Introduction
Now
that The Gambia’s twenty-two year tyrant has finally relinquished power and
exited the country, making way for a new political dispensation to take root
under the leadership of President Adama Barrow, numerous challenges will
present themselves in the process of rebuilding a nation that has been
economically, socially and politically ruined, the extent of which is difficult
to determine. How long it will take to resuscitate the economy and to put our
development agenda back on track is anybody’s guess. Once the euphoria about
the demise of a dictator has died down, the new administration we will have to
face the realities squarely and address them expeditiously to win the people’s
confidence.
Concerns
are already being expressed about the new President’s preparedness and
capability to extricate the country from its present position and lead it to
where it should have been twenty-two years ago. The numerous, diverse, and high
expectations of the Gambian people, in the aftermath of almost a quarter of a century
of misrule by Jammeh, will weigh heavily on the shoulders of President Barrow
in the short three-year transition rule of the Coalition. Meeting them all
within this short period is, indeed, a tall and impossible order. I do not
think people expect him to solve all the country’s problems within the
three-year transition period, but there are certain issues he must address, if
not immediately, as quickly as possible.
As
a people, we need to start thinking critically about the way forward by asking
critical questions such as: What are major challenges or issues that the new
government will face? What plans have the Coalition formulated to deal with the
developmental challenges that the three-year transition will be faced with?
What will be the priorities of the new government?
My
take on the first question is that the Barrow government will have to deal with
the issues of security, peace and stability; national reconciliation and unity;
constitutional and institutional reforms; individual rights and freedoms; media
freedom; good governance; economic transformation; people’s attitudes and
public discipline. However, the question is which should be top of the agenda
as all of them are extremely important and need urgent attention.
Ensuring
national security, stability and peace
The
most urgent issue that President Barrow should deal with is that of ensuring
the security and stability of the nation, and that peace reigns. If security
and stability are to be ensured, the security apparatus which Jammeh created,
composed largely of his own ethnic group to assure his security and continued
grip on power for as long as he lived, which thrived on his financial and
material largesse, must be dismantled forthwith or reformed as quickly as
possible, especially the National Intelligence Agency.
For
his own security, which is paramount, President Barrow should not inherit a
security apparatus whose loyalty is questionable and cannot be guaranteed. A
new and robust team of well-trained and disciplined security specialists should
be put in place, immediately, to provide the protection that he needs as
President; personnel who should understand that their allegiance is not to the
person, but to the office of Head of State.
One
of the things that ensuring national security would entail is a thorough review
of the strength and composition of the army, with a view to making it more
professional and responsive to its raison d’etre. Not only is our army too
large in comparison to our population, but it appears to be full of recruits
who are not Gambian citizens and Jammeh loyalists. In this regard, assistance
could be sought from Nigeria, Ghana, or ECOWAS.
I
want to suggest that, for as long as is necessary, a small contingent of the
ECOWAS forces presently in the country, be retained to ensure national
stability, peace and security. Its presence would be a deterrent to any
potential threats or disruptive and destabilizing plans that die hard supporters
of the ousted government might be considering or harboring.
Fostering
national unity and patriotism
Another
major challenge that President Barrow will have to deal with, as quickly as
possible, is that of fostering and maintaining national cohesion and
patriotism, as it is obvious that there is deep ethnic and political division
which has been fueled by Jammeh, pre- and post-election. Bringing people
together to work for the country’s development is a sine qua non and achieving
this is not going to be easy.
Constantly
appealing to and assuring the populace that they will be treated equally, as
enshrined in the Constitution, is something that President Barrow will have to
do as a way of bringing the people together. He will need to take to the
airwaves, especially on GRTS, on a weekly, bi-weekly or monthly basis, to speak
to the nation about what he is doing and what his aspirations are, and to
reassure people of his commitment to their welfare and to the development of
the nation, so as to continue to gain their understanding of and support for
his endeavors to rebuild a socially-fractured and economically-ruined country.
The National Civic Education Commission has a key role to play in fostering
understanding and unity among the population and should go about this task
without delay.
For
national unity to flourish there must be peace and justice. President Barrow
has intimated that a National Truth and Reconciliation Commission will be
established, which is imperative, to enable the truth to be determined and for
justice to be dispensed accordingly in order to heal the nation. This body
should not be a witch-hunting apparatus, but one that seeks to heal the wounds
that have been inflicted on the society by the excesses of the erstwhile
dictatorship. How soon such an outfit will be created is one question, and who
will constitute this body is another.
I
would like to suggest that the Commission be constituted within the first 100
days of the new administration, and that it be composed of fearless,
principled, morally upright, forthright, honest, incorruptible, and respected
senior citizens. Selection of the Commission’s members should not be rushed.
Prospective candidates should be thoroughly vetted before being commissioned.
Institutional
reforms and good governance
One
of the most difficult challenges that President Barrow will have to contend
with will be the reforming of government institutions and making them more
efficient and accountable. His predecessor ruined our institutional structures,
administrative system and emasculated our governance and judicial processes by
putting people with minimum or no professional knowledge, experience and
expertise in key positions. The leadership in many of our public and
quasi-government institutions can be likened to ‘square pegs in round holes’,
which has resulted in dysfunctional establishments and a paralyzed government.
Rebuilding
a civil service, which was once the envy of other countries for its efficiency,
will not be a mean endeavor. The civil service needs to be trimmed to make it
more efficient and cost-effective. Institutional reform would require carrying
out thorough institutional audits to determine their relevance, efficiency,
capacity, staffing and overall management. Government being the largest
employer needs to be trim and efficient and not carry deadwood. Most government
institutions are overloaded with half-baked and unproductive personnel who
should be weeded out, an action that, undoubtedly, will not go down well with
those affected. But it is inevitable, in the interest of a leaner and more
efficiency and cost-effective government. To conduct such an exercise, the new
Government should seek bilateral or multilateral technical assistance from our
traditional partners within the shortest possible time.
In
the light of the tampering with our Constitution by Jammeh’s cronies in the
National Assembly to favor his machinations, this sacrosanct document needs to
be reconstructed and fine-tuned, as soon as possible, to ensure that it fully
addresses and serves the collective interests of the Gambian people and does
not provide room for future manipulation.
We
the electorate should be awakened to the fact that the caliber of legislators
we now have are not what the new Gambia should have, so come the elections, we
should vote in highly educated people with integrity, who will ensure the
Legislature’s significance, independence and national standing and respect, and
not be a mere rubber stamp of the ruling party.
Putting
the right persons in the right places
It
should be recalled that President Barrow has said he had constituted a ‘Think-Tank’
to identify the most suitable individuals to fill key positions in his
government, and to formulate a realistic socio-economic development blueprint
for the next three years. Who are these ‘thinkers’? The Gambian people need to
know who they are to judge if they are the most appropriate to undertake these
crucial tasks. The country is not short of ‘thinkers’ with brilliant ideas,
it’s a question of looking for them and bringing them on board.
In
his quest to bring on board ‘the brightest and the best’ and to have the ‘best
person for the job’, a roster of Gambians with the requisite academic
credentials and expertise must be compiled and a shortlist of potential
candidates for the respective positions made, who would then be invited for
talks regarding their willingness to serve their nation in that capacity during
the transition period. There are a lot of highly-educated, experienced,
competent and capable Gambians, in and out of the country, who are ready to
serve their country in a capacity that is commensurate with their expertise, if
called upon.
The
composition of Barrow’s Cabinet and appointments to ambassadorial and top
positions will be a test case. Apart from choosing the most competent, people
will be watching keenly to see if his choices will be representative of and in
proportion to the ethnic, religious and gender mix of the country. Eyebrows
will be raised and mistrust will set-in if appointments to such positions are
disproportionate. If the Cabinet and top appointments are not balanced, fostering
cohesion among the populace would be difficult to realize.
It
should be underlined that appointments to top positions should be based on
merit, not on political affiliation, or the extent to which one was involved in
the election campaign, or how close to or supportive one was of the President
during this period. If we take the United States, for example, President
Trump’s nominees for cabinet positions are not people who were in the vanguard
of his election campaign, but people who are deemed highly-qualified,
competent, and capable and with a good track record of success, ready to serve
their country in these positions.
Being
aspirants to the presidency, I am of the opinion that none of the leaders of
the parties that make up the Coalition should hold office in Barrow’s
government. Having different political agendas, holding cabinet or key
positions in the three-year transition government would be a conflict of
interest. Their primary role should be to provide the oversight necessary for
the smooth and orderly transition.
Guaranteeing
individual rights and related freedoms
In
his interview with BBC in Dakar on Saturday, January 21, President Barrow
stressed that under his watch, the press will not be muzzled, freedom of
expression will be assured and information will be allowed to flow freely, as
people should be well informed of happenings in the country, if progress and
development are to be achieved.
Assuring
press and individual freedoms means the immediate repeal of the draconian laws
that were enacted by Jammeh in this regard. The private radio stations that
were banned from broadcasting should immediately be permitted to resume their
services to the public and be given space to mount programs that would enable
the enlightenment of the public on issues of common interest, and provide a
platform for constructive public debate and exchange on pertinent national
issues.
One
crucial thing that the Gambian people have to know is the agreements that were
reached by the Coalition regarding the transition years. What happens after
three years of the Barrow presidency? Information can no longer be monopolized
or hoarded. The Gambian people are now very conscious of their rights and
responsibilities, and poised to claim and exercise them accordingly in the new
political dispensation. They can no longer be taken for granted. Transparency
and accountability will be demanded by the people.
Changing
public attitudes and instilling discipline in Gambians
Changing
people’s negative habits and attitudes is one of the most difficult things to
accomplish. As long as Gambians, especially public servants, maintain the
attitudes they have towards ‘government’ and the bad habits they demonstrate in
offices and public places, the road to transforming our country will remain
long and winding.
Government
should no longer be seen as the President and his administration, or the
political party that is at the helm and controls power and makes decisions, but
as we the people, and this should be ingrained in our psyche. Those at the helm
are simply chosen to lead the way. Without people, there is no government.
Conclusion
With
the dawn of this new political climate, bringing with it tremendous challenges
and opportunities for the new government to chart the country in the right
direction to a prosperous future, we the people should play a very active and
determined role in shaping our destiny. Although the primary responsibility of
transforming the country’s economy, its institutions, and changing the mind set
and attitudes of the population lies with President Barrow, we as a people have
a greater role to play by supporting him all the way.
At
this critical moment, and all throughout his tenure, President Barrow must be
wary of sycophants and some of the people he is surrounded by as they have a
hidden personal agenda. What President Barrow needs is a ‘team of advisers’
composed of specialists in the key areas of development – agriculture, health,
education, economics, infrastructure, environment – to advise him on policy
matters. This team should not exclude people with the competence who once
served under Jammeh as their knowledge and experience could serve the new
dispensation well. The potential contributions to the rebirth and rebuilding of
our country by such professionals should not be ignored or dismissed. We are
all in this together.
Making
our country better and more prosperous for its citizenry is a collective
responsibility. We have to put aside our personal interests, our ethnic,
religious and political differences, unite as one people, as our Constitution
enjoins us, make the necessary sacrifices and work for the progress, peace and
prosperity of our beloved homeland. The going will not be easy, but with the
continued support of our traditional bilateral and multilateral partners, the
task of rebuilding a tattered country will be far less daunting. In the words
of the erstwhile African rock band, Osibisa, “We will get there. Heaven knows
how we will get there, we know we will”.
God
bless our beloved country.
Burang
Goree-Ndiaye, an Assistant Professor at University of The Gambia, holds a Ph.D
in Education and has been in this field all his professional life spanning
almost five decades.
