US-based Zakaria Kemo Konteh has blasted as egregious political and moral blunder the decision by UDP to accept Babadinding Jobarteh as its newest member.
Mr Jobarteh, accused of serious human rights violations during former President Yahya Jammeh’s rule joined UDP in Saruja on Saturday.
There has been widespread condemnation of the development including from among UDP supporters.
Zakaria Kemo Konteh is one of them and he said in a write-up shared on his Facebook: “I was itching to add my voice to chorus of shock disgust, disappointment and condemnation over UDP Leadership’s decision to not only welcome the disgraced and criminally complicit Lawyer, Lamin AMS Jobarteh, to their party but giving him the center stage at their Saruja rally much to the horror of his victims in particular and the country in general. However, I am retrained by the outpouring of rejection and feeling of repulse from UDP supporters and members who express, in no uncertain term, their displeasure and outright disagreement with their party’s echelon. It was a distasteful, repugnant and insensitive political decision devoid of every morality and decency.
“It is so alarming that the party that had been victimized for decades and home to many victims of perpetrators like Lamin Jobarteh, could turn out to give a national platform to an unrepentant torturer, is the height of sheer political hypocrisy that should not stand.
“I call on the UDP to immediately dissociate itself with Lamin Jobarteh, offer genuine contrition and publicly apologize to victims and Gambians for this egregious Political And Moral Blunder….We expected that the party should be bigger, decent and honorable than providing home and sanctuary for criminal fugitives like Lawyer Jobarteh not matter the political expediency. Our values and principles must not be short changed for political gratification.”
