By Momodou Justice Darboe
It is almost six months to the planned protests against President Adama Barrow’s ambition to stay in office till 2021 but the much-hyped demonstrations has already caused quite a stir in President Barrow’s camp.
A group calling itself Operation Three Years Jotna is poised to spearhead protest(s) to ensure President Barrow make good on his promise of relinquising power come December 2019. They insists President Barrow must step aside in December as he earlier promised.
But the Gambia government is not taking lightly threats of protest rallies to force the President out of office at the end of this year. The government has already acquired a vehicle that is earmaked to spray hot-water on would-be demostrators in December, according to the interior ministry. Other members of the Barrow inner circle were making reference to the bloody April 2000 student protests that led to the massacre of 14 unarmed students.
Proving to be an issue of delicate national issue, many are of the view that threats against Gambians in the exercise of their constitutionally-guaranteed rights is not the way-forward in dealing with the planned December rallies.
President Barrow however insists that he’s mandated to serve five years and no threats would deter him from completing his mandate.
“The mandate given to me is a constitutional one. Whether you like it or not, I will stay in office till 2021,” President Barrow maintained during a mass political rally in Brikama of-late.
But to Dr. Ismaila Ceesay,a lecturer of Political Science at the University of The Gambia, a better approach such as convening a national conference to iron out the difference caused by the coalition agreement should be taken and now.
He said: “There must be a national dialogue as soon as possible before December. Why because..yes the constitution says five years but we have to be careful how we approach this three years and five years thing because we dont want to have a political vacuum. There is no President. There is no provision. The only provision is if President Barrow resigns voluntarily, the vice president continues the residue of the term. That’s what the constitution says. So, that’s an option.
“But to avert a situation where people are coming out and the government is forced to respond with force. To avert that situation, a national crisis, constitutional crisis, a power vacuum, I think it is apt for the country to have a national dialogue; a national consultation on this issue. It shouldn’t be left to the politicians alone. Let all stakeholders come; religious leaders, the academia,Diaspora, civil society, media, politicians and political parties to sit on one table as a country and define a path for this country which is in national interest.”
Dr. Ceesay further explained: ” If after this dialogue it emerge that the national interest is for us to leave Barrow to serve his term for five years, then we’ll accept that but that he must not run after that five years because that will be against the spirit of the MOU and the spirit of our democracy that we fought for.
“So there must be some dialogue. There must be some give and take. I think it is very dangerous for Barrow himself to come out and say whether you like, I’m going for five years. That was not the language they[Coalition partners] were using”.
Be as it may, the planned end of year march of resistance against Barrow can bring the country to the brink if not well managed, says analysts.
