UDP Leader Ousainou Darboe (Photo/DailyNews) |
“I
believe that this (Gambia) government’s image was tarnish by itself,” according
to Ousainou Darboe, leader of the main opposition, the United Democratic Party
(UDP), who was responding to the October 4 claims of “Relentless Smear Campaign
against The Gambia”.
The
way you treat your citizen tells a lot, Darboe told local journalists on
Tuesday, a day before he was due for questioning by the country secret agency,
the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) in relation to investigations into
Amadou Sanneh (UDP National Treasurer)’s “asylum fraud allegations”.
Sanneh
was arrested last week and has since been held for allegedly appending his
signature on an asylum letter which bears a UDP letterhead. Confessions on
State TV indicate the alleged content of the letter is false.
Three
days after its October 2 shock withdrawal from the Commonwealth, The Gambia
Government accused Britain and the United States of America, USA, which it
called “enemies of The Gambia” of sponsoring Gambians and non-Gambians to set
up organizations with media facilities outside the country to mount “shameless
campaign of lying” against it.
“These
people and institutions specialize in lying and providing false attestations
for would-be asylum seekers using the main opposition party (UDP) as a platform
for such nefarious activities thereby casting a very bad and negative image of
both the Government and noble people of The Gambia,” it stated allegedly.
Speaking
at his home at Pipeline, Mr Darboe said The Gambia Government “tarnished its
own image”.
He
said: “This is the order of the day we believe that one day it will come to an
end and democracy will flourish in The Gambia irrespective of tribe and
political party affiliation.
“You
could recalled that Imam Karamo Touray, Kalifa Jatta, Abdoulie Matida were
arrested for belonging to UDP and subjected to gruesome treatment on no
grounds.
“Demba
Ara Sanneh, Yuspha Cham and Duta Kamaso were all arrested when they were
organizing a UDP congress in Brikama and subjected to brutal treatment for many
days.
“Kanyiba
Kanyi was arrested (and) kept incommunicado, still now his whereabouts’ is
unknown. Former Minister of Interior Babucarr Jatta confirmed giving orders to
arrest him see now nobody sees him.”
Darboe
said “Mrs. Duta Kamaso, former female National Assembly member, was arrested,
humiliated and kept incommunicado for many years, Daba Marenah and co. were
disappeared, and April 10 and 11 students killing are many atrocities committed
against its own citizens.
“This
clearly shows that the government has tarnished its own image by exposing
itself to the whole world,” he said.
We
did not feel embarrassed about Amadou Sanneh’s arrest and what has happened to
him – is it the way a genuine country should treat its citizen, he ask. It so
sad that in this country, people are used against one another to maltreat each
other, and I believe that there is nobody above the law, he added.
“If
Amadou Sanneh writes any attestation - that is what he was told by Sambou Fatty
- that his life was under threat and he believes him. This is what he was told
and he feels it is genuine because we have lost many of our supporters in that
way,” says Darboe.
The
UDP is prepared to give legal service to Mr. Sanneh, a motion has already been filed
before the court to have him release conditionally or unconditionally before
any charges are brought against him, he said.
Darboe,
who cut short his visit to the USA because of the allegations against his
party, says the Presideny Jammeh-led government has shown its “true colour” in
the way it treated Mr. Sanneh.
They
made it propaganda on the television, newspapers and radio. This will not
change Gambian minds towards the party, Darboe argued. We believe all these are
cheap propaganda just to discredit the UDP but they cannot, he added.
Jammeh’s
government also branded the UDP a “Mandingo tribal group” but Darboe says the
allegation is “nonsense”. He said “UDP has never been a tribal party and will
never be”.
He
added: “Tribalism has no place in The Gambia and president Jammeh and his
spokesperson should not embark on enterprises of misleading Gambians.”
Mr
Darboe said President Jammeh made that statement for people to “look low upon
Mandinkas”, however, he said Gambians are conscious enough and will not listen
to this misleading statement on tribalism.
He
said there will be no Gambia without ethnic groups like the Wollof, Jola,
Serer, Sarahuleh, Fula, Mangajo and Mandinka - and that UDP have the interest
of this country, the reason it never advocated for tribalism.
We
want our people to be united so that we can achieve our common goal. This
country belongs to all tribes, he added.
“Instead
of President Jammeh addressing the horrible economic hardship, poor health condition,
low education status, and massive youth unemployment, he is going for tribalism,”
Darboe argued
He
encourages Jammeh to address the bad state of roads in the country and the poor
infrastructure to improve the living conditions of Gambians.
Written by Modou S. Joof
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