(JollofNews) – President Adama Barrow of the Gambia has strongly condemned plans by supporters of the opposition APRC party to commemorate the 23rd anniversary of the military coup that brought former longterm ruler Yahya Jammeh to power.
Mr Jammeh came to power in a military coup on 22 July 1994 and ruled the Gambia for 22 years. He was booted out of power in January 2017 after losing to Adama Barrow in the December 2016 election.
He has since moved to Equatorial Guinea as part of a deal brokered by the regional group Ecowas.
Mr Jammeh’s supporters have credited him for bringing development to the doorsteps of Gambians and are planning to use the event to celebrate his accomplishments.
But President Adama Barrow said as his government is a democratically elected one, it would be inconceivable for the event to be celebrated in the country given the historical perspective of the Jammeh regime.
“As Gambians, we all know the significance of this date, a date of illegal seizure of power from a constitutional and democratically elected government; also known as “July 22 Revolution Day.” It is a day which, democrats cannot celebrate as public holiday to commemorate the 1994 military coup d’état led by former President Yahya Jammeh,” he wrote on his Facebook page.
Mr Barrow said he was shocked to read in a national newspaper an interview by an APRC member of parliament regarding the commemoration of the event.
And appearing to condemn the publication of the article, the president said: “While my government promotes media freedom, we would urge the media to take responsibility in publishing and disseminating information by any individual, group or party that is clearly seditious.
“The media has an important role in promoting freedom of expression, peace and stability. There is a crystal clear difference between freedom of speech and the abuse of free speech when it turns to sedition.”
A MODEST APPEAL TO PRESIDENT ADAMA BARROW NOT TO VIOLATE THE GAMBIAN CITIZENS’ RIGHT TO FREELY ASSEMBLE:
President Barrow, what Part or Parts of the Gambian Constitution “Makes it a Sedition Act for a Legitimate and Represented Party and its Citizen Supporters for example, APRC, PDOIS, PPP, OR UDP to ASSEMBLE FREELY TO “Celebrate a Part or Whole of it’s History and Accomplishment? While your Legal Team are looking that up, Please do the Gambian People a Favour and Inform them that the Independence Day we Celebrate was Actually to Maintain an Existing Apartheid System of “The Protectorate” (Banjul Environs) Lording Over the Rest of the Gambia Until 1970 when Gambia Became a Republic and Officially Semi-Detached the York of Colonialism, thus, Ushering in Universal and Equal Participation Franchise. Yet, Most African Rulers, Not Leaders, and Most Gambians do not have any qualms about Celebrating that Date and Not the Republic Day. Sorry, Mr. President, for my Historionics. I Realize the Interior Minister is Knocking the Door and you need to respond before he breaks it Down. Extend my Salutations to Madame Overseer of the Vice Presidency Be Carefull, Mr. Foreign Minister of is Somewhere in the Room as is Ahmat Bah, Keep Close, and The Interior Minister even Closer. But more Significantly, Mr. President, Listen Not to Demagogues and Men and Women of Honor or Sense of Justice and Humility For Sale At Bargain Basement Price. There are More Pressing Issues and Matters of National Interest that You and Your Government should be Focused and Engaged with instead of engaging in “Abuse of Power” and Abridging that is, the Privilege and YES, the Right of All Gambians and Duely Recognized Organizations, or Parties to Freely Assemble. To Block, Prevent, Surpress the Right of One Gambian or in this Case, APRC, Its Supporters, and ANYONE who Wants to Peacefully Assemble and Celebrate the “July 22 Revolution” or Movement is Nothing but Ilegal, Undemocratic, Repressive, Draconian And An Unconstitutional Act of the First Order. A “little” Convenient “Preventive Order” from Colonial Days Here and There Against this Perceived or Real Opposition Party or Citizens, You Have, Your Run of the Mill Authoritarian Despot of the Colonial and Post Colonial African Ruler in the Making in the Gambia. Please, Endeavor to Dream big, not of your Size but the Dream of Small (The Gambia) is Beautiful Only when it is Inclusive, Tolerant, and All Embracing. Develop or become Allergic to Sectionalist, Selective, Marginalization, Purgings of Perceived and Real Opposition Party or Citizens of the Gambia. Remember, “Politics Makes Strange Bed Fellows” and that in Politics, “There Are No Permanent Friends, Just Permanent Interest”. Between the “Strange Bed Fellows” and “Permanent Friends and Interest” Political Corridors, you Will find Truth and Reconciliation Avenue. Endeavor to take the Avenue of Truth and Reconciliation and Let The July 22 Revolution or Movement’s Celebration Go Forth. Be Magnanimous, Not Marginal in Thought and Action. Be Long Term in Planning, Not in the Here and Now, which is Convenient, Preventive and Immediate, but is usually the Seed for Protracted Struggle through Tears of Discontent. Mr. President, Laugh with All Gambians when they have a Reason to. Cry with All when the Occasion Arises. Be the Chief or Seyffo, Alcalde or Alkalo, the District Commissioner or Governor, the Member of Assembly for All, the Cabinet Member and Yes, President For All Gambians, Political Parties, Regions, Citizens and Individuals. Not President For One Party, Region or Ethnic Group. In the Reported Gambia of Mob Rule, High Crime and Banditry, Regionalism, and Sectionalist Ethnic Politics, a Gambia Cacooned, Yet, to Achieve Its Butterfly State or Stage Needs Nuturing Not Selective Blame and Negligence. Please Mr. President, Let Gambians Who want to Celebrate the July 22 Revolution or Movement, Celebrate the Celebration that Diverts their Attention to the Above Life-Events Confronted by a Significant number of Gambians these Days. Let the Clouds of Conflict and Division Turn into Clouds of Rain of Peaceful Celebration of Healing and Forgiveness, of an Avenue of Peace And Reconciliation. Let Our Fellow Gambians and Citizens Freely Assemble in Peace and Tranquility Without HARRASMENT, INTIMIDATION OR VIOLENCE OF ANY KIND.
GAMBIA IS MORE THAN THE SUM TOTAL OF ONE ETHNIC GROUP OR REGION. ONE PEOPLE, ONE DESTINY.
You should not celebrate a military intervention, period
Can’t support you on this one Sidi;
Strange choice of words from President Barrow. He should have seen this coming.
Mike Scales, None Solicited. All the same I know why. Thank you.
22nd july 1994 is a military coup that’s what its represented.
What’s wrong with people, why should anyone celebrate a coup d’etat. Its illegal in the first place and celebrating it means you rewarding their actions. Wake up people, wake up Africa, we are in 2017. Coup d’etat are bad for Africa and no one should encourage it.
Justice is there so let’s respect the privacy and the law , I think Barrow is wrong he should ask before expressing
Should I celebrate Kukoi coup because it agitated Jawara regime in 1981. PPP harassed us, the NCP for long. No problem, the neo-naxics can celebrate Hitler’s birth day and the list can go. How can a democratic society allow celebration of the illegal overthrow of democratic governmen, what an oxymoron. Jammeh usurped power by Barrel of the gun and continued to rape our economy, kill our people for 22 years and still now him and his supporters failed to acknowledge their atrocities and ask for forgives but blatantly geared to celebrate this ugly episode and a scar on our national history. Come on let’s be human at least and sympathise with those who lost loved ones and those who cannot trace their relatives and loved ones. Let the APRC lnow that they gone with Jammeh regime and soon even the modest support they enjoyed in foni will evaporate as Jolas realise that Jammeh shall never return to power, over our dead bodies and if that means civil war, so be it.
We all have right and should be the same in front of the law no matter what political views u are , I don’t trust politicians so let’s see what the law said anyway try hey will proud that is Jammeh who brought up grts and university of the Gambia and build of the 60 of our schools not Jawara , Jawara was good enough but nothing done in his 30 yrs in the office yes the corruption names like fans Naga Sakho the must corrupt minister , now Jawara and Jammeh are the past do Gambia new government will add an nee TV and infrastructure not Senegalese one ? I think the changes made to develop not to hate each other
No hatred, God willing. Just putting records straight by exposing some citizens’ flawed understanding of development and nation building. The lies of “Jawara did nothing for 30 years”, will be debunked by people who want to recognised Jawara’s immense contribution to our nation’s history, even if we did not support him.
At the end of the day, both Jawara and Jammeh have had the privilege to rule, but have now departed the national stage and are now history.
Just like the PPP accepted their exit from the stage, without much fuss and ado, the APRC must also accept their exit in good faith and humility. If they do, they will command the respect of many and be seen as partners in our efforts to build on what they left and remedy what went wrong.
If, on the other hand, they want to be stuck in the past, with their dilutions and pettiness, then they should be told, in no uncertain terms, that they should get off our faces and give us a break, because we have no time for them.
There is work to be done to fix the mess they have left behind and find answers to the many questions they have left unanswered.
A coup is illegal good step president Barrow no more July 22nd if they come out deal with them seriously.
Bax well articulated. Aprc folks especially majority of the Jolas don’t seem to believe in democratic changes, if they do, they would have respected the will of the people. Rather they’re fixated on the benefits Yaya accorded them in terms of employment and hand outs, most importantly creating a Jola bourgeoisie that gives economic and political power to jola ethnicity from Cassamance to the Gambia. A free movement of all jolas in including the rebels in the Gambia, opening all sectors of economy to them with unrestricted access to our national documents and security apparatus.
This is what the APRC and its henchmen missed and they knew they will miss forever because never gain shall Gambians allow a disastrous regime like APRC rule again.