23/07/2021
I encourage viewers to watch my interview with Eye Africa Africa TV this evening. I terminated the interview at some point after enduring almost an hour of sustained contempt. As a result few people wrongly attributed the reason to the Semlex question. Let me remind them again: I was absolutely cleared by the Gambia Government of not doing anything wrong or illegal, through Cabinet via Ministry of Justice. I did NOT award any contract to Semlex. That wasn't enough for my political enemies. They Petitioned the Gambian Parliament to conduct independent parliamentary investigations into the matter. After two years of exhaustive investigation by the National Assembly, I was completely cleared again. When Hon. Halifa Sallah presented the Report of the investigation before the full House of parliament, my integrity was further consolidated. Those who are not satisfied by this, can demand further investigation by the United Nations Security Council, ECOWAS or the African Union. Each investigation will further prove me as a Leader of honesty and integrity in public office.
I terminated the interview because I felt being disrespected and treated with contempt by the interviewer. It is a known fact that I have never ran away from the media or failed to answer a question. Yet, I will NOT permit any person to treat me with contempt simply because I am a public figure. Everyone, whether politician or not, has a right to human dignity, and fair hearing, including me. You can't ask a question and condition me to give you the answer you want. Yours is to ask and mine to answer. Let the public decide. Lastly granting an interview is not the right of a journalist. It's my choice to grant or not. If I do, be professional and allow me the opportunity to respond without putting words into my mouth or extracting from me a preconceived answer in your mind. I will not permit anyone to use a media interview as pretext to advance an evil hidden agenda against me. And am not inputting this to any specific journalist.