NRP not allowed to hold rally, says Hamat Bah

Hamah Bah, leader of the opposition National Reconciliation Party (NRP), has said the NRP was not allowed to hold a rally by Commissioner of Police for Central River Region, who told them that due to security reasons in the area, they could not proceed with the rally.

The Commissioner of Police for CRR "told us that he was not honouring the permit given to us by the IGP, because they were not copied with the permit to hold the rally, and that due to security reasons in the area, our rally should not go ahead."

"We were permitted by the IGP to hold a rally," Hamat Bah said, adding that it was their right to hold the rally.

He was speaking to pressmen in Panchang, Upper Saloum, Central River Region North, over the weekend, following a failed attempt to hold a political rally organised by his party in Fass village.

Briefing reporters, Hamah Bah also opined that the disintegration of the National Alliance for Democracy and Development (NADD), meant the opposition had squandered the golden opportunity given to them by God and the people of The Gambia.

Despite that, he added, his party is ready to challenge the ruling APRC party in the forthcoming 2011 elections, and welcomed onboard anyone who wanted to join them.

The NRP leader further told the journalists that he has no intention of joining anybody in any alliance for a single candidate in the forthcoming presidential, parliamentary and local government elections.

"I don't believe that the NRP party for now will participate in any discussions with any opposition for the consideration of an alliance," he said, adding that he will never mortgage his party for any presidential ambition, as of now.

He expressed dissatisfaction for not being able to hold a political rally in Fass village, which was scheduled for Saturday 22nd May 2010.

"We believe that after our defeat in previous elections, it was wise to go back to the drawing board to strategise and study the political situation, so as to map out a new way forward that would certainly bring us back to where we were or beyond," the NRP leader said.

The process of evaluating the political situation of a country is not an easy one, because politics is full of dynamism, and changes happen all the time, the opposition leader continued, and stated that the NRP has over the past period been engaged in consultations across the country, and hoped to fulfil their objectives in the near future.

"We have decided this time around to restart the political campaign in order to renew our commitment to the common cause and values that we so cherished and time has come for us to go back to the political arena," Mr. Bah declared.