We may take you to court if….
Dear editor,
In a relatively short time span, the Barrow government has violated the constitution so many times that one may even lose count. There have been a series of missteps which have the potential to harm the country. Rights’ defenders have written and spoken out many times; yet, the president just keeps quiet as if everything is normal.
In twelve months, we have had the President Barrow Youth Movement, the Adama Barrow Foundation for Inclusive Development and the Fatoumatta Bah Barrow Foundation. These are not in any way relevant to the development of the nation. The president has been given a mandate to serve the people of the Gambia. Having these foundations will certainly amount to a conflict of interest in one way or the other.
You see, if it is a question of naivety, let me tell the President that there are spineless people who will do anything to get name and fame when all they deserve is shame. They will use these foundations, groups, movements or whatever they are called to make money at the expense of the country. And if he fails – as he certainly will – if he doesn’t disassociate himself from them now, they will turn against him so fast he won’t know what hits him. The president should just study what is going on at the Janneh Commission he set up and see. Everyone is turning against Yahya Jammeh and blaming him for their own wrongs.
We elected him into office to do a job but we are not going to allow him to take us the road of dictatorship and autocracy again. We will speak out against any wrong doing.
The problem is that since these foundations and movements came into being, many rights activists and lovers of this country have been talking and writing; yet, he chooses to totally ignore what we are saying. He has not even acknowledged that there is a problem. He doesn’t talk about it or show in any way that he cares about these issues. It’s either he is not aware of the potential harm these foundations and movements have or he is downright being condescending. Either is unacceptable.
Democracy is participatory and that is why we are doing our best to ensure that we do our part in the national discourse. If he remains quiet it means he is not interested in what we have to say and the truth is; he should because we (the Gambian people) voted him into office. We may in the long rum be compelled to call for a protest and occupy the streets until he listens to us. If all these fail, we will take legal action and sue him. The laws of the land allow us to take him to court if he intentionally refuses to address our concerns.
It’s time for the masses to realize their power and ensure that good governance prevails. I say, Power to the People’!
Musa Bah
Nusrat SSS
