By Melville Robertson Roberts Esq
Africa-Press – Gambia. President Barrow’s recent speech, where he promised to get to the bottom of the alleged mishaps surrounding the sale of former President Jammeh’s assets, deserves nothing but absolute support from all well-meaning Gambians.
His firm stance on accountability and truth represents the kind of leadership this country has been yearning for. A leadership that chooses action over noise, and substance over spectacle.
Let it be clear: the length of the speech is immaterial. It is not how long a leader speaks, but what he says that counts. President Barrow delivered a focused and meaningful message. He didn’t waste words.
He delivered a promise. And now, the responsibility lies on us to wait and hold him to that promise; but not to ridicule him for delivering it.
The baseless criticisms and mockery being thrown at the President for his speech are not only unwarranted but damaging to the very cause of accountability that critics claim to support.
What else would we have expected him to say? That he will start arresting people without due process or conclusive findings? That would not only be reckless but it would be unlawful. The President chose the path of justice, not vengeance.
Gambians must come to terms with a difficult truth: sometimes, no matter what a leader says or does, some will choose to tear it down. But we cannot allow cynicism to drown out progress.
President Barrow spoke with clarity, responsibility, and purpose. There is not a single thing he could have said better, nor any other party leader who could have handled the matter with more poise under such scrutiny, or said anything different from what he stated. The truth is Gambians are enigmatic and mostly know or understand their needs.
This is not the time to indulge in petty politics or premature judgement. It is time to support due process and give this moment the seriousness it demands.
Let’s not be a people impossible to please. Let’s be a nation mature enough to listen, wise enough to wait, and united enough to act when the truth is revealed.
We took to the streets to demand answers. He has promised just that. What else could he have granted? We certainly would not have appreciated if he came out to dismiss the concerns of Gambians. He has listened and he has made a promise. Our duty is to hold him to his words and nothing else.
I can assure you, that I as an Oxford graduate, an individual mostly attributed to good command of the English Language, I could not have said anything, any better, than what President Barrow had stated in his speech to the nation.
Let us give the devil its due. Those were the words the country needed to hear. Whether he meant those words or not, that is a conversation for another day.
Source: The Standard Newspaper | Gambia
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