Democracy is not simply about voting for candidates during elections. Many people fail to understand that democracy also extends to active participation in the civic life of a nation. It would be understandable if a limited understanding of what democracy entails is espoused by some random Gambian. But it is something else if the president of the republic demonstrates his own ignorance of what democracy entails.
When President Barrow addressed the Council of Elders of Banjul and launched a vicious personal attack on Madi Jobarteh and the press, what he did in reality was launch an attack on Gambia’s fledgling democracy itself. President Barrow claimed that Madi Jobarteh’s attack on his government is the result of the man’s hatred for the nation’s progress. He also claims that the press that regularly provide platforms for Mr. Jobarteh are contributing to the destruction of the nation.
The first mistake that President Barrow did was to equate himself with the state. Because only from such a premise could the president conclude that an attack on him is an attack on the country’s progress. Equating one’s own person with the state is what autocrats and absolute monarch’s do. That President Barrow would make such a grave error of judgement is an indictment of him and his capacity for the highest post in a democracy.
To also attack the press for giving platform to his critics is not only a grievous error of judgement but a revelation of President Barrow’s apparent sense of entitlement. The role of a free press in a democracy is not to sing praises of the regime and print only stories that reflect positively on those in power. It is to report on the news without fear of retribution, as well as giving a voice or platform to members of society that do not have the mighty megaphone of the those in power. The fact that this important role of the press is even codified in Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is a testament to its importance. Discharging their role means the press asking tough questions that make those in power uncomfortable. Without these functions, the masses will remain woefully uninformed, and one is only left with a hollow democracy that superficially resembles the real one only in the ritual of vote casting. The role of civil society, of which Madi Jobarteh is an invaluable member, is similarly important.
What is so telling is that President did not even once mention any wrong information that Mr. Jobarteh supposedly said about him or his government. The president seems to be simply aggrieved that Mr. Jobarteh had the audacity to criticize him. It is the sort entitlement that comes with being too comfortable on the seat of power. While the President would undoubtedly deny it, he basically designated Mr. Jobarteh an enemy of state and set him up as a target, if not by intent but in effect. It’s trite to say words matter – but they matter more when they come those in power given their reach and influence. President Barrow should be held personally should anything happen to Madi Jobarteh.
It may be too late but the president’s advisers need to properly educate him on the important role of the press and civil society in a democracy. His implementations of a few development projects in the country, such as they are, does not make him immune to criticisms.
