Halifa Sallah may have gone through some inconveniences and hardships while been remanded at the Mile Two Prisons, but the NADD flag bearer has again emerged victorious in his fight for the restoration of democracy and the rule of law in the country.
By PK Jarju
Mr Sallah was kept away from his loved ones and friends not because he committed a crime or posed a threat to the peace and stability of the Gambia, but because he chose to challenged the state sponsored witch hunting exercise, which was not only against the constitution and other laws of the Gambia, but a violation of the rights and freedoms of the Gambian people.
Halifa's duty to the public and his belief in morality of the essential rightness of the cause for which he stood for, has compelled him to offer himself as a 'sacrificial lamb to ensure the liberty and dignity of the Gambian people'.
As he stated in a recent interview with Foroyaa: "My arrest, detention and release is not about me. It is about the sovereignty and welfare of the people which is the cornerstone of our right to self determination and independence."
Halifa was as strong as ever when he was arrested. And instead of calling on his angry supporters to take to the street when he was unable to meet his bail conditions, he asked them to return home and not be despaired.
Halifa knew that he was not a criminal and remanding him at the Mile Two Prisons only exposed the Jammeh regime's desire to keep the Gambian people silence while it does anything it wants without giving a monkey to the laws of the country. The longer he remained banged up and denied access to visitors, the more respect he got from the Gambian people many of whom have previously supported Jammeh.
President Jammeh may try to fool the Gambian people yet again, by saying that the charges against Halifa were dropped in the interest of peace. We all know that the charges were only dropped as a damage limitation on Jammeh's battered imaged.
Since Halifa's arrest, newspapers in many countries both in Africa, UK, America, Asia, China and even far away Australia developed interest in the state sponsored witch hunting and have ran stories about the arrest and persecution of suspected witches and wizards in the Gambia.
Many Gambians and friends of the Gambia turned Jammeh into a subject of ridicule and have even expressed doubts whether he is mentally fit enough to continue running the affairs of the country.
Peace was the last thing on Jammeh's mind when he ordered the arrest of Halifa Sallah. If Jammeh was really interested in the peace and progress of the country, he would not have in the first place invited the Guinean witch hunters into the country to rudely disrupt the lives of our elderly parents.
And I am very certain that the Gambia would have been in flames today if the Gambian people had taken to the street to demand the immediate release of Halifa Sallah and an end to the activities of the witch hunters. Jammeh would have surely ordered his security officers to come down heavily on the protesters, like he did on April 10 and 11, 2000.
Lets not forget that Jammeh once said on national television that he would not hesitate to kill 99 per cent Gambians and go to sleep if it is in the interest of the Gambia.
To Jammeh, the witch hunting is in the best interest of the country and only God knows how many Gambians would have been killed during the protest.
The Gambia can only move forward if Jammeh as president orders the immediate stop to all witch hunting activities, issue a public apology to the people whose lives were torn apart by the witch hunters as well compensate them fully.
A full investigation should be conducted on the reported death five Gambians and the rape of a woman from Makumbaya by the witch hunters. Murder and rape are a serious crime under Gambian law and those responsible should be arrested and prosecuted.
Gambian men and women who have fled the country into neigbouring Senegal should be allow to return home to their families without any intimidation or harasment.
There cannot be peace and progress without justice.
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