Veteran
broadcaster Sarjo Barrow has that former President Jammeh should never be
forgiven for he had committed a lot of atrocities during his 22-year reign as
president of The Gambia.
“He
should be prosecuted at the International Criminal Court (ICC) at The Hague
like they did to Charles Taylor [of Liberia] and Lauren Gbagbo [Ivory Coast],”
Mr Barrow said in an interview with The Point newspaper recently.
Barrow,
Gambia’s renowned Mandinka language broadcaster, accused the former president
of destroying The Gambia.
The
veteran journalist accused the former President Jammeh of inciting and
promoting hatred, and demonising and bringing division among Gambians.
“He
tribalised the army and other security outfits,” said journalist Barrow who
shared the same surname with the President Adama Barrow even though there is no
known blood relation between.
“Even
the civil service was tribalised,” he added.
Not
a member of UDP
Asked
why he never spoke out against Jammeh during his presidency, Mr Barrow said “I
was very angry and terrorised that I decided to keep quiet”.
“I
never like Jammeh or ever voted for him since the formation of his political
party and even my colleagues at GRTS [the state broadcaster] can attest to
that,” he said. “I always avoided
attending his immature programmes.”
The
Brusibi-based journalist also rubbished rumours that he is a member of the
United Democratic Party (UDP) saying: “I have never been a member of any
political party since former President Jawara’s era.”
Barrow
said no one can find his name in any political party’s record.
“I
want to remain an independent journalist,” he asserted.
Mr
Barrow started his broadcast career in May 1979 as a temporary announcer at
Radio Gambia and rose through the ranks to become manager of radio programmes.
