Normal
“My relationship with the Vice President is normal.” These were the words of President Adama Barrow answering a question about his relationship with the leader of the United Democratic Party (UDP) Mr Ousainou Darboe, who also serves as the Vice President of the Gambia.
There has been a lot of speculations in recent weeks about the relationship between these two gentlemen, but both men have been very careful not to play into the hands of pundits and runaway party militants.
Contrary to the message of unity that the leadership of United Democratic Party is pushing, it is hard to miss the fault lines within the party. The inception of Barrow Youth Movement for Development has been seen by some as Mr Barrow’s attempt to wrestle control of the party away from Mr Ousainou Darboe and run for a second term, which in itself comes with a certain level of controversy. Mr Barrow’s supporters adamantly deny that the Youth Movement is a part of a larger plan. They maintain that UDP is still their home and Mr Barrow will come home upon the expiration of his term as a coalition candidate.
Vocal supporters of Mr Darboe have their suspicions about the president and those around him. Some have even gone out of their way to accuse Mr Barrow of surrounding himself with sycophants and former Jammeh enablers who are only interested in their own personal gains. Mr Barrow has been slowly backtracking on his early pronouncements that he will only serve the 3 years of the coalition mandate, and return to the private sector. To some critics of the president, this is a sign that certain elements in his ear are trying to steer him in a certain direction.
Mr Darboe has recently come under fire for some remarks that he made during an interview regarding the length of the presidential term. He argued that the constitutionally stipulated term of 5 years should apply to Mr Barrow. Those remarks have been characterized by some people as the catalyst for Barrow’s recent behavior. The supporters of the MOU and those who were party to the coalition’s Memorandum of Understanding consider that about face by UDP as a betrayal of that document.
Mr Barrow is still the president and Mr Darboe is still his vice president. The coalition that brought them to power still exists in some form, but it is not very clear to the general public in what form. One thing that is certain is that Mr Darboe has a very strong hold on the party and its apparatus, so whatever happens between these two gentlemen will very likely have an impact on the entire country, so we can all celebrate the fact that their relationship is normal fo now.
