By Yaya Dampha, NPP Diaspora Coordinator
The reaction of some supporters of the United Democratic Party to the government’s purchase of a modern state-of-the-art ferry is yet another embarrassing display of political hypocrisy and blind opposition.
For years these same voices have screamed that the ferries serving the Banjul–Barra Ferry Crossing are old, unreliable, and constantly breaking down. Every mechanical fault was turned into propaganda against the government. Every delay was framed as proof of incompetence.
Now that President Adama Barrow has taken the practical step of acquiring a modern ferry capable of carrying 800 passengers and multiple trucks, the same critics are suddenly outraged.
So which is it?
Were the ferries too old and unreliable, or should the government refuse to modernize them?
This is not criticism. It is pure political bad faith.
1. The Ferry Hypocrisy
UDP supporters complained relentlessly that ferries were outdated and unsafe.
Now that the government invests in a modern replacement, they complain again.
If government does nothing — they complain.
If government solves the problem — they complain louder.
That is not accountability; that is politics of sabotage.
2. The Electricity Hypocrisy
When rural electrification projects began under President Barrow, the same critics said:
“Those poles will never see electricity.”
But when electricity finally reached those communities, the narrative suddenly changed to:
“Those people are hungry; they need food more than electricity.”
So the question is simple:
Are rural Gambians not entitled to electricity and development?
Electricity powers schools, clinics, businesses, refrigeration, irrigation, and communication. Only those who have never experienced development planning would pretend otherwise.
3. The Road Development Hypocrisy.
When highways and rural roads are constructed, the UDP chorus repeats the same tired slogan:
“Are we going to eat roads?”
This is perhaps the most economically illiterate argument in modern Gambian politics.
Roads are the arteries of development. They allow farmers to move crops to markets, traders to move goods, ambulances to reach hospitals, and businesses to expand into rural areas. Without roads, there is no commerce, no tourism expansion, and no regional trade.
Anyone who claims development should happen without roads clearly does not understand development.
4. Opposition That Opposes Everything
At this point, one must agree with a friend who once said:
"It is dangerous for a political party to remain in opposition for too long"
The United Democratic Party has become so accustomed to opposing that it now opposes everything — even progress.
This is the same party that, while part of the coalition government from 2017 to 2019, organized protest marches against its own leadership. Imagine that level of confusion — protesting a government you are part of.
That is not responsible politics. That is political addiction to chaos.
5. The Bridge Argument Is Another False Narrative
Now they claim that because President Adama Barrow promised to build a bridge across the Banjul–Barra Ferry Crossing, he should not buy a ferry.
This argument ignores the basic reality of governance.
Major infrastructure projects take years of planning, financing, and construction. Governments must manage short-term needs while preparing long-term solutions.
The same logic applied to the Senegambia Bridge at Yelitenda–Bambatenda.
The idea of that bridge was first declared more than forty years ago by former president Dawda Kairaba Jawara. Yet it remained unfulfilled through his administration and for 22 years under Yahya Jammeh.
It was President Adama Barrow who finally delivered it.
That is the difference between talking about development and actually implementing it.
6. Development Requires Planning, Not Noise
Governments plan for the future through short-term, medium-term, and long-term strategies. Buying a ferry to solve immediate transport challenges does not contradict the vision of building a bridge.
Only those who deliberately refuse to understand governance would pretend otherwise.
Conclusion
At this stage, the pattern is obvious.
When development is proposed — the UDP attacks it.
When development begins — the UDP mocks it.
When development succeeds — the UDP changes the argument.
This endless negativity does not help Gambians. It only exposes a political culture that has become so obsessed with opposing President Barrow that it now opposes progress itself.
Gambia deserves constructive criticism, not reflex opposition driven by bitterness and political desperation.
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