By Sainey Darboe Former interior minister and head of governing coalition partner GMC( Gambia Moral Congress),Mai Fatty, has declared that he is not “wallowing in perpetual anger” over his firing while saying he chalks up the termination of his previous ministerial job to Allah’s will. In a WhatsApp audio address to his followers, he said: “I understand many in the GMC family are opposed to this because they don’t want GMC to be a laughing stock. Many believed the position was beneath me because I deserved something better. Some of you are concerned that my last job in the government was terminated under insalubrious circumstances. But truth has prevailed over lies in the accusations made against me. Some of you are concerned the government kept mum without making moves to dismiss those allegations and the president said I was removed in the interest of the nation.  

Some of you are of the view that I am owed an apology by the government. And some of you think the government is not delivering up to expectations and has suffered a down-swing in popularity. Therefore some of you think the government is using me to boost approval ratings and to destroy my credibility”. 

He added: “I would like you to know that the founding of GMC was motivated by the goal of freeing us from dictatorship and bad governance. The aim is to bring freedom to The Gambia and to fulfill the aspirations of the people which can ensure progress and development. We are inspired by the desire to ensure the progress of the country, not one individual. If GMC has confidence in me as a serious person who is a good worker and believe the the country is going down hill they should join me to work on making the country better so that it does not go downhill.If we abandon the president due to concerns over allegedly bad advisers ,then the consequences will affect all of us. The trust the president has reposed on me has put me in a covenant with Allah. It’s true I have been removed under insalubrious circumstances, but I don’t wallow in perpetual anger which is not the characteristic of a good Muslim. I see my firing as an act of Allah who decreed that my luck had run out for that post. But Allah has not decreed my luck has run out for work in The Gambia government. Allah is the one who honors with a position and he is the one who can give and take it. I don’t assign the blame on the president because Allah decrees everything . I have come out with my reputation in tact without being caught in any wrong doing. The anger has gone out of my heart. I rested my case with Allah when I got fired ,and I leave everything with him. I implore you to lend your support to me and the nation in my new position. There is no such thing as a small position, but what matters is what you do in the position. Even if you are a president if you don’t do well then the position is rendered useless. We should not belittle any position and even if we believe we will replace barrow when he is gone, we don’t want to find the country in a bad state”. Concluding his address to GMC loyalists, Mai Fatty postulated: “We want the country to be in a good state so we can build on it for our children and grand children. I do solemnly declare to you that I have taken the position and I shall not embarrass you in my work. I will not allow anyone to use me.The development of the nation is a duty upon all of us. We all know the president needs good advisers and if he doesn’t have that the country will go downhill. The president trusts me like you people trust me to give him good advice. I am not doing it for personal enrichment or popularity, but for the interest of the nation because being at the service of the nation is like a holy war”.