimes. “But we have witnessed the most brutal attack on Banjul’s autonomy under a government that professes democracy and justice,” she remarked.
The President once denounced the UDP’s attempts to undermine his leadership, she continued. However, I enquire: Has he not harmed me more? Members in my own party have referred to me as his informant. I’ve put up with Mark Janneh’s ruthless and persistent attempts to defame me. Because I refuse to bend, I have been demonised, stigmatised, and bullied—not because I have let my people down.
Despite these difficulties, Mayor Lowe maintained that via collaborations with groups like Bloomberg Philanthropies and REFELA, her leadership has brought Banjul to the attention of the world. In contrast to other African mayors, she bemoaned the lack of official backing and underlined how much more could have been accomplished in the absence of political meddling.
My leadership has put Banjul on the map of the world. I have worked to give my people opportunities through REFELA, Bloomberg Philanthropies, worldwide city networks, and programs for women’s and youth empowerment. While my peers in Lusaka and Freetown enjoy the backing of their governments, Banjul has established unprecedented alliances. I have had to fight for every inch of advancement. While some in positions of authority purposefully deny Banjul what it is due, I have accomplished more with less.
But consider what more might have been accomplished if I had been free to take the lead. “Imagine a Banjul that was inspired by a genuine dedication to progress rather than being constrained by political agendas,” Mayor Lowe remarked.
“Mr. President, I ask you: Why is Banjul treated as an orphan in this country?” she said, speaking directly to President Adama Barrow. Why should its leadership be undermined instead of encouraged? Your international delegations have never included me. Unlike other mayors, I have never received an invitation to negotiate on behalf of my city. The fundamental courtesy of leadership has never been extended to me. But I stand. I stand here as this city’s daughter. As the woman who declines to bow, I stand. She declared, “I stand as the Mayor who will not be erased.”
Mayor Lowe promised that Banjul would not be hushed and that McCarthy Square would not be captured. She urged the administration to honour the sacrifices made by previous generations and to put genuine development ahead of political objectives.
“This was not a fight I sought out. However, I also won’t flee from it. I beg the Presidency to set aside partisan politics and petty politics for real progress, based on our shared love for our people and the promises we made when we were elected to office. Delivering legacies that will free our people from poverty is something we owe to our people and future generations. My dear father told me that we must tell our children stories about the sacrifices we made to improve their quality of life. These cannot be accomplished if we keep arguing about real estate, even when it is outside the bounds of ethics and the law. “The President’s Office ought to be larger and more superior than these,” she stated.
She claimed that Banjul has always been a city that can withstand the effects of war, dictatorship, climatic change, and interpersonal strife. According to her, the government’s action is a battle against the people and traditions of Banjul, not against the city’s mayorship.
“Your Excellency, of all the lines that have been crossed, this will be the one that my people will not forget,” she said as she ended her remarks. We will triumph.
