Dr. Ismaila Ceesay, Information Minister
By Madi Jobarteh
Every Gambian has a right to advocate for or against the president seeking a third term. That’s a constitutional right under Section 26 as a guaranteed political right and duty.
Hence it is disrespectful and scandalous for Minister Ismaila Ceesay to involve the parents of opponents of Barrow. The parents of the opponents of Barrow are innocent hence they must not be involved in the political discourse between him and those opponents.
If someone had negatively referenced the parents of the President or ministers in such discourse, I have no doubts that the IGP would attempt to arrest them. Hence the President and his ministers must not reference parents of their political opponents in their political bantering.
Similarly, those who oppose the President’s third term bid are not nonentities, small kids or irate individuals. They are citizens who have a right to do so just as those who support a third term also have a right to do so. None of them on opposing sides deserves to be insulted and belittled as Ismaila did in this interview.
Thirdly, Ismaila Ceesay must be further reminded that he should not allow politics to intoxicate him to the point of threatening democracy and the life of the nation. Self-perpetuation in power has been evidently and clearly identified as the greatest challenge to good governance, peace and stability in Africa.
As the journalist rightly pointed out to him, 2016 coalition leaders, individually and collectively including Barrow himself had unequivocally and unambiguously stated that their objective was system change to end self-perpetuation in power. It was on that specific objective that they agreed to a three-year agenda. Barrow himself is on record saying that no president should stay for more than 10 years in office. This was also expressed succinctly in his 2016 presidential campaign manifesto!
Ismaila Ceesay, as a political science professor had also taught students in the University of the Gambia about this issue. As a party leader of Citizens Alliance, they have agreed that no president should serve for more than two terms. In fact, the CA constitution has instituted term limits for their officers. How therefore could the same Ismaila Ceesay turnaround today to support self-perpetuating rule?
Hence it is totally disingenuous for Ismaila Ceesay to claim that Barrow could seek a third term simply because there’s no term limit in the 1997 Constitution. No matter how well Barrow has performed and delivered is not a justification for a third term. These words of ismaila will be archived for the day of reckoning shall come.
But until then, I hereby demand that Ismaila Ceesay withdraw his parental insult remarks and apologize to those people he was degrading in this interview. I urge him to exercise decorum and civility henceforth in his remarks as a minister on the State of the Gambia.
Public officials must not express anger, arrogance or disrespect to citizens regardless of the circumstances. This is because public officials are the servants of the people. As a top public official, the responsibility is in fact greater for ministers to show humility, honesty and peacefulness in their remarks and conduct, at all times.
If Ismaila Ceesay fails to withdraw his insults and submit himself to humility and dignity, I urge Pres. Adama Barrow to dismiss him immediately. The Gambia Government is the embodiment of the collective will, power and dignity of the Gambian people. Hence no one should occupy a Gambia Government position and use it to insult, disrespect and abuse Gambians for any reason.
For The Gambia, Our Homeland