It is clearly a matter of poor taste, which no doubt left a bad taste in the mouth of all conscientious persons who attended the NPP campaign rally held at Bakau school this week.
Indeed, the video shared online showed the NPP national chairman talk like a deranged person.
Definitely, his toxic remarks clearly provide stuff for fact-checking, as the old politician has quite plainly lost his wits, and lost his bearings.
What is also evident is that the garbage spewed should be consigned to the archives – where the records in the history books will show that in old age the man clearly had lost his mind.
It is noteworthy though that the UDP leadership has never been heard to say anything negative about Dembo, since he left them and joined Barrow.
It is definitely not proper for the media to disseminate such dangerous hate speech; and, it is commendable that the news media have not conveyed the claims of an irresponsible politician.
In any case, the GPU code of conduct, including the IEC-GPU joint code for election reporting require that the media must not carry such toxic remarks.
Any one whose seen and listened to the video cannot fail to be appalled by the hate speech of a man who is the national chairman of the NPP – and his party’s presidential candidate is Adama Barrow.
His speech is contrary to the code of conduct signed by all the six presidential candidates, including Barrow himself; and is contrary to the Janjanbureh Peace Accord promoted by the Inter-party Committee (IPC).
It goes goes against the spirit of the Peace Message issued by Fatoumata Tambajang, as well as the messages highlighting the need for free, fair and peaceful elections from the EU EOM, the US ambassador in Banjul, and by Amnesty International, among others.
This man is also said to be the advisor of the President on religious affairs – and now we hear him talk like this!
Of course, no intelligent person believes his false assertions; no sensible person will take seriously his foolish utterances; and this is obviously coming from a political party leader who is exhibiting all the symptoms of a desperate mind!
What is clear is that the man’s hate speech suggests the NPP leadership is working at cross purposes; or not singing from the same hymn book.
Indeed, NPP chairman would do well to go back and digest the statement of NPP candidate, Adama Barrow, when he received the TRRC report at State House last Thursday.
On that occasion, Barrow talked about the Rwandan genocide, and how in that country, “the people have reconciled their differences, and are now working together to develop their country…”
It would be recalled that TAT recently carried a report with the headline: “Don’t allow hate speech, inflammatory language on your media”
According to the report, a former Speaker of the National Assembly, urged the media to exercise responsibility, and ensure that their platforms are not used for the propagation of hate and to disseminate inflammatory language.
It would be further recalled that earlier this month, all the six presidential candidates signed a Code of Conduct to ensure a peaceful election.
Among the things they agreed was to publicly condemn and refrain from the use of religious and tribal politics in the ongoing campaign.
The candidates also agreed to stop their supporters from making any public statements that incite tribal or religious sentiments.
