The opposition Gambia For All (GFA) party (GFA) has expressed concern at the implications of statements made by the government spokesperson on the recent tragic killing and wounding of PIU Security personnel.
“Gambians are very good at confusing people”, Ebrima G.Sankareh, Gambia Government Spokesperson on Coffee-time with Peter Gomez on 14/Sept/23.
According to a statement made available by the party on Monday, the party stated that “ this could be the most consequential false statement coming from a government official, no less a Cabinet ranking Government Spokesperson, in relation to one of the most heinous crimes perpetrated against Gambian security forces.”
“The Gambia For All (GFA) party regards the incident of 12th September, which resulted in the death and injury of PIU officers, as an extremely serious matter affecting our collective sense of security, and a threat to our national security. GFA and the Gambian public expect the authorities to handle this matter professionally, fairly, maturely, and in accordance with the laws of the country. The stakes couldn’t be higher,” the statement pointed out.
However, the reactions of the authorities so far have been anything but reassuring. Regrettably, before the official police briefing, the government Spokesperson went on the radio waves to proffer a narrative of the tragedy that is very much at variance with the limited information provided by the security authorities. In this regard, one is inclined to draw the conclusion that the government Spokesperson’s description of the tragic shootings could be labeled as misinformation if not outright fabrication.
The government spokesperson may be subconsciously referring to himself in his description of the Gambian character. It is demeaning for a senior government official to refer to citizens of your own country in such a derogatory manner. He must apologize and retract the statement.
The government spokesperson’s self-interjection into the case, describing in detail the profile, profession, and potential accomplices of the alleged perpetrator, should be a matter of great concern to all citizens and for the rule of law in our country. After all, the laws of our country assume that we are all presumed innocent until proven guilty. If the accused individual is found to be the culprit, he should face the full force of the law. The responsible thing to do is to allow the security services to thoroughly investigate the matter and let justice take its course
The Gambia For All party has always expressed concern about competency or the lack thereof, in the current administration. In this case of the government spokesperson, we are not surprised by the debacle, but the fact that he does not consider his position as now unattainable is a worrying sign of a lack of accountability in the current administration.