Africa-Press – Gambia. Ambassador Alkali Conteh, you have indeed crossed a line – a red line that no ambassador, no matter how entitled or emboldened, should ever dare to step over.
As the Gambia’s ambassador to the Republic of Turkey, you were appointed not to promote yourself, not to engage in petty ego battles, and certainly not to publicly insult your superior, the Honourable Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr Mamadou Tangara who is a seasoned diplomat, statesman, and one of the most respected figures in Gambian foreign policy.
Your recent outburst on social media, widely circulated and justifiably condemned, stands as a shocking betrayal of every principle that defines the diplomatic service. Your words were not just inappropriate; they were disgraceful, insubordinate, and deeply damaging to the integrity of the very office you hold.
Let me be clear: an ambassador is not above the law, nor above the ethics and decorum demanded by the office. You are a public servant and most definitely not a political gladiator.
Your duty is to represent the interests of The Gambia with humility, professionalism, and discipline. When the Minister of Foreign Affairs, your direct superior, rightly reminded us that merit, experience, and knowledge must guide diplomatic appointments, your response should have been one of reflection, not rebellion.
What Dr Tangara said is not controversial at all. I have said it over a hundred times myself. I have made Facebook live videos and appeared on numerous online media platforms speaking what the Honourable Minster said. What Minister Tangara said is the overwhelming public sentiment shared by almost every Gambian, at home and abroad.
We have all watched in utter dismay as the Gambia foreign service, once a proud, technocratic institution, has now been degraded into a dumping ground for political loyalists with no training, no foreign policy understanding, and no business managing a bilateral mission or a consulate.
Let me be crystal clear here: I do not believe that the Honourable Minister was referring to ambassadors and high commissioners per se, after all, those positions are by nature political appointments, and have always been so. That is not the issue as the Minister knows this more than anyone else. Furthermore, this is enshrined in our Foreign Sevice Regulations which is the Bible of our diplomatic existence.
The issue Mr Ambassador, the crisis Mr Conteh, is when political appointments begin to invade the technical cadre of the foreign ministry: the career diplomats, protocol officers, first and second secretaries, policy analysts, and international law experts who form the backbone of Gambian diplomacy.
Replacing them with party loyalists, failed civil servants, or well-connected amateurs is not just administrative malpractice Sir, it is, frankly, a GENOCIDAL ACT against the civil service itself.
It is an act of sabotage. It cuts our capacity to negotiate, to represent, to lead. It reduces The Gambia to a caricature on the world stage and you, Mr Conteh, sadly and unbelievably so, have now publicly endorsed that disaster by mocking the very man trying to stop it.
This is bigger than you. This is about respect for our institutions. About ensuring that the men and women we send abroad to represent our flag are qualified, disciplined, and loyal to The Gambia and not to their own pride or political patrons.
Therefore, I respectfully but firmly call on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs:
1. To immediately recall Mr Conteh from his post for gross insubordination.
2. To conduct a full disciplinary review of his public statements.
3. To set a precedent that no ambassador, however appointed, is above accountability.
And to you, Mr Conteh: I urge you to apologise to the Honourable Minister and the people of The Gambia for your outburst. Apologise not because you’re forced to, but because it’s what true public servants do when they’ve misrepresented the dignity of their office and bring the very foundations of our representation to disrepute.
You may hold a title Mr Ambassador, but titles mean nothing without honour and dignity. Today, I dare say, that honour and dignity is in question.
History will remember this moment Sir, and may it remember where the people stood.
Respectfully,
Melville Robertson Roberts
Derbyshire, United Kingdom.
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