Gambians spent Thursday reacting variously to Mama Fatima Singhateh’s testimony before the TRRC – a testimony that will be remembered for the former attorney general standing her ground throughout.
This is what some Gambians online are saying;
Coach Pasamba Jow said: “Jammeh had at his disposal Military Jungulars to kill for him, Economic Jungulars to pillage for him and of course LEGAL JUNGULARS to legalize his tyranny.”
Nyang Njie said: “Whosoever facilitated the recent job of Mama Singhateh at the UNITED NATIONS have done gross injustice to the people of the Gambia. The Foreign Ministry must shed light per who endorsed her application. Shame on us.”
Amran Gaye said: “Seems like there’s two classes of witness at the TRRC. The low-level Jammeh lackeys: the jungulars, NIA agents, police, soldiers – all the ones who did his dirty work on the ground for him. They come to the commission, get told in no uncertain terms what they did wrong. They sob and apologize, promise not to do it again – we shake our heads and condemn them.
“Then there’s the high level ones: the ones who built the infrastructure of dictatorship, who lived in their ivory towers and got to pretend Gambia was a great country – because it was great for them. They have internally rationalized all the harm they did to this country for their own selfish gain, and some even see themselves as heroes who worked hard for this country. You can recognize them by their arrogance and the way they answer questions at the commission: combative, defensive, lashing out and attacking the commissioners, defending their records, claiming evidence against them is hearsay or maliciously intended.
“We got the second type today, and it’s shameful. No wonder Jammeh was around for so long, when so many of our “best and brightest” propped him up as long as he benefited them.”
Lamin Drammeh said: “’I didn’t hurt anyone. I didn’t violate the rights of anyone. That’s not who I am, Mama Fatima Singhateh told the TRRC. I strongly disagree with you Madam Singhateh. We all saw what your ministry did by enabling and endorsing so many rights violations of citizens. You’ve allowed yourself to be used as a tool to violate the rights of Gambians. Lest we forget, you were the minister of justice and attorney general between 2013 and 2014, and again between 2015 and 2017, when some of the worst human beings violations were being committed. So you are not being truthful to The Gambian people.”
Yamu Matarr Sallah said: “Send her to Mile 2.”
