An opposition leader in the Gambia has warned the Government of President Adama Barrow not to return the country to dark days of dictatorship.
Mai Ahmad Fatty, leader of the Gambia Moral Congress party (GMC), said the fundamental premise of The New Gambia is not only the comprehensive reversal of the propensities of the Old Order, but the enthronement of human dignity, including economic justice, political justice and social justice.
Writing on his Facebook, in what some people described as a reaction to Tuesday’s indictment of local civil society leader, Madi Jobarteh, for making remarks that police have deemed critical of the government, Mr Fatty condemns all efforts under any guise to silence the public.
“One incident is too many, and we should all rise up against any such creeping tendency,” he said.
The lawyer cum politician added: “Freedom of expression is the foundation of all other rights and its inhibition will constitute, unacceptably, a marauding constriction of the democratic space. This must not be permitted. The rule of law will be severely imperilled if citizens are incapacitated from responsibly speaking their minds on governance in accordance with the law.”
He however noted that while the constitution has guaranteed the rights of Gambians, they are not absolute.
“The legitimate exercise of rights must be contextualised within a given law and circumstances. Yet, procedural propriety must always be respected,” he said.
The former Interior Minister added: “Both the State and the citizen are subject to the law. Neither the citizen nor the State is above the law. Where a controversy emerges as to the application of rights, we must all utilise legal and legitimate avenues to resolve the controversy, and if required defer to the judiciary. No one should take the law unto your own hands. This is the dictates of a democratic society. I condemn all efforts under any guise to silence the public. One incident is too many, and we should all rise up against any such creeping tendency.
“Reciprocally, no nation should permit circumstances to germinate that will threaten national unity, stability, peace and prosperity. The rights of a subject in a democratic State must be weighed against the overriding public interest, for an individual must not overwhelm collective interests and should be subordinate to general public wellbeing. This is the challenge of governance.
“I call for restraint on all sides, and strongly urge all sides to advert our minds to the rule of the law, follow due process and ensure fairness in the democratic process.
“The law should protect, not oppress, and the State has the duty to assure this. The citizens also have the obligation to act responsibly within the confines of the law in invoking their rights. I strongly urge the authorities to fully respect the due process rights of all persons arrested, under custody or pursuing judicial remedies.”
The right and freedom in The Gambia of citizens to voice decent, or agreement are absolute.
The conduct of restraint and protection of the rights of citizen is a core responsibility of government and is absolute.
In fact the rights of citizen to have absolute freedom of expression is perhaps the most distinct and sacrosanct privileges in a democratic republic.
There is no place for games is this reckless abuse of power by this administration. Clearly the action of the government under the leadership of Adama Barrow is against every thing decent and honorable in our new country and must stop.
Gambians must realize who Mr Barrow has become and punish him severely in the next election with a resounding and humiliating defeat.
Gambians must also go to the polls and punish irresponsible political opportunist that take us for fools.