By: Kemo Kanyi
Momodou Sabally, Deputy Campaign Manager of the National People’s Party (NPP) has accused Gambia For All (GFA) leader Bakary Bunja Daboe of betraying the Jawara regime when it was overthrown by the military junta in 1994.
Sabally’s remarks came in response to Mr. Daboe’s recent criticism of President Barrow’s government, which he accused of corruption and mismanagement in the sale of assets belonging to exiled former President Yahya Jammeh.
According to Sabally, BB Daboe served at the top levels of the First Republic as Finance Minister and Vice President only to later turn his back on Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara when the AFPRC seized power.
“All the wrongs that came out of the AFPRC-Jammeh government were made possible partly because the then highly respected BB Daboe joined the boys in uniform and gave them much needed legitimacy in the public eye,” Sabally said.
He further claimed that the endorsement of the junta by a top official like Mr. Daboe might have softened the stance of the international community, including the IMF and the World Bank, towards the 1994 coup.
Sabally questioned the credibility of BB Daboe and his party in criticising President Barrow’s attempts to correct past governance failures.
“How can this same BB Daboe and his cronies at the moribund GFA point accusing fingers at President Barrow and his government over efforts to address the errors of that regime?” he asked.
He went on to argue that infighting within the PPP, including alleged power struggles between BB Daboe and former Vice President Saikou Sabally, contributed to weakening the First Republic and emboldening the AFPRC to stage a coup.
“For those who believe Jammeh was the worst leader to ever rule a country, let them first do some soul-searching. Some of us still remember the controversial case of Sanna Manneh and his Torch Newspaper against top PPP ministers,” Sabally added.