By Binta Jaiteh
Honourable Yaya Sanyang, the National Assembly member for LatriKunda Sabiji and member of the House standing committee on Human Rights and Constitutional Matters has a reason for the National People’s Party (NPP) led government for arresting United Democratic Party Campaign Manager saying he’s a threat to NPP in the upcoming Local Government elections.
In an exclusive interview with The Voice, Honourable Sanyang said it is a well-calculated move by the police on the order of the executive to rminimise or stop the UDP politicians in the coming local government elections.
He said Sabally is detained because the NPP fears losing the sits as Sabally is the new campaign manager of the United Democratic Party (UDP).
According to him, they fear the strategies that he will use to make NPP lose massively in the coming elections.
He reminded the government that when UDP’s whole executive was in prison they still stood firm to manage and won the 2016 Presidential elections. “To arrest Sabally and detain him is beyond the constitutional limit,” adding that it is putting the government into more problems and It’s a pure witch hunt to suppress decent in this country.
“This government wants to inject fear and insecurity into our minds but I urge each citizen to refuse this and let us make it clear to them that we will never be intimidated by their tricks,” he stated.
However, he added that this is a clear manifestation that this government has failed to address the most urgent issues and needs of Gambians because they don’t have the economic and political wisdom to do so.
Let it be known, he said, “this government is not ready to fight corruption and the human rights violation that Gambians faced,”
He concluded that it is not about loving Sabally or UDP “but it is about the emerging threat to dictatorship and violation of human rights this administration is sliding towards. Therefore, there is an urgent and serious need for a solidarity system to disallow and refuse dictatorship again in this country.”
Sheikhna Faal , Gambia Action Party press secretary also added that Momodou Sabally’s continued detention is nothing but politically motivated by the same system we all fought to get rid of in 2016.
He added that what is wrong can never be right and it’s so sad to see a nation that should have been a champion in democratic dispensation turning gradually molding into a dictatorship country again.
He reflected on the words of Halifa Sallah who said if we are not careful, we might head back to dictatorship “but then in 2017, no Gambian took him seriously but gradually we are getting back to dictatorship.”
“Momodou Sabally is illegally detained and we condemn it in the strongest term, and we called on international organisations, Civil society, National assembly, and political parties to speak with one voice to make sure the government is reminded that they cannot hold the law into their hands,” Faal said
“Momodou Sabally is just one of the victims in their propaganda and more will be targeted if action is not taken. Local government elections are fast approaching and that’s where we should show President Barrow that enough is enough and he doesn’t deserve to rule the country, Faal expressed.