By Momodou Darboe
PRC spokesperson has contended that there will be no issues about the security of ex-president Jammeh should he return to The Gambia if the state rises up to its responsibilities.
Musa Amul Nyassi, also the Foni Kansala National Assembly Member, was reacting to notes of caution from some quarters suggesting that ex-president Jammeh’s security may not be guaranteed should he return home.
The latest advice for President Jammeh to remain in exile whilst the nation heals, came from a prominent Gambian tycoon and politician, Pa Girigara Njie in a Star FM interview on Monday.
However, in a conversation with The Standard, Amul Nyassi emphasised that the onus lies in the state and the government to guarantee the personal security and safety of the former leader if he returns home.
Nyassi argued that if former leaders could live among their people even after incontrovertible evidence of atrocities attributed to them, there should be no reason why Gambia could not take cue.
To Nyassi, Jammeh’s return from exile will not cause any problem if the state rises up to the occasion.
“Jammeh facilitated the return of former president Jawara and created what never happened in the history of the world, a former president’s office with retirement package, medical attention and full security.
“I keep telling people that it is important for us to try and learn from the mistakes of other people and correct ourselves rather than learn from our own mistakes. We cannot measure the damage that could be caused.
So as a country, we should look at what have been the gains and try to consolidate them and find a way out of the errors. The Gambia is very diverse but we are in a country where people are interrelated in all walks of life. Religion does not make us forget what connects us. Tribe does not separate us, and party politics does not separate us. I believe we have people that have the heart and mind to promote stability in this country”.
Nyassi rejected assertions and insinuations that Gambians are angry with the former president and would attempt to settle scores with him if at all he comes back. He explained:
“Sometimes, I begin to wonder how people analyse issues because all what we have been hearing right from the Janneh Commission to the so-called TRRC are all one-sided allegations. The man in question has never been given the opportunity to clear himself and there are Gambians that are skeptical about the information coming from just one side. There are mature Gambians that will make their conclusive analysis upon hearing the other side of the story.”
