President Barrow’s comments describing Brufut as “Dubai” have sparked a contentious national debate. The real issue is not the statement itself, but what the response reveals about our political culture.

Barrow’s comparison was clearly figurative, a metaphor for rapid development. Three decades ago, Brufut was a bush settlement with scattered compounds; now, it is one of the country’s fastest-growing urban settlements, marked by modern housing, paved roads, utilities, and commercial activity.

Regardless of political opinion, the physical transformation of Brufut is undeniable. Political disagreements cannot erase these facts.

Dubai is often cited for how swiftly it transformed from near nothing into a significant city. That is the intended analogy. To be taken seriously, critics should engage with facts rather than sarcasm.

Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum (1912–1990) transformed Dubai from a collection of creekside settlements into a modern port city and commercial hub.

Gambians admire Dubai’s lavish public infrastructure for the foundations it laid: proper planning, disciplined execution, and a commitment to aesthetics and functionality.

Public infrastructure, when well executed, shapes identity, inspires pride, and adds value. That is what Dubai teaches. President Adama Barrow’s metaphor invoked the idea that rapid transformation is possible with visionary leadership and prioritised development.

But instead of engaging with the metaphor, some critics and political opponents use it as a political weapon. By focusing on literal meanings and partisan mockery, they miss the real point.

The core issue in Gambian politics is aversion to nuance and substance. Debates become about slogans, not transformation, distracting us from pressing development needs.

Every election season, Gambians come alive. Rallies, defections, cross-carpeting, midnight plotting, and tribal metaphors take over the airwaves. Newspapers sell more copies. Websites record more hits. Political jingles drown out reason. It feels as if we were made for elections.

When the conversation turns to development issues such as healthcare, education, energy, or mega infrastructure, excitement fades. We debate personalities, not policies.

We celebrate political drama, not national development. After every inauguration, we return to the same cycle of disappointment—waiting for the next election to replace leaders. This is not democracy. It is politics turned into entertainment.

Dubai’s transformation relied on more than oil. It depended on visionary, disciplined, and ambitious leadership. When Al Maktoum bin Mohammed Al Maktoum planned five-star hotels next to hospitals for medical tourism, he was not thinking about the next election cycle, but about the next generation.

Today, Dubai has some of the world’s most advanced hospitals, airports, and transport systems. That is what leadership looks like. It has nothing to do with tribe, tongue, or political slogans. It is about competence, patriotism, and long-term planning.

Meanwhile, Gambian elites often fly to Dubai for medical treatment while our own hospitals lack basic equipment. We demand express highways, modern campuses, and top schools, but our manifestos rarely detail clear short-, medium-, and long-term development plans. We fix roads with gravel and tar and call it progress. Modern nations cannot be built with 19th-century political habits.

Some critics and political opponents accuse people of “sitting on the fence” for staying out of political camps. Yet the real divide in Gambian politics is not between “progressives” and “regressives,” but between those who want to build a nation and those who want to win the next elections.

The political class presents its internal power struggles as battles for democracy, but Gambians rarely benefit. We are pawns in a game played by elites who see politics as a sport. If we stay spectators, cheering from the sidelines, we will keep getting the leaders we deserve.

This era demands development politics—politics that build mega-infrastructure, expand opportunities, and change lives. Instead of medical tourism for elites, the focus must be on world-class hospitals.

The Gambia needs modern campuses, not crowded classrooms. We need express highways, not repairs. We need economic diversification, not just remittances.

Ambition must replace fear of comparison. Gambia does not need to be Dubai or Singapore. It needs to be a competent, ambitious, forward-looking version of itself.

Whether Brufut looks like Dubai or not, we can’t say, as we have never been to Dubai. But there is significant development along the coastline from Brufut to the Greater Banjul Area.

If we want The Gambia to rival any global city, we must abandon petty outrage and embrace development, vision, and national ambition.

By Alagi Yorro Jallow