Have we forgotten so quickly? Power was hanging on the balance on 2nd December 2016 before Hon. Bala Jahumpa called Halifa Sallah to indicate Ex-President Jammeh’s desire to speak to the Presidential Candidate of the Coalition Adama Barrow to declare his acceptance that he has won and congratulate him for the victory. Halifa Sallah called Adama Barrow to ask him to keep his line open for the call and in a matter of minutes all Gambians heard the famous words from Jammeh that no one on earth ever thought he would say. He accepted the loss as god’s bidding.
The Coalition jubilated and prepared to go to the statehouse the next day. The incoming President was informed by Halifa Sallah that the term of the outgoing president will not expire until 18th January 2017 and that something would have to be done to appease the Coalition supporters who were expecting to accompany the incoming President to the state house the next day after Jammeh’s declaration. They agreed to request for the release of the political prisoners. Honourable Bala Jahumpa was called to discuss the issue of asking the outgoing President to exercise prerogative of mercy with immediacy to release the UDP leader and other political prisoners, a proposal which was readily accepted to be implemented after the weekend.
Instead the lawyers requested for bail and had the political prisoners released on bail.
After the release of the Political prisoners the Incoming President did set up a transitional management team to prepare for negotiation with the transitional management team of the outgoing president but the whole scheme never got off the ground when Jammeh took a 180 degree turn to reject the results of the election and vowed to hold fresh election under a new god fearing Chairman of the IEC.
Gambia was struck by an impasse that threatened the very lives of the people so much so that many began to leave the country to become refugees.
Have we forgotten all these developments? Are we prepared to prevent recurrence or repeat the ills of the past?
These are questions for each to answer.
