I think that calling Mr. Badgie’s character into question, primarily as retribution for his revelations, lacks political maturity. Who financed his studies, how he got into the agency, what he did prior to his appointment as the agency’s lawyer etc is not relevant. Relevant is what he wrote in his capacity as the legal advice regarding to and/or of the agency. The reactions from a mature state institution, is to investigate the claims and if found to be untrue, reprimand the faulter by way of internal disciplinary measures. If on the other hand the revelations are in fact the reality (what many of us suspect), launch an agency wide investigation and initiate corrective measures.
H.E Barrow must take the revelations seriously and ensure that Mr. Badgie is not only released, but his revelations, which by the way was addressed to the president, are looked into by an appropriate oversight body. In arresting and jailing Mr. Badgie, the agency has shown it’s ugly manners again for which H.E President himself and the UDP in particular, suffered under for the past 22 years.
In light of the agency’s brutality towards the UDP party in the past, I call on the UDP leadership to use their influence to ensure that the agency is grounded and totally redesigned to meet the needs of a democratic dispensation. They must not ignore the fact that the agency was a tutelage of tyrant Jammeh and using the agency in the new dispensation without a thorough “cleaning” will tantamount to betraying many victims of the agency chief among them patriot Solo Sandeng.
Furthermore, it must be made clear under who or to whom the agency reports. The agency must be under a democratic civilian control and must be subjected to scrutiny And be totally accountable to parliament. The news surrounding Mr. Badgie’s arrest and by who is sketchy and secrecy about exactly why he was arrested for, is totally ugly and unacceptable. There are no known national emergency nor a compelling national interest to have him behind bars. The revelations are about internal structure and recruiting systems and didn’t mention, at least to my knowledge, any issues that may hamper national interest or the agency’s functions in averting upheaval in our country.
If anything, we must by now realise that the agency is good for nothing except illegal torture and elimination of political opponents and journalist. That was the duty given to them by tyrant Jammeh and it is incumbent on H.E Barrow to cut down the agency to minimal size under staunch civilian control and oversight. We owe such an overhaul corrective measure to the countless victims of the agency irrespective of the name change.
Kemo Kinteh
Ends