Lamin Camara, The Gambia's deputy ambassador to Guinea Bissau has reacted to claims made by some Gambians in Guinea Bissau who recently called for his removal, arguing that majority of Gambians in Guinea Bissau want to continue working with him for the interest and welfare of Gambians in Bissau.
"Let me make this clear to you that it's just 20 people out of the hundreds of Gambians living in Guinea Bissau who are asking me to be removed. It's clear that some people don't want a straightforward person especially when it comes to administration and structural changes for the betterment of the embassy," he said in an exclusive interview with The Point.
"The welfare of Gambians has always and will continue to be my top priority as it has been manifested in the programs and policies that I have initiated in the embassy," he said.
The Gambian community last week in a petition addressed to the Foreign Ministry and other institutions, said: "Since Mr. Camara took over as acting ambassador after the passing away of Ambassador Lamin Jobe, things started getting bitter and sour."
They claimed that: "Community activities died down due to the stoppage of its regular and usual monthly meetings normally held at the premises of the embassy on the last Sundays of every month and this was ordered by Lamin Camara as he is the head of the chancery."
"Again, let me inform you that even the President of the Gambian Community in Guinea Bissau is not part of the smear campaign aimed at tarnishing my reputation. I am a distinguished civil servant with a good track record for the past years. I can't and will never be anti-development of this country. Anything, that's nation building, is among my key objectives," Ambassador Camara posited.
"Again, given the history of the embassy, it doesn't surprise me about the petition. Any ambassador who is appointed in Guinea Bissau and doesn't work with a certain group of people, they will always come out with something in order to make sure that you are out in that embassy. Unfortunately, when I was moved to Guinea Bissau, I found a local staff of the embassy who is also part of the Gambia Community Guinea Bissau having access to the embassy's stamp and even letter head among others. I decided to take everything from him due to the fact that those important documents and materials should not have been at the first place be in his possession," he said
"The embassy interpreter always mobilises some Gambians and fights any ambassador that he doesn't want to work with. I have been working for the interest and welfare of Gambians since my appointment to Guinea Bissau. In fact, I even recently intervened in a case involving a Gambian who was to be prosecuted in Guinea Bissau. However, with my intervention, the man was released," he said, while claiming that even those people that sign the petition are the only close friends to the interpreter.
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"I have been using my little welfare funds to evacuate sick Gambians from Guinea Bissau to Gambia for medical treatments. A lot of needy Gambians that face or encounter some challenges have also benefitted from these welfare funds."
Lamin Camara strongly dismissed the community claims that he is anti-development and he is also an opposition, saying: "I am a lead resources mobiliser as far as the development of the country is concerned. I have participated in bringing a lot of projects to the country during my time at the Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Agriculture."
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