The iconic activist was speaking in an interview during the state official funeral of Solo Sandeng, held yesterday at the capital city of Banjul six years after his arrest, detention and murder by officials of the defunct National Intelligence Agency (NIA), now State Intelligence Service (SIS).
Solo was granted state burial after the conclusion of the case of The state versus Yankuba Badjie and colleagues. Yankuba and 4 other accused were sentenced to death while the doctor who prepared Solo’s death certificate got 10 years imprisonment.
Activist Jobarteh continued that Solo stood for the democracy of this country by advocating for the change of bad laws in the election Act. In his quest for the right of the people, he said, that was the reason Gambians voted out the 22-year dictatorship in this country.
“On this day, it’s important to remember that Solo didn’t take the street only to be killed. Instead, he wanted to change. From President Adama Barrow, Ousainu Darboe, Hamat Bah, Halifa Sallah, Sedia Jatta, Fatoumatta Tambajang, Isatou Touray, and Hendry Gomez are the people that formed the coalition and for years, they failed to change the bad laws.”
He reiterated that what happened on the occasion is a form of hypocrisy because the same people who had the power to change the bad laws didn’t. Jobarteh added that political leaders should make sure what had happened in the past doesn’t repeat itself.
“Their present is useless because if they believe in what Solo was advocating for, they should have made some changes to make sure bad laws are reformed. Still now our election act, public order act, criminal code, and many other acts are not changed. The misuse of funds and injustice are still happening in the country.”
Jobarteh stated that if the government want to amplify Solo’s voice, then it shouldn’t be about gathering to deliver sweet words, but instead to do what he was advocating for.
Jobarteh stated that he was not surprised that the president did not attend Solo’s funeral service, saying "he is the number one betrayer of Solo and may be his absence is the best because all those that betrayed him shouldn’t attend the event."
Jobarteh stated his disappointment with the turnout during the occasion, saying that Gambians still don’t love their country because no event in this country should have been bigger than Solo's burial ceremony.
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