By: Alieu Jallow
Madi Jobarteh, known for his advocacy of human rights and founder of the Edward Francis Small Centre for Rights and Justice, during a live interview on Coffee Time with Peter Gomez on Monday, 6th January 2025, emphasized the urgent need for a national focus on transparency and accountability in The Gambia.
“As an organization, we feel that, given the trajectory this country has been on since independence—not just in 2024 but since independence—transparency and accountability are fundamental and are at the heart of our problems. There is a need for a national focus on transparency and accountability. Fundamentally, what has been missing in our policy and development processes over the years is the lack of transparency and accountability, particularly in public sector institutions. Public officials do not feel obliged to be transparent to Gambians about the way they manage our resources and affairs,” he outlined.
The outspoken rights activist emphasized the significance of accountability, noting how it measures the progress or failure of the state. Madi stressed that accountability determines whether the nation is developed or not, whether there have been human rights protections or violations, citing how low transparency and accountability hugely impact citizens’ participation and influence on policies and programs of the state.
“The fact that you have low transparency means citizens are limited in how they understand how their state is performing or functioning in responding to their needs. That affects how much they will want to participate or influence as a means to hold public institutions and officials accountable,” he explained.
Mr. Jobarteh outlined that a New Year message should have a purpose and focus, thus calling on the President and his speechwriter to redirect their efforts in reflecting on the purpose of reviewing the year’s situation in the country and coming up with a vision for shaping the nation’s progress and future.
“A New Year and State of the Nation address are very different. The State of the Nation address is a constitutional requirement, and it’s very clear in the Constitution what it is supposed to address. So I think there is no harm in doing a review of the New Year’s message, which does not have to be as elaborate as a State of the Nation address because the State of the Nation address would entail a lot more. But for the purpose of the New Year, we are coming to a new year, and here it is very practical. From the 1st of January to the 31st of December, what do you perceive? When the new financial year begins, you have a new budget to implement. So, for me as a leader, above all, how do you want to drive people into this new year? That’s what’s missing,” he said.
Madi cited the lack of transparency in the 2024 draft constitution, questioning the author of the draft, when it was written, and who chaired the meeting, suggesting that such information should be made available to the public. This exchange underscores the broader discourse on the significance of transparency and accountability in fostering good governance in The Gambia. Jobarteh’s establishment of the Edward Francis Small Centre for Rights and Justice further reflects his dedication to promoting these principles nationwide.
