Fatoumatta
Jallow-Tambajang, Vice President of The Gambia, has described the ceremony to
launch the Joint Transition Team as a defining moment in the political history
of The Gambia, as it is the first time such a political transition is taking
place in The Gambia.
She
said with the effort and commitment of the new government led by President
Adama Barrow, a strong democratic governance foundation has been laid, which
promotes social cohesion and unity regardless of what dire situation there
might have been.
“Gambians
are the same people,” she said while speaking at the ceremony on Wednesday,
attended by the former Cabinet ministers and current members of the new
government, held at the Kairaba Beach Hotel.
“Our
commitment is no different than the commitment to build a better, prosperous
Gambia. A good legacy will be left for generations to come.”
VP
Tambajang said the exercise was initiated by the present government in
consultation with the then outgoing government, meant to ensure an orderly
transfer of power from the outgoing government of President Yahya Jammeh to the
current one under the leadership of President Adama Barrow.
“We
have thought it necessary to have an independent institution to help us ensure
and facilitate the transfer of power, so that it can be as objective as possible
and so that information can be shared through sharing of expertise between the
two governments.
“Knowledge
is a continuous process, and there is no knowledge without reference. And we
need the outgoing stakeholders to provide us with reference that is needed to
ensure that we have the institutional capacity development to democratic
governance and equality and prosperity for our people,” she continued.
In
her remarks on the occasion, Dr Isatou Njie-Saidy, the former vice president,
congratulated the new government, particularly President Adama Barrow for his
assumption of power, as well as for initiating the transition process.
She
said the outgoing government was directed by the outgoing President Yahya
Jammeh before he left, and that he gave all his support to ensure the success
of Adama Barrow.
Isatou
Njie-Saidy added that former President Yahya Jammeh had assured the current
government of their full cooperation to make the transition process was
possible.
