Mai
Ahmed Fatty, the leader of Gambia Moral Congress (GMC) and former special
adviser to President Adama Barrow has pointed out that prosecuting Operation 3
Years Jotna leaders who are currently remanded at the State Central Prison will
further divide the country. He thus called on government to immediately drop
all charges.
“I
am calling on President Barrow to withdraw the case otherwise in the next two
years it will be uncertain for the country. In the interest of national unity,
the president must withdraw these charges so that the country can begin to
reconcile. Prosecuting this people is going to further divide the country along
polarised line which has nobody’s political interest; not even the country’s
interest,” he said.
The
GMC leader was speaking yesterday during a press conference at his party’s
headquarter. He said: “I’m calling on the president to withdraw the charges
against 3 Years Jotna members because the nation will be better off with it and
the country will be stronger and our democracy will be firmed.”
In
the interest of national healing and in the interest of uniting the country
together again, he said, the charges of rioting, unlawful assembly and rioters’
demolition of structures against 3 Years Jotna members should be dropped
without delay.
“There
are thousands of people in the country who believe that President Barrow should
step-down after the three years and there are also thousands of people in the
country who believe that the president should continue with five years.”
Therefore,
the president must unite these two forces. “He is the president of the country
and he has a legal obligation to unite the country. He must make every action
necessary to withdraw the case so that substantial part of the population who
believe he should come down will be in a position to listen to him in the
interest of national healing.”
President
Barrow, the GMC leader added, should not be seen involved in any action that will
further divide the country, saying: “That’s why in the interest of healing and
uniting this country, the president must got all side of whom he preside as the
chief executive of the state to get everybody on board and talk to everybody
whether he likes them or not; and whether they support his agenda or not.”
If
President Barrow withdraws the charges, he said, he (Barrow) will prove to
everybody that indeed he is the president for all Gambians whether you like his
political ambition or not. He would be above pettiness and would have shown
Gambians that indeed he is statesman.
On
the closure of the two radio stations, Mai Fatty urged the government to review
the decision without delay. This is necessary, not only because many Gambians
believe due process was not followed, and the government itself could be in
breach of the law.
“Executive
proclamations or decisions in themselves, without more, do not amount to law.
Therefore, I urged the government to withdraw the charges against Yankuba
Darboe and his members.”
The
president, he went on, should also engage all stakeholders, particularly former
coalition leaders and calls for genuine National Dialogue without delay. “I
call on the ECOWAS, AU and the UNOWAS to facilitate the conduct of national
dialogue without delay.”
