Banjul North National Assembly Member Modou Lamin B. Bah has vowed to continue speaking out and representing his constituents despite threats from President Adama Barrow over his participation in a youth-led protest at State House.
Mr. Barrow, speaking in Banjul, accused the lawmaker of encouraging young people to stage a demonstration at State House, describing the action as a serious crime and a treasonable offence.
The president warned that such protests would not be tolerated and compared his response to what might have happened under former President Yahya Jammeh.
“If this was Jammeh’s time, he would have shot all of them, including the National Assembly member,” Mr. Barrow said.
He went further, issuing a direct warning to the lawmaker: “If he dares go there again, he will not repeat it. What we do to him, he will not forget until his death.”
Mr. Barrow also accused Mr. Bah of encouraging division and called on voters in Banjul North to elect a different representative in the next parliamentary elections.
In a statement dated October 20, Mr. Bah rejected the president’s characterisation of the demonstration, insisting that it was peaceful and lawful. He said the protest was protected under Section 25 of the Constitution, which guarantees fundamental freedoms, including the right to assemble and demonstrate peacefully.
“We held candles, not weapons. We sang for justice, not for violence. We stood for light in darkness,” the lawmaker said.
He described the president’s remarks as deeply troubling, arguing that threatening an elected representative over peaceful protest amounted to an attack on democratic rights and freedoms.
“To be threatened by the Head of State for such an act is profoundly disappointing and dangerously out of touch with the democracy we all fought for,” he added.
Mr. Bah said the threats had left him concerned about the safety of both himself and his family. He subsequently held the president personally responsible should anything happen to them.
“If in case anything happens to me or any member of my family, in any form or at any time, I hold Mr. Adama Barrow, President of the Republic of The Gambia, personally responsible,” he declared.
The Banjul North lawmaker called on the Inspector General of Police to take steps to ensure his family’s safety. He also urged the leadership of the National Assembly to defend the independence of parliament and protect the rights and immunity of elected members.
He further appealed to the National Human Rights Commission, the Gambia Bar Association, civil society organisations and international partners, including ECOWAS, the African Union, the United Nations and the European Union, to pay attention to what he described as a shrinking space for dissent in the country.
Despite the president’s warning, Mr. Bah said he had no intention of abandoning his responsibilities to the people of Banjul North.
“They can threaten one of us, but they cannot extinguish the light of all of us,” he said. “I remain resolute. I remain your servant.”
The exchange has brought renewed attention to the relationship between the government and opposition voices, particularly the constitutional right to peaceful assembly and the protection of elected representatives from intimidation.
