By: Kemo Kanyi
Mai Ahmad Fatty, leader of the Gambia Moral Congress (GMC), has called on Gambians to uphold the rule of law amid escalating tensions following the arrest of 23 youth protesters.
The youths were remanded at Mile 2 Central Prison after protesting against the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority’s (PURA) introduction of a data price floor for internet service providers.
Fatty, a former Interior Minister, emphasized that while the right to protest is a cornerstone of democracy, it must be exercised within the framework of the law.
“The sacred right to protest stands as democracy’s beating heart, yet it must pulse within the arterial boundaries of law and order,” he said. “When citizens raise their voices in righteous dissent, the guardians of peace, law, and order bear an equally sacred duty to ensure that expression does not descend into chaos, and that legitimate grievance does not give birth to illegitimate violence.”
He stressed that rights and freedoms cannot exist in a vacuum and must be protected through adherence to laws. “It is time we focus on the imperative to respect our laws in order to preserve our rights and freedoms,” Fatty stated.
He warned that failure to uphold the law risks the erosion of both rights and freedoms. “Laws must be obeyed by all, without exception. No one has the right to selectively choose which laws to follow and which to ignore,” he said.
Offering a legal path for change, Fatty urged citizens to use institutional mechanisms to address grievances. “If you believe particular laws are unjust, use the courts or lobby your Parliamentarian to effect reform. Change is a process, not a deliberate rupture. Democracy is not anarchy—and even those you disagree with have rights that must be respected within that same system.”
He also noted that the constitutional right to protest is mirrored by an equal right to oppose protests. “One may protest, but thousands of others may also support the government. That doesn’t make one citizen better than the other,” he argued.
Fatty cautioned against confusing democracy with unrestricted freedom, warning of the dangers of mob rule.
“When democracy is misunderstood as a license to do whatever you want—rather than accountable citizenship—it ceases to be civilization’s crowning achievement and becomes its gravest peril. A mob masquerading as a movement is anarchy draped in the false robes of righteousness,” he concluded.
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