Africa-Press – Gambia. Lamin J. Darboe, the presidential flag-bearer of the National Unity Party (NUP), has called on young Gambians to refuse bags of rice, cash payments, and other inducements offered in exchange for political support during the election season.
Speaking at his residence in Gunjur during a courtesy visit by a youth delegation, Darboe criticized what he described as a longstanding practice of politicians distributing food commodities and money to secure votes. He argued that such tactics undermine the country’s democratic process and perpetuate inequality.
“They bribe influential people in the community with bags of rice and money while their own children enjoy luxury abroad,” Darboe said. “Even if they give you a hundred thousand, it cannot compare to what they take from this country. Leave their money with them—or take it, but don’t vote for them.”
Darboe said his party is committed to ending what he called a culture of systemic theft that, in his view, has drained national resources and stalled development. The Gambia, he insisted, has enough resources to benefit all citizens if corruption is curbed and oversight strengthened.
“Most of the hardships we face today are the result of stealing,” he said. “A proper system must be put in place to stop it, and that is the system we want.”
He told the youths that the country’s slow progress stems from the absence of transparency and accountability—conditions, he argued, that some leaders have deliberately preserved.
“This is what we want to stop,” Darboe said. “These are the issues you must pay attention to.”
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