By:Nyima Sillah
Dozens of Gambians within the Greater Banjul Area have expressed their concerns over President Adama Barrow’s statement to curtail political events after December poll.
Expressing their minds they said no country can role without politicians as their critics are what make the government committed to carrying out its responsibilities.
Though government spokesperson has quickly dismissed the claim saying the president’s statement was mischaracterised and misinterpreted.
Alhaji Jammeh, said: “the president cannot impose a law that is not part of the constitution and he cannot tell citizens to forcefully rely on something that is not part of the rule of law.”
According to him, every Gambian has a political right, and that political right should not be violated because it is mentioned in the constitution. Adding that, with due respect there should be another mechanism to stop political violence in social media rather than banning it.
“I agree that some people cross their limitations when it comes to politics but that should not make the president violate our rights as politicians. This is something we all found here and it is here to stay,” he added.
Meanwhile, Awa Manneh, also expressed her disappointment on the statement made by the president saying a voice of a leader should be respected and abides by the citizens but also, a leader should not always jump to conclusions when making decisions.
“Elections is not yet due and Barrow does not know if he will win or not. Social media is a free platform for everyone to voice their views so if he is not pleased with the public views, I think he should ban all the apps rather than saying he will ban politics in the country,” she exclaimed
However, Ousman Bojang expressed that no government can expect to have all citizens under one political umbrella “This Government is experiencing the worse cyber-bullying compare to other regimes because they failed to take their stand as a government and exercise their responsibilities as expected.”
