Darboe Eulogises Opposition Giant

Modou Jallow (we called him MG) was among the people who was paving the Road to 2016 for UDP [United Democratic Party]. He was a giant amongst the many UDP giants. I had a personal relationship with him which sprung from his friendship with my brother Dr. Momodou Darboe. I don’t know or remember how they became friends but MG treated me with greater bias and favouritism than he did with his friend. I was in the junior forms in St. Augustine’s Secondary School when MG was a Co-operatives Secretary at the Bansang Secco. To me he was particularly generous. A one shilling dash to a school boy in those days was a week’s school lunch. During my X-mas holidays I would benefit nothing less than two pounds from his generosity. In my second year at the Unilag he and his friend Mamat Ceesay were at Unibadan doing some courses in co-operatives management. Like the big brother he had always been he insisted that I visit him in Ibadan which I did. It was in 1996 that MG demonstrated and proved to me his true self.

In the midst of uncertainty and in the most hostile political environment MG was amongst the few fearless Banjul Chossans to openly support UDP. He held high profile political position in UDP the latest being Secretary of the Banjul Committee. No incentive however attractive and no amount of money big could make him abandon his belief in UDP. He believed in the values of friendship as he always told me “ma yen du taye. Demba la“. He was loyal to the value of family relationships which must be maintained at all times. He reminded me in our several conversations how he was related to Sally’s father and to Mayeh’s mother. His family relationship with my wives was one of the reasons why he was supportive of me. I always sought his advice when it came to the Banjul Committee and beyond. But above all MG was loyal to his conscience and to his country The Gambia. The Gambia has lost a patriot, devoted friend and a caring in-law. Jallow jerri as I and the rest of your comrades pray for your eternal repose, we rededicate ourselves to work tirelessly to achieve what you envisioned for “UDP – The Road to 2016”.

Lawyer Ousainou Darboe

United Democratic Party Leader

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