Editorial: The Contradictions of Essa Faal’s Public Life

By JarraNews TV Editorial Board=

"When arrogance takes root, wisdom dies — and with it, every chance of true success"

In politics, credibility is earned through consistency. When words and deeds move in opposite directions, the public has a duty to question them. That is the dilemma confronting Essa Faal, the former Lead Counsel of The Gambia’s Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission (TRRC), whose recent political outbursts have drawn attention to the contradictions in his own record.

Faal rose to national prominence through the TRRC hearings, where he demanded accountability for abuses under Yahya Jammeh’s rule. Yet critics point out that his own career began inside that same system. He served as a state prosecutor during the early Jammeh years—an era remembered for swift trials and heavy sentences against alleged coup plotters. Those choices may have been lawful, but they hardly resemble the fearless dissent he now celebrates.

When the TRRC was still at its most sensitive stage, Faal stepped away to pursue politics. The Commission’s final report, while historic, remains incomplete in key areas; its recommendations continue to gather dust. Supporters call his departure a personal decision, but many Gambians saw it as ambition interrupting national duty. A process meant to close one painful chapter of our history ended with fresh questions about motive and follow-through.

Internationally, Faal’s résumé includes service on the defense team at the Special Court for Sierra Leone, which tried former Liberian president Charles Taylor. Defending war-crimes suspects is a right in international law, yet the contrast between that work and his current moral sermonizing invites scrutiny. One cannot champion victims at home while having stood for perpetrators abroad without explaining the bridge between those roles.

Today, Faal positions himself as the fiercest critic of President Adama Barrow, accusing the government of creeping authoritarianism. Dissent is healthy in any democracy, but accusation without substantiation weakens the opposition and cheapens national debate. What Gambians need are policies, not personal vendettas—clarity of vision, not sound bites on talk shows.

Essa Faal’s story is therefore not only about one man’s ambition; it is a mirror of our political culture. Too often, we elevate personalities before examining their records. Accountability must apply to everyone who claims the moral high ground—including those who once occupied powerful seats in the very systems they now condemn.

The Gambia deserves a politics built on honesty, consistency, and service—not reinvention.