By Madi Jobarteh
The ongoing presidential tour is a legitimate constitutional exercise mandated under Section 222(15) of the 1997 Constitution. It states,
“The President shall undertake a nation-wide tour at least twice a year in order to familiarize himself or herself with current conditions and the effect of government policies.”
From this provision, the intent is clear. A presidential tour is not a political rally and fanfare. It is a serious official fact-finding mission to assess conditions across the country. It is a public awareness function to inform and educate citizens about government actions and shortcomings. It is a monitoring exercise to evaluate policy implementation and public service delivery, and it is an accountability mechanism to identify what policies, institutions and officials are succeeding or failing, so that corrective action can be taken. But under President Adama Barrow, these constitutional purposes have been hijacked and corrupted.
A closer look at what is happening in this tour so far exposes the disturbing truth: the President is openly violating both the letter and the spirit of the law. Not only is the tour being conducted in an unlawful manner, but it is also a massive waste of public resources due to the bloated entourage accompanying the President. There are scores of civil servants who are literally pulled away from their desks thereby paralyzing essential services nationwide. As a result, ballooning costs in fuel, vehicle wear, maintenance, hotels and extravagant per diem payments. Year after year, the tour overshoots its allocated budget thus draining scarce public funds.
Worse still, we have senior officials who have no business being on this tour, such as the Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly, along with scores of NPP supporters who hold no public office yet enjoy public resources throughout the tour. This misuse of state resources for partisan gain is a classic case of abuse of office.
Most concerning is the transformation of a constitutional duty into an NPP political roadshow. Governors, ministers, other state officials, and NPP foot soldiers, including chiefs and Alkalolu, who are prohibited by law from partisan political activity, use the platform to openly campaign for a third term for the President. Instead of listening to citizens, the President, and his officials bombard communities with partisan propaganda.
For example, President Barrow told Salikenni residents that ‘If I Keep Providing Without Support, I’ll Get Tired,’ meaning he would deny them public goods and services if they do not support him. Minister Demba Sabally, Deputy Speaker Seedy Njie, and others have repeatedly urged communities to vote for Barrow because of what he has done and therefore owe the president gratitude. These awful remarks are reminiscent of exactly what Yaya Jammeh and his officials used to tell communities during this same tour. This is not democracy; it is coercion.
Even more alarming are the vicious attacks on political opponents just like Yaya Jammeh used to do. The President and his entourage have taken turns to insult, caricature and demonize the opposition, depicting them as unpatriotic, dangerous, and unfit to lead. Such rhetoric not only violates the Constitution but also fuels political tension, threatens national peace and unity, and undermines multiparty democracy.
The Gambia is constitutionally defined as a multiparty democracy under Section 60(1). This system recognizes political parties as legitimate actors with the right to mobilize voters, present programs, and contest elections. Membership in a political party is neither criminal nor unpatriotic.
Therefore, for the President and his officials to publicly describe opposition parties as enemies of the nation is to undermine the Constitution itself. It destroys the foundation of competitive politics and creates an atmosphere of fear, hostility, and intolerance. Political competition is not a war or a threat. It is a constitutional process through which citizens make informed choices. Demonizing opponents defeats that process.
The irony of it all is that despite being labelled a tour ‘to dialogue with the people’, there has been no genuine conversation with citizens. What we see instead is a choreographed routine where local representatives present a long list of needs, and the President and ministers respond with promises, and adding what is already provided. This is not dialogue. It is not accountability. And it is not governance. The country faces deep structural economic, social, and political challenges, yet none are being addressed. Instead, the tour is reduced to political theatrics and vote-canvassing contrary to the dictates of Section 222(15).
Therefore, Pres. Barrow must be reminded that willful violation of the Constitution is an impeachable offence. When he took his oath of office on 19 January 2022, he swore to uphold, defend, and respect the Constitution. That oath is now being trampled upon. By turning a constitutional duty into a partisan carnival, by threatening citizens with denial of development, by misusing public resources for political advantage, and by demonizing opponents, the President is steering the country toward lawlessness, corruption, poverty, and authoritarianism.
The ongoing tour reflects exactly that dangerous direction which we had experienced under Yaya Jammeh, who was the originator of the abuse of Section 222(15) of the Constitution. In this regard, I wish to call on the IEC, the Inter-Party Committee, CSOs, and above all the citizens to urgently speak out against this blatant illegality and abuse of office. Silence is complicity.
President Barrow must recognize that he is a constitutional president, not a monarch. He does not rule the Gambia according to personal whims or political survival. He is bound by the Constitution and accountable to the people. The Gambia cannot afford another era of unchecked executive power. The Constitution must stand. Democracy must stand. The people must stand.
For The Gambia, Our Homeland
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