Eight years ago, Gambians under the auspices of the 2016 Grand Coalition of opposition
parties voted out the autocratic regime of Yaya Jammeh in the December 1 presidential
election. It marked the first time in the 60 years of the nation’s history for citizens to remove
a president through the ballot.
Led by Pres. Adama Barrow, the 2016 Coalition promised Gambians a new era of democratic
governance based on adherence to the rule of law and the respect for human rights. They
promised to end self-perpetuating rule through creating a new constitution which would
prioritize presidential term limits. They promised to undertake all legal and institutional
reforms that would expand and protect human rights and ensure that public institutions abide
by the rule of law and perform their functions efficiently with diligence.
Today, eight years later, the country has no new constitution precisely because Pres. Adama
Barrow does not wish to submit himself to a two-term limit as promised multiple times. Eight
years later, the vestiges of dictatorship continue to be present in the laws and institutions of
the country, while key dictatorship enablers remain in charge of various positions within the
State. Consequently, instead of consolidation of civil and political rights, threats and
infringements continue to take place while the overall social and economic wellbeing of the
people remain dire. The incidence of corruption and abuse of office is widespread while
public institutions continue to fail in delivering efficient public services without
consequences.
EF Small Centre hereby expresses its deepest concern and outrage at the blatant disregard of
the best interests of the country by the very people who have been elected and appointed into
public office to serve our people with honesty and diligence according to law. Sixty years
after Independence, the governance and development of the country remains weak and
misdirected thanks to poor leadership which is threatening the peace, unity and stability of
the country.
On this day, we wish to therefore reiterate that Gambians decided in 2016 for democracy and
good governance in which the adherence to the rule of law, human rights and efficiency in
public service are what are expected from public institutions and officials.
We therefore demand the President and his Government and the National Assembly to return
the country to the path of the ideals and objectives that underpin the aspirations of our people
on December 1st, 2016. We demand a reversal of the current ignoble trajectory to take the
country back on the path of constitutionalism, democracy and adherence to the rule of law
and respect for human rights.
In the Spirit of Edward Francis Small, For The Gambia Our Homeland
