By Buba Gagigo
The Minister of Information, Dr. Ismaila Ceesay, has issued a public apology for providing incorrect information regarding a project between the Diaspora Club and the Gambian government in Chamen Nianija. Initially, the Ministry stated that the hospital project in the village would be funded by the World Bank, but Dr. Ceesay has clarified that the funding will instead come from the African Development Bank.
“I would like to apologise to the public for giving a piece of information that was not correct in my last episode. Whenever I give information and realize it is not correct, I take the opportunity to come out and say the correct information. When I spoke on the issue of the diaspora club and Chamen Nianija I said it was the World Bank, but it was not the World Bank and it was my fault. I think I was tired or something. I was saying World Bank instead of the African Development Bank. I want the public to know that was entirely my fault and that was not the Information given to me by those who had access to the information. They told me African Development Bank, and I was saying the World Bank for some reason that I cannot explain,” Dr. Ceesay.
Dr. Ceesay also addressed criticism from the United Nations regarding the perceived slow pace of Gambia’s Transitional Justice Process. He described the UN’s assessment as “unfair” and highlighted the complexity and contextual uniqueness of the process.
“The Transitional Justice Process is broad. It includes the Security Sector Reform, Political Reforms, Legal Reforms, and Economic Reforms. I think that (UN saying the Transitional Justice Process is slow) is an unfair statement. One cap doesn’t fit all. If you want to replicate what is happening in other countries and think Gambia can use that same space, it is not possible. We have our contextual uniqueness, we have our differences.” Dr. Ceesay told West Coast Radio.
He argued that cultural, social, and political differences make it impossible to replicate transitional justice methods used elsewhere in the same way in the Gambia.
“You cannot expect that because you applied the same method in a particular country and this was the space, and you expect the same thing in the Gambia. Is different. We have cultural differences, social differences, political differences, we have many differences. One thing I can tell you, this government has the political will to the highest level to ensure that the Transitional Justice Process goes smoothly, but Transitional Justice is not a distraction, it is a process, it will go on and on and on,” he added.