“Three Years Jotna” Renews Calls on President Barrow; Alleges SIC and Coalition Leaders Are Troublemakers

Members of the “Three Years Jotna” movement have renewed calls on President Adama Barrow to reflect back and honor the promise made to Gambian people that he will hand over power after three years in line with the Coalition 2016 agreement that brought him to office. 

They made the call over the weekend at Busumbala Village, Kombo North where “Three Years Jotna” members also reacted to statements emanating from the Supreme Islamic Council (SIC) and Coalition 2016 members, describing the two bodies as troublemakers.

“Our message is the same message we have been making everywhere in the Gambia, and that is to remind President Adama Barrow of the three years agreement he made with the Gambian people. December is fast approaching and it is important for the President to honor and respect the agreement he made with us, which is that he will step down by the end of his three years in power,” said Abdou Njie, Chairman of the “Three Years Jotna” movement.

Chairman Njie challenged President Barrow to go back to his own audios and videos and listen carefully to his own words as to the promise he made to Gambians in the build-up to 2016 Presidential election, arguing that failure to honor the agreement will reduce the credibility of the President and make him a laughing stock among the dignified people of The Gambia.

“I want to urge The Gambian youths to stop sleeping and look critically at the tactics being employed by President Barrow in trying to hold on to power. If we (youths) allow this game to happen in this country, it is going to be the beginning of another dictatorship in the country”, 3Yrs Jotna Chairman tells the youths of The Gambia.

Binta Jammeh, a native of Busumbala said Gambian women must not allow anyone to fool them again, disclosing that it is the women who crisscrossed the country and campaigned for President Barrow on the basis that he will rule for three years and go back to continue his business.

“I was among those who went on campaign with President Barrow for fourteen good days and if he can remember very well he said in every Bantaba (platform) we visited that he will run a transition government and will step down after three years and go back to his business. If he can forget his own words, we the women should not play by his cards and we must come out to fill the streets anytime we are called to do so and remind him of his own promises,” Jammeh noted.

She added: “We Gambian women must not allow President Barrow to fool us, he has already shown us who he is by not honoring his own words. We were promised that the price of a bag of rice will come down after the elections and it never happen. Feeding, electricity and water are still a burden to most families, and how can we the women allow such a run to continue beyond December?”.

Musa Ceesay, also a member of the movement dispelled statements made by others that the movement members are trouble makers. He said such statements are false exaggerations and lack of understanding by people bent on engaging in a smear campaign meant to disregard the “Three Years Jotna” movement.

“Those Imams going around the country calling us troublemakers are the very people who are the troublemakers in the country. Instead of telling the President to honor the agreement he made with The Gambian people, they are going around the country to promote President Barrow’s continuous stay in power against the agreement he entered into with The Gambians”, Ceesay said reacting to the Supreme Islamic Council nationwide tour.

He observed that other troublemakers in the country are those fueling President Barrow to use the security forces against “Three Years Jotna” members come December, arguing that most of those advising the President to use force against the “Three Years Jotna” members are the real trouble makers in the country, who are only interested in their pockets and not the interest of the Gambian people.

“What we are asking is very simply, give us our country and continue your business as a private citizen as you promised during the campaign. I don’t think this is about making trouble because this is what we agreed with President Barrow and this is why we voted for him; so if there are troublemakers, it is either President Barrow himself, the Imams going round the country vilifying us and those giving him wrong advice to stay beyond the three-year agreement”, Musa Ceesay argued. 

Mamina Fadera, a representative from Lower River Region (LRR) said his region is more committed to the cause of the “Three Years Jotna” than any other region of the country, noting that both women, men and youths of LRR are ready to turn out in numbers into the streets come December to remind President Barrow of the agreement and to honor his own words. 

“Those who are of the view that ‘Three Years Jotna’ is a small movement and is an irrelevant movement, please continue saying that till the time comes. This is a national issue and not a party issue and everybody is ready throughout the country waiting for the day when it will be clear whether we are a small or large movement” Fadera disclosed.