The
Anti-Corruption International The Gambia would like to thank the Coalition
government for establishing the Janneh Commission to look into the affairs of
the former president Mr. Yaya Jammeh and his close associates, the unwavering
commitment that the Janneh Commission and staff have shown to this hearing and
for gathering important information to expose the corrupt practices of the
former regime is a positive start in the fight against corruption.
The
Janneh Commission is playing an important role in national efforts to end
impunity for the many grand and serious petty corruption of national concern
and Anti-Corruption International The Gambia fully supports its efforts to
create awareness and prepare a way to hold corrupt officials and private
individuals to account and achieve equitable and sustainable development for
all the people residence in the Gambia without any form of discrimination.
Anti-Corruption
International The Gambia also welcomes the effort of the Minister of Justice
and his staff to draft an anti-corruption bill that should be validated by all
stakeholders, make provision for whistle blowers, and an anti-corruption
commission that is accessible by all, as well as drafting Right to Information
Bill to motivate interested parties contribute to genuine transparency and
accountability, plus effective implementation of the dictates of the drafted
Anti-Corruption Bill. We are also encouraged by the improvements in the
transformative media operational environment.
Whilst
corruption and corrupt practices awareness in the Gambia is beginning to show
signs for cautious optimism, Anti-Corruption International The Gambia would be
remiss to accept the narrative that the situation cannot be normalised. As
noted in the numerous anti-corruption indicators, the level of corruption
remains rampant and out-of-hand, particularly in service delivery, procurement,
financial market, security, national and local governance, judiciary, and
inadequate engagement of civil societies.
Also, of particular concern is the continued use of draconian laws –
False Information Act – to silence and discourage good intentions to fight
corruption and corrupt practices, although it is noted that unreported
corruption and corrupt practices in the former regime contributed to massive
financial fraud, large scale money laundering and outright stealing and
misappropriation of public funds by the former president and his cronies.
As
we have said many times before in numerous interactive discussions with
officials of the public sector, fighting corruption is not a witch hunt or
character assassination rather it is a drive for permanent cessation of
inappropriate behavior and system adjustment that addresses the root causes of
abuse of power for personal again. Capacity building and transformation will be
vital in this regard. We note the Government’s ongoing Janneh Commission
campaign but are concerned by the continue corruption and corrupt practices in
both public and private sector and which threaten to undermine the recent
democratic gains.
We
therefore urge the Government of The Gambia to pursue a balanced fight against
corruption and corrupt practices, with full respect for human rights and
international anti-corruption mechanisms, and in close cooperation with civil
societies and UNCAC.
With
regard to the currently stalled anti-corruption draft bill process, we urge the
Minster of Justice to consult all parties to capitalise on the input of the
private sector by re-focusing their efforts on making sure that the ministry
engaged civil societies before submitting the final anti-corruption draft to
Cabinet for approval and then parliament for enactment.
The
progress that Minster of Justice and his team has made in completing the draft
anti-corruption bill is welcome but we continues to be frustrated that such an
important bill was twice validated without a single civil society
representation. We renew our call to the Minister of Justice and all State
Actors to cooperate with the Anti-Corruption International The Gambia fight to
change and end corruption in The Gambia. We also urge them to consult the Civil
Societies umbrella body to co-operate with it for any reason.
We
also welcome and thank the Office of the President for its continued efforts to
achieve good governance and fight against corruption for the good of The
Gambia, despite the numerous challenges. The Organization also appreciates the
effort that the Minster of Justice and his team has put into making the most
effective and efficient use of the resources it has available, while
recognising that the lack of resources does impact on its drafting an effective
and inclusive anti-corruption bills.
Finally,
we would like to take this opportunity to reaffirm the Anti-Corruption
International The Gambia’s commitment to supporting the public sector to adjust
to system transformation. We thank the President of the Republic of The Gambia
again for his commitment to good governance and fight against corruption.
Thank
you Mr President.