Editorial

At last, the National Assembly has passed into law a bill that will set in motion an institution that will fight against corruption and corrupt practices, particularly in public institutions. The approval of the Anti-Corruption Commission Bill which came in the wake of the president’s directive some months ago has taken us a step closer to ending the misappropriation of sovereign national wealth, a menace this government has stood up against since it came to power.

It is an open secret that corruption is an enemy of progress and development. In a society where corruption is the order of the day, public office becomes the mother of personal gains as development funds are diverted into channels that satisfy personal interest. Corruption allows inefficiency to persist and distorts the potential for growth.

It discourages foreign investment and corrodes the budgets allocated to public procurement that enable basic infrastructure to be built in poverty stricken areas. Such a system only perpetuates underdevelopment.This explains why President Jammeh’s government is built on the pillars of accountability and transparency.

Since taking the mantle of leadership, the need to enhance public trust and confidence among the citizenry has been President Jammeh’s central focus. Moreover, the president realised that nation building relies on public support, on people's willingness to give time to causes they care about as well as their tacit goodwill towards the nation as a whole.

As such, restoring people's trust and confidence in those who occupy public office is vital to our development process. This means that we can trust our public servants to make a difference, not only in delivering value but also adding value.

In fact, the leadership’s battle against corruption has been known to all and sundry as every resident of The Gambia, citizens and non-citizens alike are aware of 'Operation No Compromise'. It is no exaggeration to advance that our speedy success in development is due to President Jammeh's success in confronting corruption in his government.

Today, the country is proud of good roads, hospitals, adequate water and electricity supply and a host of other development projects because the current leadership has engendered a transparent and accountable government.

Whilst we are optimistic that the Commission would be established in due course, we also seize this opportunity to urge our public trustees to work closely with the president to combat the menace of corruption in the country. Taking the president as a role model will go a long way in meeting our development targets.

Besides, those who occupy public office will be judged by society; they should therefore do their utmost best to abide by the principles which they swore to.