The mounting allegations against Chief of Defence Staff Mamat O. Cham have raised serious questions that cannot be answered by silence or public relations statements or even by a resignation alone. If the claims being made are substantiated by credible evidence and confirmed through an independent investigation, then the issue moves beyond one individual’s position and becomes a test of whether accountability applies equally to everyone.
Public office is a public trust. The higher the office, the greater the responsibility. When allegations of possible misuse of state resources, abuse of authority, or misconduct by high-level officials are involved, the public deserves more than administrative consequences. Resignation may remove a person from office, but it does not establish the truth, determine responsibility, or address possible violations of the law.
The central question is not whether a particular official should keep or lose a job. The real question is whether public institutions are willing to investigate powerful figures with the same determination applied to ordinary citizens. A democracy cannot function on selective accountability. Justice is nothing when rank is a shield against scrutiny.
In case the allegations are untrue, a transparent investigation will exonerate the accused and restore public confidence. If they are proven true, then the appropriate legal processes should follow, irrespective of the individual’s status or position. Anything less would send a dangerous message that public power can be exercised without consequence.
The people of the Gambia have repeatedly called for stronger institutions, greater transparency and an end to impunity. Those demands cannot be satisfied by resignation alone. They demand a credible investigation, public disclosure of the findings and adherence to the rule of law.
This is not about one man, ultimately. It is about whether accountability in The Gambia is a principle that applies to everyone or merely a slogan reserved for the powerless.
By Salieu Njie
