This morning the Chief of Staff Mod K Ceesay together with the Minister of Information Dr. Ismaila Ceesay appeared on Coffee Time with Peter Gomez claiming to “explain” the damning national audit reports 2021 – 2023. In their attempt to “explain”, they missed the essence of what an audit is. Instead they went low and off tract further exposing their game plan of disinformation intended to cover up corruption.
An audit is not a political debate, nor an exercise in economic theorizing. It is a fundamental financial management procedure governed by law, built on universal accounting standards, and executed by independent professionals.
If the Chief of Staff, Mr. Mod Ceesay, feels compelled to “clarify” the audit report, he must tell the nation plainly:
• Is the audit false?
• Is it inaccurate?
• Is he saying that his government has complied with all laws and regulations governing public finance, procurement, and asset management?
Instead of answering these questions, Mr. Ceesay chose to rationalize, discredit, and politicize a professional report. That is disinformation, not accountability. The Chief of Staff’s duty is to ensure that the Government respects the rule of law, not to mislead the public through radio soundbites.
The audit report is not a creation of the opposition or “pseudo analysts,” as Mr. Ceesay claimed. It is a constitutional and legal instrument that reflects how public resources were managed. Citizens, civil society, journalists, and opposition figures have every right to dissect its contents and demand action. Their engagement is part of democracy, not a nuisance to be dismissed.
As for the claim by Dr. Ismaila Ceesay that “Japan borrows with a high debt-to-GDP ratio,” that analogy is not only flawed but dishonest. Japan is a transparent, accountable, and efficient state. The IMF has never labeled Japan a Highly Indebted Poor Country (HIPC). The Gambia, on the other hand, remains one. Japan borrows responsibly; The Gambia borrows recklessly. The difference lies in governance, not numbers.
To compare the two with the objective of defending the appalling debt situation of the country is to insult the intelligence of the Gambian people. It is a false equivalence meant to justify mismanagement.
The truth is that corruption, inefficiency, and incompetence are not new under this government; they are its defining features. The audit reports, the ongoing parliamentary inquiry into Jammeh’s assets, and the recently concluded Local Government Commission of Inquiry all expose the same pattern of waste, abuse, and impunity at every level of governance.
No amount of media spin can change that. The evidence is written in black and white – in official reports produced by the State itself. What Gambians deserve now is not more talk, but accountability.
For The Gambia, Our Homeland
By Madi Jobarteh
