Having listened to the statements from government so far, and having observed the goings-on at the moment, it seems to me that what your government will be doing concerning the Faraba incident won’t be anything more than window dressing. Pinning everything on the poor officers of the PIU who have been unfortunate enough to pull those triggers that killed innocent civilians as patsies will not cut it.
The government must be held to account. Someone must take responsibility for the heinous crime that has been committed. This action must be such that it will commensurate with the magnitude of the crime. And this crime is so horrible that one can’t imagine how it could be worse.
The Police is a disciplined force which means that they live, walk, talk, breathe orders and commands. Everything the police do must be under some form of command or instruction. Members of the disciplined force act – or should act – only when they are given an order. They don’t just get up and start doing things on their own. Thus, regardless of what the statements are saying that they were not ordered to open fire on protesters, the fact that they went there with live bullets is the failure.
For the above and other reasons, it will be unacceptable to use the PIU officers as patsies so your government can get away with it. You must act decisively, and quickly.
For the moment though two things need to happen soonest: 1. You need to come out and address the nation on this issue. The people who voted you into office are angry, scared, concerned, worried and confused all at the same time. You need to speak on this issue and reassure the people of your government’s commitment to the Rule of Law. This responsibility cannot – should not – be delegated. We need to hear from you.
- The Minister of the Interior and the Inspector General of Police need to step down immediately. It doesn’t matter whether they gave the order to shoot or not; what matters is that police shot and killed two Gambians and it was under their watch. So they need to go.
It would unfortunate if after all the struggle we all went through to oust the former government largely due to their human rights violations, we continue to do exactly as they did and entrench impunity.
it’s time for action, someone must own up and step aside. NOW!
Have a Good Day Mr President…
Tha Scribbler Bah
A Concerned Citizen
