By: Kemo Kanyi
Minister of Information, Media, and Broadcasting Services Dr. Ismaila Ceesay has stated that the United Democratic Party has “no moral authority to preach against corruption in the country.”
He made the remarks in response to UDP senior administrative secretary responsible for media and communication Tombong Saidy, who recently criticized the Barrow administration handling of corruption, describing it as the “most corrupt government” in Gambia’s history.
If Gambians want to fight corruption, the United Democratic Party is not the solution. If anyone wants to see corruption, the peek is within the UDP,” he told Peter Gomez in an interview on Coffee Time on Tuesday.
Saidy stated that if allowed to govern, the UDP government will strengthen anti-corruption institutions, appoint no-nonsense anti-corruption personnel, make public procurement more open and competitive, protect whistleblowers, and treat civil society and media as partners of the government.
Dr. Ismaila Ceesay said the statements made against the government by Tombong Saidy are false, and recommendations outlined by him [Mr. Saidy] are mare platitudes, adding that they are not practical recommendations. He stated that the Local Government Commission has unearthed massive corruption in the UDP-led administrations.
“If Gambians want to replace this government to fight corruption, it’s not UDP. If you want to see corruption at its core, have a peep into the UDP-led Councils and Municipalities. How can a party whose people preside and oversee massive corruption in the Councils and Municipalities they lead preach corruption? They don’t have the moral authority to preach corruption because they thrive on it.
Look at the revelation from the Local Government Commission. The UDP, through its leadership, was very adamant about having this commission going on. They said it’s a witch-hunt. The UDP has no alternative; its only agenda is to criticize the government. They [UDP] are not considered as alternatives to fight corruption in this country,” the minister stated.
Minister Ceesay described the Barrow administration as the “most transparent and accountable” government in the history of The Gambia.
