Some Gambians including human rights activists have condemned President Adama Barrow’s attack on activist Madi Jobarteh and described it s nation’s security threat during a meeting with Banjul Muslim elders on Koriteh day.
President Barrow said: “There are some people who are troublemakers and Madi Jobarteh is among those people. He always wants to set this country on fire. He said he is part of the civil society, but a civil society who always want to cause trouble in the country,” he said.
“Any platform he goes, he wants to cause trouble and some journalists are empowering him and anyone who empowers him don’t (doesn’t) want good (well) for the country. I have never talked about him on any platform. And my government must do something about him because we can’t allow this trend to continue. President must obey the law but you also obey the law.”
However, some Gambians including activists took to social media to condemn Barrow’s scathing attack on Mr Jobarteh as wrong.
Meanwhile, The Gambia Press Union also condemned President Barrow’s Eid remarks insinuating the media is contributing to the destabilisation of the country by giving a platform to one of his leading critics.
Barrow’s statement accusing Gambian journalists of giving a platform to human rights activist, Madi Jobarteh, who criticises his government over mismanagement of public funds, a platform to “burn The Gambia” is unacceptable.
Giving voices to those who hold the government to account is fundamental to the media’s watchdog role which is guaranteed by the Gambian Constitution.
Barrow had in the past accused journalists of bias, leading to physical assaults on journalists by his supporters and State House staff in 2018 and 2021 with impunity.
“We are reminding the president to uphold his responsibility to protect press freedom and freedom expression as guaranteed by the laws of the Gambia,” GPU President, Muhammed S, Bah.