#Editorial

GOOD MORNING:  PRESIDENT On Jammeh & victims, NPP-APRC alliance

Oct 11, 2021, 11:37 AM

Mr President, victims need great attention as majority of them cannot pay rents, medical bills, education fees and are even striving hard to get their daily meals thanks to the brutality inflicted by ex-president Yahya Jammeh who allegedly ordered the killings of 240 people.

Many people were tortured and incarcerated and since government may not have financial muscle to look after all of them, the government should sell all Jammeh 300 landed properties in the country illegally acquired as a form of reparations for the victims.

Jammeh was earning D170, 000 at the time.

According to Janneh Commission which submitted its reports on 29 March 2019, the findings in his 86

bank accounts were: D304 million; 29 million Euros; over 2 million pounds sterling and four aircraft of which three were sold.

Mr. President, we welcome the move by the U.S. government in forfeiting his mansion in the U.S. which costs 3.5 million U.S. dollars and

proceeds from the sale of that Maryland property will be earmarked for the Gambian people after sales and other procedures followed by U.S. Justice Department.

Mr. President, part of the money should be used as compensation to the victims who would organise march on Saturday 16 October 2021 at 10 a.m.

at Kairaba Avenue to express their grievances through banners. We know the government assisted the victims with D50 million, part payments were made in July 2021 and the victims are still waiting for the remainder.

Mr. President, reparations before reconciliation. We agree with the UN which said on Friday that perpetrators of the Jammeh era crimes must be brought to justice. Jammeh cannot be free because the national interest supersedes the coalition with your party NPP and his party APRC.

Mr. President, the Jammeh issue is very vital in your campaign; the world is watching, we told you many

times in this column that the success of your political career depends on how you handle your first five years; not by forming alliance with a party well known for its gross abuse of human rights and mismanagement of government funds.

Mr. President, there is a saying that the most difficult task is to make everybody happy; the simplest task is to be happy with everyone.

Good day!