Politician MC Cham Jr. has sharply criticised Information Minister Dr. Ismaila Ceesay over his recent calls for the impeachment of opposition-led mayors and local government chairpersons, accusing the minister of neglecting his official responsibilities in favour of partisan politics.
Cham’s remarks came in response to Dr. Ceesay’s recent appearance on Star FM, where the minister reportedly called for the impeachment of Kanifing Municipal Council (KMC) Mayor Talib Ahmed Bensouda.
Describing the minister’s position as “absurd,” Cham argued that the comments reflected what he called a misunderstanding of governance and democratic accountability. He further accused Dr. Ceesay of acting as a “full-time chief propagandist” for the ruling National People’s Party (NPP) rather than fulfilling his constitutional duties as Minister of Information.
Cham questioned whether the minister had applied the same level of scrutiny to local councils controlled by the ruling party.
“Many of the councils controlled by his own party do not even have a single refuse collection truck, let alone the capacity to collect waste consistently. Yet he says nothing about them. He conveniently ignores their failures while directing all his energy towards councils run by the opposition,” Cham said.
According to Cham, if the government is serious about promoting accountability and discussing impeachment, attention should first be directed towards constitutional matters involving the national government.
He pointed to Supreme Court rulings that found actions by President Adama Barrow unconstitutional, including cases concerning the dismissal of a former Auditor General and the executive decision involving Yakumba Jaiteh. Cham also referenced allegations that the Minister of Finance misled the National Assembly and breached constitutional provisions while remaining in office.
Cham argued that in many established democracies, senior public officials facing judicial findings of constitutional violations or significant governance failures would ordinarily face parliamentary scrutiny, dismissal, or resignation.
Rather than focusing on political opponents through media appearances, Cham urged Dr. Ceesay to concentrate on improving the performance of the Ministry of Information and addressing issues within Gambia’s public communication system.
He also cited concerns raised by critics over the operations of Gambia Radio and Television Services (GRTS), alleging that the state broadcaster has consistently failed to provide balanced and impartial coverage of opposition political parties.
According to Cham, Gambians expect the Information Minister to prioritise reforms within state media, strengthen public communication institutions, and uphold the credibility of government information services.
“Dr. Ceesay cannot credibly demand accountability from opposition councils while ignoring constitutional violations and serious failures within his own government,” Cham concluded. “The Gambian people deserve one standard, applied fairly and consistently to every public official, from the President down to local government leaders.”
Dr. Ceesay has publicly defended his position on the performance and accountability of local councils in recent media engagements. At the time of publication, he had not publicly responded to Cham’s latest remarks.
