Waa Juwara Unapologetic! Says Peaceful Demo Obtains in Democracy The Independent (Banjul) NEWS November 3, 2003 Posted to the web November 3, 2003 By S.b. Camara Banjul The fiery firebrand of the National Democratic Action Movement (NDAM) has emerged from jail more defiant and unapologetic over his call for Gambians to register their disenchantment in a peaceful, orderly and non-violent demonstration as is supposed to be the norm in any democratic country. An unapologetic Lamin Waa Juwara still angry over his "arbitrary detention" told The Independent that he was merely in "exercise of certain provisions in our democratic constitution by calling on Gambians to demonstrate against the ills under which we are living Today." According to Juwara, it is quite normal in any democratic setting for people to demonstrate and vent their spleen about any issue of a national dimension bothering their lives. He said that even in neighbouring Senegal and the United States, mass protests are allowed as part of the democratic culture in those countries. He also said any leadership misrepresenting a call for a peaceful mass protest, as subversive activity does not need to be branded democratic and does not embrace the call for openness. "Peaceful demonstrations are a normal way of life in any democratic society. The current situation in the country warrants a peaceful demonstration to let those in power know how good or how bad they are managing the country's affairs," he posited. Mr. Juwara, who was also previously detained in the course of the transition period and the return to democracy in 1996 questioned why "President Jammeh should lose his nerve and order for his arrest when he knows that a demonstration is an acceptable means of showing to the government of the day how much their policies have stifled the lives of ordinary Gambians." Mr. Juwara also claimed that he was detained in Cell No 3 of the Mile Two Prisons, a cell next to that of former AFPRC junta vice chairman Captain Sanna Sabally. He explained that with all his comfortless experience of numerous arrests, detentions and jailing since 1994, "I can only come to the conclusion that the NIA were behind my arrest, and they could only have acted on a directive from President Jammeh. If I had committed sedition, why didn't the regular police force effect my arrest? Even the Brikama police could have done that," he said. Juwara explained that after the mandatory 72-hour deadline of his detention elapsed, the police had refrained from preferring charges against him, knowing that such charges under a democratic constitution would be ludicrous and baseless. "Taking me to Mile Two without a court order is not a normal conduct by the police," he said, noting that the order must have emanated from the president. On the condition under which he was detained, the NDAM leader claimed that he underwent "all sorts of psychological torture, despite the police claiming that my family members were allowed to see me. They refused to provide me with all the requirements of a detainee, who at the time, could have been presumed innocent until proven guilty," he charged, confidently claiming that while he was under the custody of the Serious Crime Unit he wasn't provided with any food for 72 hours, was abandoned to sleep on the bare floor of his cell and denied bath for three days. Despite his latest tribulation, Lamin Waa Juwara said he is far from shaken and that the solidarity he had received from Gambians at home and abroad "had solidified my resolve to continue the struggle against the Gambian dictatorship". He expressed his determination to stay the cause and issued words of commendation for his counterparts in other parties like the GPP's Hassan Musa Camara, PPP's OJ Jallow, UDP's Ousainou Darboe, PDOIS' Halifa Sallah and NRP's Hamat Bah and Dulo Bah who he said had bravely summoned the admirable courage to unreservedly denounce his "arbitrary" detention and mobilised Gambians at home and in the diaspora to lend weight to calls for his unconditional release. Juwara emphasised that whatever shades of opinion other people might have held about him calling for mass protest, he was sure he was within his rights as a citizen to demonstrate his discontentment with the deteriorating standard of living in the country, which he blamed on what he called "misapplied policies" by the current administration. "And nobody in his right mind will think that Gambians have cause to celebrate when their condition is deteriorating by the day" Juwara emphasised, adding: "The Gambian people are more resolved today than ever before, to stand together and fight for their right to liberty, dignity and prosperity". ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright © 2003 The Independent. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ To Search in the Gambia-L archives, go to: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/CGI/wa.exe?S1=gambia-l To contact the List Management, please send an e-mail to: [log in to unmask] To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~