‘Tabital Pullaagu’ Gambia Association have denied claims by some people that their planned meeting with President Barrow as politically motivated.
The association is going to meet President Adama Barrow on the 2nd of November 2019 at the State House.
The members of the executive of the association said those against their meeting with the President are mainly members of the Gambia Democratic Congress (GDC) and they hold positions in the party. They said the membership of the association has nothing against their meeting with the President.
Alieu Saja Jallow, the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the association said it is only a few people against their move to meet with the President of the Republic and they are all from the GDC.
He said these people are Alagie Jallow Jawo – an adviser to GDC, Modou Bah also from GDC responsible for logistics, Alieu Jamanka – a GDC chairman in Banjul, Sara Jawo – a chairman of GDC in Jimara, Alagie Sowe – a national assembly member for GDC, Omar Bah – an organizer to GDC in Badibou area, Sutra Jallow an adviser to both GDC and ‘Tabital Pullaagu” and Abdou Bah both adviser to the association and GDC.
He added that both Sutra Jallow and Abdou Bah from Youna village received a motorbike from the party.
“The President has not invited us to a meeting. We wrote to the President requesting to meet him. The President has not requested to meet 3000 Fulas as claimed,” he said.
He negated the claim that their Executive has a hidden political agenda adding that they are apolitical and the association has nothing to do with politics.
Kassum Jallow, the assistant secretary-general of the association said their meeting with President Barrow has no link to politics. He said their executive came to being after a national congress sometime in February 2019 wherein delegates came from different parts of the country and the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) oversee the elections.
“We are apolitical. We do not have a political vision,” Jallow said.
He said the association was registered and it has existed before President Adama Barrow was elected into office. He said the executive is mandated to run the affairs of the association to promote the general welfare of the membership.
“The rumour that President Adama Barrow requested us to mobilise 3000 Fulas to a meeting at the State House is not true. We requested to meet President Barrow and he has never written or requested to meet us,” Jallow averred.
He said the meeting with President Barrow came as a result of their request for an audience with him at the State House to discuss their aims, objectives and challenges.
“Our vision is to promote the general welfare of our membership. We will tell President Barrow our problems and we won’t discuss with him anything about politics or our personal issues. We are Gambians and we have the right to seek an audience with our President,” he said.
“Tabital Pullaagu” cannot be a political party and we have no political agendas. Our mission and vision are to promote the welfare of our membership,” Jallow said.
Alagie Seedy Dem, the President of the association said he requested to meet the President to discuss with him the challenges that his people are faced with so that he can support them.
“I did not discuss with President politics and he has never mentioned to me anything related to politics. Our discussion was centred about our association on what my people are faced with. He is our President and we have all rights to meet him to tell him our problems,” Dem said.
“I only talk to him about the people I am entrusted to serve. I did not seek financial or other helps from him. We only discussed about my people and he has agreed to meet us on the coming Saturday,” he said.
Dem said he is not a politician and he won’t discuss with the president politics.
“I am not a politician and I won’t discuss politics with anyone – not even President Barrow,” he said.
“Our political party does not see any political party. We see only fulas and we will always work towards promoting their general welfare because that was what we were mandated to do,” he said.
He called on the GDC people planning to disrupt the unity of the members of the association to cease because the unity of their membership is strong.
“We were elected in a national congress in February 2019 to serve our people and that is what our executive will continue to do,” Dem concluded.
He said the meeting will be in the interest of their people adding that they will tell President Barrow their problems with the expectation that he will support them.
He said meeting with heads of states by associations like theirs is a practice in 26 countries. He said the association is in 26 countries and they all meet with their heads of states.