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Momodou
Denmark
11802 Posts |
 Posted - 05 Nov 2025 : 20:43:19
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Public Statement
Government Is Not Sport – It’s About Lives and Futures
The Edward Francis Small Centre for Rights and Justice expresses deep concern over the reckless and misleading public comments made by the Minister of Information, Dr. Ismaila Ceesay, regarding The Gambia’s maternal mortality rate (MMR).
Government is not a sport or a private fiefdom. It is a solemn duty to protect the lives and futures of citizens. Decisions and statements made by public officials carry life-and-death implications and must therefore be anchored on facts, integrity, and respect for the truth.
Maternal mortality is not a matter for propaganda or political gymnastics. Rather, it is about mothers dying while giving life to future Gambians. Every number represents a family shattered and a community in grief. To trivialize this by spreading misinformation for political defence is unconscionable.
The Facts
According to Sustainable Development Goal 3.1 (SDG 3.1), the global target is to reduce maternal mortality to less than 70 deaths per 100,000 live births by 2030.
Yet, The Gambia remains far from this goal.
• The 2019–2020 Gambia Demographic and Health Survey estimated the MMR at 289 deaths per 100,000 live births.
• World Health Organization (WHO) and other sources, however, place the figure at over 458 deaths per 100,000 live births (2020).
• As of 2025, no official updated figure exists — which makes any claim of drastic improvement baseless and irresponsible.
These statistics reflect systemic failures in our health infrastructure, policy implementation, and accountability mechanisms hence not an occasion for denial or political spin.
Ethics in Public Office
Ironically, Dr. Ceesay has previously lectured journalists on ethical communication and the dangers of disinformation. It is therefore troubling that he now engages in the same behaviour he condemned. Ministers are not spokesmen for party image; they are servants of truth, evidence, and public welfare.
Words cannot make a government look good. It is performance, transparency, accountability, and responsiveness that build credibility. If mere rhetoric were the measure of good governance, the Jammeh regime would have made The Gambia a paradise.
Our Call
EFSCRJ calls on:
• The Minister of Health and the Gambia Bureau of Statistics to immediately publish updated, verifiable data on maternal mortality;
• The Minister of Information to retract false statements and commit to factual, responsible communication;
• The President and Cabinet to ensure that government communication is guided by professional standards and factual integrity.
Gambians deserve truth, not political theatre. Government communication must be a tool for enlightenment, not deception.
EFSCRJ will continue to monitor and challenge misinformation that undermines public trust, human life, and democratic accountability.
Source Reference:
Malagen Fact-Check – Is The Gambia’s Maternal Mortality Rate at 38?
https://malagen.org/factchecking/fact-check-is-the-gambias-maternal-mortality-rate-at-38/
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A clear conscience fears no accusation - proverb from Sierra Leone |
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Public Statement Government Is Not Sport
