Posted by 
by Madi Jobarteh.
It has been reported by Fatu Network that TAF company has donated 100 rain boots to the Gambia Police Force as well as a big fat ram to Sgt. Kaddy Jarju today. Commendations to TAF for such leadership!
By now what the IGP and the entire police community must realise is that when citizens expose, criticize and condemn the actions or inactions of law enforcement officers it is meant to bring them good and not to destroy them! We are in a democracy where it is obvious that public institutions must be transparent and held accountable by citizens. Criticism is Accountability. Such criticism can be pleasant or unpleasant, fact or fiction or in good or bad faith, but it is the right of citizens to question, criticize and condemn public institutions and officials as they see fit.
In the days of Yaya Jammeh, whoever had put the picture of Kaddy Jarju would have been arrested and maltreated by the police themselves. One would have been accused of being anti police, unpatriotic and seeking to tarnish the image of the police and the country.
We can recall the case of Minah Manneh several years ago who shared a video of a police officer kicking a school girl on the street! She was hunted like meat such that she had to flee the country to save her life. Why?
But today, thanks to democracy that we delivered to ourselves, not only has Kaddy been celebrated but TAF has gone further to empower the entire institution with this much needed support. I am sure many more are coming.
Isn’t it great that Kaddy has both a promotion and a Tabaski ram? Isn’t it great that the Police got boosted with materials? That’s the beauty of democracy that the IGP must recognize and embrace!
Therefore we love our Police because we the citizens created the Police. It is our power and authority that they have. They are there to protect our rights at all times such as Kaddy was doing barefooted under the rain!
We will watch them. We will expose corruption and police brutality. We will criticize them. But also we will support them to abide by the law to do their job well. They must not see our criticism as hate, disrespect and pulling them down.
On that note while we celebrate Kaddy and commend TAF, I hereby demand the IGP once again to look into the case of Haruna Jatta and Ousman Darboe.
Haruna was a Gambian whose life must not be taken for free by anyone! There must be investigation to ensure justice and accountability for him.
Similarly Ousman Darboe was a human being who was married to a Gambian and has children who are Gambian. The claims by his wife and friends and by himself first and foremost that he was tortured by the Anti Crime Unit must be investigated by the IGP.
Next week will be one year since Ousman died yet the IGP has not provided the autopsy report of Ousman to his wife. Why?
His young children will grow up without knowing the truth about the death of their father if there is no investigation. In that case they will grow up hating the police and society for their lack of a father! Does the conscience of the IGP Mamour Jobe allow him to live with that?
The price of freedom is eternal vigilance and that is what sustains democracy. It is only within the environment of democracy that our rights can be protected and our needs fulfilled. Therefore let us continue to hold the Police and the entire Gambia Government accountable today and tomorrow and forever and ensure that democracy continues to flourish on our land!
For The Gambia Our Homeland!