My Release Will Be Meaningless If…
The defiant United Democratic Party (UDP) leader and his comrades have returned to Mile II Prison after appearing before a judge this morning for bail application.
Lawyer Ousainou Darboe and comrades return followed after so many sticking points were argued in the court, including the contentious issue of the whereabouts of Solo Sandeng and some of the youths who were arrested on April 14th.
Lawyer Darboe conditioned his bail on the government to produce Solo Sandeng dead or alive. He insisted that his release from prison would be meaningless if Solo, Ms Fatoumata Jawara and Ms Nokoi Njie as well as others arrested on April 14th were to remain in state custody.
Consequently the case has been adjourned to Monday April 25th when they will appear before the court once again. Lawyer and his executive as well as party militants arrested with him were in defiant mood. They insisted that what they are going through is a price worth paying for.
Interesting the state has today produced Ms Fatou Camara, one of the women arrested with Solo Sandeng on April 14th.
Earlier in the morning, Lawyer Darboe and co were brought in court under heavy security. Very few people were allowed in the court room. But the vast majority of the UDP supporters defiantly waited outside the perimeter fence of the courthouse.
Interestingly, the case attracted huge interest from even diplomats accredited to Banjul some of whom sent representatives to observe the court proceedings.
Ends
Poor Darboe, you earned my respect and I stand by you in this trial. You show your commitment that you would not let your people down no matter the price.
However, my concern as has always been is the silent majority of Gambians. Where are the over hundred thousand people who vote for him? What role are you willing to play in all this episode. Are you going to remain sitting unconcerned and unaffected when the old man is doing this for you??? Or you are going to be those in the diaspora who would push you into the streets but would not even call out from work once to attend protests in the west because they don’t want to lose a pay check.
How unreliable and untrustworthy our people are. They all disappear in thin air when their presence and solidarity is needed most.
A lesson for all that the Gambian people are not to be relied on for a mass protest.
Gambia you are totally wrong. This was the same music sang by some Tunisians skeptics, some Egyptians and some Burkinabes skeptics. In fact these DOOM singers are the real enablers of dictatorship more than the soldiers and the incumbents sycophants. What you doom singers failed to understand is that the silent mass are not party militants, they are ordinary citizens who will only react when their economic and financial livelihood become unbearable and the Gambia is fast drifting economically.
You as a PDOIS supporter preferred to see Halifa in Lawyer Ousseynou Darboe’s international and national LIMELIGHT but helas! Halifa does not have the heart.
Inshallah UDP and the ordinary masses will be the catalyst for PDOIS to strive and compete fairly in a democratic environment.
YES, you can keep writing sovereign letters and press releases in your comfort zone while the BRAVE take the heat for your freedom.
May Allah the Almighty make Solo Sandeng’s soul the KEY to freedom from bondage.
Remember the WITCH HUNTING..? Who stood up among the opposition leaders for the victims and got arrested, detained, charged and taken to court..?
Please, let’s concentrate efforts on fighting impunity together, rather than showing favouritism between leaders, who are all doing their parts in this struggle…
Great my brother Bax, now we can discuss without prejudice. Firstly the secret witch society, the Bar association, the Press association, the Transport union are all societies visible or invisible and should fight for their cause openly and publicly and call for public support. So if Halifa comes to a rescue of the invisible one “LOL” he is looking for votes. LOL.
UDP and Lawyer Mandela Darboe’s fight is about electoral reforms that benefits ALL and SUNDRY including the electorate and political parties. This fight therefore is not for a specific section of the nation, it is for the Gambia’s democratic process that affects the lives of each and everyone of us. This graduates Him and Solo to the sobriquets of Biko and Mandela.
Secondly always bear in mind that the majority of citizens are not party militants but are voters in waiting and are closely watching the political environment. The masses mostly react on economic and financial hardships and as you know the Gambia’s economy has reached a point were survival becomes a nightmare. This will be the most determining factor that will make them go in the street and demand that the dictator who enjoys life ALONE should now vacate since he is not working for the public interest. If you study the Burkinabe history, you will see that this is exactly what happened and after 27 years of Blaise’s selfishness and brutality, the masses finally sent him running for his life.
As you rightly said, we are all in this together and should close ranks to accelerate the downfall of our chief witch hunter.
Deyda Heidara, thanks for this. The sovereign letters have now reached a saturation point. I and as many others do not see any genuine meaning or messages in those sovereign letters or history lessons. In fact the reality is that the more PDOIS speaks or writes the more they expose themselves.
It is a pity but you are not alone…There are many like you, even in this day and age, who are dumb, deaf and blind (as they are labelled by the Holy Quran), who will not see anything good in what they oppose, even divine scriptures.
We can all attest to the habitual blatant lies DEVIL yaya jammeh is known for; the whole world are now witnesses to what Gambians are enduring for past 22 years; Ousainou have been fighting & continue to fight for our country; we are all behind him & stand by our comrades & UDP in particular…..
No amounts of fabricated lies, persecution & oppressive tendencies can dampen our spirits & resolved determinations to liberate our motherland; the batons will be passed on; & where a comrade falls, another will pick up the baton until total liberation…..
Those murdered in captivity have been marked for elimination; the Murderous Oppressive kanilai Killer DEVIL & devilish cohorts can mark us all but can’t kill all of us; there’s no retreat & no surrender; our comrades must all be accounted for, dead or alive….
Devil yaya jammeh & murderous cohorts must know this fight is just tip of the iceberg; all of them & their families are potential tangible targets until total liberation of the Gambia….
Kairo new can you shed the light on the inter-party MOU that was allegedly sign by party leaders in the Gambia today? UDP & APRC allegedly sign the same document ?? what a travesty.
On the contrary, I think the UDP (and all opposition parties) has demonstrated great maturity to sign a MOU for political stability. It is an act that proves that they view national stability as a priority that supersedes all else.
Currently, various warring factions in Syria, who have been killing each other, are engaged in a diplomatic process to end the conflict . It is not wrong to sit down and talk with your adversary. The fact that the recalcitrant and arrogant APRC has agreed to sign a MOU with the opposition should be a victory for the opposition.
We salute Lawyer Dabo for courage , calmness and selfless sacrifice. We are all Lawyer Dabo today !
Deyda, what you are denying is as plain as the Gambian sun at noon. Darboe went out with his executive to fight for the release of Solo.
It is 7 days today. Where have you and your likes been? Have you been part of any demo in the Gambia since their arrest?? No. And you would never be. I wonder if you would even attend his court as a spectator.
The Arabs sustained the momentum and never relented. They stood their ground and the security was left with no option but to retreat. Supporters even flew home from abroad to join. They sent them enough money for all the logistics as long as it takes. Are you doing the same? No.
He was arrested since Saturday mid day. He asked for the release of Solo dead or alive. Are you and your likes demanding for his release as he did for Solo? No. You are in your home complaining because you don’t want to be arrested too. You betrayed him.
If you are true to what you are saying, why don’t you go out as he sacrificed for you.
Until you take up the street and sustain the momentum, you have done what you do best, that is betray your leaders as you did to Femi, Amadou, Jobarteh, late Syngle and everyone.
I am in the Gambia, I am home and I network with people on the ground every blessed day. You and your boss Halifa Sallah love Jammeh more than the Gambia. Why don’t you join the APRC? you are ripe to cross carpet. Be brave and take the move for Halifa Sallah and PDOIS hate the opposition.
Hard to swallow your comment, but that’s a simple fact. Thank you, Gambia and head up!
I simply cannot believe that Udp supporters would go to the High Court and hang around the perimeter fence when they should have been conducting peaceful protest on Independence Drive. Disgraceful!!!
You have a right to be disgusted at the attitude of your fellow UDP supporters, but I think you should be disgusted at the attitude of all Gambian youths who are not supporting Yaya Jammeh.
Thank you Lafia, you have spoken. This is my take, if Darboe can go to the street with his officials, what are the thousands of supporters waiting for? What are we willing to sacrifice for our leaders and party? Solo died for Gambia, no question, Darboe got arrested and going to court for him, who speaks for Darboe.
Max and Deyda as the biggest propagators of protest never booked an air ticket for Banjul. Where are your family members. Why didn’t you ask them to represent you.
Lafia, you have seen the hypocrisy in most of the party loyalists. Shame on them for betraying the poor old icons.
I am in the Gambia, I am home and I network with people on the ground every blessed day. You and your boss Halifa Sallah love Jammeh more than the Gambia. Why don’t you join the APRC? you are ripe to cross carpet. Be brave and take the move for Halifa Sallah and PDOIS hate the opposition.
We the militants and executive of the UDP are strategist and will not expose our actions online where you the NIA informants can take it and get paid for valuable informations. We are TOO smart to fall on your wolf traps.
Deyda, the Deliberate Detractors against Darboe’s Heroism are out in force. Ignore them.
Lafia, Darboe’s Supporters are at Court. You don’t know the Power of the Crowd’s Silent Presence at that particular Court because you have never experienced it. I was there with the Crowd when the judge released Chief Super. Dibba from Mile 2 in 2008. The Silent Crowd’s support was Electric. Even Ben Jammeh turned in defiance against Yahya Jammeh that day – and gave evidence to free Dibba. Ben was then sacked again and jailed.
Gambia, you are comparing apples and bananas: the Arabs destroyed their countries; Lawyer Darboe and his people have no intention of destroying their country. But you Gambia are a DD – a Deliberate Detractor like my in-law Bax. Poor Lafia fell for the DD’s trick.
My in law, how can we be DD…All we ask for is for things to be put in their proper perspective.
It is DH who is engaged in DD by stating what is blatantly false…”Halifa loves Jammeh and hates opposition”…This is utter rubbish that is distracting and distorting the reality on the ground..
DH can continue to live in his fantasy world but the reality is that no individual or group can achieve change by themselves in The Gambia. Change will come only when all put efforts together, party militants and non party militants.
The blame game will not work and the sooner we realise this, the better. As I type this response, I am listening to a very sensible voice on this medium’s radio, advising against the very things that DH does here..
I hope the electricity of the silent majority erupts sooner, rather than later…and where it matters most: The streets..
My in-law, DH has a point in that Halifa was Jammeh’s MOJA and Pan-African Socialism GURU – before Jammeh succumbed to the lure of Arab Money and Arab Islamism. Teacher and student relationships always run deep – though in this case BOTH have always had a political interest in keeping away from each other!
Anyway, Darboe has like Caesar before him cross the Rubicon and whatever happens carved himself a heroic place in the nations history.
Ironically, my old friend Sheriff Bojang too has crossed the Rubicon – though in his case I think it was the humiliation of his “father” Amadou Samba in Dakar that pushed Sheriff over. Sheriff may carve himself a place in The Gambia’s history too – but possibly that of a villain like Gorbels.
It is indeed a dramatic time in The Gambia and we helpless bystanders watch with bated breathe.
Hydara, Dida has clearly stated the reason why these confused disciples are on this forum, that is they are distractors who have no respect for Gambian people. I think it is better you redirect your energy because you cannot convince untruthful and dishonest human beings. They have mastered the act of dishonesty. They can’t shut up because they always have to say nonsense. I advise Bax to shut up but he won’t listen. This is not the time to bring their party ideology into national tragedy. The protest was about national issue and this was why solo Sanderg and others didn’t put on any party symbol. If you cannot support the protesters, it is better you shut up.
Max you have a problem and i don’t think even the UDP has a remedy to it talk less of PDOIS.
Bamba, it is only dishonest citizen like you who will say I have a problem. I cannot stand or sit to see lies and dishonesty being spread here without confronting it. Was this protest about UDP or electoral reforms for all Gambians? Stop the hypocrisy and say the truth.
Thank you bamba. The problem is as obvious as the noonday sun, but he can’t see it because he is rabidly obsessed with Halifa and PDOIS, for all the wrong reasons…Very sad indeed…