By Omar Bah
Madi Ceesay, the UDP national assembly member for Serekunda West has said that if the 3 Years Jotna issue is not properly handled, there could be another TRRC and “if anything unforeseen happens in December,President Barrow will be held responsible.”
Speaking on Star FM radio, the audio of which was shared with The Standard before broadcast on Monday, Mr Ceesay said the determination and ‘greed’ he saw in Barrow to stay for five years may spoil all the good work he has started.
He said if President Barrow respects his promise and sets a good example by quitting after three years, then his short term would be better than the entire 22-year rule of Jammeh.
“And this is what everyone desires for him. We all love him to have a very good legacy even now, despite our differences in views,” Mr Ceesay added.
The Serekunda West NAM added that President Barrow should exercise good judgment over the 3 Years Jotna affairs because any improper management of the issue can lead to atrocities for which he would be the person to blame.
Expanding on the Coalition MoU, the Serekunda West NAM said he holds a different view to that of his party leader Ousainu Darboe on how many years President Barrow should serve.
”My position is for the Gambian leader to step down after three years,” he said.
Hon Ceesay said the UDP is not Barrow’s biggest opposition because Barrow is part and parcel of the party. “It is just that now our views are different from his views”.
Mr Ceesay also dismissed as nonsense a recent comment by former PPP leader, OJ who claimed the three-year agreement was imposed on Barrow.
“The Coalition was made of seven political parties who agreed with the rest of the Coalition members on the three years, Barrow was never representing us at the Coalition discussion but even during his acceptance speech, he made it emphatically clear that he will step down after three years and he should respect that,” Ceesay added.
On the allegations that he himself has received money from President Barrow as a bribe, Ceesay admitted receiving a total of D30, 000 from Barrow but added that the Gambian leader has since stopped giving him the monthly subvention after he started agitating for the three years Jotna.
Ceesay, who is also the founder of the Daily News, was among the NAMs who admitted receiving the D10, 000 dalasis from the President which sparked lot of controversy.
“The President only gave me money on three occasions and when I was taking those monies there were no conditions attached.
So this is why I don’t see it as bribery.
But now it appeared his decision to give me those monies was for me to support him on the five years, because now that he heard me calling for three years he has stopped giving me the monthly D10,000.
“So I can say he was bribing me to support him on the five years.
I have the right to say that,” he said in Star FM interview.
Mr Ceesay said however he had never gone to the State House to personally collect money from President Barrow.
“I received the monies on three occasions from him through Lamin Cham, Saikou Marong and Abdoulie Ceesay”, he noted.
