In an attempt to calm down the situation Hon. Amul Nyassi, National Assembly Member addressed a community meeting in Kanilai on Saturday 2017, passionately calling for peace and tranquility.
By Mustapha Jallow
‘‘Do not take the law into your hands, we are one Gambia, people come and go. So let’s take change in good faith. President Jammeh has done a lot of development for his country but he is gone and someone has come, why can’t we respect the laws of our land and work for the interest of our nation?’’ he asked.
He said that the maintenance of peace in this country of ours is a joint responsibility and is incumbent on every Gambian citizen, adding that people should be seen working to promoting peace as it is only in peace and tranquility that you can have development that has been realized through the leadership of the former government.
‘‘That’s why I keep advocating for peace without fear, and no amount of threat will make me reframe from what I am trying to say and that’s what I was advocating for in Kanilai but unfortunately I saw trucks and pickup vehicles with PIU officers who are fully armed conducting arrests and as a result my efforts are to some extent nullified. Without peace we are nowhere and the saddest thing is that while we were gathered and offering our condolences to the family of the late Haruna Jatta we were suddenly dispersed by PIU officers and youths started running,’’ he said.
‘‘You can hear me addressing the community of Kanilai, that I’m blaming them. If they elected me as their representative at the National Assembly they should see me as the link between them and government. If such things are happening in the community and I’m not put in the picture and they want to take matters on themselves without my knowledge I really blame them for that, which the people of Kanilai accepted,’’ he told Foroyaa.
Hon. Nyassi explained that during the protest when villagers got nearer to the ECOMIG forces then the forces opened fire on villagers and he saw about 6 of them seriously injured by bullets, adding that unfortunately one of them passed away on the following day at EFSH in Banjul. ‘‘The injuries are serious and not minor, you cannot call minor and you cannot say it is rubber-bullets. We have seen a sample of the bullets that were used to open fire”.
In conclusion he urged the people of Kanilai and the general public not to pursue any form of violence but to advocate for dialogue.