By: Alieu Jallow
Bala Garba Jahumpa, who previously held the position of Minister of Foreign Affairs during the Jammeh regime, has said the ongoing local government commission of inquiry is unjust towards the people of Basse following the commission’s recent findings of the Basse Area Council misusing millions and hundreds of thousands of funds.
“This is the highest form of injustice to the people of Basse, and we could take it up as citizens of the nation to the courts…,” he said.
The politician, who has held various ministerial positions, has spoken out against the government for failing to implement the recommendations of several commissions, including the Janneh Commission, Faraba, Constitutional Review, and the Truth, Reconciliation and Reparation Commission (TRRC).
He has criticized the lack of transparency regarding the sale of Jammeh’s assets and demanded answers about the proceeds. He emphasized that the luxurious assets should not have been sold cheaply and that the whereabouts of the proceeds remain a dilemma.
“Where are the assets that [Jammeh stole] they allegedly claimed to reclaim? Where are the assets? The National Assembly is still insisting on seeing the list. What is there to hide? Bring the list to the National Assembly,”. Jahumpa said.
Mr Jahumpa outlined that there was no need to set up a commission if the asset recovery was done publicly.
“I mean what are all these commissions [for]? All the monies [that were] spent on these commissions, and nothing comes out of it. The results are zero. Do we want to continue like that as a country? No! We must take our stances on these commissions with zero results”.
Mr. Jahumpa believes that commissions are not inherently negative, as they are recognized in the Gambian constitution as a necessary measure.
However, he shared concerns about the frequency of commission initiation and the excessive expenditures associated with them, which often result in little to no tangible results.
Mr. Jahumpa emphasizes that the Barrow government should prioritize the desires and goals of the Gambian people, rather than resorting to commissions as a default solution.
