By: Madi Jobarteh
It is welcome news that Minister of Lands Hamat Bah has finally announced the findings and recommendations of the Kamalo lands investigation launched several months ago. In the interest of transparency and accountability, the Minister should now release the 34-page report to the public.
Citizens have a right to know the details of the investigation. With that knowledge, citizens will be able to follow its implementation to ensure it is done right and appropriately.
Releasing the report would demonstrate the Government’s commitment to transparency and accountability. Pres. Barrow just told the media that he is determined to combat corruption even if it involved his family member. Therefore, to lend credence to that statement by the President, the Minister should release the full report immediately.
Failing to release the report would only mean that both the President and Hamat Bah are engaged in only lip service to corruption. It means there cannot be any trust that the recommendations will be fully, impartially, and urgently implemented. Overall, it would mean that the entire Kamalo lands investigation is a smokescreen intended to silence and divert public attention away from public concerns about Kamalo. This means the resources spent on the investigation are a waste of public resources, hence further entrenching corruption and abuse of office.
Therefore, I urge Hamat Bah to practice what they preach—that the Government is ready to combat corruption and abuse of office—by releasing the Kamalo Report.
