Dear Editor,
The National Executive Committee of GMC entered into a political alliance with the NPP based on the national interest. Within the Alliance framework, each political party retains its separate independent political sovereignty. The proposal for the alliance was tabled before GMC National Congress held at Farafenni on 29th December 2023 and was passed as a resolution. The formal ceremony was therefore an implementation of our congress resolution that mandated the national executive to enter into discussions which took nine months. The formal ceremony was graced by delegates nominated by political structures from each of the regions.
Working within the alliance framework, GMC places its ideas to support the government in expediting reform programs, institutional efficiency, improving access to justice and strengthening public accountability in governance, particularly public finance management.
We will also seek to empower responsible public information dissemination about government agenda and programs so as to enable informed citizenry.
The party, within the alliance partnership, will tour the country emphasising on the importance of peace, political stability and national unity for collective development.
Through convergence of ideas, we strongly believe that roads infrastructure projects are leading critical enablers of inclusive socio-economic development, and significantly contribute in poverty amelioration.
We take cognisance of public concerns about quality output particularly in both the educational and the health sectors. Considering that most of these concerns are structural legacy challenges inherited from 22 years of dictatorship, including a highly mismanaged economy, they cannot all be solved over-night but through analytical systematic approach. These take time and public understanding and patience with development process is always imperative.
Government performance on all of the above thus far is on a forward trajectory, albeit more could be done.
With the increase in access to health and education, we believe government needs strong support in injecting more quality services delivery to strengthen the wide expanded access already achieved in these sectors.
Government also needs strong collaborative efforts with regards to strengthening the implementation of public procurement laws, proper internal auditing mechanisms within MDAs and empowering legislative competence to provide meaningful oversight.
Government needs strong collaborative efforts to fast track civil service and security sector reforms, while focusing on specific key targets for maximum impact.
The civil service is the engine of governance and no real success can take place without it. Some serious reforms are being implemented, although the pace may appear slow for some. It is important for the public to understand that it takes time to uproot such chronic legacy challenges.
We must eliminate artificial obstructions and allow reforms to take root. There should be no compromise with or accommodation of those who willfully resist reforms within the civil service. Either you are part of the team for effective change management or decision be finalised about the relevance of retention.
Government needs strong collaborative efforts in the security sector. This sector is in urgent need of not only expedited reforms but massive investments for a turn-around. Security is everyone’s business and all hands should be on deck.
In all of these, all Gambians must join hands with President Barrow’s government to consolidate the much needed broad-based inclusive development The Gambia requires.
GMC seeks to provide robust support for President Barrow’s national development agenda within the alliance framework, and calls on all Gambians to come on board to supports and rally behind this noble idea.
GMC National Executive Committee
Ecowas approval for establishment of Special Tribunal for The Gambia
Dear Editor,
The Edward Francis Small Centre (EFSCRJ) hereby welcomes the decision by the Ecowas Authority at its 66th Ordinary Session in approving the establishment of the Special Tribunal for The Gambia. We consider this decision as a fulfillment of the duty of Ecowas in light of the letter and spirit of the Ecowas Protocol on Good Governance and Democracy, the Ecowas Vision 2050, and the expressed statements and engagements that Ecowas has had with The Gambia in the wake of the 2016 presidential election. The approval for the establishment of the Special Tribunal is therefore a logical conclusion of the path and role that Ecowas has played to ensure the departure of Dictator Yahya Jammeh and the triumph of the 2016 election results.
We wish to equally commend The Gambia government for undertaking a transitional justice program in 2017 leading to the creation of the TRRC which provided much of the information necessary to ensure justice and accountability. We further commend the government for creating the necessary legal frameworks for the setting up and running of the Special Tribunal.
Having noted that, EFSCRJ wishes to call on The Gambia government to realize the immense responsibility placed on its hands by the Ecowas decision to ensure that the establishment and functioning of the Special Tribunal is conducted in accordance with the principles and standards of professionalism, transparency, and efficiency. We urge the government to take urgent steps with due diligence and commitment to expedite the setting up of this institution and ensure that justice is not only done but seen to be done. We need not remind the Government of the value and meaning of this court in terms of promoting peace, justice, reconciliation, and reparations. For that matter, the affairs of this court must be handled with utmost honesty, openness, and inclusion to generate total trust and confidence in all Gambians hence guarantee its legitimacy and relevance.
Furthermore, EFSCRJ hereby reminds the government that apart from prosecutions, the TRRC has recommended reparations, legal and institutional reforms, memorialisation, interdiction of certain individuals from holding public office, as well as the abandonment of certain malpractices in public institutions and within the political space and society. We urge the Government to equally act with diligence and effectiveness on all these recommendations, some of which bear no cost to implement.
More than two years after the release of the Government White Paper on the TRRC Recommendations, we are hugely concerned at the poor rate of implementation of the recommendations. As highlighted in the Implementation Dashboard (https://www.gm-nhrc.org/trrc-dashboard) of The National Human Rights Commission, we call on the government to expedite the process of implementation to provide full closure to victims. The scars of dictatorship remain deep and prevalent on victims and the wider society hence the need to expedite implementation cannot be over-emphasised. We cannot fully institutionalise the ‘Never Again’ agenda unless the TRRC Recommendations are implemented in full.
In the spirit of Edward Francis Small, for The Gambia our homeland.
Madi Jobarteh
Executive Director
Edward Francis Small Centre for Rights and Justice
