{"id":92012,"date":"2025-12-14T06:44:05","date_gmt":"2025-12-14T06:44:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/uncategorized\/alhaji-mamadi-kurang-responds-to-flagbearership-criticism"},"modified":"2025-12-14T06:51:04","modified_gmt":"2025-12-14T06:51:04","slug":"alhaji-mamadi-kurang-responds-to-flagbearership-criticism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/alhaji-mamadi-kurang-responds-to-flagbearership-criticism","title":{"rendered":"Alhaji Mamadi Kurang Responds to Flagbearership Criticism"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Gambia. <\/strong><\/span>Alhaji Mamadi Kurang has responded to public criticism surrounding his departure from the People\u2019s Democratic Organisation for Independence and Socialism (PDOIS) to the United Democratic Party (UDP), particularly allegations that his move reflects inconsistency on the issue of long-serving party flagbearers.<\/b><\/p>\n

Speaking in an interview with Eye Africa TV on Friday, Kurang rejected claims that he had accused PDOIS of maintaining a perpetual flagbearer while joining a party with a similarly longstanding leader. He maintained that such assertions had been misattributed to him.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have never said it is only one person holding a flagbearership; that\u2019s the reason why I jump from one party to another,\u201d Kurang stated.<\/p>\n

He further noted that he is unaware of any instance in which UDP leader Ousainou Darboe publicly indicated an intention to step aside as flagbearer and later reversed that position. According to Kurang, discussions around term limits for party leaders remain ongoing within Gambian political parties, adding that he actively participated in similar debates during his time in PDOIS.<\/p>\n

Kurang argued that political leadership, particularly the role of a party leader or flagbearer, should not be viewed as a salaried position, but rather as a form of national service and personal sacrifice. As such, he said, the imposition of term limits may not be suitable for all political parties.<\/p>\n

\u201cA political party leader is not paid by taxpayers\u2019 money; it\u2019s not a salary job, it\u2019s more like a sacrifice,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Highlighting the personal and financial challenges faced by party leaders and flagbearers, Kurang stressed that those in such positions often have to make significant sacrifices while relying on alternative means of livelihood. He also argued that governments have a responsibility to create an enabling environment for politicians, noting that elected officials ultimately benefit from public support.<\/p>\n

Clarifying his earlier reference to \u201c6 & 9,\u201d Kurang explained that the phrase was used in the context of corruption and self-serving politics. He said it was directed at individuals who have left their parties after being elected on party mandates, citing figures such as Yaya Menteng Sanyang.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat group of people who left, for what? You left, but the party gave you the mandate, yet you\u2019re still enjoying that mandate. That\u2019s what defines you. So, if you\u2019re out of that party, you represent a thinking that\u2019s the 6&9 out there, self-interest politics,\u201d Kurang said. \u201cWhat is 6 & 9? Your self-interest over the national interest.\u201d He emphasized.<\/p>\n

Addressing concerns related to age and leadership, Kurang dismissed the notion that age alone determines a leader\u2019s effectiveness, pointing to examples of senior political figures in the United States, including President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump.<\/p>\n

The debate surrounding Kurang\u2019s political stance has reignited broader discussions on transparency, accountability, and internal democracy in Gambian politics. A longstanding critic of the government\u2019s management of public funds, Kurang has continued to draw both support and criticism for his outspoken positions.<\/p>\n

For More News And Analysis About Gambia<\/span> Follow Africa-Press<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Gambia. Alhaji Mamadi Kurang has responded to public criticism surrounding his departure from the People\u2019s Democratic Organisation for Independence and Socialism (PDOIS) to the United Democratic Party (UDP), particularly allegations that his move reflects inconsistency on the issue of long-serving party flagbearers. Speaking in an interview with Eye Africa TV on Friday, Kurang […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":92011,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,12],"tags":[260],"class_list":["post-92012","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-policy","tag-gambia"],"yoast_head":"\nAlhaji Mamadi Kurang Responds to Flagbearership Criticism - Gambia<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Alhaji Mamadi Kurang has responded to public criticism surrounding his departure from the People\u2019s Democratic Organis ...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/alhaji-mamadi-kurang-responds-to-flagbearership-criticism\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Alhaji Mamadi Kurang Responds to Flagbearership Criticism\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Alhaji Mamadi Kurang has responded to public criticism surrounding his departure from the People\u2019s Democratic Organis ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/alhaji-mamadi-kurang-responds-to-flagbearership-criticism\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Gambia\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AfricaPressTunisiaa\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-12-14T06:44:05+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-12-14T06:51:04+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/gambia\/sites\/19\/2025\/12\/sm_1765682379.943834.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1280\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"720\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/alhaji-mamadi-kurang-responds-to-flagbearership-criticism#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/alhaji-mamadi-kurang-responds-to-flagbearership-criticism\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"Alhaji Mamadi Kurang Responds to Flagbearership Criticism\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-12-14T06:44:05+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-12-14T06:51:04+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/alhaji-mamadi-kurang-responds-to-flagbearership-criticism\"},\"wordCount\":509,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/alhaji-mamadi-kurang-responds-to-flagbearership-criticism#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/gambia\/sites\/19\/2025\/12\/sm_1765682379.943834.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Gambia\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"policy\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/alhaji-mamadi-kurang-responds-to-flagbearership-criticism#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/alhaji-mamadi-kurang-responds-to-flagbearership-criticism\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/alhaji-mamadi-kurang-responds-to-flagbearership-criticism\",\"name\":\"Alhaji Mamadi Kurang Responds to Flagbearership Criticism - 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