Our Traditions Are Not a Shield for Abuse of Public Funds!
By : Ndey Jobarteh
When Gambians stood up to condemn the abuse of power, the misuse of public funds, and the blatant disrespect for accountability, what did we get in return?
Insults! Arrogance! Contempt! From the Minster of Presidency himself, a man paid by the people, we heard this:
“The foundation of defining a family minus a father and a mother is just simple nonsense.” Presidency Minister Mod K. Ceesay, interviewed on EYE Africa TV Online
Let’s be absolutely clear:
The real nonsense is using culture to defend corruption.
The real nonsense is calling public outrage a distraction.
The real nonsense is forgetting that the people who speak out
are the same people who voted, who pay taxes, and who keep this country running, while struggling to survive.
Yes, in The Gambia, our mothers and fathers are part of our nuclear family. That is not in dispute. In The Gambia, our parents are sacred. We honor them. We protect them. We provide for them. It is part of our values.
But, in our tradition, your parents are your personal responsibility. You take care of them with your own sweat, your hard earned money, your sacrifice, not with public funds meant for all of us. So, when your parents are sick, you care for them from your own sweat:
Not with taxpayers’ money.
Not with money meant for the sick, the poor, and the struggling.
Not with money that should be going into our broken hospitals and clinics.
That is our culture, that is Gambia i grew up from.
That is our value system, I know.
That is what real responsibility looks like, that is what i was told.
This is not about a sick mother, and no one is attacking her. We wish her well and a speedy recovery.
This is about a rotten system. A system that allows leaders to seek healthcare abroad while the people they claim to serve suffer and die in silence at home. Let us not misuse culture to justify corruption, privilege, or political cover ups.
If ordinary Gambians cannot use state money to treat their sick parents, then neither should the President, no matter how much we love and respect our elders.
That is what equity, justice, and accountability look like.
Gambian culture teaches us dignity and responsibility, not entitlement.
Fix our hospitals, Fix our health system!! Stop insulting us!!
Video source:@ EYE Africa TV Online
