Culled from The Point

Police Incapacitated By APRC Thugs

Mr. Sam Sarr, a member of the opposition People’s Democratic Organisation
for Independence and Socialism (PDOIS), has said that they were told by the
police that their security could not be guaranteed in the village of Foni
Sangajor, when what he called thugs believed to be APRC supporters denied
them the right to hold meeting.

Speaking in a telephone interview with The Point on Saturday, Mr. Sarr
explained how they were confronted by government supporters in Bwiam. “There
were some thugs in Bwiam who were using little children between the ages of
seven and may be 18 to disrupt the meeting. They were chanting and
brandishing green flags and so on. But they were ignored, since our
intention was to deliver a message to the people and we continued until the
meeting ended,” he said.

Mr. Sarr added that they proceeded to Sangajor when the alkalo, supported by
some elders, insisted that they would not hold a meeting there. Soon after
the police arrived, advising them not to go ahead. There was an argument.
“Well, we insisted that we had the right to hold a meeting. But in the end
the police said they could not guarantee our safety if we continued with the
meeting.” Mr. Sarr continued, “Since the police could not guarantee our
safety we decided to postpone the Sangajor meeting.” He added “We had a
meeting in Kalagi the next day.”

According to Sam Sarr, the thugs were chanting slogans like “...we need
Yahya, we don’t need Old Pa, we need Yahya...” So if you go by their chants
and the flags they were brandishing you can say that they were APRC
supporters. Sarr added “This is not the first time we had a meeting in the
Fonis. We had successful meetings in Bwaim in the past years. But this is
the first time something like this had actually happened.” When asked: “Why
do you think you should be treated like this? Does this mean you are not
popular in the Fonis?” In response Mr. Sarr had this to say: “Well I am
saying this is not the question of popularity. The issue I am saying ... you
know.. if it is a question of popularity then let the individuals just go
and disappear in their homes.”

SM Dibba Brands APRC/UDP As Political Ignorants SM Dibba, one of Gambia’s
long standing politicians in The Gambia, has accused the APRC and the main
opposition UDP of being politically ignorant, saying that they could not run
the affairs of the state.

Speaking at a mass political rally in Farafenni on Thursday, the NCP leader,
Sheriff Mustapha Dibba, said that the increase in commodity prices is due to
lack of experience of the APRC government, saying that bodyguards were
trained to maintain security. Therefore, according to him, allowing them to
occupy the position of state administration was the worst accident that
Gambians could have ever encountered. Mr. Dibba said, “Once a soldier,
always a soldier. That was why I was the first person to condemn the
military takeover despite the fact that we were interested in changing the
former regime,” he explained.

Mr. Dibba urged voters not to again vote for the APRC which he branded of
still being a military regime whose principles are based on intimidation,
torture, arrest detentions and killings. He observed that voting for the
APRC in the 1996 presidential polls was the greatest mistake by Gambians,
noting that if the same is repeated in the October polls it would spell the
final down-fall of the Gambian nation

. The NCP flag bearer alleged that the inexperience and immaturity of the
APRC government led to diplomatic tension between The Gambia and sister
countries “because the military think that in order to be able to run state
affairs one should emphasize power on people.” He finally accused Jammeh of
being more corrupt than even his predecessor, saying, “before the July 94
coup, there was less than D100 in Yahya Jammeh’s pocket but today he can buy
more than fifty vehicles for only his political campaign. Can’t we ask
ourselves where all this fund comes from,” he quizzed.

For the main opposition UDP, SM Dibba told militants amidst heavy
jubilation, that voting for Lawyer Darboe would not solve the problem. He
said that the coalition flag bearer is politically ignorant, adding that
this was why he accepted to be surrounded by the former PPP which he accused
of being solely responsible for today’s burden on Gambians.

Daboe Takes Issue With Gambian Students The presidential flag bearer of the
UDP, GPP and PPP Coalition, Lawyer Ousainou Darboe, has wondered whether
Gambian students have approved or disapproved of what has happened on April
10 and 11 last year when over a dozen school children were gunned down by
agents of Yahya Jammeh. “Gambian youths, particularly those students who
reached the voting age of eighteen, have a big responsibility to chart the
destiny and influence the decision- making process in our dear nation in the
next five years,” said Darboe.

Mr. Darboe threw a challenge last Saturday while addressing thousands of
jubilant party supporters and sympathisers in Janjanbureh as part of his
countrywide tour towards the October 18 presidential elections. Mr. Darboe
reminded Gambian students about the death of one Bamba Jobarteh of Armitage
High School who was a colleague, friend and a roommate and who all knew was
tortured by agents of Yahya Jammeh. This statement made by Mr. Darboe sent
thousands of the crowded gathering into complete silence while most people
bent and shook their heads.

Mr. Darboe further told the gathering that the Gambian students owed it to
the same Bamba Jobarteh to help make sure that those responsible for the act
were subjected to the due process of law.

Lawyer Darboe also told students that he was sure that if they had the power
and authority to prosecute those who killed their comrades, they would
prosecute all of them. He then asked young people to give chance to those
who would help lighten the grief by voting for the coalition on October
18th.

On the media, Mr. Darboe vowed to allow a free, viable and independent press
in the country. Government Promises Pay Rise, “No Credit Buying” For Farmers
The APRC government has promised a rise in the price of groundnut for the
farmers, come this year’s trade season. Speaking at a rally in Galleh-Manda
as President Jammeh’s campaign continue over the weekend, Yankuba Touray,
Tourism Secretary, revealed that there would be no problem with this year’s
groundnut trade season. He said: “Shortly after the election, the
Agriculture Secretary would announce the price of your nuts and President
Jammeh told me that there would be no credit buying,” adding that the
President would be ready to use his salary to avoid any unforeseen credit
buying problem.

He described Jammeh as a leader who stands for development and fulfills all
his promises and this would be verified during the next season.

He castigated the opposition as useless people who could do nothing for the
people. He also thanked the people for their expressed support and love for
the president and APRC. The chief of the area, Mr. Fa Lai Baldeh, expressed
the belief that the election was over as the president had already swept the
polls. He argued that the president was not a wasteful president as claimed
by the opposition. Instead, he went on, he was out for development as
evident in the numerous schools, roads and other projects executed by him
within the past seven years.

He thanked the president for boreholes and schools provided in his village.
Other speakers included the alkalo of Galleh Manda, Dam Jagne, who also
pledged his peoples’ support for President Jammeh. President Jammeh for his
part thanked the people for their support, saying the coming five years
would even witness more development projects.





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