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Folks,
Is this another bluff from Jammeh? Suing people to court for merely naming his government for being responsible for Deyda's death? If his administration is economical with the truth, Gambians will be obliged to point accusing fingers.
Jammeh woefully failed to address the issues on his so called GRTS interview. Is he telling us that there are rebels in The Gambia? Uncontrolled arms with the civil populace? People harbouring robbers or killers? No this is a joke and a mere cover up. I think there is more to the story. Jammeh has lost grip of
the country and he is bent on employing intimidation tactics to cow his critics. This is the truth behind the whole story.
He talked about the alleged murder of APRC supporter Alieu Njie in a Basse clash with the main opposition UDP. He even said lawyer Darboe was not killed even though he Darboe and his party were linked to Njie's murder. Mr.President, your this statement is worrying in view of the prevailing in security in our country!!!!! You have also
interfered with the pending murder court case in&! nbsp; the Gambian high court. Your statement on the Basse incident tantamount to obstruction of justice and contempt of court. I hope legal luminaries handling Darboe's case will take up the issue with the superior court. The Faraffeni armed attack case is also still pending in the high court, as one of the
accused persons Sonko is appearing before mighty Justice Paul.
Its not time to look for scape goats or excuses. Let address the issues. Period. Please read on......
President Yahya Jammeh has said that his government was not behind the murder of the journalist, Deyda Hydara. Mr Hydara, editor of the mildly critical Fajara-based newspaper, The Point, was shot to death in his car in Kanifing on the 13th anniversary of his paper two weeks ago, by unknown assailants.
Speaking in a panorama interview with Kebba Dibba, GRTS, at the presidential retreat in Kanilai, aired on new year’s eve, President
Jammeh said: “Lots of nasty things are being said about my government. People say my government killed Deyda Hydara. My government is not interested in killing journalists, but we [may] sue them in court for doing things against the law.”
President Jammeh said the accusations of his government’s involvement in the death of the journalist were ridiculous, arguing, “Armed [men] attacked Farafenni camp, killed our soldiers. Ousainou Darboe was accused of killing [Alieu Njie], our [APRC] supporter and was not killed but taken to court.”
President Jammeh said the government security personnel alone are not in possession of arms; that there are armed criminals harboured by Gambians in their homes and communities.
He exhorted Gambians to make the national interest paramount. “If any criminal commits wrong in another country and thinks that they can be harboured here,
that cannot be possible...we are a small country but don’t underrate us,” the president said.
On the outcome of the Paul anti-corruption commission, President Jammeh said: “More heads will roll in 2005.”
He revealed that he was currently st! udying the report and that those found culpable would not be spared as the commission was set up to fight corruption in government. The president said the commission would help government recover the stolen money.
“The commission’s setting up was timely because the corrupt [officials] were not at that time transferring their account overseas. Operation no compromise will continue and the corrupt will be sacked,” he said.
Meanwhile, in his official new year message to the nation, President Jammeh expressed condolences at the devastating earthquake in Asia.
He said 2004 has been a year of “mixed results for the people of
the world; a year that can be described as being both very good and bad...”
He said in The Gambia “the ugly head of banditry in the form of unexplained brutal and fatal attacks on individuals occurred. Such cowardly un-Gambian acts have created serious blurs to the well-known peace loving, tolerant and law-abiding nature of the people of this co! untry and will have to be rooted out.”
On the positive side, he said the year saw the “gallant” celebration of the ten years of the July 22 revolution “crowned by unprecedented mass support along the length and breadth of the country.”
The President called for all hands to be on deck “to ensure that we succeed in our national endeavours and our ardent tasks to advance growth and development as a nation... Without the collective commitment, will and integrity, our country cannot and will not develop... We must remember that as a
country, the biggest resource we have is the people and even if we succeeded in improving individual capacities, there will be be no meaningful development without the right attitude and sense of duty and responsibilities that all must possess, show or demonstrate in nation building.”
The President said it was against that background that he instituted commissions of enquiry “to address issues about our attitudes towards work, public ethics an! d towards the assets and property that we collectively own.”
He said despite his government’s relentless efforts to create the enabling environment, “it is often disheartening to see that this has not been matched equally with right mind sets and attitudes. Unless we change our attitudes and change them positively, the commissions and Operation No Compromise will continue to weed out the undesirable elements who do more harm than good to
society’s wealth and wealth creation efforts. We will therefore in the coming year and beyond ensure that all forms of social and economic saboteurs are dealt with mercilessly as well as ensure that the younger generation of Gambians are given appropriate orientation to enhance their future contribution in national development.
President Jammeh called on all Gambians “irrespective of tribe, party, age and religion to join hands and work for the continued peace, progress and development of the country for the benefit of all.”
© Copyright 2003 by Observer Company
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