SG Ebrima Sirrie Bah: GFYPB not born to counter 3 Years Jotna

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By SULAYMAN WAAN

Ebrima Sorrie Bah, secretary general of Gambia for Five Years and Peace Building (GFYPB) has said that his movement was not established to counter the 3 Years Jotna movement but to nurture peace in the country.

“I want to make one point clear that GFYPB does not exist to counter 3 Years Jotna. And we are not backed by the government, the least to say the president of the republic,” he said in his presentation during the peace conference organized by Africare Initiative and partners on Saturday in a local hotel.

It could be recalled that in the past a number of Gambia at home and abroad formed a movement called 3 Years Jotna ready demonstrate and demand President Barrow to honour the Coalition 2016 3-year agreement and step down.

Later on, another group dubbed Gambia for Five Years and Peace Building which many said it exist to counter the 3 Years Jotna movement.

However, Mr. Bah said his movement was established to safeguard the peace and stability of the country as the 3 Years Jotna has threatened to embark on a protest in December.

According to him, prior to the 2016 presidential election the coalition agreed for the president to serve the country for three years only but now it had amended its agreement which he said has mandated the head of state to rule until 2021.

However, he added that despite the amendment of the coalition’s agreement the 3 Years Jotna movement vowed to protest in December demanding President Barrow’s resignation.

“We heard the president saying in a political rally in Brikama that he would stay for fives. Now, we have two opposing groups. The president is prepared to stay for five years and the 3 Years Jotna is campaigning for him to go by December,” he said.

Bah noted that if the movement embarks on protest and government decided to retaliate there could be consequences while linking the upcoming protest with previous protests in Serekunda and Brikama that turned ruinous.

He said in a condition where the protest goes out of control, there is tendency of government perceiving it illegal and act in a way that could cause consequences between the two parties.

“This why GFYPB said we should dialogue. We made several efforts to meet my brothers and sister at 3 Years Jotna to dialogue,” he noted.

He said whenever the movement embarks on a protest there is certainty of the demonstrators violating the rights of other Gambians who are not supporting the 3 Years Jotna as others have different views with the demonstration.

Bah further predicted that if the movement get to the streets government would like to be defensive and perceive the demonstration as treason, adding that if the police attempt to disperse the gathering and protesters insist it can have severe consequences when the two parties clash.

“There is no guarantee that such protest would be peaceful. Obviously you can start a protest peacefully but you can never determine how it is going to end. So it is unforeseeable,” he noted.

Economy effects
Bah said the tourism and trade sector have been already affected by the threat to protest, noting that some people have canceled their holiday to the country while some foreign nationals had close their businesses.

The leader of the anti-December protest movement further said if 3 Years Jotna protest many sectors would be affected, citing education, health among others.

“Some Gambians have serious psychological trauma because of the uncertainties that are associated with this protest.”

Meanwhile, he called on 3 Years Jotna movement to negotiate with stakeholders as proposed by Africare Initiative so as to maintain peace.