By Omar Bah
The secretary general of the opposition Gambia Action Party has warned what he describes as ‘greedy government ministers and senior officials’ to return monies they allegedly used to purchase expensive mansions in Senegal.
“I have concrete documentary evidence that some senior government officials have purchased luxurious properties in Senegal with stolen government money. I urge them to honorably return the money and avoid humiliation,” Musa Yali Batchilly told The Standard yesterday.
He threatened that if those involved refuse to adhere to his demand, he will publish all their names. “Corruption is alive and well in this government. You know yourselves, please return our taxpayers’ money or else I will expose all of you. How could you use your positions to illegitimately use public power to benefit a private interest?” Batchilly said.
He said some of the people whose properties he came across in Senegal have never owned a hut prior to being appointed into their various positions.
“Having said that, I want to urge the president, as well as senior government officials to follow the interest of the citizens and desist from looting our coffers. We must not allow the repeat of the Jammeh era. This country and her people deserve better,” he said.
Way forward
The GAP leader said for a country to realise its aspirations as a nation, “our leaders entrusted with our resources must be committed to doing what is in the interest of the Gambian people.”
“We call on all party leaders in The Gambia to maintain the peace and co-existence in the country. We have endured lot of pain since independence. It is time for us to take stock and focus on building The Gambia we all want,” he said.
He urged Gambians to desist from making derogatory remarks against their fellow countrymen in the name of politics.
“We must desist from anything that divides us as a people based on party lines or tribe. We urge all the leaders of the fourteen registered parties in The Gambia to address their supporters to desist from such misbehaviours. We must be conscious of the fact that political division has destroyed our country for far too long,” he added.
He said his party has taken the lead in warning their supporters against insulting political leaders.
“We believe our difference in ideologies must not be seen as hatred or whatsoever form. Gambia belongs to all of us and the earlier we realise that the better. We must also desist from tribal sentiments and its related issues,” he added.
