The leadership of the United Democratic Party (UDP) notes with concern the progressively worsening rhetoric coming from the Minister of Information, News Media and Broadcasting, Dr Ismaila Ceesay, with the latest culminating in personal attacks directed at private citizens.
As a public official, we expect exemplary conduct in both words and deeds from citizens privileged to serve in such high positions of honour.
As public figures, we all feel discomfort when we are on the receiving end of critical scrutiny, but rather than take personal offence, our responsibility is to look at the issue being raised. We can choose to correct the course if we believe the criticism is valid or stay the course if we disagree with the critic’s viewpoint and offer more clarity to the public being served. That is maturity. It is never okay for public officials to respond to issue-based criticism with personal attacks and name-calling, even if the issue is one’s conduct.
In his latest appearance on Coffee Time with Peter Gomez on Tuesday 5th November 2024, Minister Ceesay failed in this basic task, by resorting to name calling, baseless and false accusations of partisan motivation against citizens who have been critical of this government and his numerous misleading statements as Minister of Information.
Opposition parties, the fourth estate, civil society, and indeed citizen activists, must hold the government and government officials to account for actions taken on behalf of or in the name of the people to determine if they serve the best interests of the people. The job of the minister is to clarify for the public why certain actions were taken and offer convincing arguments in support of their decisions.
In as much as Minister Ceesay and his boss would like to find allies in their futile, albeit incessant smear against the UDP or its elected officials, what any activist chooses to speak about is his or her prerogative. Maybe if the government he serves acts in the best interest of Gambians and stops the self-serving corruption, he would not feel the need to call on activists to redirect their scrutiny away from government activities.
In a related issue to corruption, Minister Ceesay confirmed and excused the government’s decision through the Gambia Public Procurement Authority to give procurement autonomy to nine additional institutions, stating that such institutions will be audited. How many state agencies, parastatals and institutions have been audited by the Auditor General and massive corruption uncovered, yet the only political will so far expressed, is to dismiss such reports are mere opinions while rewarding those found wanting with redeployments? Why would any citizen shift their focus away from such blatant disregard for public welfare to anything else?
Unlike the minister and his boss, at the UDP we respect due process and refuse to be dragged into daily bickering about commission proceedings and are confident that after its inquiry, the culprits of any corrupt undertakings within local government administration would be those serving at the behest of the executive and not the elected officials who have shown leadership, accountability, and good sense. Something that he and his boss can learn from rather than the daily obsession with UDP.
For democracy to thrive, as the government he serves, would I like us to believe that critical voices are needed, and they do not all have to be partisan. It is immature to label every criticism directed towards a sitting government as partisan rhetoric or one borne out of the critic’s jealous mindset. That is cheap, and childish, and points to an inability of the government to take responsibility for its actions and failures.
Both Messrs. Madi Jobarteh and Alagie Saidy-Barrow, as well as Coach Pa Samba Jow, who was also personally attacked by Minister Ceesay, are respected citizens who do not shy away from stating their views and substantively so. Every public figure, current or past, has had the discomfort of being at the receiving end of their criticism in one way or the other. Even if we disagree with their views sometimes, which we have, and will certainly disagree with them in the future, we do think their intentions are malicious.
We do not question their sincerity nor their patriotism. Disagreements are permanent fixtures in any political dispensation, that does not warrant assailing the integrity or reputation of those critical of our conduct.
We encourage these patriotic young men, and many like them, to stay the course.
If we are truly committed to multi-party democracy, we should welcome voices that are critical of our positions rather than seek to silence them. Such critical voices can only serve us collectively. Where such voices are silenced, tyranny thrives and Never Again means resisting such attempts at censorship as is increasingly being manifested by the government and its officials through their assault against the personalities who dare speak out against them.
We demand Minister Ceesay retract such unsavoury personal attacks and issue an unconditional apology to those citizens whose character he assailed unfairly. We further advise him to desist from attempting to undermine an ongoing inquiry into the local government administration and wait for their conclusion.
UDP MEDIA TEAM
