Police Refuse To Give Us Permit For Meetings - Ousainou Darboe
Point News (Banjul)
July 21, 2000
Banjul - Lawyer Ousainou Darboe, UDP leader, yesterday told the press about a letter received from the Inspector General of Police refusing his party permits to hold political meetings anywhere in the country.
He said the IGP's letter alleged that the UDP had been violating the conditions attached to their approved permits.
The UDP leader then read in full the IGP's letter, as follows:
"I am directed to inform you that your application has not been approved due to the fact that:
a) The UDP have been violating the conditions attached to the approved permits.
b) From the police view, UDP political rallies always violate conditions of the Public Order Act, by using abusive words on government authorities or individuals within the government.
There is already an alleged criminal charge for murder against the party leader Mr. Ousainou Darboe and 24 others and the case is before the High Court.
The application for a permit for the use of public address system at mass rally at the Sixth Junction near to Serrekunda Primary slated for Saturday 15th July 2000 will not be considered until you are prepared to comply with the conditions attached to permits as stipulated under the Public Order Act.
Sorry for any inconveniencies it may cause. Signed: The Inspector General of police."
Darboe told the press, "We gave the letter of the IGP to IEC, the minister of the Interior, and our lawyers are also working on the IG's letter. We have not yet decided what to do. When we get their response then we will know what to do."
Darboe also told the press, "The charges against me and the others are meant to silence the UDP. The APRC has lost grounds everywhere, even in the Fonis. The kind of letter sent to me will not come during the time of Rex King or Pa Sallah Jagne. Sankung Badjie the present IG is biased, he is affiliated to the APRC."
"Sankung is not fit to be the IGP because of his political affiliation." The UDP, Darboe said, will continue to castigate Jammeh's government for corruption, lack of concern for Gambians, the failed economy and its lack of regard for human rights. We will not apologize to anyone. Anyone holding a public office, a high post, is subject to scrutiny by the public.
Among other things, he said that "in many government departments either the majority is UDP, or a sizeable number is UDP. Some of the ministers and top government officials are UDP, they are only with the APRC government because of their positions." "UDP is now in the majority in this country," he said.
"We appeal to Gambians, especially APRC supporters, to bring sanity, their members should be law-abiding."
"The Gambia is at war with itself, July 22nd movement members are thugs terrorising people," he declared.
"With the recent alleged coup plot, there was no member of the UDP, only the rank and file in Jammeh's government was involved," the opposition said.
"We condemn the July 22nd Anniversary. Jammeh's government came by coup and maintained the coup in the1996 elections. He used the army and other security forces, and stole our results. It's still a coup d'etat government. It's an irony to celebrate the 1994 coup."
"What OAU did to General Robert Guei of Cote d'Ivoire was good; it expelled him from the OAU summit in Togo," Darboe pointed out.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Copyright (c) 2000 Point News. Distributed via Africa News Online (www.africanews.org).
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L
Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
