Not that anything has changed in his capacity to express or argue but that he has lieutenants.Ĭivilians, people who expect nothing from a government-the so-called uneducated-volunteered as security for Barrow and his lieutenants.īarrow himself campaigned on the strength of these people to think and act appropriately.įrom Kartong to Koina, I watched, listened and recorded history.įor the first time, I saw hope, hope for the future of my country-that I forgot about a threat of genocide. All of a sudden, this man inspired confidence in the people. By default, journalists tend to pay too much attention to people, such that we can over-exaggerate their deficiencies.įast forward, that period passed and we headed for the coalition convention, Barrow won.īut all these times, Barrow may not be president but he had soldiers on all sides. His hands trembling.Īgain, we left asking each other “who is he”.īut again, it was not for us to decide. He then basked into a conversation of how, if it were in UK where he briefly lived, the result of the UDP convention would have leaked-how journalists would have been analyzing it.īarrow held a two-page paper, if I recall properly, and read. Saikou Jammeh, the RFI correspondent and secretary general of the GPU was also there.Ĭham was the only journalist Barrow recognized and called him by his name. Lamin Cham, the editor of The Standard newspaper was there. When the UDP also announced their press conference where their leader was to be announced, I was there.Įmil Touray, former president of the Gambia Press Union was there. The Gambian people are the judges and jury. He is not a presidential material,” I said sternly. “Do you think he could be the leader?” asked Jeffang. Aja Mariam Secka was the UDP leader at the time. There, the second to last speaker was Barrow. Our mission as reporters who mostly focus on politics and public policy was to see who may be the UDP leader. I was there with a Foroyaa reporter Kebba Jeffang. My first meeting with him was at Brikama, United Democratic Party’s last meeting before a planned negotiation for a coalition. The torch-bearer was to be one Adama Barrow. The country was pushed to an edge-effectively at war with herself.Īt the height of this tension emerged a semblance of salvation.įor there to be sanity, a new order must replace an old one. “One dog died and they are asking me to investigate,” said Yahya Jammeh.Īs painful as that was, this statement was accompanied with threat of genocide. Those blamed for his death were adamant they committed no wrong. His colleagues and friends swore that people involved in his death will pay. The cause was of freedom from the grip of a man who betrayed both God and man.
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