The
Government of The Gambia wishes to inform the general public that a front page
story on the Standard newspaper of Thursday July 13thquoting Honourable Musa
Amul Nyassi, Member of Parliament for Foni Kansala, that the former ruling APRC
party has been granted police permit to celebrate the 23rd anniversary of the
July 22nd 1994 coup, is false and a deliberate attempt to mislead the public.
The
public is informed that no such permit was issued to Honourable Nyassi, or
indeed any other person acting on behalf of the APRC.
The
Gambia government maintains that the 1994 coup was an illegal act, staged
principally, to usurp power and subvert the popular will of the Gambian people
who fought through their sweat and blood to establish and nurture a democratic
culture for 30 years that became an envy of the whole world.
Memories
are still fresh of the brutality that the July 22nd coup brought on Gambians.
Families were torn apart; innocent citizens willfully killed; businesses
unlawfully closed and so many of The Gambia’s most experienced and finest
brains forced to flee the country because of the organized and systematic abuse
of their fundamental rights.
Notwithstanding
its unwavering position to respect and broaden democratic principles and
personal freedoms of citizens, the government of The Gambia maintains that the
July 22nd coup still leaves painful reminders of torture, unexplained
disappearances, killings and plunder of state resources.
This
day therefore should not in any way be glorified, hailed or celebrated by any
well-meaning Gambian.
Furthermore,
the government of The Gambia warns that any public gathering which requires a
public address system needs a police permit. It is on record that the Inspector
General of Police has not issued any such permit to authorize any individual,
political party or any other group to hold festive celebrations of the July
22nd 1994 coup.
The
general public is therefore warned to be law abiding and follow due process
especially in matters related to public safety and national security and to
avoid anything that may endanger national security.
Minister of Information and Communication
Infrastructure
13th
July 2017
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