News, Politics

Gambia: APRC Makes First Political Comeback Since Jammeh’s Malabo Exile

(JollofNews) – Gambia’s former ruling Alliance for Patriotic Re-Orientation and Construction (APRC) party has staged their first biggest political rally on Saturday since the going into exile in Malabo, Equitorial Guinea of their party leader, Yahya Jammeh who brututally ruled the country for 22 years.

The party made a mobilisation of its members as far as from the country’s farthest Upper River Region, gathering at the Tallinding Buffer Zone. Former President Yahya Jammeh lost his clinch of leadership in the country’s last December election to a first-time presidential candidate and flag bearer of a Seven-party coalition, Adama Barrow.

The party’s 22-year rule of the tiny West African nation has been accused of several human right violations including toture, killings and disappearances without trace. It is also accused of financial abuses and corruption.

More than five thousand people, as targeted attened the rally dominated by the party’s green colour, praising Yahya Jammeh’s name and hoping that he will be returning to the country soon.

The party’s current leader Fabakary Tombong Jatta, a former majority leader of the National Assembly and Mr. Jammeh’s candidate for Serrekunda East appeared at the gathering in a car alongside Seedy SK Njie; Mr. Jammeh’s former nominated National Assembly member who also served as his communication minister for eight days during last Presidential election controversy. Yankuba Colley; also Mr. Jammeh’s party mobiliser and current mayor of Kanifing Municipal Council was also spotted in the car.

Fabakary Tombong Jatta gave statement at the rally, convincing the party supporters that they will remain powerful and committed until they get what they wanted.

There were some sub-conscious political mud-slinging. Some wrangling statements and personal insults. Dire predictions of tribal politics but many Gambians are calling for the APRC party to apologize to Gambians for the brutality and unfair treatment it brought on them. Some others are calling for the total ban of the party in the country.

The party members blamed the new leadership of doing nothing since the taking leadership and accused them of sagging a witch-hunt against the former president and his close allys.

Last June, President Adama Barrow led the swearing-in of a three-member Commission of Inquiry that was established to probe into institutions and bodies in connection to their dealings with former President Jammeh.

15 Comments

  1. Credit goes to the Barrow government for allowing such a political gathering to take place without any blockage or hindrances. Jammeh would not have allowed such a political rally unhindered. Kudos to Adama Barrow for showing political maturity

  2. not worthy of a comment…..

  3. If you want to find hypocrites, crooks, greedy and bloody-wicked-hearted demons, hell bent on ravening on the naively peaceful nature of the rest, Gambia is the country. Gambians just needed to be a bit more humble, intelligent and find that sense of integrity within themselves in order to be able to view each other as citizens with a responsibility for one and others’ wellbeing.
    Mass stupidity is evident in Gambians livelihoods; the young, elderly, men, women and the alphabetised all are among the mass.
    Being one of the smallest countries in the world and ranking among the poorest tells you there is something terribly wrong with its human resources. The evident lack of awareness, a sense of right from wrong onto others, and composure in the majority of the younger generation and their ignorant loudness are all indications of the worsening state of the country’s human resources and hopelessness for its better future.
    May Gambia be tracked on the course of an enlightened democracy.
    May God deliver us.

  4. One has to admit, even if it is hard to comprehend, that this is very impressive by the APRC, just 9months after losing power. I think we would have “killed off” the APRC, if the unity of purpose and togetherness shown by the coalition campaign for the presidential, was carried through beyond the NA Elections.
    The disintegration of the coalition, the political and economic situation, water and electric shortages and the open disagreements and activities of surrogates on social media, has rejuvenated, and emboldened the APRC, with (almost like) a sense of vindication in what they were warning about the opposition, and if care is not taken, they could be back in power much sooner than many may think.

  5. Very well analysed BAX
    Beyond all the recent revelation in the janneh commission one can still see the dertermination . But the plausible causes are all apparent: the weakness of the government to unify the people and more so the open defensiveness and direct attempt to wipe out certain tribe and partisan memebers of the Aprc from the government
    The unabated ploy to discredit the jammeh rule by the using Sarjo Barrow as a mouthpiece to spread any thing about Jammeh,s regime negative
    Paradoxically the masses see the reverse: thier lives in the last 10 months have been hits by a major stress: black outs, water shortages, poor returns from low business women folk as a result of the ban lift on imported agri foods (flooding the market) and frustrated job seeing youth.
    The Aprc rally was therefore a stress reliefer. Worrying and show that 200 thousand votes in the 2016 election can make a differrence in our calculation the political lanscape

  6. Socail insecurity: unprecedent rise in buglary of private property,wantom killings

  7. The Gambia envisaged for the better is in infancy currently & will gather strength & momentum with time & political maturity…
    The politicians will always grapple on the political chess board, as we are seeing at the moment, to sell their ideas & look for votes to govern but the truth is that, there are no saints & entirely honest politicians…
    Politics, if you like, is a legal name for deceptions; all politicians anywhere & everywhere, be in governments &/ oppositions, do have their various skeletons in cupboards…
    Let’s scrutinise politicians by their actions rather than words &/ pronouncements; many a time, words promised before being mandated to be in charge, soon dicipate into thin air & this is not reminiscent with one party alone; it’s politics being played by all parties currently in the Gambia; the good about it all is any political parties & politicians stand better chances to win credible elections now, with no murderous barbarities sanctioned & ordered against human beings from the very institution entrusted to safeguard the country…
    A more clearer picture will take shape gradually with time & gradual political maturity & more dedication to make the motherland better for our children & future generations to come; I could be wrong but I believe except for hollow noises the aprc is dying out soon once the stolen hidden treasure left to sustain dries out eventually…
    God bless the Gambia…

  8. The crowd is not only aprc. What we saw there are combinations of party supporters who feel not represented by barrow govt. And it is quite normal that people are dissatisfied and have the venue to vent these dissatisfactions. It is very important that parties organise peaceful rallys to hold the govt of the day accountable. This is what we all fought to establish. So that our political culture becomes richer and the voter receives the maximum possible information to make voting decisions.
    Beyond that, I think the majority Gambian know what aprc stands for. They will never voluntarily embrace Babili and his cohorts again. I believe Sarjo Barrow and the stories of victims will see to that.

  9. APRC militants should know there is democracy in the New Gambia. Despite all the brutalities and hardship Gambians endue under evil Yaya Jammeh rule, today, they can keep talking nonsense and shamelessly act like Yaya was a saint!. One thing we (Gambians) will never ever allow is to see Yaya returned back as leader of our great country. He should have been locked up and thrown into “his” five star hotel at mile 2. It may take time but Yaya shall be caught and the full force of the law be applied!

  10. Bourne,
    You were a “better” contributor who has gained the respect of most readers. But until recently, you have come very hard and furious on Gambians. What would you say if Babu were to do the same? However, Babu derails/ rants on, uses vituperative language on INDIVIDUALS not on the broader Gambian masses which I find farfetched, irresponsible, counter-productive and uneducative.

    I think you have moved beyond limits to address Gambians in an unjustified manner as your posting reflects.
    Democratic virtues are indeed difficult to digest, Bourne. We have to live with the people’s opinions however divergent they might be. All along you have shown much educational maturity than this posting and hopefully you will come to the same composture.
    Here in Holland, there are far-rightist Neo Nazi groups and parties which the laws of the country recognise. It’s up to the people to delegate them any responsibility if they qualify for it. They haul about immigration, our black colour, East Europeans but never rise to prominence and I think they will never. Because it’s the masses that decide. And the Dutch are an educated mass. That’s DEMOCRACY.
    LEAVE the APRC if you are not party to her aspirations and programmes. Try to convince the disillusioned Gambian people about the INEPT, INCOMPETENT, TRIBALIST, CORRUPT Barrow administration in order to muster their recognition for the party you support. Otherwise the people have already spoken: rising crime rates perpetrated by Senegalese thieves, persistent electricity shortage, persistent water shortage, rising commodity prices, rising school bills, flamboyant life-style of officials, shuttling around the world to receive fat per diem emoluments, placing of unqualified relatives, buddies in key public places etc…………
    Remember, President Jammeh was “defeated” by a mere 18,000 stolen votes by a combination of 8 political coalition parties. It showed the people’s sympathy for his gestures. Do you think it’s easy to change and forget?
    Gambians are not blind-folded. They will soon send this bunch of INEFFICIENT, SELFISH people packing.

    • Babu,
      I utterly regret it should my contributions fall short of respect to any reader including yourself. That’s not absolutely my objective. In all my contributions, I aim at speaking my mind that obviously is just another Gambian mind that perhaps lacks composure in others insight like I’d just had into others.
      However, in Holland and Europe in general, I think the “far rightists” are bit by bit on the rise to heights, giving them the prominence for them to be able to be giving relevance to the history of Hitler’s Nazi movement and their horrible crimes against humanity. I would like to say it after you Babu that, “Democratic virtues are indeed difficult to digest”, though I might wonder what it implies in your context. This is the democratic world and who knows …, if it’s some rare mindsets’ convictions that democratic virtues could be scavenged from acts of mass murders and total disregard for human life.
      Babu, I differ from your vitriol and extreme lack of respect for personnel of the present government though I wouldn’t totally refute the substance in your criticism pertaining to their shortfalls. We hope they prevail in mending and making available utilities that were administratively and structurally damaged from foundations. As far as the Aprc is concerned, I think it is just a mere jive to claim they have any aspirations or programs at all other than to straw grasp in painting a rough art work of their faces. I’m non partisan so don’t even think of me to be a player in any sort of party politics much less the Aprc and its horrifying history.

  11. Indeed brother babu
    Some time i think some the comments are unfair and off tangent. We the same people expected jammeh to act in their way. They are now defensive and doing more worst cases of the things they accused jammeh in terms of good governance. Go to the PMO and GRA and see the recent appointments and see whether they are based on merit and follow due process. sad but the revelations will be evident in the next commission of enquiry in the fourth republic God willing

    • You will always have a problem when people feel a sense of entitlement and you just have a feeling that this is the situation today.
      Appointments are made without positions being advertised and you wonder whether applications are even filled in, never mind interviews and vetting, and God help anyone who questions it.
      Very sad.

  12. Bourne,
    Thanks for your open and very sincere response. We can keep apart in opinion but can work in harmony to achieve the welfare of our poor country and her poor people. That’s our collective responsibility inspite of our ideological differences.
    Don’t worry, the Far-Rightist and Neonazi parties may rise but they subsequently fail. Europe, especially Holland would never surrender their social and human integrity upon which they enshrined their mode of living and coexistence.
    From the onset, I have a problem with the present government in The Gambia. Based on quality, I find it very difficult to accept the cadre of people in the present administration. You see, Bourne, when qualification is absent in any tenet of life, there is every likelihood of FAILURE. This is our problem in the Gambia. We have UNQUALIFIED and INCOMPETENT people in key positions!

    • From onset you were a dreamer like jammeh. From onset you couldn’t accept that jammeh doesn’t own Gambia. From onset you couldn’t muster the courage to acknowledge that Jammeh was and is a loser. From onset you couldn’t let go the phantom mindset jammeh inculcated in you about the possibility of entrenching the dominance of an ethnic group for eternity. That is why you are at pain seeing all those senseless self-fulfilling prophecy of an ethnic domination come crashing down. Indeed the hegemony jammeh tried to establish has vanished and it would require a violent take over of the gov’t in Gambia to reinstate the Jammeh-system. If you think any one will ever lend hand to that masked mission, you are cheating yourself. People have learned bitter lessons!

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