In that statement, you said: "Recent revelations regarding the disposal of the forfeited assets of former president Yahya Jammeh and his associates have generated national concern with reason."
Mr President, it is true that people are very disappointed in how the sales of the Jammeh assets were done, when these assets belong to the people of The Gambia. The people are therefore concerned and are asking how could one individual bought 48 luxury cars at costs ranging from D5,000 to D90,000, when even a tyre of such luxury cars costs a minimum D8,000.
It was reported that one scrap car was sold at D5,000 and a TV set D500. This is ridiculous!
The people would also like to know who bought the 740 cattle and at what prices. There were also 38 tractors and 300 landed properties owned by Jammeh, which need to be accounted for. Jammeh, it must be said, was receiving a monthly salary of D170,000, and he also had 4 aircraft as part of his properties. Reading between the lines, the sales were not transparent at all. Thus actions must be taken to set example.
Mr President, we should appreciate the whistleblower and say kudos to Mustapha Darboe, Editor of The Republic, who did a marvellous job by exposing the cloudy deal surrounding the discrepant sales of the Jammeh assets!
The Ministry of Justice should have published the list of sales of the properties long time ago. And even when Hon Almamy Gibba of Foni Kansala was raising questions at the National Assembly about the Jammeh-assets sales, calling on the Minister of Justice to inform the public about the list of buyers of the assets, he succeeded not, as no one yielded to his calls.
Mr President, good that a commission of inquiry has now been set up composed of 7 members of the National Assembly, with 5 representing their political parties, one independent and one nominated MP, who should work with the National Audit Office to investigate the sales and how the process was handled.
However, the slight error of judgment in the set-up was that there is no woman on the committee. At least a woman should have been included in the taskforce. In any national decision-making body, competent women should be included, they are key players and decider in politics and national development as they make up 57% of the voters of this country. They are both in trade and farming contributing substantially to the economy. Moving forward, the seven-man committee should co-opt a legal person and an investigator from the State Intelligence Services or the police.
Mr President, Government should learn a lesson from GRA, as regards auction. Every year when GRA does auction it is announced via the traditional media and the auction is done publicly with the highest bidder taking the item. This is what should have been done in the case of the sale of the confiscated assets of Jammeh, which are properties or assets belonging to the Gambian people.
The seven-man committee should conduct a thorough probe into how the assets were sold within the given period of 120 days, and submit their recommendations. Anyone found wanting should face the full force of the law, as example must be set to avoid such kind of reputation.
Politicians’ comments
Mr President, politicians should be advised to mind their words and avoid making verbal threats against their opponents. We are in the era of democracy; people have the rights to express their views within the confines of the law and to belong to any political party of their choice. The police should not allow people to be making political threats against one another or individuals. If any one does so, the police should warn him or her, whether such a person is in the ruling party or not. No one is above the law.
Politicians of both the ruling party and the opposition should work in harmony for peace and unity; not to bring instability to the country. We should always learn by experience and by example regarding such happenings in politics.
Good day!