Leading human rights activist Madi Jobarteh has rejected the public apology issued by Lower Saloum National Assembly member Sainey Jawara and demanded that he resign immediately.
Jobarteh’s response came after Jawara apologized to the Mandinka community, the Lebanese community, and others offended by recent remarks that sparked a backlash. Jawara said the words were inappropriate, that he took full responsibility, and that he regretted letting emotion shape what he said.
Jobarteh dismissed the statement outright. “Totally and wholly rejected. Resign if you have dignity in you! Now,” he wrote. He argued that a lawmaker cannot knowingly insult, disrespect, and threaten citizens and the life of the nation, then claim to have realized that words carry consequences and that he has reflected and taken responsibility.
He said he had previously advised Jawara, describing him as a young representative carrying a heavy public trust and therefore needing learning and caution. Humility, respect, and tolerance, he said, should guide anyone in a position of authority, particularly a National Assembly member.
Jobarteh pointed to former president Yahya Jammeh as a warning. He said Jammeh, whom he accused of arrogance after power went to his head, eventually learned that public office is only a trusteeship and that real power rests with the people. “Today, languishing in a faraway land, he has come to realize that incontrovertible fact,” Jobarteh wrote, warning that public servants who ignore the lesson will face a bitter outcome.
Citing Section 1(2) of the 1997 Constitution, he said the sovereignty of The Gambia resides in the people and is the only source of legislative, executive, and judicial power. A president, a National Assembly member, the Chief Justice, the Inspector General of Police, and the Chief of Defense Staff, he argued, hold only entrusted authority.
“You allowed vanity, arrogance and utter insolence to overcome you because you think you have power,” Jobarteh told Jawara. “Sainey Jawara, you have no power.” He closed by rejecting what he called a nonsensical apology and demanding Jawara’s immediate resignation as a National Assembly member.
