The United Democratic Party (UDP) Secretary-General and Party Leader, Attorney Ousainou Darboe, has urged Hamat NK Bah, the Minister of Lands, to publicly apologise to the people of Gambia for his recent statements endorsing the issuance of licences to preachers throughout the nation.
Darboe voiced his displeasure by drawing attention to the similarities between Bah’s remarks and other contentious orders during the time of previous President Jammeh. He made it clear that these kinds of ideas were roundly rejected in the past and had no place in the political environment today.

Declaring that preachers ought to be able to spread their beliefs without interference from others, Darboe emphasised the significance of religious freedom. He emphasised how important it is that their lessons continue to be relevant to today’s social challenges.
Hamat Bah echoed a belief that was denounced during the Jammeh era: the idea of giving preachers in the nation licences. This notion, which we all disapproved of at the time, reappeared when Bah said it again not too long ago. Adama Barrow and I had earlier condemned it as unwarranted meddling in our imams’ sovereignty. We truly think that religious leaders ought to be allowed to preach without interference from the outside world as their relationship with God ought to be intimate and unrestricted,” he declared.

Darboe expressed dissatisfaction in Bah’s position on the topic, pointing out that it differs from their prior discussions and expectations, even as he acknowledged their common political past. He called on Bah to take back his remarks and apologise to the country, stressing that these views do not represent the views of the Gambian leadership as a whole.
They didn’t have the same circumstances they do now when we banded together to oppose Yahya Jammeh. They are expressing these feelings for this reason. I consider Hamat Bah to be a brother. We had the best political cooperation ever, but I think he should take back what he said recently and apologise to every Gambian. Hamat Bah’s behaviour has really let me down. We hadn’t talked about this before, and it wasn’t what we expected from someone in his position. He said, “As elders, we discussed this issue and Hamat’s comment doesn’t reflect our position as a group.