From Edward Francis Small Centre for Rights and Justice
On this day sixty-one years ago, The Gambia lowered the Union Jack and raised its own flag. Colonial rule formally ended. Political authority shifted from foreign hands to Gambian hands. We began to govern ourselves.
But the fundamental question remains: Has independence delivered liberty, dignity, and prosperity to the majority of Gambians?
At the Edward Francis Small Centre for Rights and Justice, we observe with deep concern that while we ended colonialism in 1965, independence has not yet translated into genuine freedom and human security for most citizens.
Over six decades later, transparency and accountability in public institutions remain weak. The culture of impunity persists. State institutions are insufficiently disciplined to be law-abiding, efficient, and responsive. Taxes increase. Loans and grants multiply. Public expenditure rises. Yet for the majority of citizens, access to quality healthcare, education, water, electricity, transport, and employment remains uneven, limited, and expensive.
Independence has not sufficiently restrained public officials from waste, abuse, and inefficiency. Instead of a state fully anchored in service to the people, we often witness a state that underperforms while demanding more from citizens.
Despite six decades of self-rule, colonial-era laws, systems, and administrative practices continue to shape governance structures. These outdated frameworks undermine civil and political rights and weaken democratic accountability. True independence requires more than a flag and anthem. It requires dismantling inherited systems that centralise power, stifle participation, and distance the state from the people.
Every year, independence is marked by speeches, slogans, parades, and grand ceremonies. Yet citizens must look beyond rhetoric and examine their lived realities such as persistent unemployment, especially among young people. We face rising cost of living with unequal access to opportunities while experiencing weak service delivery in both urban and rural communities.
Gambians must not be distracted by isolated success stories of a few individuals while the majority struggle daily despite relentless effort. A republic cannot be judged by the prosperity of the few, but by the dignity and opportunity available to the many.
The Gambia is richly endowed with fertile land and strategic geography. We have a resilient and youthful population, and a dynamic diaspora, and imbued with strong traditions of community and solidarity. With proper management of our natural and human resources, this country could have ranked among the most advanced and stable societies in the world. That this has not happened is not a matter of fate. It is a matter of governance.
The state continues to underperform and, at times, abuse its mandate. At the same time, citizens have not consistently exercised their rights and duties to demand accountability and shape public policy.
After 61 years, it is time for citizens to recognise a fundamental truth that the republic belongs to the people. The state belongs to the people. Independence belongs to the people.
This requires therefore, active citizenship and not passive spectatorship that demands accountability at all levels of government, insists on transparency in public finance and procurement, participates meaningfully in democratic processes, and rejects mediocrity and impunity.
Citizens must not be satisfied with high-sounding declarations from political leaders and technocrats. They must measure independence by tangible outcomes: availability, accessibility, affordability, and functionality of quality public goods and services.
