By Alagie Manneh
The National Human Rights Commission has urged the Gambia government to step up a gear and implement the recommendations of the truth commission. Commission Chairman Emmanuel Joof made this call while addressing a gathering at the Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara Conference Centre Tuesday.
The rights commission was recommended by the TRRC to monitor the implementation of the recommendations of its report, and to report to the National Assembly on the status of implementation.
Chairman Joof acknowledged as encouraging, some of the strides taken by the government towards implementation, but charged that the plight of victims and families of victims “must be addressed adequately, equitably and speedily”.
“There is need for institutional reform and reorientation of personnel in our security institutions who were named in the TRRC as the main perpetrators of the human rights violations that took place for 22 years,” he stated.
He told government officials and UN representatives that all eyes are on The Gambia concerning the implementation of the TRRC recommendations. ”We are known throughout the world as that small country that has taken up the cause and the plight of the persecuted Rohingya Muslim minority of Myanmar and file a lawsuit in November 2019 before the International Court of Justice, against the Government of Myanmar for genocide against her Rohingya Muslim citizens under the 1948 Genocide Convention. We have been commended for that. I therefore hasten to borrow the old age adage and dare say that “charity begins at home”, Joof said.
He revealed that the NHRC, National Council for Civic Education, CSOs, and faith-based organisations all have a pivotal role to play in making the ‘Never Again’ mantra meaningful.
“They must constantly engage their communities to preach the language of peace and tolerance. We must all be serious and work towards a Gambia where we all live together in peace and harmony respecting each other regardless of our tribal, religious, political, sexual differences, caste, social and other status. The TRRC report is very explicit and has exposed us to divisive nature that some of our political, opinion and even religious leaders played in fanning the seeds of disunity and division among Gambians- unfortunately some still continue to do the same.”
