By Alagi Yorro Jallow
Fatoumatta: The Gambia is a remarkable nation, resilient, vibrant, and filled with unforgettable people. However, a troubling paradox currently shadows our civic conscience. How is it that many Gambians, who rightly denounce bad laws and flaws and excesses such as the arrest of critics and the enactment of colonial-era archaic laws of “insulting the President” and flaws of Adama Barrow’s governance, now cheer on the PASTEF regime in Senegal, even as it tramples the very freedoms they claim to defend?
Ousmane Sonko, once celebrated as a populist reformer, now heads a government that systematically targets journalists, silences dissenters, and criminalizes opposition through draconian laws like Article 80, which criminalizes “insulting the President.” Many Gambians rightly condemn President Barrow for adopting similar oppressive measures. Columnists such as Ameth Ndoye face arrest simply for daring to speak truth to power, while media outlets endure relentless harassment, and civic voices are stifled. Paradoxically, some Gambians who would never tolerate such abuses within their own borders express approval for these actions across the border. This is not authentic solidarity; it is selective outrage, a troubling form of sycophantic allegiance masquerading as Pan-Africanism.
Fatoumatta: Why do we condemn the arrest of critics in The Gambia but justify it in Senegal? Why do we demand accountability from Adama Barrow yet excuse authoritarianism from Sonko? Why do we vilify one leader’s imperfections while romanticizing another’s repression? This double standard is not just hypocritical; it is dangerous. It erodes our moral compass, undermines our struggle for justice, and betrays the very values of freedom and dignity that our region has fought so hard to reclaim. This betrayal of our values is a grave threat to our collective future. True civic integrity demands consistency.
Fatoumatta: If we believe in press freedom, we must defend it everywhere. If we oppose tyranny, we must reject it in every form, without exception. Our allegiance must be to principles, not personalities. The Gambia deserves better. Senegal deserves better. Africa deserves better. Let us not be blinded by charisma or tribal loyalty. Let us be guided by truth, justice, and the unwavering belief that freedom of expression is not a crime anywhere. It is our collective responsibility to ensure that tyranny is not tolerated, regardless of its form or location.
