By: Sulayman Waan & Saidou Baldeh
Imam Baba Leigh, Imam of Kanifing Mosque has said that the Tabital Pulaagu Mbo Gambia is looking forward to ensure equal rights in citizenship, registration, election as well as opinion in the Gambia.
He told journalists shortly after the opening ceremony of Tabital Pulaagu Mbo Gambia national congress; held in a local hotel in Bakau on 9 February, saying he had been receiving complaints from Gambian Fula’s that they are maltreated by certain police officers.
“When some of our sister who are real Gambians go the hospital to deliver in most cases when they deliver health personnel will indicate in their [born babies] document born from non-Gambian parents and this has a great impact on those children. This is something I had been complaining of,” he told journalists.
He added that when the time for voters’ cards registration arises some real Gambian Fula’s used to find very tedious to get this national document. “Because the Fula’s are seeing as foreigners in the country and that is not true. Some of them can off course be foreigners but most of them are citizens,” he argued.
However, he narrated that one day he was crossing from Barra to Banjul, a Fula man asked him for help. When he confirm what was wrong he realized an immigration officer request a national Identification Document (ID) card from that man but when the [Fula man] produced the ID card, police officer further asked how the Fula man got the ID card.
“When I went I told the officer that i want to talk to your boss because I don’t think your boss will behave the way you did. When I spoke to his boss, he [the officer’s boss] blamed the officer,” he explained.
He further question: “How can you ask how someone got his ID card when you are the only authority making that document.”
Notwithstanding, Imam Liegh said the root cause of this problem is due to the Fula’s cowardice, adding that most of them don’t want to have a trouble with any person. He said that’s why any time the police officers started threatening them they will be panic and start bribing the police officers so as to be free.
“Not all but many police officers, especially the Kabunkas whenever they are running out of pocket they will be looking for a Fula that they will threaten because of ID cards, citizenships, working permits and the like so as to get something from them which has to be stop,” he revealed.
He added that this fulas organization has lots of things to address to make sure there is equal right in citizenship, registration, election as well as opinion.
