Africa-Press – Gambia. Saihou Mballow, a special adviser to President Adama Barrow, has dismissed growing criticism suggesting that Gambians have lost confidence in the president, insisting that Mr. Barrow’s administration is making tangible progress in improving citizens’ lives.
“The essence of having the government is to improve the living conditions of people. And that has happened with President Adama Barrow,” Mr. Mballow said in an interview. “He is trying to improve the living conditions of Gambians. We have seen that, not only that. Not only that, right now we can see the freedom of expression that exists in this country, freedom of the media that exists in the country, freedom of association that exists in this country, freedom of association that has been uplifted by President Adama Barrow. So I cannot understand when somebody says, lose confidence. You lose confidence in something, when there is nothing to show, but not this one,” Mballow said.
His remarks come amid mounting public scrutiny and opposition voices expressing discontent over the direction of the country under Mr. Barrow, who has been in power since 2017. Critics have accused the president of failing to deliver on key promises and fostering a climate of impunity and corruption.
In response, Mr. Mballow acknowledged that corruption remains a global challenge but emphasized the administration’s ongoing efforts to address it within the bounds of due process.
“Corruption is everywhere throughout the world. Even superpowers, there is corruption,” he said. “You can fight corruption, but you cannot eradicate it completely. And that’s what we are doing. President Adama Barrow is fighting corruption. You can see right now there are some senior officers of the government who are going on trial. That is an effort towards fighting corruption. We have seen somebody who was convicted of corruption in this country. That is an effort to fight corruption.”
He added that several case files are currently under review by the Inspector General of Police and are expected to be forwarded to the Ministry of Justice for further action.
“Also as I am speaking to you people, there are some files lying on the table of the Inspector General of Police. They are waiting to be forwarded to the Ministry of Justice for them to review and see whether it is worth it for those people to be prosecuted or not. This is not a dictatorship. We cannot jump on people because of simple allegations that somebody is corrupt. We have to make sure that we follow the due process,” he said.
Mr. Mballow’s defense of the Barrow administration comes as the president prepares to navigate increasing political pressure and a shifting public mood ahead of the next electoral cycle.
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