CLAIM: Did the president of The Gambia threaten to eliminate civil servants that belong to opposition parties?
VERDICT: True
SOURCE: Open Gambia
FINDINGS:
Open Gambia in a facebook post; wrote that President of the Republic of The Gambia Mr Adama Barrow said there are public servants that say they are not part of any political party asserting neutrality when in reality they are part of a political party. In reality they recognize them and they are following them one by one.
The claims goes further to explain, how the president recognize such public servants as a certain insect that goes into a bag of groundnut locally called “Bukarrsidi” and the Public Service Minister is available as the “purdarr” to terminate the”insects” and if the “Purdarr” is pour on any of those Insects that will be their end if they are not careful.
The findings indicate that the president made the exact remark posted by Open Gambia during his Meet the people tour speech in Mansajang saying “they don’t regret creating the Public Service Ministry, because some civil servants claiming to be neutral belong to the opposition, they recognize those people, they are following them one by one and the public service Minister is ready to weep them one by one. They are people; in example like, the insect that enters a bag of groundnut called “Burkarrsidi”, they are “Burkarrsidi” Referring to Civil Servants. And when they enter your groundnut, you cannot control them if you don’t put Purdarr on them. Now the public service minister is the Purdarr on those civil servants.” He went further to explains the ramification of the kind of Purdarr the Public Service Minister has because if he uses it and one is not careful that will be the end of everything for you.
When we question what the Purdarr does to the insects that infiltrate a bag of groundnut, the confirmation is the purdarr kill the insects in the bag of groundnut.
Implication: Threat and Hate Speech towards Opposition Public Servants
Conclusion:
The President of the Republic of The Gambia did call Public Servants that claim not to be part any political party as opposition and “Insects” that infiltrate a bag of groundnut and when that happens “Purdarr” a locally called chemical is used to kill such Insect within a bag of groundnut, he signifies as the Public Service Minister will pour on those insects as civil servants. Openly he said if those people are not careful that will be the end of everything for them.
By: Mariama Danso
Fact Check Centre-The Gambia
