SIDIA REACTS TO JUWARA

Mr Jatta was reacting to comments made by Lamin Waa Juwara former opposition leader now APRC Minister for Regional Administration and Lands, on this paper's Wednesday edition that “none of the opposition political parties will survive its leader owing to the way in which they were structured”.

Speaking to The Standard yesterday, Mr Jatta said: “If I like tomorrow I will go off the political scene and PDOIS will be stronger than ever before. If Halifa likes he will tomorrow go off the political scene and the party will continue to survive in a better way. A party worthy of the name does not exist for a human being. A party is an instrument of leadership. And if it fulfils that responsibility there is nothing that can kill it. I don't want to make any speculations but we shall see what will happen to the APRC party after the demise of President Jammeh. How did the schools and hospitals built by APRC party come about? The fundamental question we should ask ourselves is how these schools and hospitals came about and how they are maintained? We should also ask ourselves how much money we put into the coffers of the nation. How do you compare that to what we are now having? APRC party has been governing this country for 18 years. And for 18 years, poverty is on increase. The first responsibility of a government is to ensure that people have food to eat. And always ensure that people have all the essential social services that they need and cannot do without. But for 18 years, the APRC has been administering hospitals which could not meet the fundamental medical needs of the people of this country. How many patients are declared by the RVTH medical board that they cannot be treated here and are still lying about in the country? We want to know what is happening to those patients. Don't they have a right to be treated?  The medical board has indicated that such people cannot be treated here but they can be treated elsewhere. We know that some other people in this country when they fall sick they go for treatment elsewhere in the world. Have you ever gone for treatment at RVTH without being referred to a drugs store? If that is happening to our main referral hospital, what about the health centres throughout the country? There are health centres operating without electricity. And all these problems have been accumulating for 18 years and you are now telling me APRC is meeting the needs and aspirations of the people. How many students graduate from high schools? How is the education system addressing the problem of students who cannot continue their education to high schools?”

July 22 takeover
The Wuli politician who had been successfully returned to parliament by his people until deciding to boycott the elections this year contended: “I think the APRC government is in fundamental contradiction with itself. President Jammeh condemned the coup in Mali and asserted that coup leaders in that country must leave power. Jammeh made this statement because the fundamental principle of African Union is that any government that comes to power through force is not a government that they will ever recognise. Now the question is, how did Jammeh come to power? Jammeh condemned the coup d'état in Mali and if he was not in contradiction with himself he would not think of celebrating a coup d'état in The Gambia. What happened in The Gambia was a coup d'état. It was not a revolution. A revolution is a cleansing exercise that cleans a country politically. But what happened here dirtied The Gambia politically. Jammeh stole power from the people and imposes himself on the people. So it cannot be called a revolution.  The government they overthrew was a popularly elected government of The Gambia. PDOIS was an alternative government to the PPP government because we felt and still feel that their policy options could not address the fundamental needs of this country. As an alternative, we created PDOIS. I am still playing my role as a public trustee which I have been doing since 1986.”