By Mama A. Touray
Momodou Cham, also known as MC Cham Jr., has recently joined voices on the ongoing National Audit Report, which flagged the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) for an alleged financial scandal involving over three million dalasis.
In an audio message received by this medium, MC Cham urged opposition members to be mindful of the IEC scandal and questioned the involvement of the Gambia Police Force in this matter while seemingly ignoring other audit queries related to various ministries and institutions.
“We, the members of the opposition, should be very mindful of the Independent Electoral Commission because audit reports have flagged the IEC, the Office of the President, and the Ministry of Health regarding the COVID-19 response, as well as other audit reports, but no action has been taken by the police, nor have people even been questioned about it,” he said.
Cham questioned why the police acted directly in the case of the Independent Electoral Commission while overlooking the audit query about the Office of the President and the Ministry of Health concerning the COVID-19 audit reports, among others.
“Contracts were awarded without being tendered, involving a lot of money, yet nothing happened. But now they have jumped to the IEC case. This is something we need to be mindful of. I am not against accountability, but it should be done properly,” he advised.
“I’m not saying they shouldn’t investigate the IEC case, but they should also probe other institutions flagged by the auditors. If they were truly interested in fighting corruption, they should have started earlier,” he stressed.
He further reminded opposition members to be cautious, noting that it is the President who appoints the IEC Chairman and commissioners. “If he dissolves the current IEC members, who will they bring in? That’s another thing we should be mindful of because he has the power to decide who to appoint if he chooses to dissolve the current commission,” he said.
Cham also urged the opposition not to let the government distract them. “Let us stay focused and not allow the government to divert our attention. Everything they are doing right now is to distract us, even though the audit reports have flagged various institutions, and no action has been taken,” he concluded.
