Tuesday, October 2, 2018

Dr. Amadou Scattred Janneh's arrest signals the emergence of the dictatorship of Adama Barrow

Sidi Sanneh 
Gambians fought and won against a dictatorship that killed, maimed, tortured, imprisoned and exiled us over a period of twenty-two years. 

Dr. Janneh was a victim of that dictatorship and he has indelible marks to show as proof. His arrest this morning in his home town of Gunjur marks the emergence of yet another dictatorship from the foundation of what we thought was a transition government, tasked to reform our institutions, revise of constitutions, restructure the civil service, judiciary and the state-owned enterprises.

Instead, what the transition government elected to focus its attention on was on contracting odious loans from the Chinese, rehabilitate and reintroduce dubious characters with equally dubious business backgrounds into the business and commercial life of the country. 

The arrest of Dr. Janneh is one more sign of the failure of the government of Adama Barrow to win over the hearts and minds of the Gambian people through demonstrable leadership, honesty and minimum degree of competence.  Instead, what is on display is a government consumed by corruption and fueled by greed, incompetence and ignorance. 

Dr. Janneh was picked up at at the Gunjur cemetery where he was witnessing his uncle's burial, according to several sources.  This method of arrest, right out of Yaya Jammeh's playbook, is reminiscent of the dictatorship that Gambian's endured for 22 years. 

His arrest, according to the same source, is linked to his activism against coastal pollution by a Chinese fish meal company named Golden Lead whose fishing trawler was impounded by the Gambian Armed Forces for illegally fishing in Gambian waters.

As far as we can ascertain, Dr. Janneh is in police custody at the Gunjur Police Station.  He demand his immediate and unconditional release or be charged and released.

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