By Mama A. Touray
The spokesperson of Gambians Against Looted Assets (GALA), Omar Saibo Camara, has reacted to President Barrow’s national address, saying the President owes Gambians a clear explanation of what he means by “peaceful engagement” and “lawful expression.”
Saibo’s comments came shortly after the President’s speech on the death of Omar Badjie, a native of Mandinaring in the West Coast Region. During his address, Barrow described the current situation as a defining moment for Gambians, portraying the country as a nation that values democracy and unity. “We must renew our commitment to peaceful engagement and lawful expression,” he said.
Reacting to this, Saibo argued that “President Barrow owes the citizens a clear and honest explanation of what he means by ‘peaceful engagement’ and ‘lawful expression.’” He added that for months, citizens have attempted to exercise their constitutional rights through peaceful assemblies aimed at accountability and transparency, but their efforts have been met with “violent crackdowns, intimidation, and brutality at the hands of the very police force the President praised for their ‘professionalism.’”
Barrow also stated that the right to protest peacefully is a cornerstone of Gambian democracy, protected by the Constitution and respected by his government. “Let us, however, remember that violence, destruction of property, and threats to public safety undermine the very freedoms we seek to protect and will be addressed firmly by law,” he said.
Responding to this, Saibo described the President’s words as contradictory: “While the President’s admission that the right to peaceful protest is a cornerstone in the country’s democracy may appear affirming, it is, in practice, a cruel irony for those who have suffered arrests, torture, and violence for exercising that very right.”
He further argued that the claim that the right to protest is respected by the state is an “affront to every victim of political repression under this regime, many of whom continue to face persecution at the hands of security forces who seem to prioritize loyalty to power over service to the people.”
Saibo also accused the government of fuelling division while publicly calling for peace, saying that threats have often been issued in the name of maintaining stability. “It is the state itself that often disrupts the peace through heavy-handed responses to legitimate dissent. Equally alarming is the President’s repeated focus on how citizens express their grievances, rather than addressing the root causes of public dissatisfaction,” he stated.
He concluded by calling on the President to reflect seriously on his leadership and the “dangerous direction” the country is heading. “Out of respect for the pain and concerns of Gambians, especially the family of the late Omar Badjie, all those who have fallen to police brutality, and the very young people his administration claims to listen to, the President must address the nation not with vague assurances, but with sincerity, accountability, and action. He must confront our plight head-on, recommit to the rule of law, and ensure that justice is not a privilege, but a right equally accessible to all,” Saibo emphasised.
