By: Kebba Ansu Manneh
Scores of concerned Gambian diaspora have submitted a petition to the European Union Parliament in Brussels, Belgium, seeking intervention to prevent the re-emergence of dictatorship and maladministration in the Gambia.
The petition letter was submitted during a mass protest at the gates of the EU Parliament. The protest was organized to draw the European Parliament’s attention to the people of The Gambia’s concerns regarding the potential re-emergence of dictatorship in the country.
The protest on Saturday, September 28, 2024, follows a similar protest held at the United Nations Headquarters against the Gambian President and his delegation attending the UN General Assembly.
“We, the concerned Gambians, are writing to you to express our deep concern about the re-emergence of dictatorship in our country, the Gambia. Adama Barrow, President of the Gambia, led the re-emergence of the dictatorship project. Hence, we are writing and demanding that the President be urged to stop this project because we, the Gambians, will never accept dictatorship in our country again,” Protesters stated in a letter submitted to the EU Parliament.
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The content of the petition letter seen by TAT stated: “We, the concerned Gambians, are submitting this Petition to your honorable office for different reasons, among which is that your Institution is very central in sponsoring the developmental plans of the Gambia government-led by President Adama Barrow. We are submitting this Petition to your office not only because we are Gambians but also because we are European residents working and paying taxes. Therefore, we are urging your Institution to stop using our taxes to sponsor a government transforming itself into a full-fledge dictatorial government.”
According to them, the demand to seek intervention from the European Parliament is motivated by the collective experiences of Gambians endued during the dictatorial regime of former president Yaya Jammeh that lasted for 22 years, arguing that the Gambian people have had bitter experiences that included lost of lives and properties, forced exiles, abductions and torturings that will take many years to heal.
“These are very expensive memories, and we are not prepared for the repetition of dictatorship rule in our country. It was our collective fight that resulted in the end of the dictatorship regime of Yahya Jammeh and the ouster of the current President, Adama Barrow, who promised to serve for only three years that he later reneged to the disappointment of all Gambians,” Protester further submitted to EU Parliamentarians.
They added: “Sadly, President Adama Barrow is yet again planning to contest for another five-year term, thus making the preparation to becoming another dictator in the making and have since started laying ground works by ditching all the important Transition Programs which were initiated by the new democratic government and sponsored by your Institution, the European Union,”
The protesters recounted that the Truth, Reconciliation, and Reparations Commission, The Jammeh’s Asset Recovery Commission, The Constitutional Reform Commission, The Electoral Reform, The Security Reform, The Civil Service Reform, etc, are among the series of reform programs have all been flawed by President Adama Barrow, noting that these transition programs that were meant to safeguard and prevent the re-emergence of dictatorship back to our country have been completed. Recommendations were sent to the President only to be ignored.
“The recommendations of these transition programs were deliberately ignored by the President. He wanted to use the existing former dictator’s governance structures, which were basically used to harm the citizens. With the former dictator’s governance structure available to President Adama Barrow, he started maltreating the opposition politicians by arresting and detaining them without respecting their constitutional rights,” Protesters stated in their Petition to the EU Parliament.
“The arrest and subsequent charging of Mr. Ebrima Dibba, the United Democratic Party’s Deputy Campaign and Organizing Secretary, accusing him of insulting the PPresidentas well arrest and detention of Mr. Madi Jobarteh, a well-known human rights activist are among few cases in mind. The President also on record standing on a political platform urging his supporters to attack opposition party members, particularly the supporters of the United Democratic Party, and he will defend them because both the police, the Army, and the judiciary belong to him,” Petitioners argued.
They added: “The recent arrest of journalists of The Voice Newspaper for frivolous reasons just to silent professional journalism in the country is a clear manifestation of the re-emergence of dictatorship. The recent arrest and charging of the Voice newspaper’s editor is an obvious attempt to muzzle independent journalists in the country. The only crime of the voice
newspaper’s editor is publishing an article alleging that the PP president has chosen his successor in the name of Mr. Muhamed Jah.”
Petitioners said The Voice newspaper is among the few newspapers that refused to take millions of dalasis from the government for favorable reporting about the government.
The protesters submitted to the EU Parliament for several reasons, including the high cost of living, lack of medication and equipment in government hospitals, lack of security, dwindling quality of education in schools, and the government’s inability to fight corruption.
