By: Kemo Kanyi
Essa Mbye Faal, the independent presidential aspirant for team ‘Sobeya’, has said the Gambia government keeps plundering public funds without utilizing them to improve the necessities of its population.
He made these remarks, at a mega political conference in Farafenni, North Bank Region, where the former TRRC lead counsel expressed his discontent with proportioning public funds, stating that it’s not been fairly distributed among citizens reference from the realities in different sectors of the country.
“School fees are expensive, costs of commodities are high, rentals are expensive, hospitals are not well equipped, electricity is not sufficient. Are these not the realities in The Gambia?” the leader of team ‘Sobeya’ asked the participants at a meeting in Farafenni.
Speaking on the country’s current medical system, the Gambian International lawyer Faal stated that whenever the leadership falls sick, they travel abroad and seek medical attention and are still telling Gambians that the country has good medical facilities.
“If they fall sick, they travel abroad for medical attention but they keep telling us that the hospital in Bundung is better than the one in New York. Why can’t they seek medical attention in Bundung instead of traveling abroad? They are playing a trick,’’ he stated.
Essa M. Faal urged the people of the country to show their discontent with the governance system in the 2026 presidential election by voting for a change.
He added that the country has resources that it can rely on to better the lives of its citizens, adding that those telling people that the country has nothing are trying to swindle them, stating that mismanagement of public resources by the government can be seen everywhere, especially in spending.
“The government is spending $300 million to buy foodstuff. We have the land and sea that can help in production. That amount could have been utilized in the country for production of foodstuff at the Jahali/Pacharr rice fields rather than buying expired goods for citizens to feed on,’’ he told his supporters.
He stated that it only happens in The Gambia to see public officials with protruding stomachs like a pregnant woman just after a few years of being voted into office, adding that “if the president can decide to pay himself D500, 000.00 and pay his driver only D5, 000.00, and the speaker of the National Assembly to earn D19 million in every five years, but his driver receives D300, 000.00 in five years. Considering the difference, Mr. Faal said that is not a fair distribution of the funds.”