Banjul-
5 February 2020, prominent Gambian civil society groupings have written an open
letter to President Barrow urging the embattled head of state to show leadership
and support the calls being echoed around the country for a National Dialogue
to take place as a matter of urgency. In
the letter the group stated that: ‘A listening and caring government will
always gain the respect and garner the support of the citizens it leads’.
It bolstered its augment by reminding the
president that his administration’s refusal to listen to public opinion,
especially if well intentioned, was unacceptable. Intimating that this was the
reason as to why the recurrence of police brutality, crackdown and arrest of
protesters happened last week. “The
mishandling of this and other events lately, starting with the vacillation over
the issuance of routine meeting permits by the police, bore all the hallmarks
of an inept, paranoid and incompetent administration.” The letter went further
to state that the current administration is unable to unlearn the practices of
old, and reluctant to take on-board sound suggestions to enable it to better
deal with issues of public protests, and even to be accepting of dissenting
views. ‘The Faraba Banta Commission of
Inquiry report submitted to you, provided concrete recommendations in order to
avoid future recurrence of such events.
It is again clear that the most important aspects of the conclusions and
further recommendations of this commission, to urgently embark on security
sector reforms, were ignored.’
It
further stated that lessons should have been learned from the fallout and
consequences of two decades of intolerance, intimidation, and outright abuse
meted out to Gambians by the former Jammeh regime; which has now been placed
under the spotlight by the ongoing TRRC.
The group also cautioned the president and his administration that the
decision they took to ‘go to war’ with people that hold a different political
view is a dangerous tipping point for the stability of the country. The authors of the letter went further to
remind the president that such intolerance has severe consequences for his
presidency and ultimately the country.
They cited similar overreaction by Barrow’s predecessor, Yahya Jammeh,
who reacted with brutal force over similar demonstrations.
“The
26 January 2020 incident was eerily reminiscent of the events of 14-16 April
2016, when Solo Sandeng and his colleagues were arrested, beaten and tortured;
Solo Sandeng later succumbed to his injuries and died. This was followed by further protests by the
UDP 31, members of your former party, and senior partner to the coalition that
brought you to power. They too were
arrested, detained and charged,” the letter stated. It went further to also advise the president
to make a pronouncement on the outcome of the legal challenge mounted and won
by the UDP 31, where by the ECOWAS court recently issued an order for
investigations to happen, and to bring the perpetrators of Sandeng’s death, and
the torture of others, to book. They
also urged president Barrow to instruct his Attorney General and Minister of
Justice, ‘to give the pronouncement [of the ECOWAS court] the same earnestness,
enthusiasm and urgency he gave the Rohingya matter.’
The
letter ended with a warning that the only way out of the political quagmire the
country faces is through an inclusive national conversation among all
stakeholders, especially the politicians.
They stated that this would be ‘an avenue to reduce the unhealthy
contestation and rhetoric, which has grown toxic, and lay the groundwork for a
peaceful transition to a new constitutional order.’ The organizations that
signed the open letter are: Right to Know Gambia (R2K); The Democratic; Union
of Gambian Activists (DUGA); The Gambia Press Union (GPU); Gambia Participates,
and Team Gom Sa Borpa. The letter was
copied to the diplomatic and consular corps in country, as well as the ECOWAS
and the African Union.
