Omar Beyai: I’m ready to become APRC Leader

By Omar Bah Omar Beyai, the assistant director at the SOS Children’s Village and a vanguard of the APRC-led July 22 Revolution has said he will be prepared to become the new APRC leader when the party desires one. Last week, the party’s mobiliser Yankuba Colley told The Standard the APRC will soon name a leader to head the party on the grounds here in the absence of Jammeh who has gone into exile. “I cannot tell you whether we are going to keep ex-president Jammeh, where the need arises for a new leader I am willing to take the challenge as the party leader despite the fact that the party will find it very difficult to regain its popularity,” Beyai told The Standard . He continued: “If you ask me whether I will jump on the chance to lead the APRC I will tell you yes, when the chance is presented to me I will grab it. You see am a Gambian and a die-hard supporter of the APRC as a party and not a supporter of Yahya Jammeh as an individual,” he said. He said despite the fact that APRC lost the election they can still bounce back if they are able to make the right decision at the right time, “meaning is selecting people like me who are well known and can influence others to support the party”. Beyai said the APRC has themselves to blame as a party for getting things wrong over the past 22 years. “Our poor human rights record for example was bizarre I have to admit,” he said “Yes we have brought a lot of infrastructural development over the years in the country, but there were very critical areas that were not going well during our tenure and they have cost us dearly,” he added. Beyai who as senior citizen contributed immensely in the democratization process including serving the body that reviewed the 1997 constitution, said he is better place to be among the Gambia’s political leaders who has the national interest. On his take of the December presidential Beyai said: “Gambians have decided on who their next leader should be, period. But overall there was no loser in this election, because Gambians wanted change of leadership and they demonstrated that. APRC supporters should respect the verdict of the people and rally behind the new administration, of President Barrow,” he added. Commenting further, Beyai said if democracy is going to prevail in the Gambia, the government has to ensure that they build some form of fundamental discipline within the citizenry. Whiles urging the government to avoid any witch hunting; he warned that if they do so, they will end up failing. “A government of national unity is the solution to our problems,” he noted.]]>