By: Sulayman Waan
Former Minister of Agriculture, Omar A Jallow has slammed Bakary Bunja Darboe popularly known as BB Darboe as a militant of the then Armed Forces Provisional Ruling Council (AFPRC) but not People Progressive Party.
Popularly called OJ made the remarks at a press conference held at his party’s bureau yesterday, by adding that: “BB Darboe was appointed as Minister of Information and Tourism in 1981 and in1982 , the former president Sir Dawda appointed him as the Vice President and Minister of Education a position he handled for ten years.”
He added that: “In 1992 he was appointed as the Minister of Finance until the coup took place in 1994. He went with Sir Dawda to Dakar in Senegal and later betrayed him and became the Minister of Finance under Ex-president Yahya Jammeh. What a terrible mistake was that.”
He further lambasted BB Darboe over what he called supporting the Junta Regime that overthrew Legitimate Government. In addition to that he (BB) served as a Finance Minister under Jammeh.
According to him, when BB Darboe shifted allegiance to the AFPRC regime, he wrote a letter with serial number MF\C\152 (89) to the World Bank, International Monetary Fund among other International Organizations for justifying him joining the Junta Regime.
However, he described Momodou Musa Njie alias Papa Njie, a legal member of PPP, adding that he resigned from the United Democratic Party before he joins to PPP.
“BB Darboe served the PPP for ten years as Vice President and three years for Minister of Economics as second in command of the Administration, you [BB] came and accused the government of endemic corruption, then you are the chairman of endemic corruption because you were the second in command during that time,” OJ said.
OJ also warned that the PPP will not tolerate BB Darboe to lead the party, adding that when he [Darboe] was with the Junta, he alleged the PPP’s government of corruption and lack of transparency, improper accountability and lack of viable electoral process.
He cited that the constitution of the Independent Electoral Commission does not even mandate BB Darboe to lead a political party in the country, saying that he has obtained dual citizenship- British and Gambian nationality. OJ challenged Darboe to produce Gambian document such as ‘voters’ card among others.