Fatou
Camara, UDP chairwoman of Ebo Town, on Friday called on Barrow to consider
Gambian women in his development agenda.
She
was speaking to this reporter in an interview at her house at Ebo Town where
she and other UDP supporters, mainly women, converged to celebrate the parliamentary
victory of their candidate.
“Barrow
should open doors for women and it is true that not all women are educated just
like not all men are also educated but those women who are not educated have a
place in the society as well,” she said.
She
said some women who are not educated are better than the educated ones and a
woman who is not educated could have better ideology and plans than the
educated ones.
Fatou
Camara, who was among the three women arrested, detained and allegedly tortured
alongside the later Solo Sandeng, said: “Let the government take a step back
and look into women of the country who have suffered a lot to put them in
place.”
There
are positions that could be manned by women who are not educated, especially
that there are few women elected into the parliament, she noted.
In
the coming councillorship election let Barrow put up women councillors because
no one knows the community more and better than women, Fatou said, adding: “It
is only women who know better the problems the society is faced with because
they are the ones who suffer directly from those problems.
“Gambian
women have gone through lots of hardship in the past 22 years - from beating,
torture, detention and standing in the dock with their babies.”
She
added: “Women have rallied behind our party leader Ousainou Darboe for the past
22 years and even in the face of intimidation and jail threats they never give
up even when some men do. That being the case the Barrow Government should not
forget about women when giving positions because if women can survive torture
and jail in the past 22 years, they can survive the worse.”
She
further told this reporter that the people should not term women as uneducated
because that era has passed, especially that women have been tortured, severely
beaten, and detained with their breastfeeding babies whilst some of their
husbands are locked away.
“UDP
should be the champion of women empowerment not only in The Gambia but the
entire world,” she remarked.
Speaking
on the victory, Fatou said their victory stated the truth because there had
been lots of push and pulls as people were saying all manner of things that
were unfounded and untrue.
“The
election was free, fair and transparent, which goes to show that the Gambian
people have voted what they wanted and now people should stop the talking,” she
said.
“The
winner of Jeshwang Constituency, Alagie Drammeh, was selected by me and when I
selected him the entire Jeshwang constituency supported me and rallied behind
him,” she added.
She
added: “I have been a UDP member for 22 years and that there was never a time I
thought of leaving the party and there was never a time I thought of the party
going backwards. Alagie won the Jeshwang seat with a satisfying victory and we
thank God for that.”
She
continued: “I want all those who have won the election to know that we do not
vote for them to go and relax but we voted for them so that they can work for
us and represent us the way it should be. We have nowhere but The Gambia; so
they should be hardworking and law-abiding as well.”
She
thanked the journalists that were with them covering their case in Mansakonko,
saying the journalists also did their part.
She
said President Barrow is a son of the UDP and that she was very happy and
pleased with him, adding: “I want him to know that UDP’s love is what we are
extending to him and we will always back him with that spirit.”
UDP
Ebo Town Chairwoman further said she would also want Barrow to look at the
health, education and other important sectors in the country.
“Our
children who are school dropouts should also have their situation looked into
and see what the government can do for them, and those that have graduated
without jobs should also be considered so they can be employed.”
Let
the Barrow Government create jobs for the youth so there will be peace and
development in the country, she appealed.
