#Editorial

Good Morning Mr. President: TRRC, Mali & untimely public holidays

May 31, 2021, 10:47 AM

Mr. President, today we have three issues to address: TRRC, Mali, and the untimely public holidays.

The TRRC which started January 7th 2019, concluded its session on the 27th May 2021.

Members of the Commission led by their Chairman Dr. Lamin Sise and Mr. Essa Faal, the lead counsel and his colleagues did an excellent job by exposing gross human rights violations of ex-president Yahya Jammeh.

At least 392 witnesses including the junglers testified during the sessions, revealing how people were summarily murdered in cold blood on the instructions of Jammeh. 

Several people were severely tortured and incarcerated, arbitrarily arrested, unlawfully detained and sexually harassed as it was the order of the day.

Mr. President, Lead Counsel Essa Faal in his closing remarks disclosed that ex-president Jammeh through his instructions summarily executed about 250 and it could be more.

Jammeh, according to some witnesses, killed many by dissecting them and throwing them to his crocodiles.

On the last day of hearing, former orderly Saihou Jallow also revealed that Jammeh planned to eliminate prominent citizens through the use of spiritual means. 

It is expected that by July you will receive the report and recommendations of the TRRC. 

Mr. President, the picture is clear; don't waste time to act when the report is received. Your government must make sure that people who committed atrocities and are hiding in our neighbouring countries are brought to justice.

Jammeh must face justice like Hussein Habre and for security reasons, he should be tried in Ghana or Hague at the ICC.

You should take action once you receive the report before elections because the International  Community, the victims and many Gambians are waiting to see what you will do.

Never compromise the recommendations of TRRC to get APRC votes.

Mr. President, your government should compensate the victims with the monies received from the sales of the 300 properties of Jammeh and the four aircrafts.

Anyway, so far how many properties were sold and where is the money?

Mr. President if actions are not taken before elections, it will adversely affect you in the race to the presidency. We hope and pray that the TRRC report will not be thrown under the carpet like the Draft Constitution and the Janneh Commission Report, in which millions of Dalasis were wasted.

Mr. President, yesterday the ECOWAS emergency Summit started in Accra in connection with Mali's second coup within nine months.

All ECOWAS member countries should work for the betterment of security in the sub region; if not, the sub region will be destabilised by the well armed equipped jihadists trained  in Libya with a lot of financial resources and their aim is to conquer West Africa to be Islamic states.

The coup in Mali is a great threat to the sub region and everything possible should be done to restore peace in the country. 

The Secretary General and head of the Civil Service, who is your immediate adviser should notify you to declare any holiday, and if endorsed, it should be sent to the media for announcement. There must be coordination of work between the Director of Press & the Government Spokesperson to avoid any miscommunication in the near future.

Mr. President, there are 13 Public Holidays in The Gambia. For the controversial holidays of Koriteh, a two days holiday could be announced on the 29th day of Ramadan. 

May 25th, which is African Liberation Day, is a public holiday in many African countries.

In 2009, former Hon. Speaker Fatoumata Jahumpa initiated the holiday to be celebrated in The Gambia and a law was passed in that effect. It was wrong for the government to make two different announcements. This was very confusing and it affected people's plans and also affected the economy.

You must have around you experienced and educated civil servants to always guide you.

People cannot allow the government to make silly mistakes and repeat it within six weeks.

Good day!