Africa-Press – Gambia. Hon. Fatoumatta Touma Njai, the National Assembly Member for Banjul South, has voiced strong criticism of the motivations driving many Gambian politicians, asserting that personal ambition often outweighs a genuine commitment to national development.
In a recent interview with West Radio, Hon. Njai expressed concern over what she described as a culture of “politricks” rather than true politics in the country.
“When you say politics, I don’t think that in the Gambia we practice politics, we practice politricks because most people that get into politics do not get into politics for the development of the country. They get into politics for self-development, and that is what I have seen,” she said.
She further stated that many aspiring politicians are driven by job-seeking motives, aiming to secure positions for themselves rather than advocating for national interests.
“If you follow my status recently, I have identified the trend as a job seeking season where I see people speaking, not speaking for the development of the country or for the interest of the nation, but speaking so that they can be seen, so that they can be remembered, so that they can be given position when the time arises for the position sharing because that is how I see it,” she asserted.
Hon. Njai also questioned the credibility of certain political leaders, stating that some fail to inspire active membership or public engagement within their parties. “I see some so-called party leaders, I call them so-called party leaders because I don’t see any members of their parties taking up the responsibility of speaking, telling us that our state of affairs in this country is next to none, which I think it’s quite funny because how can we say that the leadership in this country is incomparable to any other leadership that the bar is so high,” she said.
When asked whether her comments were directed at Dr. Ismaila Ceesay of the Citizens’ Alliance (CA), Hon. Njai clarified that he was not the focus of her remarks. However, she questioned the visibility and impact of other minor political parties.
“I have seen so many CA members in this country, but I have never come across a person that says that I am a member of Mai Fatty’s party; I don’t even know the name of Mai Fatty’s party, to be honest,” she said.
Turning to Henry Gomez, Hon. Njai noted: “I don’t even know Henry Gomez’s party, to be honest; I know Henry Gomez as an advisor to the president because of his so-called contributions in 2016. And I mean it because I have never come across any person that says I’m a member of Henry Gomez’s party or Mai Fatty’s party.”
Despite her criticisms, she acknowledged the historical presence of these political figures, noting their long-standing involvement in Gambian politics. “I give them respect because they have been claiming to be party leaders since Yahya Jammeh’s time, and I think that is the more reason why they should have stood their ground to make sure that we do not go back to what we fought against in 2016,” she said.
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