September 06th 2024
Dear President Kagame,
Re: Objection to the Candidacy of Mamadou Tangara, The Gambian Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation, and Gambians Abroad, for the position of Secretary General of the Commonwealth of Nations
Please allow me to extend my heartfelt congratulations and best wishes following your successful reelection as President of the Republic of Rwanda. This is a testament to your holistic, people-led, dedicated, transformative, collaboratively pragmatic approach and visionary leadership to development centered on organic actions and tangible outcomes.
Following the petition by a group called the ‘Concerned Gambians and Commonwealth Citizens’ on the above subject, I write to express my dissatisfaction with their ulterior motives, which are flawed and falsely orchestrated with malicious intent based on the figment of their imagination to mischaracterize the person of an honorable man.
Dr. Tangara is an excellent public servant, a seasoned diplomat, and a proven international relations and diplomacy professional whose vision, acumen, experience, and expertise are uncontested in form, substance, and delivery. He has immensely contributed to global peacebuilding efforts, governance enhancement, human rights promotion, human capital development, and democratic consolidation as a cosmopolitan and in his capacity as the Gambia’s Foreign Affairs Minister. With a merited public service career, experience, and competency, he has consistently and unquantifiably demonstrated deontological ethics that align with established laws, rules, regulations, and policies, powered by unquestionable moral mores, integrity, duty to serve, and professionalism in his work. His record reflects the true embodiment of dedication to public service – honorably serving his country and the global constituents in peacebuilding and international relations with the power and precision of ideation, collaborative engagement, and consultation, yielding mutually inclusive and beneficial results that are anchored on the towers of truth to power, responsibility, transparency, and accountability.
The group argued that Dr. Tangara served as cabinet minister under the regime of former President Jammeh, indicating that he is unqualified to be the next Secretary-General for the Commonwealth of Nations. This is untrue as the proposition behind their theory is baseless, unproven, and fallaciously designed with political gimmicks, and the yardstick they use defies logical reasoning in public service.
Further, the petitioners, in their September 4th, 2024 letter, state that Tangara was silent and refused to resign or denounce the heavy-handedness of that government against its citizens.
However, I want to bring to the attention of the petitioners that rescinding a ministerial or government post is not bad; however, staying the course amidst challenges and during difficult times to play a critical role in the growth and progress of a sitting government is called the honor of resilience and strategic vision of foresight to bring the much-needed change. This implies that “a smooth sea never made a skilled sailor.” Notwithstanding, being a state minister does not license one to be on the loose aisle of parroting ceaselessly in public as the only upright person on earth, as the legitimacy to denounce any illegal acts of the government should be informed by facts and not emotions. In other words, serving in government is guided by confidentiality protocols, and most often, things said in the ministerial conclave are not publicized for public consumption, mainly if they are the government’s secrets unless they are de-classified. The key underlying premise is to improve the architecture and systems internally (i.e., augment and benchmark standards on best international practices) based on conscience, ethics, and professionalism through exerting policy directions to improve national development governance. Although these expectations may be intuitive and counterintuitive, staying silent and delivering outcomes is not a betrayal of conscience, nor can it be an ipso facto to acts of commission or omission, as success is best leveraged when the vision is not blurry but understood.
Democracy, as a “marketplace of ideas,” is best harnessed through the rhythm of contradictions and divergent views, where captivating critique is the grand norm in an intellectually stimulating and respectful environment. However, democracy cannot be used to promote misinformation, disinformation, and populism for self-serving desires. In addition, it is my view that there are no perfect governments around the globe, as perfection lies only in understanding and comforting oneself to set rules that do not violate individuals’ fundamental rights and abide by the laws sanctioned by the Constitution. The notion of argument advanced by the group in question is counterintuitive as public service goes in not a theatre of unconventional and diabolical line of thinking, as the one appointed has to serve his constituents (i.e., citizens) in his or her capacity and deliver expected public goods. Thus, to the best of his ability, Dr. Tangara has not disappointed in performance delivery, as he has effectively and efficiently delivered public goods in his area of operations by improving the Gambia’s image and championing global peace, security, and development. Supporting this argument is that he – Dr. Tangara was not complicit in aiding and abetting the mal governance of the Jammeh regime, nor has he been found wanton by a court of competent jurisdiction or any commission of inquiry to have participated in any human rights violation, corruption, or corrupt practices. He has no criminal record or conduct that can undermine his prospects of becoming the future Secretary General of the Commonwealth.
Upon careful examination of the group’s petition and using McClelland’s Human Motivation Theory (MHMT) and the opposing dominance theory (NDT) to understand their motives, I am aghast by their falsifying statements and come to the realization that they are selfishly orchestrated with punched cards of negativity bias, feeding the airwaves with distorted truths and desires to mischaracterize Dr. Tangara’s name for self-serving desires, generated through hate, harbored grudge and personal vendettas against his person.
In conclusion, the assertions made in the petition against Dr. Tangara are unfounded accusations. They are not based on any substantiation of irrefutable facts on his conduct and actions, [present and past] throughout his professional career, but fictitious and fallaciously pursued with malicious intent. As such, I rebut the claims made by the group based on objective reasoning and conscience.
Without hesitation, I unreservedly support the candidacy of Dr. Tangara for the post of Commonwealth of Nations Secretary-General. My reasonings argue that Dr. Tangara is a fine and honorable gentleman with an impeccable character, possessing all the skills, knowledge, experience, and expertise deserving of the next Secretary General of the Commonwealth, per his public records and registered achievements throughout his career in public service.
Sincerely,
_______________
Dr. Assan Jallow
Tax, Finance, and Economic Consultant (ABD, Second Doctorate)
United States of America
CC: H.E. Adama Barrow, President of the Republic of The Gambia
H.E. Bola Ahmed Tinubu, President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria
Secretary General, Commonwealth Secretariat
H. E. Mohamed Ould Cheik Al-Ghazouani, AU Chairperson
President, Commonwealth Parliamentary Association
Africa Regional Chairperson, Commonwealth Parliamentary Association
President, Commonwealth Journalists Association
Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, United Kingdom
Speaker, National Assembly of The Gambia
H.E. Dr Fatou Bensouda, Gambia High Commissioner to the United Kingdom
H.E. Harriet King, British High Commissioner to Gambia
Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, International Cooperations, and Gambians Abroad
