The Civic Scribe: Articles & Poems

In the corridors of Gambian power – from government ministries to port terminals and understaffed hospitals – a corrosive transaction unfolds countless times daily. Cash passes discreetly to a customs officer to expedite paperwork. A “gift” secures a business contract. A nurse demands a “token” for basic care. This is mashlaha, a term once rooted in community goodwill, now synonymous with institutionalized bribery. Seven years after the fall of dictator Yahya Jammeh, this perversion of tradition fuels systemic corruption, crippling The Gambia’s fragile democracy and suffocating its economic future.

The Mask of Tradition, The Reality of Graft
Mashlaha’s shift from mutual aid to predatory corruption mirrors The Gambia’s profound governance crisis. Under Jammeh’s 22-year rule, corruption was centralized and brazen. Today, under President Adama Barrow’s democratic government, it festers as a decentralized epidemic. Official audits paint a damning picture: COVID-19 relief funds siphoned to “ghost workers,” millions vanished from the Ports Authority, health budgets plundered while hospitals lack water. Barrow’s dismissal of these findings as “just opinions” underscores a pervasive culture of impunity.

Corruption’s Stranglehold: Vital Systems Crippled
The damage is tangible and devastating:

• Health: Millions meant for pandemic response were looted, crippling the fight against COVID-19.
• Ports & Energy: Massive theft at the Ports Authority and chronic mismanagement at utility provider NAWEC cause economic gridlock and debilitating blackouts.
• Police: Public trust is shattered, with nearly half of citizens viewing the force as corrupt, routinely extorted at checkpoints.
• Asset Recovery: Properties seized from Jammeh’s regime sold far below value, privatizing public wealth for elite gain.

Why Reform Stalls: Weakness, Sabotage, and Complicity
Despite promises, genuine progress is absent:

• Weak Laws: The crucial Anti-Corruption Bill, essential for prosecuting graft, has languished in parliament since 2019. Without it, agencies are toothless.
• Sabotaged Institutions: The Anti-Corruption Commission is deliberately starved of funds. The police, tasked with enforcement, are deeply compromised.
• Cultural Complicity: Mashlaha normalizes bribery as a social necessity. Refusing to pay is seen as rude, not ethical. This fuels human rights abuses as funds for crumbling schools vanish while officials collect allowances for phantom trips.

The Human Toll: Survival, Not Choice
Beyond statistics, corruption destroys lives:

• A teacher surrenders half his salary just to secure his job: “Mashlaha isn’t optional; it’s survival.”
• Farmers lose ancestral land to developers who bribe village chiefs.
• Youth unemployment soars above 40%, driving mass exodus, while jobs go only to the connected.

This rampant theft is political sabotage. Public trust in government has collapsed since 2018, with overwhelming majorities rating Barrow’s anti-corruption efforts as “poor.”

Flickers of Resistance
Amidst the gloom, defiance grows. The youth group GALA (Gambians Against Looted Assets) mobilized thousands protesting the opaque sale of Jammeh’s seized assets. Though met with arrests, their pressure forced asset lists into the open. As one released activist vowed, “This is the beginning of a new revolution.” Civil society urgently demands parliament pass the Anti-Corruption Bill with independent prosecutors, strong whistleblower protections, and mandatory asset declarations.

A Stark Warning and a Choice
The Gambia’s crisis is a dire lesson: when corruption masquerades as culture, it becomes an existential threat. A lot of Gambians acknowledge the deep damage that should be addressed to restore trust. Yet, without prosecuting high-level graft, trust remains an illusion.

International partners share blame. Donors funding reforms often ignore stolen aid. Support, like significant IMF loans, must be explicitly tied to measurable anti-corruption gains, not just fiscal targets.

The Crossroads
The Gambia stands at a precipice. If mashlaha continues unchecked, democratic collapse or state failure looms. Confronting it offers a chance for genuine African renewal.

As parliament debates the anti-corruption law, President Barrow faces his defining choice: protect the corrupt or protect the citizens. For GALA activists and ordinary Gambians, the demand is urgent. Their protest signs carry a powerful plea: “Our Mashlaha is Our Future: Make It Clean.” The nation’s survival depends on it.