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| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Momodou |
Posted - 02 May 2022 : 17:06:00
Public Notice! My Life is under Threat.
By Madi Jobarteh
Out of a guilty conscience and under pressure, Pres. Adama Barrow has just threatened my life on national television today Monday 2 May 2022 at State House.
I hereby put all Gambians and relevant national & international bodies on notice. My life is currently in danger, threatened by the President of the Republic Adama Barrow.
From today, the safety or destruction of my life is in the hands of the President. I consider the President’s remark as a death threat.
The President has expressed in no uncertain terms, unequivocally, precisely and directly that he wants to eliminate me because he cannot take the heat coming from my uncompromising stance in holding him and his government accountable.
He has already set a perfect but false scenario that I wish to burn down this country and therefore I should be ‘handled’. This means he has set the context and the pretext for a preemptive attack on my person.
There’s no doubt that his Government is corrupt, inept and dishonest that is dangerously undermining the peace, stability, unity and the future of The Gambia! As a cover up for his failure to respond to the urgent needs of the country, he has decided to dishonestly deflect issues by attacking a citizen and his constitutional rights.
I hereby publicly notify the National Human Rights Commission, The Gambia, The Gambia that President Barrow has expressed his intention to seize and kill my rights including my right to life, my right to personal liberty, my right to freedom of expression, and my right to political participation and my duty to hold the State accountable! These are all rights and duties entrenched in the 1997 Constitution under Chapter 4.
I wish to notify the Inspector General of Police to ensure my physical safety and security including the safety of my home and my family, as a result of a presidential threat.
I wish to put on notice the UN and foreign missions in The Gambia about this direct, unwarranted and unprovoked attach from the President of the Republic.
In due course I shall submit a formal complaint to all relevant authorities.
Meantime I shall continue to fulfill my constitutional rights and duties as a citizen of this country to defend the Constitution and the Republic to the best of my ability.
I harbour no grudge or ill will against Adama Barrow nor against any public official. What I do is to uphold and defend the Constitution in order to ensure that the rights and freedoms of all Gambians remain protected and our needs get fulfilled by the State. That’s the only reason for my advocacy.
Hence if The Gambia Government is doing the right things in upholding the Constitution and fulfilling its obligations accordingly I will have nothing to say other than to commend and encourage them, at least.
I have no doubts that while I hold the President responsible for these threats, I also hold the entire Cabinet, State House officials, his Advisors and his political surrogates and allies are all complicit in this very serious attack.
It is obvious that the President has been ill-advised and encouraged by these officials and surrogates to threaten by life, thereby undermining the President by making him to act unconstitutionally. If not, I hope to see anyone of them to distance oneself from these unconstitutional remarks and even resign in protest. Time will tell.
For The Gambia My Homeland |
| 6 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Momodou |
Posted - 10 May 2022 : 11:57:23
CSOs defend Madi against Barrow
The Standard: MAY 9, 2022
By Omar Bah
https://standard.gm/gambia-news/csos-defend-madi-against-barrow/
The Gambia civil society organisations have strongly condemned President Adama Barrow’s ‘threats’ against activist Madi Jobarteh.
Addressing a meeting with Muslim elders at State House last week, President Barrow accused Mr Jobarteh of wanting to burn down the country and said his government will look into his affairs.
The president also criticised Gambian media for continuing to give platform to Jobarteh whose only interest, he alleged, is “to incite chaos in The Gambia”.
Last Friday, the civil society called a press conference at TANGO following an emergency meeting last Wednesday on the president’s comments. The CSOs described the president’s comments as “sad and an insult to our collective intelligence as a nation”.
In a long statement shared with the media, the CSOs expressed concern over the president’s “blatant attack” on Gambians’ fundamental rights and freedoms.
It reads: “Have Gambians forgotten so quickly how Yahya Jammeh started? How he branded anyone that spoke against him as an enemy of the state and how he used the state machinery to instill fear and eventually silence us? Have we forgotten how people started disappearing? Have we forgotten the dark period in our history that even in the privacy of our homes, we had to look over our shoulders before saying anything about the Government? Dictatorship indeed has a start date. Civil Society has not forgotten and that is why we come today, to the home of NGOs and CSOs, TANGO to demonstrate our distaste at such remarks, unbecoming of a Statesman. We come to remind our leaders that ‘the horse has already bolted from the stable’ Gambians are not going back to the days of tyranny. NEVER AGAIN Mr President.”
The CSOs reminded the president that the life of Mr Jobarteh has been dedicated to the Gambia and for the empowerment of the people, the building of democracy and the maintenance of peace in the country.
“Every citizen has an inherent right to criticise its government and that right must be protected and not threatened or taken away. The people defied all odds to elect you into office Mr. President and the people will do all in their power to guard against the infringement of their rights in any shape or form. Mr. President, Gambian civil society is diverse and vibrant and has complemented the government’s efforts since the 1970s.
“Mr. President, our nation is plagued with a plethora of issues and challenges that are a more potent force to set the nation alight, that we want our government to address, rather than attacking citizens. The increased corruption allegations without transparent investigations and prosecutions, high cost of living, poor service delivery by public institutions, erratic power supply and Internet connectivity, coupled with their outrageous charges, growing crime rate and fatal car accidents, high unemployment rate and so on.
“The poor are getting poorer and public servants continue to erect mansions and allocate land to themselves. The people are watching. To the Executive, Mr. President and your cabinet, please recommit yourselves and government to guarantee the continued protection of our rights to speech, expression and assembly.” |
| Momodou |
Posted - 05 May 2022 : 14:09:09
“President Barrow Must Not Shoot the Messengers.”
By Abdoulaye Saine
President Barrow’s diatribe against Media Platforms, Human Rights Advocates, and Community Activists, symbolized and targeted against Madi Jobarteh, was both shocking, and frightening. Wagging his finger as he threatened all who dared to express a different, or dissenting view, President Barrow reminded me of Gambia’s dark, and dictatorial past under Jammeh. Never Again!
A "New Gambia," and its handlers must exercise tolerance for dissenting, and different views and voices- these are essential ingredients for a democracy to evolve and mature. I am not sure who is advising President Barrow, but he could have handled the situation differently by paying greater heed to the deeper meaning, and message of his critics rather than his outburst and personal attacks on Jobarteh and Media, Korrriteh Day 2022.
In fact, President Barrow Must listen more to his critics rather than his panel of advisors/praise-singers, spin-artists and apologists. This is because Gambians have a lot to be angry about:(I see and live it every day): unfulfilled promises, perceptions of rising corruption, mounting food, rent and fuel prices, shady land allocations to the well-connected, crime, just to name a few, and the general perception that Government has not done much to alleviate the suffering among average Gambians. To add insult to injury, President Barrow has yet to unveil his cabinet, four months following his inauguration. Barrow should have hit the ground running and seized the proverbial first 100-Days of his second-term, to deliver a policy punch rather than wait until Korriteh Day 2022.
From where I sit in Gambia, supporters, sympathizers, opposition, and dissidents alike live in the same predicament and express views of their suffering(s). This does not mean they are opposed to Barrow's rule, or wish to *"set the country on fire." Far from it, in a democracy people have a fundamental right to express their views- the 1997 Constitution with all its flaws guarantees these rights. In addition, an electoral victory/mandate must not be a basis to erode the rights of citizens, or take a dictatorial turn.
President Barrow must reconsider his policy pronouncements and endeavour to reconcile a deeply broken people and polarized country; speak words that heal rather than aggravate a traumatized nation where hopelessness is deepening by the day.
President Barrow, please Don't shoot the messengers. They embody the aspirations and frustrations of the average Gambian who placed you in office. A confrontational and threatening posture from your office is likely to inspire resistance.
Belated Happy Koriteh |
| Momodou |
Posted - 04 May 2022 : 14:58:12
TOP LAWYER ADVISES PRESIDENT TO ACCEPT DISSENT
The Standard: MAY 4, 2022
By Alagie Manneh
https://standard.gm/gambia-news/top-lawyer-advises-president-to-accept-dissent/
Top lawyer Lamin J Darbo has advised President Barrow to accept expression of dissenting views as integral to democracy.
Reacting to the social media furore that was generated after activist Madi Jobarteh accused the president of issuing a “death threat” to him on national television, Mr Darbo commented: “I hope the president is not thinking back. I hope we are not heading in that direction. You have to accept that you will be in disagreement over some of the critical issues and if that upsets you to the extent that you want to arrest and detain people, you can try, but I can tell you, it will not work. The country has gone beyond that level.
“The president must accommodate dissenting views. If that means people like Madi Jobarteh, yes. If that means other people in the constant opposition, yes. When people said there must be a limit to freedom of expression, we know those limits. When those limits are breached, everybody knows it, even the proponents of freedom of expression know that this one has crossed the red line. So don’t try to justify your action, or base it on ‘we cannot tolerate this’. We can tolerate it. These are just ideas. They are just words.”
Mr Darbo said leaders do not like to be criticised. “But this is public life. It is going to be contentious. It is going to be acrimonious. You should face competing opinions and people should come out and say what they think of your leadership.”
He said The Gambia “is a very noisy country” and consequently, criticism must be expected.
“I wrote about this during the days of Yahya Jammeh that those who intend to stay in the position of governance are going to have to deal with a lot of dissenting views and they must be ready for that,” he said.
Asked whether he concurred with calls for the president to apologise for his remarks, Darbo contended: “We are in a political arena that would not look kindly on apologists themselves. So, I wouldn’t want to put the president in that kind of corner. It’s up to him if he wants to apologise. All I can say is that a mistake was made; singling out an individual and saying that his behaviour is not good enough. There are issues underlying what Madi has said. Those are the driving issues…”
He urged the president to surround himself with people who “have a high level of tolerance, and who have multiple views”. |
| Momodou |
Posted - 03 May 2022 : 18:18:34
Excerpts of the President’s Eid Remarks attacking Madi Jobarteh, a Human Rights Activist on Monday 2nd April 2022 in a meeting with Banjul Muslim Elders at State House.
“There are people who are bent on tormenting the Government; to criticize the Government in order to bring violence in the country and one of them is Madi Jobarteh. He is among those who wish to set the country ablaze. He is a person who wants to bring violence in the country. Everyone should be careful of him. I have never stood on a platform to speak about him. He said he is member of the civil society. But a civil society that is only interested to set the country on fire. Wherever he goes, his objective is to set the country on fire. And all the journalists are giving him the platform. Anyone helping him is not helping the country. I will speak about him personally. Anyone who helps him is not helping the country. And my Government should take a stand on him. We have to look into his affair seriously because the country cannot go on like that. We cannot watch someone trying to set the country on fire and we leave you alone. No. There are many things being done by people that we have allowed and ignored, and we know what they are doing is not right and it is not in line with the law. Look, a president should follow the law, but others must also follow the law.”
Source: Ebrima Toubab |
| Momodou |
Posted - 03 May 2022 : 18:12:04
President Barrow on Madi Jobarteh - Whither the 'Never Again” Mantra?
By D. A. Jawo
President Adama Barrow has no doubt gained quite a lot of experience during his past five years in office. He is certainly no longer the rookie head of state that he was when he newly assumed office in 2017, but some of his recent statements and utterances seem to indicate that he has still got a long way to go before becoming the perfect leader that we all wish him to be.
There is no doubt that many people, including some of his own supporters, were disappointed by his unnecessary rantings against Madi Jobarteh in particular and the other perceived opponents of his regime during his traditional meeting with the Banjul Muslim Elders on Koriteh day. It was certainly out of place and context for him to single out Madi Jobarteh for special criticism, even to the extent of threatening that his government was going to deal with him. I think that was quite an unfortunate statement from President Barrow and it is likely to come back to haunt his regime in the future.
Therefore, instead of being cowed by such threats, it is likely that Madi Jobarteh is basking in glory for being singled out by President Barrow, which has not only suddenly made him a centre of national and international attraction, but the statement has also got the potential of making him the rallying point of opposition to the Barrow regime. Certainly, threatening to deal with Madi could boomerang on President Barrow and the regime as henceforth any harm caused to Madi could be attributed to the regime. It was therefore not a wise decision for President Barrow to make such threats. While he may not harbour any wish to cause any harm to Madi or any of the regime's perceived critics, but what would prevent an opponent of the regime, with ill intentions, seeking to harm Madi, knowing fully well that whatever happens to him henceforth could be attributed to President Barrow and his government.
As head of state, President Barrow is no longer any ordinary Gambian who can make unguarded statements at any time and anywhere and get away with it. He should always weigh every word that he utters as it could have some unpredictable consequences. Even the very fact that these threats against Madi came just a few days after the Minister of Lands and Regional Governments Musa Drammeh had threatened to sue Madi for criticisms he had leveled against him (Drammeh) seems to indicate some apparent official conspiracy against Madi, and probably a much wider conspiracy to 'open call' critics of the regime into submission.
President Barrow and members of his administration need to face reality and accept the fact that this is a different Gambia from the one that they inherited from former President Yahya Jammeh. Gambians have regained their freedom after living under a dictatorship for over two decades and therefore, they would never again allow anyone to return them to those dark days when the head of state would behave like a lord over them and do whatever he wanted without any consequences. Just like the TRRC mantra said; “Never Again” and the sooner President Barrow and his administration accept that reality, the better for everyone. |
| Momodou |
Posted - 03 May 2022 : 09:56:07
Public Petition on the Undemocratic and Unconstitutional remarks by President Adama Barrow
Public Petition on the Undemocratic and Unconstitutional remarks by President Adama Barrow against Human Rights Activist Madi Jobarteh
As tradition demands, Banjul Muslim Elders usually call on the President immediately after the Eid prayers to consult with each other and address pertinent national issues. On this occasion on Monday 2nd April 2022, President Barrow this time around decided to attack a human rights activist Madi Jobarteh by falsely accusing him of seeking to set the country on fire because of his criticisms of the Government. The President did not specify or give any evidence of what and how Madi is setting the country on fire. He however said his Government will take a stand on Madi Jobarteh and asked everyone to be careful of the activist. He went further to condemn the media for giving platform to Madi Jobarteh.
We therefore consider the President’s remark to be very concerning as it is a direct attack on a citizen who has not violated any law or engaged in any violent activity. Madi Jobarteh is one of the foremost voices in the country advocating for public sector transparency and accountability. He is a strong democracy and good governance advocate who has taken a public stand on all issues of human rights across the country. He is a peace advocate as well as a member of our society who is dedicated to an inclusive and equal society and social justice.
The President has a duty by law to protect the fundamental rights and freedoms of all citizens. By his remarks, President Barrow is rather threatening not just the rights of Madi Jobarteh but also attacking the fundamental rights and freedoms of all citizens. His remarks tantamount to silencing citizens to prevent them from holding his Government accountable and demanding justice and accountability. Above all, Pres. Barrow is inciting violence against Madi Jobarteh as his remarks could trigger any person to unleash violence on Madi Jobarteh and his family.
All citizens and citizen groups should therefore condemn this undemocratic and unconstitutional remarks of the President by demanding the following:
1. The President should apologize to Madi Jobarteh and retract his remarks without delay.
2. The President to express his commitment to ensuring the safety and security of Madi Jobarteh and his family.
3. The President should publicly express his commitment to respect and protect fundamental human rights and freedoms, and to uphold the Constitution of the Gambia as enshrined in his oath of office.
4. The President to assure all media houses and journalists that his Government will not subject anyone to reprisal for giving platform to Madi Jobarteh and to any other Gambian.
5. The President to refrain from spreading false information and incitement to violence against any citizen, journalist, and media house.
We wish to notify all relevant domestic and international institutions that democracy is under threat in the Gambia, and which threat is coming from the President of the Republic.
Sign the petition at: https://chng.it/q55Q4QWpPS |
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