OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT

Statement on the Swearing-in ceremony of
Justice Awa Bah and Justice Edrissa Fafa M’bai as Justices of the Supreme Court and Justice Omar Musa Njie as President of the Court of Appeal, Aisatou Jallow-Sey as Judicial Secretary, Ombudsman, Bakary Sanyang and Honourable Bakary Y. Badjie as Minister
Date: Thursday, 8th October 2020
Venue: State House, Banjul 

Your Excellency, the Vice President,
My Lordship, the Chief Justice,
Honourable Cabinet Ministers,
Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen,

Today, we are here for another swearing-in ceremony. This time, it is for the positions of Supreme Court Judges, President of the Court of Appeal, Judicial Secretary, the Ombudsman and Minister of Youth and Sports. The event is part of the continuous search for Gambian citizens to join us in building our national institutions.

The Judiciary and the Executive may be described as two parts of the same coin. They cannot be separated from each other, yet they operate independently to serve the interest of the nation.

Therefore, my Government continues to intensify the on-going search for Gambian citizens who can contribute towards the strengthening of our governance structures and the realisation of our national goals.

The appointments of these Gambians as Supreme Court Judges, President of the Court of Appeal, Judicial Secretary, Ombudsman and Minister respectively, clearly show that, as Gambian citizens, we have a lot of work to do together in order to achieve our national objectives and targets through our various institutions.

Credible institutions are not mere structures with furniture and equipment. Through systems that operate to serve the public, they are made functional by the good character, intelligence and expertise of the people who staff them.

Thus, I urge the new appointees to commit themselves to improving on their individual performances and the output of their offices.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I must observe that today’s ceremony is one that involves the appointments of different senior officials to very important positions. By taking the prescribed oaths of office, these personalities have publicly indicated their readiness to safeguard the trust entrusted to them, and to devote themselves to national service in the best interest of The Gambia.

My Government will never lose sight of its pledge to undertake relevant institutional and legal reforms in accordance with global standards and best practice.

The continuous review of our reform programmes makes it necessary to set new goals for our institutions, review our laws and procedures, and continually improve output by creating and maintaining, at all times, a positive attitude to work and nation building.

Good Governance cannot exist in the absence of the three arms of Government, namely: the Executive, Legislature and Judiciary. If one of them is absent or does not function well, it causes imbalance for the remaining two. While the Executive and Legislature are influenced by politics, we should not lose sight of the national interest in whatever we do.

We must not allow party politics to overshadow our national interest or undermine our institutions. With this in mind, let us work together, for it is the surest way of building appropriate systems that work for all. Individuals may come and go, but the institutions stay.

I am optimistic that we will continue to work in harmony for the realisation of the ideals of our national Constitution and the successful implementation of Government policies and strategies, as spelt out in the National Development Plan.

As you take up your new appointments, ladies and gentlemen, remember that you are part of national structures that complement one another, and your decisions and actions in the course of executing your duties will have a bearing on the lives of Gambians. I urge you to be genuine, truthful and reliable wherever you may be.

On behalf of all Gambians, I congratulate you on your appointments, and thank you for accepting to serve the nation in your various positions. We wish you success. We are One Gambia, One People, One Nation; together, we shall triumph.

I thank you all for your attention.