In the wake of the president’s press release on the relief and resignation of ministers, Mr Madi Jorbateh pointed out that the action exposes the gross misconduct of the President in total violation of the Constitution for which he must be held severely accountable. The outspoken human rights activist stated that It further shows the unprofessionalism and inefficiency of the Office of the President in making pertinent decisions for the country.
“How could the President appoint a person as Minister without knowing the status of that person first vis-à-vis the requirements of the Constitution? Section 71(2) is glaringly explicit that a person with dual citizenship cannot be a minister. Yet for months, two individuals with dual citizenship are sitting at the highest level of our State and being exposed to vital national information!
What if these two individuals are spies or enemies of the Gambia? “
He added that By being in the Cabinet the President has allowed ministers to access national security and economic information among other critical matters stressing that during their tenure these two former ministers handled public resources for which they are not qualified to do so.
“By appointing these two people to the Cabinet, President Barrow has threatened the security of the nation. He has exposed the life of the country to risks. That’s unacceptable.
The President has the Minister of Justice. He has a bunch of political advisors. He has a Chief of Staff. He has a Minister of Public Service.”
The President, according to Mr Jorbateh has enough resources to do due diligence for him to make the right decision.
“By appointing these two individuals as ministers, the President has exposed the incompetence of his team for which they must resign or be sacked.
The National Assembly must take action against the President because not only has he violated the Constitution, “
