State House has issued a statement brushing aside allegations levelled agaist President Adama Barrow by a sitting United Democratic Party National Assembly Member for Upper Fulladu West. In a press statement published below, State House has vehemently denied Hon. Sanna Jawara’s claims that the President “has started paying some parliamentarians D10, 000 each month in envelopes’’.
Read below the full text of the statement issued by the Office of the President:
RE: National Assembly Member, Sanna Jawara’s Allegations against President Barrow
It is with great dismay that to learn of the series of serious unfounded allegations made by Sanna Jawara, a sitting National Assembly member, most notably, that the President ‘’has started paying some parliamentarians D10, 000 each month in envelopes’’. Hon. Jawara went as far as suggesting that some National Assembly Members ‘’physically queue up for monthly handouts’’ from the president – grave claims that he could not substantiate.
The claims were maliciously designed to bring disrepute to the person of the president and the office he occupies. Contrary to what Mr. Jawara stated, without any evidence whatsoever, no National Assembly Member was invited to State House to receive money in return for any favors, including political support. President Adama Barrow has been supporting and continues to support individuals and groups whenever he can. It was in the same spirit that His Excellency, the President donated vehicles to members of the same body to ease mobility and communication constraints with their constituents.
The President was elected as an independent coalition candidate. Thus, rather than politicking, he is occupied with finding solutions and addressing the development needs of the people that overwhelmingly elected him into office. Which is why he succeeded in securing several capital investments that would directly impact the lives of ordinary Gambians and drive them out of poverty, as stated in the National Development Plan 2018-2021.
Moreover, the President’s focus is on the bigger picture of delivering a new Gambia that we could all be proud of; one that would provide a conducive place where all Gambians can realize their full potentials. His vision is to see a country that is anchored on empowered institutions that would guarantee and protect the rights and dignity of all citizens irrespective of their political, ethno-linguistic and religious differences. It is in the same spirit that he constituted a Constitutional Review Commission, among other transformational and institutional reforms, to recreate a Gambia fit for all.
Ends
“WHAT HAPPENED WAS, THERE WAS A TIME WHEN THE PRESIDENT WAS TRAVELLING ABROAD, SOME NAMS WERE AT THE AIRPORT TO SEE HIM AND THEY SOUGHT AND GOT AN AUDIENCE WITH HIM. DURING THE DISCUSSION, THEY TOLD HIM ONE OF THEIR PROBLEMS WAS LACK OF FUNDS TO BUY PETROL TO TRAVEL TO THEIR CONSTITUENCIES AND MEET WITH THEIR PEOPLE. THE PRESIDENT TOLD THEM HE WOULD LOOK INTO THE MATTER. SO WHEN HE HAD THE MEANS, HE CALLED ONE OF HIS AIDES, LAMIN CHAM, AND GAVE HIM THE MONEY AND TOLD HIM TO GIVE IT TO THEM.”
This Statement of Madam Bojang actually confirms Hon. Jawara’s allegation rather rubbishing them. She confirms that there was a scheme going on whereby the president gives money to UDP parliamentarians for no reasonable services other than some hidden agenda and in total disregard to due diligence and accountability.
The statement even enforce the allegations and renders bear the suspicion that the president is using his office to buy loyalty from all corners of the country. If he continues giving all and sundry 10,000 dalasi’s to buy loyalty, what would be left of our national coffers? It is exactly the same reason why in progressive countries, gov’t officials including the president are obliged to declare and turn-over gifts received during their tenure in office.
If some NAMs are facing financial problems, it is not the role of the president to help them out financially just as the president is not obliged to dish out money to the market women vendors who toil the market for a meagre earning.
To rubbish Hon. Jawara is a tried and obsolete strategy designed to render him discredited. He must hold his ground because the country and party is with him. The statement and angry outburst from state house are own goals already. The alleged activity has happened. Madi Ceesay (NAM for Serrekunda west) admitted to receiving the money. His case alone discredited Mrs Bojang’s assertions in the communiqué released. Mr. Ceesay’s constituency is less than 10 kilometres from the national assembly building. Why would he receive D10, 000 as supplemental fuel allowances to visit his constituency? And even if he were to have his constituency in Basse, a compensation for the fuel allowance must not come from the president’s own wallet. If compensation is required for NAMs coming from far away, that must be initiated in the national assembly and law enacted to that effect. Then it will be due diligence. It will be allowances anchored on law, comprehensible, transparent and documented.
It is remarkable to read in the communique that the president is “an independent coalition president”. His recent threats to UDP chairpersons not to select a flagbearer because they already have a president contradicts this recent communiqué from state house. The president himself is creating these confusions. If he sees himself as “an independent coalition president”, then there are reasonable ways to steer the country.
1. Focus on the current mandate and deliver on the programmes promised to the people. Use all your energy, utterances and actions in the pursuit of the goals set out in the electoral mandate. Manage the resources of the country with absolute integrity. Only your salary belong to you. Ensure that all other goods and resources given to you in your capacity as president of the country is duly declared and surrendered to the state’s treasury.
2. An independent coalition president works to hold all coalition partners on board. Firings of cabinet minister’s should be a rarity and a party losing a member from the cabinet should put in a replacement to guarantee balance of party participation.
3. The first lady is an ordinary citizen. She is not an elected official. Therefore, she must not be entitled nor compensated for assisting her husband, who is already richly compensated by the state with official residence and transportation means.
4. Sitting presidents do not set-up a foundation. A sitting president’s wife definitely cannot ethically create her own foundation. These foundations are vehicles for corruption. They are vehicles prone to blackmailing at every junction of the road.
5. Leave the UDP alone to run its own affairs. Work with represented members in your cabinet and let the party run the affairs of their own party within the confines of the law of the land. Meddling in the running of the affairs of a participating party in the coalition only creates distraction. If you feel threatened by UDP, then it is because you are not concentrating on your job.
6. If you wish to create your political party, wait until at the end of your mandate. At that point you would have delivered and you have every right to present yourself to the voters for re-election.
Finally, the president’s conduct and that of those NAMs receiving the money, represent a grave betrayal to the people who voted them into office. These People who knew that they cannot expect monetary reward for voting for their representatives into the respective posts.
The people who voted the president and NAMs into office did so because they expect integrity in the execution of duties bestowed on the leaders so that our COLLECTIVE ADVANCEMENT become the centre point of all our endeavours.
One would’ve thought (expected) the President & government, to have devised strategy for enough required funds (monies) to be invested into blood bags in particular & relevant Hospital, medical & health products & services in priorities alongside other genuine state services instead of corrupt “brown envelopes”…?
Adama Barrow should learn from the current inquiries being run on Devil yaya Jammeh & the Evil kanilai Murderdom mechanisms….