Mr. Kandeh was speaking on Saturday 9 October 2021 during a mega rally graced by thousands of his supporters at the Gui Gi village under the Busumbala Constituency – West Coast Region
“I’ll defend the interest of my country to the latter. Being a director and being a president are far different from each other.” President Barrow said the Senegalese President Macky Sall is his boss which was a very disappointing statement because Gambians voted for a president “to lead them but not a director or a governor,” the GDC leader stated.
“I can’t understand how on earth a president of a fully sovereign country can call a president of another country his boss. Lawmakers should have impeached him that very day for making such an embarrassing statement because if he addresses another president his boss, then who is he?” Kandeh questioned.
“After selling former President Jammeh’s properties, his cattle, his houses, his machines, his cars, freezes his and his mother’s accounts, even took back things that he gave to people and with all sort of words you threw at him, today just to retain power, President Barrow is cleaning his shoes,” Kandeh said.
“I didn’t institute a political party for my personal interest and if there’s anyone following me for an interest, that is not for the interest of the country, not for the interest of the children of this country, not for the development of this country, then that person should leave my party because I, Mamma Kairaba Kandeh cannot do with such a person,” Kandeh stated.
He continued “after my rally in Farafenni, I came to understand that the Senegalese ambassador to The Gambia in an interview responded me over some statements that I made, which I would like to clear so he could understand that what I meant and how he understood my statements defers”.
“What I asked was if President Barrow didn’t inform President Macky Sall that our hospitals lack medicines, if President Barrow didn’t inform President Macky Sall that our Gambian women are dying during labour, we don’t need army and guns but good health care service for our women, a good agricultural system, youth empowerment and good education sector amongst others” he highlighted.
The GDC leader said “what I wanted to tell Macky Sall was that President Barrow has failed this country because the assistance he demanded for The Gambia and what the country really needs are far from close. We all know President Macky Sall didn’t out of nothing brings soldiers to The Gambia but someone gave him the way to do so. I want the ambassador to understand that it is our government that failed us but not them.”
According to Kandeh, ‘the ambassador in his interview mentioned that The Gambia is a sovereign state which really gladdens my heart, but I’d like to give him few examples why the government failed and that is: The Senegalese security entered The Gambia’s territory and killed a Gambian in his house with seven bullets.”
“The checkpoint in Bwiam is another example as lot of Gambian vehicles carrying timbers are stopped there, offloaded and at times the drivers or owners of the timbers assaulted, which isn’t part of the ECOMIG mandate. The ECOWAS or Senegal didn’t fail The Gambia, but it is our own government that failed us,” he added.
“Haruna Jatta was killed in Kanilai but until today the government didn’t said anything about it, which isn’t the ECOMIG’s fault but our government. I’m ready to peacefully work with Senegal when I become president,” he noted.
“I hereby assure The Gambian population that the very day GDC assumes office, start celebrating the beginning of a successful Gambia after so many decades. We are here to make tremendous changes ranging from the security, the livelihood of the people, hospitals, agriculture, education as well as The Gambia College whose students are paying a lot of money today when that was never the case during the Second Republic,” he further assured.
