By Omar Bah
Gambian activists have blamed the extent of corruption in the country on President Barrow’s disregard of the former government’s massive corruption revealed by the Janneh Commission.
Gambia has been ranked 102 least corrupt nation out of 180 countries, according to the 2020 Corruption Perceptions Index reported by Transparency International. This is a drop from the 96th position in 2019.
The report, which was released on 28th January 2021, painted a largely gloomy picture for countries in sub-Saharan Africa. Out of the 49 African countries surveyed, only eight scored more than 43 out of 100 on the index, with The Gambia consistently scoring 37 points over the past three years.
US-based Gambian political commentator Pa Samba Jaw told The Standard: “It is rather disappointing but not the least surprising that The Gambia is performing so dismally in ending corruption, especially when things like ‘anonymous donors’ are accepted and excused.
“One would have thought that given what was unearthed by the Janneh Commission the Barrow administration will be paying particular attention to this problem. Unfortunately, The Gambia has an enabling environment for corruption, and until serious steps such as the establishment of the much-delayed anti-corruption commission are taken, this problem will continue to adversely affect the growth of the country. The effects of corruption on the lives of poor ordinary Gambians are enormous.
“The diversion of any funds from such services like healthcare and so forth, to line the pockets of few individuals, will have very fatal consequences on the people. We all must be vigilant in fighting this problem, because it affects the country and its future massively.”
Also speaking on the issue, Madi Jobarteh, told The Standard: “The abysmal performance of The Gambia Government in the fight against corruption is not a surprise at all. If there is anything evident and characteristic of this government, it is its failure to ensure that transparency and accountability prevail in its decisions, actions and operations at all levels.
“Since the president was the first to introduce the new terminology ‘anonymous donors’ into our political lexicon, it means this government is not interested in combatting corruption in any way because this government is inherently corrupt.”
For the past four years, Jobarteh added, the most visible misconduct of the Barrow administration has been corruption which is noticeable in the way and manner it enters into contracts, delivers public services and goods and refuses to provide full and truthful information to citizens.
“The evidence of this government’s lack of interest in fighting corruption is their failure to ensure that an anti-corruption mechanism is in place, four years after assuming office. Furthermore, it is evident that anytime this president speaks, the word ‘corruption’ is always either missing altogether or mentioned in very few instances,” he said.
“Just last week at the launching of NPP, the president never mentioned the word corruption in his entire official launching statement. Therefore, I am not suprised that The Gambia is ranked so low in the fight against corruption. I must tell citizens to become concerned and interested in the issue of corruption,” he said.
The executive director of Gambia Participate, an NGO fighting against corruption in The Gambia, Marr Nyang, said The Gambia’s consistent score of 37 points out of possible 100 over the last three years, clearly demonstrates that the government’s focus in combatting public corruption has been distracted with politics. “This is why the anti-corruption commission is still languishing at the National Assembly,” he added.
He said the country remains underdeveloped mainly due to poor leadership and corruption.
“It’s like an insult to the Gambian people. We want to see people who engage in corruption to pay for it,” Nyang said.
