Culled from the Daily Observer


Baba Jobe, an assistant secretary at the Office of the President, formerly
head of defunct July 22 Movement, yesterday summoned a press briefing at the
old cabinet room, State House, to react to criticisms levelled against him
and his alleged involvement in the recent fatal political clashes in Basse.

Refuting popular "misconceptions" about himself, Mr Jobe said he was not a
terrorist and that he has never been brought before any law court on
terrorism or related charges.

He said the ousted Jawara government had interrogated and detained him on
several occasions when he entered The Gambia from overseas trips and that a
section of the same "oligarchy" now in the UDP still feel uncomfortable with
him and accuse him of being a terrorist devoted to intimidating
anti-government groups and individuals.

Mr Jobe said as a civil servant who ran for political office in the last
legislative elections, he has the right to be absorbed into the civil
service as well as to defend the interest of the government.

He also disputed the notion that he is 'co-president' with exceptional
powers, saying he is not immune to the law. "I will answer to any court,
even on terrorism charges."



Basse clash

Mr Jobe further denied claims that he orchestrated the UDP-APRC
confrontation at Basse and that he was hiding in the bushes during the fatal
incident.

He said he heard of the incident "when everything was over," adding that he
led the APRC youth wing delegation to Basse to pay condolences to the
bereaved family and ensure that the APRC supporters in the area "do not take
the law into their own hands by attempting to revenge which would have been
more catastrophic."

Mr Jobe also refuted tearing some statements obtained by the Basse police
from persons involved in the encounter, saying, "Who am I to do that? I
don't have that supreme power at all."

He went on to state that recent upheavals have indicated that elements
within the UDP are "the real terrorists" instead of him because "they
brutally butchered" an individual to death.

He accused the UDP of being "a photocopy" of the former PPP regime, citing
Lamin Waa Juwara as the man who troubled district authorities in divisions
as a commissioner in the deposed Jawara administration.

Mr Jobe referred to the APRC as "The  most democratic government The Gambia
ever had" in that it separates the executive, the judiciary and the
legislative arms of government and conducted  nationwide consultations
during the transition,  seeking the consent of Gambians on how they wanted
to be ruled.

He said "President Jammeh is a highly democratic leader whom we are ready to
sacrifice our lives for."

He argued that the UDP national president, Sam Silla, should now be facing a
war crimes tribunal in The Hague rather than heading a 'so-called'
democratic party.

Present at the press briefing were Fatoumatta Jahumpa-Ceesay and the deputy
British high commissioner, Bharat Joshi.






Mori

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L
Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html

----------------------------------------------------------------------------