(Wednesday 15th January 2020 Issue)
The
Office of the Inspector General of Police has decided not to grant a permit to
anti-government protesters – 3 Years Jotna, a pressure group that plans to
protest on 20 January 2020.
Police say that the denial of permit to the
group was due to compelling national security and public safety concerns.
The
pressure group is calling on President Adama Barrow to step down after three
years per the coalition agreement and also a campaign promise he made to the
country.
The
3 Years Jotna was, however, granted permit last month in which they marched
through the outskirts of Jeswang to the Denton Bridge where they handed a
petition to Mr. Barrow asking him to honour his campaign promise. The petition
was handed to the president through the government spokesperson Ebrima G.
Sankara, demanding the president steps down by 19 January 2020, exactly three
years after he took the oaths of Office of President.
The
anti government protesters vowed that with or without permit, it’s their
constitutional right to take to the streets next week to defend what they
described as agreement to The Gambian people.
The
Office of the Inspector General of Police acting in accordance with Section 178
of the 1997 Constitution of the Republic of The Gambia, vows to continue to
deliver on its mandate of protecting life and properties as well as maintaining
law and order.
Meanwhile,
the spokesperson of 3 Years Jotna, Haji Sawaneh, in an interview with The
Point, said the police decided to withhold the permit due to some security
reasons.
“On
our side, we think the police denying us the permit is a violation of our
rights. We will continue calling on the police and advise them not to violate
our rights and let them issue us a permit,” he said.
“We
are working on other issues on the denial of the permit. But as far as I am
concern, as the spokesperson of 3 Years Jotna, it will be premature for me to
disclose our plans as of now. But we are working very tirelessly on the issue
of the permit and the denial of the permit.”
