By Omar Bah
A National People’s Party diaspora group has refuted claims by Momodou Lamin Ceesay, the Gambian imam of a mosque in Detroit, Michigan, USA, that the Gambian state is being hamstrung by sleaze and corruption.
Imam Ceesay accused the Barrow administration of misusing public funds and proposed that imams should close ranks and put up a candidate at the next presidential election to salvage the country.
The NPP Sweden Chapter coordinator, Yaya Dampha, released this statement in response: “In his recent audios and articles published by The Standard newspaper, the self-proclaimed imam-cum-politician accused the NPP government of rampant corruption and mismanagement of public resources among other things. Imam Ceesay called on Gambian clerics to put up a presidential candidate at the next election. He said that will be the only way to bring sanity in The Gambia.
“However, the Detroit imam failed to bring forward a single corruption case in The Gambia where he can independently confirm that an individual has been found guilty of wrongly amassing public resources. Imam Ceesay should remember the teachings of the Qur’an that it is forbidden to talk of things one has no evidence or proof of. In fact, Imam Ceesay is no longer a religious cleric since he has openly thrown his hat in the political ring.
“President Barrow and the NPP government are committed to fighting corruption in The Gambia and the president demonstrated that by closing all the government multiple accounts which were used to funnel public funds. The president further instituted steps to fight against corruption by bringing in programmes that will initiate the digitalisation of tax collections and which will consequently increase revenue collection.
“It is the democratic right of every eligible citizen to vote and to be voted in all elective positions in The Gambia, so Imam Ceesay can go ahead and declare himself as an aspiring presidential candidate. The right he did not have is to falsely accuse the government of the day on matters he lacked knowledge about. Anytime he or anyone else does that, we are coming after the person. We will not fold our hands and allow disgruntled people to control the narratives.
“The NPP government found institutionalised corruption and professional indiscipline in the civil service. These can only be wiped out through collective condemnation against the people perpetrating them, especially by religious and community leaders.”
