On Tuesday, Minister Ismaila Ceesay went on Coffee Time with Peter Gomez to rain invective on Alagie Saidy Barrow and my humble self, describing us as dishonest, cowards, idle, ungrateful, liars and bitter. Ismaila Ceesay mentioned I’m hiding behind activism to push a political agenda however that I’m afraid to enter politics. Listening to the standard of this man’s arguments makes one marvel if the PhD diploma he claims to own is certainly actual, particularly when you think about what Martin Luther King Jr mentioned is the aim of schooling. That,
“The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character–that is the goal of true education.”
Clearly the rantings of Ismaila Ceesay don’t solely present that the person lacks each intelligence and character, but in addition, he’s a person underneath strain from myself and Alagie. And I promise him that this strain shall proceed unabated as long as he stays on a path of calumny and dishonesty purposely to serve his egocentric pursuits on the detriment of our homeland.
As typical of dishonest individuals in energy, they’re infamous for making an attempt to divert consideration by defaming, misrepresenting and caricaturing people who demand transparency and maintain them accountable. The position that folks like Alagie Saidy Barrow, Pa Samba Jow and plenty of others together with I play on this society is that we want to guarantee full transparency and accountability of the Government to the individuals of the Gambia.
Unable to defend the corruption and incompetence of this Government, Ismaila due to this fact selected to focus on voices of transparency and accountability with the intention to discredit and silence us. He is just not the primary minister to do that and won’t be the final to take action. His insults and rantings meant to demonize and discredit me solely expose his dishonesty and betrayal of the individuals of the Gambia. But Ismaila can not silence me or anybody, for we’re decided to uphold and defend the Constitution in train of our civil and political rights to talk up and take part within the scrutiny of the Government and its officers like him.
It was the celebrated US Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis who mentioned greater than 100 years in the past that daylight is one of the best disinfectant. He mentioned this in highlighting the advantages of openness and transparency in authorities. Just like daylight kills germs, he mentioned, so additionally transparency would root out corruption in authorities. The position and contribution that others and I play on this society is to guarantee that there may be open authorities, understanding absolutely properly that there can’t be accountability, environment friendly public service supply and safety of human rights within the absence of transparency. For that matter, I shall not relent nor keep silent within the face of blatant abuse of workplace, corruption and incompetence. It is that voice that Ismaila needs to silence however he can not in any method.
No one can deny that the incidence of corruption within the Barrow administration is deep, widespread and endemic, and but absolutely inspired. This is confirmed by official stories from the Auditor General, the National Assembly, The Gambia Police Force, and presidential commissions of inquiry, to not point out stories by investigative journalists, and established by the courts. Exposing and combating corruption and holding public establishments accountable is a nationwide responsibility – whether or not one is known as activist or not. After all, it isn’t Ismaila Ceesay who defines who or what activism is or not.
Ismaila Ceesay is simply too small to caricature and discredit Madi Jobarteh. He can select to promote his soul and certainly energy has already uncovered his true character as a person with out religion and conscience. No educated particular person aids and abets corruption and injustice and allows dangerous management. Therefore, what Ismaila demonstrates is the malaise inflicting this nation since independence. That is, the weak point and failure of our intellectuals answerable for our establishments of governance and improvement in betraying their very own individuals by imposing on them a corrupt, incompetent and oppressive system which they defend with disinformation and dishonesty. But Ismaila has come too late within the recreation, therefore he’s suggested, for his personal curiosity, to return to the unique beliefs which underpinned the creation of the Citizens Alliance – of which he turned the chief betrayer, sadly.
Gambians determined to finish self-perpetuating and autocratic rule and corruption since 2016. In 2017, the brand new Government launched a transitional justice program with the slogan ‘Never Again’ to abuse of workplace, corruption, human rights violations and dangerous governance. If Ismaila and his ilk suppose the nation ought to relapse again to these horrible days, then he’s dreaming.
So right here is my message to Ismaila Ceesay: these days are over and lengthy gone when public officers suppose they’ll impose their false narratives on our individuals with vanity and impunity. Public workplace is a noble establishment which have to be occupied by one of the best little children of this land who shall be challenged to show themselves with honesty and humility. If that’s an inconvenience for Ismaila, then let him vacate public workplace.
I want to name on all Gambians to talk out to defend democracy and human rights and expose abuse of workplace and corruption. Let us keep in mind the warning of that German priest through the Second World War, who noticed that his failure to talk out in opposition to injustice left him alone and helpless when finally he additionally turned a sufferer of injustice and located that there was nobody to talk for him. Kofi Annan as soon as mentioned, if we don’t communicate out, individually and collectively, at the moment and each day when our conscience is challenged by intolerance, corruption and injustice, we is not going to have carried out our responsibility – to ourselves, or to succeeding generations.
For The Gambia, Our Homeland.
Madi Jobarteh
