By Kebba Ansu Manneh
Mr. Sidi Sanneh, former Gambian Foreign Affairs has drawn the attention of Gambian diplomates to Gouvernement General Oder winch denied diplomates from participating in political activities.
In an interview with The Voice Newspaper, he said the Foreign Service rules and regulations are also against diplomats from affiliating or publicly displaying or supporting any political party.
According to him, he is drawing the attention of Gambian diplomats following the recently growing number of diplomats posting from various Gambian embassies overseas actively participating in politics ahead of the local government elections slated for April and May of this year.
Recently, Ousman Rambo Jatta, Deputy Party Leader of the Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction (APRC) currently serving at The Gambia Embassy in South Africa and Sulayman Sunu Touray, Deputy High Commission at the Gambian Embassy in the UK, join the list of Gambian Diplomats bending the rules in support of President Adama Barrow, through the production of WhatsApp audios meant to denigrate opposition parties and their key figures.
General Order Bar Diplomats from Participating in Political Activities–Sidi Sanneh
Kebba Ansu Manneh
Sidi Sanneh, a seasoned Gambian Diplomat and Minister of Foreign Affairs in the erstwhile regime of former President Yahya Jammeh has emphatically stated that the Gambian Government General Order is against the participation of diplomats in political activities.
He made this disclosure in a special interview with The Voice Newspaper, where he said the Foreign Service rules and regulations are also against diplomats from affiliating or publicly displaying or supporting any political party.
His reaction comes on the heels of a growing number of Diplomats posted at Gambian embassies overseas who are actively participating in politics ahead of the local government elections slated for April and May of this year.
Recently, Ousman Rambo Jatta, Deputy Party Leader of the Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction (APRC) currently serving at The Gambia Embassy in South Africa and Sulayman Sunu Touray, Deputy High Commission at the Gambian Embassy in the UK, join the list of Gambian Diplomats bending the rules in support of President Adama Barrow, through the production of WhatsApp audios meant to denigrate opposition parties and their key figures.
“The General Orders is the document that governs the behavior and comportment of civil servants and blocks Diplomats from participating in political activities of any kind. They cannot display public support and/or affiliations of their preferred political party,” Sidi Sanneh, former Gambian Ambassador and Minister of Foreign Affairs pointed out.
He added: “The Foreign Service Rules have additional restrictions governing the activities of diplomats that clearly outlined that diplomats cannot affiliate or openly showcase their support for political parties. These rules and regulations apply to all staff of diplomatic missions including those diplomats who made audios openly expressing their support to the President ahead of the forthcoming Local Government election.”
He declined to offer any advice to Gambian diplomats crossing the redlines, arguing that these gentlemen and their ilk will yield the desired effect because they see their colleagues up and down the civil service engaged in politics with the active encouragement of their bosses.
“I have expressed my views on numerous occasions about the caliber of civil servants currently posted at Gambian embassies overseas. I find them to be unqualified and unworthy of being engaged in any official post of note,” Sanneh observed.