Speaking on Coffee Time with Peter Gomez on West Coast Radio, Ceesay said it is unfair for commentators to suggest that D52 million is being used for this year’s tour when the figure merely reflects a constitutional requirement to make provision for up to two tours annually.
“If it says 52 million is budgeted, it means that because the constitution says, the president must go on a tour at least once a year and sometimes twice,” he explained. “It does not mean we are going to use all that money.”
According to the Minister, the precise cost of the tour will only be known after completion, once the balance sheet is finalised. “It could be 15 million, it could be 10. We don’t know for now,” he said.
Dr. Ceesay, however, further argued passionately that even the highest imaginable cost would still be justified. “Even if it’s 500 million, it is worth it,” he declared. “What this tour does is something money cannot buy.”
He described the exercise as a democracy tour grounded in constitutional accountability, allowing citizens direct access to the president while enabling him to hear their concerns first hand.
The Minister insisted that much of the value of the tour remains invisible to the public because cameras only capture the rallies and site inspections. Behind the scenes, he said, President Barrow meets dozens of groups each day from women’s associations to youth groups and senior citizens addressing both community and personal challenges. “These are the hidden aspects of the tour, and that is why it is priceless.”
Despite criticism from some observers who argue the tour has become overly political, Ceesay maintained that politics is inseparable from democracy and that engagement should not be mistaken for exploitation.
He insisted the tour does not favour the incumbent, and that people not aligned with the ruling party regularly confront the president publicly, citing a VDC official in CRR South who recently raised the issue of unfulfilled promises.
Ceesay also dismissed proposals most notably from Talib Bensouda to replace the tour with town hall meetings, calling the idea Western thinking that ignores rural realities. “Where is the town hall in Salikenne, which hall in Jokadu can hold thousands of people?” he questioned.
According to him, Gambians prefer the open, interactive nature of the current tour format, and any attempt to impose alternatives would fail.
As the tour continues through Jarra, Foni, Brikama, West Coast Region, KM and Banjul, the Minister reiterated that debates over cost should not overshadow the essence of the exercise. “This tour is for the people, nobody can put a price tag on that,” he emphasised.
