With the startling and sometimes jaw-dropping revelations at the sittings of the Commission of Inquiry into the financial dealings of the former president and his close associates, Gambians should now go through a painful and enervating soul searching journey.
The revelations show that while many Gambians went through countless troubles due to the policies of the previous government, many silently enjoyed ‘the forbidden fruit’ of a Jammeh largess. It has shown that Jammeh was not a lone monster without wailers, enablers and sympathisers. It has shown that for some, because they were also enjoying the windfall, they closed their eyes to the ills that permeated our society.
We must now search into the deepest recesses of our souls to see how we should come together and rebuild our nation. We must look carefully and not move with emotions and greed. These two never bring solutions. We must seek to readjust our system to ensure that those who illegally benefitted from government coffers at the detriment of the nation are called to account. They must return the loot to our coffers.
Equally though, we need to shift through the rubble and ensure that those who only took what rightfully is due to them are not punished or pressurized unduly.
The bottom line is, we have a nation to heal. That must never be lost sight of. We are one nation, one people, and one destiny. Gambia belongs to all of us for which reason we should be mindful of our words and deeds. Let us also remember that the country equally belongs to the future generation. We owe it to them to bequeath a country that is stable and sound.
