Dear Editor,
After ranting on the podium for minutes, Sainey Jawara did not utter a single word that serves or saves the country.
He did not unite our people. He did not promote peace and harmony. He did not speak against corruption, inefficiency, the high cost of living, lawlessness or abuse of power. He did not lament the poverty, unemployment and deprivation engulfing our youth and women, or express regret that, as a National Assembly member, he has failed to advance transparency and accountability in government.
Instead, Sainey chose to disgrace himself by spewing hatred, tribalism, xenophobia and disinformation.
The Gambian youth who protested electricity blackouts were responsible citizens committed to the national interest. The electricity crisis is not only President Barrow’s failure but it is also the failure of NAMs like Sainey Jawara, who have not exercised effective oversight to ensure that NAWEC delivers reliable, affordable and uninterrupted electricity, 24 hours a day.
What has Sainey Jawara done to advance accountability?
Even when he spearheaded the parliamentary inquiry into the Russian oil scandal, nothing came of it. The president and his ministers refused to take responsibility. They effectively threw the National Assembly’s report into the mbalit, and Sainey could do nothing about it.
Instead of reminding the president of that scandal and demanding accountability, he chose to attack and insult the youth and foment tribal hatred in our country.
Sainey could have also done better by reminding the president about the looting of Jammeh’s assets uncovered by the National Assembly. Yet again, after painstaking work by the special select committee, the president has completely ignored its report.
Instead of confronting the president over the Jammeh assets heist, Sainey chose to chicken out in his presence.
Yet Sainey calls himself the people’s representative while standing on a stage to insult those very people.
A people’s representative must defend the people’s interests. Insulting citizens while failing to challenge those who wield power is a betrayal of that duty.
Sainey Jawara owes Gambians accountability, not abuse.
Madi Jobarteh
Activist
Kembujeh
Standing with the Manjago Community: Hate has no place in The Gambia
Dear Editor,
I stand in total solidarity with the Manjago community and all Gambian ethnic groups in the promotion and protection of their human rights and dignity.
I condemn the hateful and derogatory remarks made by Musa Boto Saidy against the Manjago people and urge all Gambians to stand together against those who spread hate, division and disrespect towards our communities.
The Manjago people are an integral part of Gambian society. Among them are Muslims and Christians. Manjago is an ethnic identity, not a religion. To label an entire ethnic community “kafir” is degrading, un-Islamic and an affront to the rights and dignity of its members.
Section 32 of the Constitution protects the right to culture, and our constitutional freedoms include the right to practise the religion of our choice. Musa Boto Saidy must understand that propagating his faith gives him no licence to chastise, degrade, insult or disrespect any ethnic community.
An attack on one ethnic community is an attack on The Gambia as a whole.
Hate speech continues to persist in our country despite the existence of laws and institutions mandated to protect rights and hold perpetrators accountable. The time has come for these institutions to fulfil their responsibilities and enforce the law fairly and consistently.
The Supreme Islamic Council must take a firm stand against religious leaders who spread hate and demand accountability.
Similarly, the Inter-Party Committee must hold political leaders and parties accountable for hateful and divisive rhetoric.
Religious and political leaders have a particular responsibility to lead, educate, transform and unite society. How can those entrusted with these responsibilities become agents of division, discrimination and hostility? Leadership must never become a platform for attacking the very people it is meant to serve.
Hate speech feeds on stereotypes, prejudice and discrimination. When normalised and left unchecked, it can fuel persecution, violence and, in extreme cases, genocide. We must confront it before words become weapons and communities become targets.
For The Gambia, our homeland.
Madi Jobarteh
Activist
Kembujeh