That is the highest level of hypocrisy. Mr Sallah is speaking from both sides of his mouth. Not so long ago, at the very beginning of the Transition, he said it was unconstitutional to appoint Mrs Tambajang the VP but now he is calling for a Transitional Justice System to deal with open criminal issues as happened in Kanilai. What is criminal must not be defended by anyone Halifa. You must be consistent with your principles, because you have a sizable following who swallow whatever you uttered. You are a sociologist by training, a politician by choice but a Constitutional Guru by intent. You are not a trained legal mind by any means. Reading the constitution and trying to interpret it legally can be misleading for you and your readership. Please try and have a legal adviser to help you decipher and properly interpret the constitution before reading quotes to suit your purpose. Constitution this, constitution that, is not the priority of our nation at this juncture. We need to secure the hard fought and won battle against tyranny and misrule we were subjected to in the pass 22 years. Sadly, you subtly endorsed tyranny at the beginning. And we know the reasons for your actions and inactions then and now. We know that the Kanilai riots were, and still are serious security risks.
The fact that you gave credence to the baseless claim that ECOMIG forces are occupying the Gambia, as claimed by the supporters of Yaya Jammeh in Kanilai shows how little regard you have for the rule of law and the constitution that you proclaimed yourself the guardian angel of.
ECOMIG was created by ECOWAS which is the only subregional body mandated to do so and agreed to and signed by the constitutionally elected president of the Gambia. ECOMIG had since conducted itself professional everywhere else in the whole Gambia except Kanilai. Is that not telling enough to you Halifa. Who then do you think needs inward looking, ECOMIG, the rebellious people of Foni or yourself, Halifa Sallah. No part of Gambia is against the presence of ECOMIG except Foni and PDOIS by your utterance in your conference today. This is the highest level of political suicide that can be committed by any political party. It is only a political leader like you who will make such destructive comments in the Gambia today. You have nothing to loose because PDOIS will not be allowed to contest any political position without formidable challenge from other stronger parties. It is not surprising as you rejected similar pronouncements when Kanilai was declared a security threat by Minister Tambajang before and she is proven right by recent happenings in Kanilai, also you denied that Dictator Jammeh stole large amounts of money from the Central Bank of the Gambia before he and Honorable Mai Ahmad Fatty was vindicated when accounts were taken by Ministry of Finance. So are wrong again and misleading the public.
The whole press conference is full divisive innuendo and political posturing that serves you alone. One thing is clear Halifa is that you have shown your true color and intention. You are full of grudge and bad intentions towards the government and by implications Gambia at large.
You refused to participate in the governance process when called upon because you failed in your bid to be the presidential candidate, you rejected the position offered you and refused to extend the opportunity to other PDOIS members to serve as cabinet ministers. Why?
Despite all that, UP allowed you to contest the NA election without putting up any UP candidate against you hence ensuring your victory. This is how true patriots behave. You claimed to be a part of the Coalition Government but no that is false, you are the most vicious opponent of the Coalition Government and you must be treated as such henceforth.
Touray Saidy-Khan
Source: Facebook
Ends
”You claimed to be a part of the Coalition Government but no that is false, you are the most vicious opponent of the Coalition Government and you must be treated as such henceforth.” This statement sums it all up.
Halifa Sallah is a monster and a betrayer to the entire nation. Remember this is your last chance because we all know that you have two faces. The trouble with you is that you think you know all. I was your big fan for the past 30 years just now that i realized you are not what i think of you. You are a disgrace to human race. Please resign for your own safety . Shame on you
Modou, what is he going to resign from. From servicing his nation and humanity ? Then die in your rage because you shall never ever witness that in your life. For the threat on his life by those of you who hate him that much our message for you is ”come and try”. We are ready for you all.
Halifa Sallah is not an intelligent or educated politician by any standard . With all the noises he keep ringing into his disciples hears , he is not a well trained sociologist because he lack the basic understanding and knowledge of Gambian politics , culture and society in general . His highest level of education is bachelor’s degree in sociology which just the basic foundation to advance to highest level like masters or PhDs holders who are trained specialists . Therefore he is not qualified to be called a sociologist because he has never learned sociology at highest level. Halifa is good at one thing only , that is to quote the constitution but he also lack basic understanding of constitution or constitutional provisions . Anyone can quote the constitution to make any statement. Example, since president Barrow took over , we have seen a rise in so called ” constitutionalists” who claimed to have expertise in constitution . This new phenomenon in Gambia’s politics is because of euphoria associated with removal of brutal dictator. Halifa Sallah claimed to be constitutionalist but sadly he is very ignorant and arrogant about the law . How can someone with a basic foundation of sociology can be called a trained sociologist or constitutionalist?
Unfortunately for the Gambian people, especially people who listen to his useless rambling and nonsensical talk or perhaps word salads , he sound educated but truth to be told , Halifa is just an empty barrel .
The man has no respect for rule of law or the constitution. He was an agent of military dictatorship and he is still sympathetic to jammeh and his cronies . He condemned Mrs Tambajang when she voiced her concern about national security and desire to have jammeh face justice. she is vindicated like mai fatty is also vindicated. Mr Sallah was only interested in negotiation during the impasse to ensure that Jammeh’s properties can be protected and to exempt him from facing justice. It is such belief that Mr Sallah mentioned in his usual rambling press statement that President Barrow should have committed himself to the negotiation. He is currently using kanillia incident for his selfish interest.
Shame on you Max for engaging in personal attacks against Hon Sallah. You are the worst kind of person, as far as politics is concerned. Shame on you for lying against Hon Sallah. Show where he stated that Barrow should have committed himself to the negotiations. The statement and video of press conference are still available.
Quote from the statement or indicate at what point in the press conference did he make this false statement you are attributing to him.
All you guys should chill and follow the politics and unfolding realities on the ground. Keep your eyes on the ball because Hon Sallah has his firmly on the ball.
Halifa Sallah said “Kanilai is the home town of ex –President Jammeh, who left the country under an agreement with the UN, AU and ECOWAS negotiators for him to leave in a haste by getting assurance that his properties and supporters would be protected. The UN, AU and ECOWAS negotiators did not proceed to sign a document with President Barrow to get him to also Commit himself to the declaration of intent of the negotiators”.
First of all , why Mr Sallah uttered this statement in his useless press conference which was not based on facts? What has jammeh’s properties to do with protest ? Did the protesters ever mentioned that they protested because they wanted jammeh’s properties to be protected? In his usual hypocritical statement, he wrote such suspended statements to incite APRC members in kanillia that president barrow refused to honor or commit himself to the intent of negotiation which was to protect the properties of Dictator . Halifa who was a member of coalition leadership, in essence told us that president Barrow did not commit himself to letter and spirit of negotiation which was to protect dictator jammeh’s properties and supporters, thus Ecomig forces failed to protect APRC supporters and jammeh’s properties.
Mr Sallah also claimed that the detail of the event were not clear because journalists who were invited to the protest were late and details of video footages also were not clear or are sketchy . So where did he get this information from? If Mr Sallah is a responsible National Assembly member, he should have called for hearing at the National Assembly to learn about facts of the event before he made such dangerous public statements.
He also claimed that if any citizens see Ecomig forces as forces of occupation then Ecomig forces should look into their roles and think about the grievances of those citizens in order to address them . Was Mr Sallah not aware of the role of Ecomig forces and why they are in the country? It seem Mr lack basic understanding why Ecomig forces are in the country. He continued to mislead people that Ecomig forces are Republican forces who came to show solidarity to Gambian people , and republican forces should provide services such as medical , building bridges and other needs but not seen as instrument of oppression . What a bunch of crap he stated to confuse citizenry. Any honest person knows that Ecomig forces are in the country for only security reason . Why did Mr Sallah have to fabricate thing and mislead people? Was this what a former spokesman should have behaved , the person who once claimed to be the mouthpiece of the coalition government?
Bax , I do not have time to analyze the rest of the garbage he wrote in his press release and I only hope that sensible people will see his dishonesty and deceptive politics.
Max, you are not being honest with Mr Sallah and even your readers for your qotation. This is what he has said.
”Kanilai is the home town of ex –President Jammeh, who left the country under an agreement with the UN, AU and ECOWAS negotiators for him to leave in a haste by getting assurance that his properties and supporters would be protected. The UN, AU and ECOWAS negotiators did not proceed to sign a document with President Barrow to get him to also commit himself to the declaration of intent of the negotiators.
Hence two claims are being made why Gambian and ECOMIG forces are in Kanilai.
Some Claim that the Gambian soldiers and ECOMIG forces were stationed in Kanilai to protect the properties of the President. Others, especially residents of Kanilai, claim that they are an occupation force which is making it impossible for them to live a normal life”
My brother why don’t complete your qote. Did this in any any imply what you have said here.
”In his usual hypocritical statement, he wrote such suspended statements to incite APRC members in kanillia that president barrow refused to honor or commit himself to the intent of negotiation which was to protect the properties of Dictator . Halifa who was a member of coalition leadership, in essence told us that president Barrow did not commit himself to letter and spirit of negotiation which was to protect dictator jammeh’s properties and supporters, thus Ecomig forces failed to protect APRC supporters and jammeh’s properties.”
you went further to that…
”Mr Sallah also claimed that the detail of the event were not clear because journalists who were invited to the protest were late and details of video footages also were not clear or are sketchy . So where did he get this information from? If Mr Sallah is a responsible National Assembly member, he should have called for hearing at the National Assembly to learn about facts of the event before he made such dangerous public statements.”
Max this is what Halifa has said..
”Hence on Friday 2nd June 2017, residents of Kanilai and their sympathisers gathered at the Kanilai carpark in a public demonstration to ask the state to remove military forces from the village, so that they could live normal lives. They then moved with banners towards KAM FENDA. Many Newspapers were called to go and cover the March. Since most do not have regional reporters, they arrived late.
However modern technology does provide sketchy details.
What is clear is that the Marchers did pass the encampment of Gambian soldiers without incident. However when they came to the encampment of ECOMIG soldiers, they were blocked. The reports did not indicate any injury of ECOMIG soldiers due to the use of traditional weapons. What is evident is the use of live bullets and the injury of 9 persons, one of whom eventually died of bullet wounds. This is how matters stand by way of facts.”
Max, is this the same as what you have just said ? Fear Allah and know that he is going to account you for all your deeds. You know so well that what you are doing here is evil. Why can’t you desist before it is too late. Repent…
Why did Halifa Sallah mention the negotiation process which has nothing to do with kanillia protest?
It is clear that your problem is understanding content. Hon Sallah simply expressed a statement of fact: that the negotiators did not get Barrow to sign to commit himself to the intent of the a greement.
This statement cannot in anyway mean what you claimed: that Hon Sallah said Barrow should have committed himself to the agreement. That is a complete distortion of what was stated.
The agreement is a matter of Public interest, so it was right that the statement was mentioned it.
The government announced a commission of inquiry into the incident. Have you got a problem with that, because a commission will also “look inwards” to determine the cause (s) and make recommendations to avoid a repetition. Exactly what Hon Sallah stated differently.
All what I can tell you on this matter is fear Allah, your creator and always remember that he is going to account us for all our deeds; and this is an advice to me myself.
Fabaks, I have my religious belief and strive hard to ensure that I always work for and support what is morally and constitutionally right. What is important is to read Mr Sallah’s press release and analyze its content , make judgment about his honesty and credibility. Halifa Sallah’s political rhetoric is not truly based on honesty and clarity. I have been following him since I was in high school and I attended many events where he was a guest speaker. I used to admire him but now that I can question or even analyze his statements, I found out he lacked clarity and honesty in presentation. I do not question his love for the country. He never spoke with his heart but spoke with his head which means he is very calculating to deceive people when he stated his view.
I hope Mr Sallah read the joint press conference of French foreign minister and Senegal foreign minister, during which they have talked about external threat to The Gambia. Halifa is the least honest politician Gambia has ever seen . Thank God , honest and intelligent people are ignoring his ideas .
And what did they say is this external threat?
Halifa will continue to rise no matter how his enemies may dislike that. All honest people in and out of the country knows that he is the kind of citizen Gambia need to get out of this ignorance and backwardness. God willing his vision for the Gambia will be realized sooner than is expected.
Nobody dislikes Halifa. He just doesn’t get it. What vision are you talking about? We will be in serious problem if we let that guy have any power in the country. He is no different from Laurent Gbagbo who promises many things and never delivered nothing but empty rhetoric. The highest job experience he has was working as a government social worker.
Here comes another hater, almost frothing at the mouth, with the usual misrepresentations, distortions and outright fantasies.
What a hate filled character you are Mr Saidy-Khan, describing the entire people of Foni, as the “rebellious people of Foni.” You could very well be an adviser to this government, as we see state policy mirroring your perception of the Foni people. You are the sort of person who can justify mass murder, and by calling the people of Foni, the “rebellious people of Foni”, you have clearly shown what you are capable of doing.
Hon Sallah is a human being and he sees the concerns of the people of Foni as the concerns of human beings; not rebellious people that should be killed or treated like rebels.
You know what is hypocritical? It is using a law that you called unconstitutional when you were in opposition, to charge and prosecute your opppnents who are now in opposition. To charge demonstrators with the offence of not obtaining a permit, when you have called this law as unconstitutional in opposition, and actually have a case in the high Court to challenge the unconstitutionality of the same law, is the height of hypocrisy.
Hon Sallah is actually solving that serious contradiction by putting forth the idea of a Traditional Justice framework, where those laws that we all rejected and opposed during the APRC regime, are not utilised to punish our opponents today.
Why do you sycophants all keep going on about UDP not putting up candidate against Hon Halifa Sallah? I’m sure UDP did that because they valued Hon Sallah’s input and have great respect for him, which I believe is reciprocal. I’m sure PDOIS would have done the same thing if Hon Darboe had contested a NA seat. It is only you the sycophants and PDOIS haters who make so much fuss about this and only God knows why.
Hon Sallah is fully focused on the enormous task of setting Gambia on the path towards full democracy and genuine rule of law, but he will never shirk his national duty to point out errors when they occur and offer suggestions for a way forward. One can understand why you are all so jittery about PDOIS’ independent input towards good governance during the transition period. My advise to all: save your energy because PDOIS will never be deterred.
Bax , since I have known you here in this forum , you are always on the wrong side of every debate.
You know very well that Halifa Sallah is using this incident to exploit Foni people in order to gain their support. Why did he called Ecomig forces as republican forces who are in the country to show solidarity and help Gambians with services like medical services, building bridges. Do you honestly believe that Ecomig forces are in the country for that purpose? I know you never answer any question but this one I want to have your answer. Stop being a sycophant of Halifa Sallah.
Max,
This is what Halifa has said on that regard. There is no way for you to change his wards. And you don’t have any option but to accept the truth.
Read through..
”It is also important to clarify the presence of ECOMIG forces in the Gambia. The fundamental objective is clear. The ECOMIG forces are forces of Solidarity, not forces of Occupation. Hence if any sector of Gambian society sees them as forces of Occupation, the ECOMIG forces should look inward and find out why and then make sure that what makes those people see them as forces of Occupation, is actually remedied.
The ECOMIG forces and The Gambian Forces are Republican Forces. Their role is to defend the sovereignty of the Gambia and its people. It is not to take part in an ethnic strife or political infighting. They are to play their part in enhancing the unity of the people. In short, Republican Forces wherever they are based, must provide services to the population.
They must have doctors, educators, technicians and builders who would render voluntary services to the people such as the provision of medical treatment, building facilities and providing water supply and so on and forth in order to endear them to villagers.
Republican forces are forces trained to be servants of the people rather than their oppressors. They are designed to be protectors of the people and not their subjugators. This is why where ever they are engaged in peacekeeping or solidarity campaigns, they must leave behind a legacy of development and good neighborliness instead of a legacy of retrogression and divisiveness. They must be seen as saviors rather than killers. Hence it important for forces stationed in Kanilai and other places, to be given orientation; orientation to ensure that they are guided by Republican and democratic values and the spirit of caring for others. The community in which they find themselves should be able to accept that the security forces protect life just as doctors do.”
What kind of human being could find fault with this statement ?
Fabaks,
Mr Sallah said “that republican forces ( Ecomig forces) be given orientation to ensure that they are guided by republican and democratic values and spirit of caring for others “.
This statement is clearly an indication that Mr Sallah is not even a honest politician or he is out there to mislead the people. We all know that Ecomig forces are in the country to defend and uphold democratic values , that is the wishes and aspirations of Gambian people who have democratically elected a new president . Then why Mr Sallah claimed that Ecomig forces be given orientation to ensure that they are guided by republican and democratic values? Is it not democratic values that Ecomig forces are in the country? What orientation was he talking about when already ECOWAS was aware of Democratic values which was why they send military intervention forces to enforce, uphold and defend democratic values. In his usual confused presentation , he told us Ecomig forces are not good enough to know the democratic values and they need to be oriented about their responsibility. This is the self righteous belief that Mr Sallah always has in self proclaimed righteous character. Who is going to give orientation to Ecomig forces about the democratic values he claimed to be lacking in Ecomig forces?
When you look at the statements he made , you will out find out they are not based on facts and they incomprehensible to the situation. Mr Sallah himself need political orientation about the current role of Ecomig forces in the country. He doesn’t seem to understand that Ecomig forces are in the country for security reasons but not to build bridges, provide medical services and other needs. The more you read his statements, the more you will discover that he lacked honesty , confused and unrelated ideas to the current situation. I think it is a disgrace to have such statements from a person who was once a spokesman for the coalition government. Academically and Intellectually, When you do research synthesis and appraisal on his statements, you will discover that his statements did not have any evidence or facts . Theoretically, it is not useful because it was full of confusion , disjointed ideas or perhaps word salad in every conceivable way. It was this reason I decided not to do further analysis on his press release.
Max…
Why did Hon Sallah call ECOMIG Forces as “Republican Forces?”
I don’t know why but I will share my understanding with you. You know that the countries that form the ECOMIG Forces describe themselves officially as Republics.
For example:
Nigeria is the Federal Republic of Nigeria;
Gambia is the Republic of The Gambia;
Senegal is La Republique du Senegal, etc.
So, these countries are republican states and their national institutions, including the Armed Forces, are Republican institutions created to promote and uphold Republican values.
So, Hon Sallah is not wrong to describe the ECOMIG Forces as, “Republican Forces” because they are institutions of countries that are “Republics.”
Did Hon Sallah state that the ECOMIG Forces are in The Gambia to “help with services like medical services and building bridges”?
Absolutely not, according to my understanding. Let’s look at what he stated. I will divide it in 2 parts:
(1)..”The ECOMIG forces and The Gambian Forces are Republican Forces. There role is to defend the sovereignty of the Gambia and its people. It is not to take part in an ethnic strife or political infighting. They are to play their part in enhancing the unity of the people.
(2)..In short, Republican Forces wherever they are based must provide services to the population.”
Part (1) of the quote definitely refers specifically to the ECOMIG Forces. No dispute there.
Part (2), which is your contention, is not specifically referring to the ECOMIG Forces. It is a general statement about how Republican Forces should behave when they find themselves in situations where they directly deal with civilians.
What Hon Sallah is saying in my view, is that the ECOMIG Forces could have provided those services to the community, and I’m sure under a PDOIS Government, that would have been amongst their mandate, but he is not saying that this was why they were in The Gambia. That is a distortion in your usual style.
Moreover Max, this is the political view of a politician that is consistent with the ideas of his party on governance, especially the role of the Armed Forces under their idea of government.
Why do you object to Hon Sallah offering an alternative approach to dealing with the Kaninlai incident, when you have previously supported the idea that political parties should be active and seen to be active during the transition period.
Remember, PDOIS supported the suspension of party politics for a non partisan approach throughout the transition, but that was torpedoed and rejected by some coalition partners, which you supported.
You cannot have your cake and eat it, at the same time. You all supported the UDP position that political parties should be active in their own rights and PDOIS will not be found lacking and wanting.
PDOIS, I believe, will use every opportunity to present an alternative approach to governance and rightly so too. So get ready to deal with that fact and reality. You cannot say parties should go it alone when it suits you, like the NA Elections, but turn around and accuse another of politicking when it doesn’t suit you.
As a UDP fan, my advice to you is to focus your attention on the UDP and appeal for caution, selflessness, patriotism and patience. There is a potential war brewing within the party, because of dissatisfaction, and it can be nasty.
You earlier accused critics of the Barrow Administration of being motivated by disappointments, but recent happenings on social media suggests that your allegations may be much closer to home than you actually realise.
Bax , UDP is well diversify political party which is based on rule of law , constitutional rule and democratic values. In a diverse political party , you cannot expect every single person to be satisfied. PDOIS is monopolistic and single personality cult political party designed to show fake intellectual prowess.
UDP being a resilient party , recognize that through selfless sacrifices we can achieve our dreams of better Gambia for all . The noises you are hearing are part of Democratic culture. During the days of military dictatorship, a very few people can say Dictator Jammeh’s name publicly without looking at their shoulders . You must remember that now everyone is a ” constitutionalist “.
As for your explanation of “republican forces “, I won’t waste my time on that because you embarked on futile defense of your leader .
Well said Bax. What more can one add to this ? Thanks for your honesty by hitting the nail right on the head.
What a hypocrisy from this so call sociologist and selfish politician
Hypocrites are those whose hearts are fill with hatred for others for no good reasons at all and refuse to trade on the path of truth.
Fabaks i think you just saying what pleases you. Can I ask you one thing? Why Halifa failed to accept a post in the new regime? He categorically stated that he preferred to be an MP. Come on that spells a lot about him. His hypocrisy is totally pellucid.
Modou,
May I also ask you few questions. Is it not important for a person like Halifa to be in an important national institution like the national assembly when we don,t have shortages of his likes who were and are still making all efforts to serve in the executive because of the privileges that goes with it ?
When was Halifa offered a offered a position in the regime and he reject ? and which post is that ?
And is it an agreement among the coalition partners that all of them must occupied a position in the cabinet ? Where in fact is a copy of the agreement they had ?
Was the agreement signed by all of the coalition partners ? If it was, then why was it not made public just like the NADD ‘memorandum of understanding’ a copy of which I still have ?
Let peace rain in Gambia
Yaya Jammeh’s properties that are obtained legally will be protected not the ones that are fraudulently stolen from the Gambian people. The man came to power penniless and in few years he was a billionaire. The government has the right to freeze those stolen assets until the courts decide the outcome.
The so-called “agreement” was a carrot-dangle (strategy) to “kick &/ jumpstart” (tempt) a senseless greedy donkey; because this particular demonstrations, just as the very so-called impasse were ALL about the EVIL yaya kanilai DEVIL’s loot & MURDEROUS dispensations than real politics; the Evil KILLER DEVIL & disciples were more about the obtained loot protection & consolidation in the end-game & nothing more…
President Barrow knows he will be committing political suicide as he won’t be able to honour such farce of an agreement even IF committed to signatory on paper; for that shall be the highest treasonable act against peasantry Gambia; as Gambians will never give anyone that mandate to waive off these stolen loot from the meagre state coffers; NO agreement/s will ever be honoured which will deprive the poor peasantry Gambia…
This was why the EVIL Manipulative kanilai KILLER DEVIL & the Mechanisation wanted to set the Gambia afire before & now; the two issues (so-called verbal agreement proposed & the kanilai pretentious demonstrations) are linked, as some residents under some evil ominous incites decided to protest & engaged the ECOMIG sub-regional forces for their hatred for the Senegalese contingent in particular which ended fatal with the ECOMIG forces still in place seeing to their legitimate mandate adding to Gambia security safeguards…
The government should learn to be humble in humility; admit to when mistakes are made & act to rectify & remedy for redress; not just express on prior “police permits” obtaining which makes them sound just same as the EVIL kanilai FIEFDOM we all despise; it’s everyone’s Constitutional inalienable rights to protest demonstrations; probably with prior police knowledge (permit issuance) such fatalities could be avoidable; but that’s not the case in most grievance demonstrations; as no one have the right to kill innocent people in Gambia’s name…
Equally on the same note; no one, whether politician &/ rebel must take chances to play politics with the security of the Gambia; the Gambia people are widely awake from the slumbers of EVIL kanilai FIEFDOM era; & even in (our) sleep, must strive to keep one eye open at all times; NOBODY will ever succeed to destroy Gambia; Insha Allah; Ameen…
Max….
Stop talking nonsense please. Hon Sallah’s call for orientation of the ECOMIG Forces in The Gambia, in view of what has happened or what we want to achieve in our country, and the type of support we expect from the force, is appropriate and may be, even necessary too.
The ECOMIG Forces are in The Gambia to support our democratic process, by enforcing the electoral will of the electorate (which Jammeh wanted to subvert) and provide security to the new government, but this doesn’t mean that the forces are imbued with, and/or grounded in, Democratic values. How could they when they open fire with live ammunition on unarmed demonstrators? Is it a democratic value to open live fire on unarmed demonstrators, even when threatened?
I am watching a news report of a violent demonstration in London last night. Police being attacked with bottles and other solid projectiles like broken bricks. Six Officers injured and a number of rubbish bins set alight. Public life completely disrupted, but you know what? Not a single Armed Policeman, never mind soldiers with live ammunition, on the scene. Riot Police with batons and shields dealt with the situation.
This is what you call democratic values. Utmost respect for the rights of citizens to demonstrate but when the demo descends into chaos, send the riot Police to deal with the situation. If this was a planned demo, they would have been escorted by Police, just like the English Defense League and the anti-Fascist demos the other day.
And that’s the democratic values Hon Sallah is talking about. He made that much clearer during the press conference when he said that the peaceful demo should have been escorted by Police. He even joked that may be after so many miles, they (demonstrators) may think about it again.
I don’t know why you are finding it so difficult to see and appreciate the beauty of Hon Sallah’s proposals to solve our problems. Imagine our forces imbued with this sense of service to the people and doing whatever it takes to win the confidence of the population. Right now, nearly half a year of the “new” Gambia, there is still a great divide between the population and the Armed Forces.
I was listening to a very angry man on Freedom Radio the other day, narrating the killing of his brother by a hit and run Gambia National Army vehicle. Reports of state ministers speeding at excessive speeds on our congested roads are still being made. Is this the Gambia that Has Decided?
Where is your condemnation? Nowhere. Instead, it’s your infatuation with everything PDOIS and Hon Sallah. It is time that you concentrate on your government and their actions: sanctioned or not.
Bax , you keep denying the fact that Halifa suggested Ecomig forces should be given orientation regarding their mission in The Gambia, and such suggestion indicates that he is either undermining the efforts of Ecomig forces or he lacks understanding why Ecomig forces are in the country.
Ecomig forces are well aware of their role in the country. Your suggestion that Ecomig forces are not grounded in democratic values is deeply flawed and dishonest propaganda. The Ecomig forces are in the country because of Democratic values. They do not need any orientation from Halifa Sallah who has limited knowledge and understanding of security. In his usual self proclaimed expertise on any issue, Mr Sallah seem to suggest that Ecomig forces needs training about the current mission in The Gambia and this was why he suggested they need orientation.
Mr Sallah went further to ridiculously suggest that “if any section of Gambian population sees Ecomig forces as forces of occupation, then Ecomig forces should look inward and find out why and make sure that what those people see them as forces of occupation, is actually remedied “.
This suggestion is bizarre , ridiculous and totally lack of understanding why Ecomig forces are in the country. In other words, he claimed that Ecomig forces should act as politicians or representatives of people who should solve the problem , concerns, agitation or needs of people. Then why people of Foni have House of Representatives or National Assembly members? To further analysis his incoherent statements, he implied that Ecomig forces should engage in political infighting or ethnic strives even though he claimed in his early statements that Ecomig forces should “not take part in ethnic or political infighting “. What a bizarre contradiction? Is kanillia protest not political infighting or ethnic strive ? How can Ecomig forces look inward and make sure that what those who sees them as forces of occupation is actually remedied? Mr Sallah should have played that role as a coalition spokesman to prepare the nation for such eventuality or negative perception from Foni people. But he failed in his capacity to give orientation to Foni people about why we have Ecomig forces in Foni . National Assembly members in Foni should have also played that role to ensure Foni people truly understand why their evil son was responsible for the presence of Ecomig forces in the country. Every single statement in Mr Sallah’s press release is bizarre and dishonest propaganda.
Bax , demonstrators called for restoration of former dictator jammeh In power and they violently set tires on fire and attacked fire department. That was an act of terrorism and was rebels incited violent protest led by rebel soldiers who were arrested. Have you ever seen a military officer led any protest in any where in the world? This was what happened in kanillia and this was why those rebel soldiers were arrested. Military officials are supposed to protect their citizens and country from violent demonstration but not to lead them as happened in kanillia. Stop comparing kanillia rebel incited violent protest to peaceful democratic protest in U.K.
Your suggestion to support Mr Sallah on republican forces ( Ecomig forces) to provide services such as medical, bridges and other services is another blind ignorance propaganda. I hope you rectify yourself.
Halifa never think through his statements before publication , which I always find him to be deeply deceptive or dishonest as you can see in my analysis of each statement he uttered.
@Max : “Halifa said ECOMIG should take part in political infighting and ethnic strive?”
Seriously? I’m done with you, mate.
You continue wallowing in the mud as much as you like. You are beyond redemption. Have a nice a day.
To be frank Max, you haven’t analysed anything here. You are just arguing with your own imagination which is a direct opposite of the facts. Just honestly read through your write up again.
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“The UDP is a well diversified party.” Diversified in what sense. Do you mean in membership or interest?
If you mean in “membership”, then I will tell you that the same is true of any other party in the country, as they all attract members from a cross section of the same population. None can be more diverse than the other because you will find the same divergence in all.
If you mean in “interest”, then that would make sense as those who miss out become disgruntled and threaten a break up of the party. This is very serious and Hon Darboe recognised this, hence his taking to social media to explain, appeal and call for dialogue within.
On “Resilience” and “Selflessness”, if the terms are synonymous with any party in The Gambia, it would be PDOIS without an iota of a doubt.
What can be more resilient than emerging and holding your own during the All-Conquering, All mighty PPP era; surviving the two years of AFPRC brutal Military Dictatorship, when many wannabe “politicians” didn’t have the guts to speak, and standing tall and influencial during the twenty years of oppressive, parochial, tribal and infantile politics of the APRC era? That is what you call RESILIENCE.
And what can be more demonstrative of “selflessness” than fighting for change in opposition, with all your resources, for the longest period than any coalition partners, only to shun the more lucrative, prestigious, influencial and financially rewarding positions of Ministers in Cabinet, for the more moderate membership in the National Assembly?
Where can you find such selflessness amongst politicians on this planet in today’s world of politics? Often, distribution of positions in government is the first sign of trouble within winning coalitions in government. Only very dishonest people can fail to see the selflessness of the PDOIS Politicians and unfortunately, you are amongst the worst of the dishonest in this forum.
You can’t say anything about “Republican institutions” because you have nothing to say.
Democracies create democratic institutions; Monarchies create monarchical institutions; Dictatorships create dictatorial institutions; Republics create republican institutions.
What have you got to say: NOTHING. So remain quiet on that one. At least, I can shut you up on something. Thank God for that.
Halifa sallah and Yaya Jammeh were in the same boat; he is irresponsible. Why is he defending Jammeh’s properties? They belong to the state, what did Jammeh get before 94? Halifa is a fool, let him continue fooling himself and not the Gambians.