On
the 22nd of July 1994, at the backdrop of a cloud of uncertainty
surrounding all sectors of our society, in terms of infrastructural
development, education, health delivery system, etc., a group of
military men, headed by a young Lieutenant Yahya Jammeh, took over the
mantle of leadership of this country. The Revolution saw the
commencement of reconstruction work in earnest, embarking on projects
such as construction of roads, schools, the establishmentof the first
university programme, and health facilities, among others.
Honouring
its slogan ‘power to the people’ and ‘military with a difference’, the
Armed Forces Provisional Ruling Council government swiftly embarked on
one of its most remarkable and memorable undertakings during the
transition period, seeking the consent of Gambians regarding the number
of years they would want the AFPRC to govern the country. Individuals
from diverse backgrounds were appointed as members of the National
Consultative Committee (NCC). This body, headed by Dr Lenrie Peters, was
tasked with the responsibility of traveling the length and breadth of
the country to seek the desire of the people. The results, majority of
Gambians decided that the AFPRC should be given two years transition
period to civilian rule. Chairman Jammeh respected the will of the
people, thus their timetable was reduced from four to two years.
The
AFPRC established a Constitutional Review Committee, mandated with
reviewing the 1970 First Republican Constitution. That committee invited
suggestions from the public on issues relating to their work. At the
end of the exercise, the resulting draft constitution was subjected to a
nationwide referendum, and it ended up attracting massive yes votes.
That referendum was conducted by an independent body called the
Provisional Independent Electoral Commission (PIEC). It is worthy to
note that this was the first time ever in The Gambia that an independent
electoral commission was established. This will be discussed further in
this special edition.
Towards
the end of the transition, Chairman Jammeh, at the fervent request of
prominent elders and community members across the country, resigned from
the military to contest for the first presidential elections since the
Revolution.
With
the Independent Electoral Commission, the elections were conducted in a
free, fair and transparent manner. This, of course, has been attested
to by foreign observers, election officials and voters themselves.
Jammeh won the elections, becoming the first president in the Second
Republic. Work continued in earnest, resulting in numerous achievements.
The first two years of the Revolution
During
the two-year transition from military to civilian rule, The Gambia
realised numerous achievements in key development areas. The AFPRC
focused on health, education, the economy, road network, communications
and other areas. The significant achievements of the first two years of
the Revolution were the construction and equipping of schools across the
length and breadth of the country (lower, middle and senior); the
establishment of a modern referral hospital in Farafenni; the upgrading
of clinics and health centres; massive road reconstruction and
rehabilitation, notably in Bundung, Bakau and Banjul, as well as
embarking on major road projects all over the country; the establishment
of a television station, and the building of a modern airport terminal
and air traffic control tower.
The
major achievements in the first two years attracted a school song,
entitled ‘Gambia sunu reew’, a tribute to the Gambian leader:
Gambia our country
The Gambia, The Gambia our country
The Gambia, The Gambia our country
In The Gambia you establish the television
In The Gambia you built the airport
In The Gambia you built the hospitals
In The Gambia you increased the number of schools
In The Gambia, you built roads
In The Gambia, you revived the Jahali Pacharr project
Let’s farm because it is useful
Teachers teach the heroes, lawyers, doctors, ministers
Teachers teach the heroes, lawyers, doctors, ministers
Yahya Jammeh, the children are grateful to you
Jammeh Musa, the elders are praying for you
Jammeh Musa, the elders are praying for you
May the Almighty Allah empower us in our country for us to unite and develop our country
May the Almighty Allah empower us in our country for us to unite and develop our country
May the Almighty Allah empower us in our country for us to unite and develop our country.
The Gambia today
Good governance
As
early as the transition period, the AFPRC/APRC government in its
rectification programme established institutions to uphold the ethics of
our good governance and democratisation process.
Separation of power
The Executive, the Legislature and the Judiciary, each empowered in its own right to man the affairs of the nation.
The Independent Electoral Commission
Established
for the first time in the history of The Gambia, the Independent
Electoral Commission manages, regulates and conducts all elections in a
free, fair and transparent manner. During election campaigns, the IEC
allocates to all parties, including the ruling party, equal air time on
the national radio and television. The IEC also supervises public
meetings in respect of the location and time to prevent confrontation.
The Office of the Ombudsman
This
is another independent body where parties as well as individuals can go
to for redress, irrespective of their party affiliations, religious
background or status. The Office of the Ombudsman can litigate between
employers and employees in public institutions, in the event of
disagreements over dismissals and other related issues.
The National Council for Civic Education
This institution is charged with the responsibility of educating the entire Gambian populace on their civic duties and rights.
The Supreme Court
Before
the advent of the 1994 Revolution, the Privy Council in the United
Kingdom was where litigants took their cases for final arbitration, now
it can be done on the Gambian soil, saving cost and time.
The reduction of voting age from 21 to 18
This gave the wider population the opportunity to make its choices regarding who should govern them.
Demonstration of tolerance
Despite
an opposition critical of Jammeh’s government, the atmosphere of
tolerance has always prevailed. This has been demonstrated in a number
of times when an event occurs that brings leaders of the opposing
parties together. This also reminds of the various roles he plays in
ensuring in advocating for international justice, for example the case
of Cuba, Guinea Bissau and Guinea Conakry.
But
the greatest demonstration of all, which serves as a shining example
for the whole of Africa, is the extending of a branch of olive by
President Jammeh to the former President of The Gambia, Sir Dawda
Kairaba Jawara, which he honourably accepted. Since the reunion of
Jawara and Jammeh, Gambians have witnessed the latter honouring the
former during national events, a picture-pleasing to the eye for
peace-loving people.
The Education sector
Several
schools (lower, middle and senior) have been built throughout the
country. A conducive environment was also created for private sector
participation. Example by 2007, middle and senior secondary schools,
both government and private, in Banjul and KMC, rose from a dozen to
more than five dozens and these numbers keep increasing every year. This
regime has also witnessed rapid increment of lower basic schools from
250 to 590; upper basic schools also increased from 22 to 196 and senior
secondary schools from 12 to 103, while enrolment for students at lower
basic schools to senior second ary schools increased from 132, 591 in
1994 to 411, 443 in 2014.
The impacts of the so many schools
➢ This has created greater access to education
➢ The proximity to schools has eased the burden of parents in finding schools and guardians in the urban area for their children
➢ Easy access to schools
➢ Promoted the enrolment of girls
➢ Brought about affordability
➢ Promoted the education-for-all policy
➢ Reduced overcrowding
➢ Offer equal opportunities for less privileged and privileged alike
University of The Gambia (UTG)
For
the first time in the history of this country, Gambians have been given
the opportunity to pursue degree courses at home. First it was the
successful university extension programme under the transition period,
which led to the establishment of a university, in 1999. This monumental
achievement was of course championed by President Jammeh, popularly
referred to as a visionary leader. Since inception to now, the
university has produced a substantial number of graduates, most of them
in active employment, others abroad on further studies.
Scholarships
Not
only did it bring university education to Gambia, but the most major
contribution to the success of the education sector by the Jammeh-led
government is the provision of scholarships. With a strong desire to see
Gambians educated, scholarship schemes were established. Notably among
them, the Scholarship Trust Fund, Jammeh Foundation for Peace (JFP),
President’s Empowerment for Girls Education Project (PEGEP), and the
president’s personal support. And also the free-education for girls
initiative, which has made it possible for thousands of less-privileged
Gambians to attain high quality education. And not only that, the
government in 2014 announced free education for all Gambian children
irrespective of gender or political affiliation from primary to
secondary and tertiary education by the year 2020.
The Health sector
Referral hospitals & health centres
With
the advent of the Revolution, three more referral hospitals were built –
the AFPRC General Hospital in Farafenni, the Sulayman Junkung Hospital
in Bwiam, and the Serekunda General Hospital which is presently being
equipped for active referral services. This, in addition to the
colonial-era built referral hospitals (EFSTH and Bansang), now gives The
Gambia five referral hospitals. More to this, a pediatric hospital has
been built in Kanilai, plus more than 40 new health centres and more
than five hundred village health posts.
Doctor/patient ratio
Significant
in the health care delivery system is the bilateral cooperation The
Gambia enjoys with Cuba, which provides us with hundreds of doctors
deployed in all major and minor health centers across the country. This
complements the deployment of doctors from other countries that we have
bilateral cooperations with in this area, such as Egypt and Nigeria and
Syria of recent.
Medical School
A great foresight has been the establishment of the medical school which is now graduating so many home-grown doctors.
Medical equipment
To
enhance medical services and operations, President Jammeh saw the need
to acquire state-of-the-earth medical equipment, significant among them:
CT scanner, Endoscopic machine, Hemodialysis machine, Oxygen
concentrator, and Laparoscopic machine. This equipment has improved
diagnosis and they have also saved many Gambians the cost of going
abroad for treatment or diagnosis.
The
APRC crusade in the health sector has resulted in: Cheaper access to
government medical services which has been just five Dalasis for almost
twenty years per person, until late 2014 when it was increased to twenty
five Dalasis only, and the reductions in maternal and child mortality,
as well as improved life expectancy (44-57years)
The Agriculture sector
The
agriculture sector has received no less attention by government since
inception. With the back-to-the-land call by the Gambian leader himself,
tremendous awareness rising has been registered about the significance
of self-reliance.
While
achievements are no doubt being registered in terms of the projects
being initiated by government, the personal intervention of President
Jammeh has impacted greatly on the sector, with regards to participation
of the people. And also, over the years, government has provided
hundreds of tractors to farmers, with a number of incentives. A number
of new crop varieties aimed at improving the productive base of the
farming community in the Gambia have also impacted greatly on the
sector. But the most brilliant among the entire anti-hunger crusade was
the sanctioning of the Vision 2016 initiative, which aims to put hunger
at bay and make Gambia a food self-sufficient nation by 2016.
Women & youth empowerment
The
APRC government was quick to realise the potentials of women and the
key role they could play in national development. Women, therefore,
enjoy equal opportunities since the advent of the Revolution. The Gambia
can boast of key positions manned by women. Example, the vice
presidency, the Office of the Secretary General was before manned by
female, Office of the Speaker of the National Assembly has also been
manned by women speakers for many years, coupled with many other
ministerial positions, directors, permanent secretaries, village heads,
national assembly members, the list goes on.
The
empowerment is felt across the board as women at all levels, including
grassroots, participate in national affairs. Today, The Gambian youth
stands as one of the most empowered in the continent. This has ever been
the goal of the government. This has been achieved thanks to the many
youth development oriented projects government continues to undertake.
The formation of the National Youth Council, run by youth and for the
youth, serves as a strong base for these gains.
The
formation of the National Youth Service Scheme also marked a turning
point for the youth of the country, as it has been able to turn up
hundreds of trained young Gambians in diverse fields, majority of whom
are now self-employed.
Among
other projects targeting the youth are the President International
Award, National Enterprise for Development Initiatives, and Gamjobs.
Like that of the women folk, government’s development agenda for the
youth cuts across all sectors; from education, health, to sports, etc.
Energy sector
Before
the birth of the July 22nd Revolution, Gambia’s utility institution was
only able to provide electricity to most of its customers for only
12hrs or sometimes none at all, for days, due to low generating
capacity. Even there, electricity supply was within a limited area.
Today, energy is supplied throughout the country. This is made possible
because of the increase in the number of generators, resulting in the
construction of a new power plant in Brikama, under the watchful eyes of
President Jammeh. That has resulted in the expansion of coverage to
major coastal settlements such as Brufut, Sukuta, Sanyang, Tanji,
Tujereng and Jambanjelly, and as well as the West Coast electrification
project amongst others.
The
rural electrification project has enabled 46 towns and villages in
rural Gambia to benefit from electricity supply, with new power stations
installed in Barra-Essau, Kerewan, Farafenni, Kaur, Bansang and
Basse.Today, most rural villages, which were deserted due to the menace
of rural-urban drift, are turning into financial centres due to the
intensity of economic activities. This is as a result of accessibility
to electricity supply.
Investment climate
The
advent of July 22 Revolution has seen remarkable achievements in the
country’s economic sector too. Seen as a country traditionally dependent
on agriculture, The Gambia has over the past 2 decades been making
promising strides towards industrialisation. And with the provision of
the conducive environment, the private sector has been given the chance
to explore all the available investment opportunities.
Sectors
like tourism, trade and fisheries have seen significant improvement.
The banking and financial sector is flourishing as attestable by the
continuous inflow of financial institutions. It is good to note also
that the performance of The Gambia’s economy has been so worthwhile that
it has been mentioned in a number of reports by reputable international
institutions like the IMF and, recently, at some point also the
Economics magazine in London also rated the Gambia highly.
Telecommunication
The
country’s booming telecommunication sector has also added impetus to
the growing financial sector. This is also attributable to the sound ICT
policies of government.
The
telecommunication sector has seen the birth of four GSM service
providers in the country – Gamcel, Africell, Comium and Qcell. This has
been hailed as the beginning of the revolutionization of not only the
GSM industry, but also the business and other sectors the technology is
relevant to.
And
also, experts believe that there are over 900,000 mobile phones in use;
quite an impressive number for a country of this size in terms of
population.
Road infrastructure
From
the beginning of the Revolution, it had become a focus for government
that existing roads are not only rehabilitated, but that new roads are
also constructed to facilitate the much needed communication for
continued development. A number of projects have been embarked upon by
government in this regard. They include the 168km Kombo Coastal road;
the rehabilitation and upgrading of the 20km Barra-Amdallai road, 13km
Mandinaba-Seleti road, 193km Soma-Basse road, 23km Basse-Wellingara
road, as well as the trans-Gambia Highway. Already the West
Field-Mandinaba road has been fixed, added to the newly constructed
Brikama-Dimbaya-Darsilami roads, has been completed and commissioned as
part of activities marking the 20th anniversary celebrations of the
great July 22nd Revolution.These are just some of the major achievements
registered by the APRC government under the leadership of His
Excellency Sheikh Professor Alhaji Dr Yahya Jammeh.
The road to Vision 2020
The
concept behind the goals of the Vision 2020 blueprint is to transform
The Gambia into a paradise of some sort. Given the achievement realised
within this short period of time, compared to what we had achieved as a
nation from pre-independence to the end of the First Republic, there is
every reason to rejoice the eminence of reaching the end on the onward
journey to the Vision 2020.
It must, however, be reiterated that reaching this end is assured only with the concerted effort of every single Gambian.
Unarguably,
the new order of the 21st Century development trajectory has been
massive investments in public infrastructure, running into millions and
billions of Dollars. The era has seen visionary governments around the
world assigning huge chunks of their budgets to public infrastructure,
premised on the fact that no sustainable development can take place
without this in-dispensable necessity. But even at the level of regional
groupings, enhanced infrastructure is a key item on the agenda. Such is
the case at both the levels of the Economic Community of West African
States (ECOWAS) and the African Union – each has unit for
infrastructural development and The Gambia under the Second Republic has
an ambitious government under the watch of His Excellency Sheikh Prof.
Alh. Dr. Yahya Jammeh. In this race to rapid modernization through
enhanced infrastructure, his 20-yearold government is not trailing
behind. Since the birth of a new Gambia in 1994, one of the hallmarks of
the Revolution has been capital investments in public infrastructure
across the board. It is best anchored on the glaring fact that
infrastructural development is an indispensable investment need that any
serious and responsible government would prioritize as far as meeting
the targets is concerned.
Gambia’s participation in peace keeping missions since 1994
It’s
no secret that since 1994, The Gambia, through The Gambia Armed Forces
has been participating in a range of peacekeeping operations; from the
woodland of Burma, the mountainous regions of Nepal, the forest region
of Congo, Burundi to Angola, the sand storms of Darfur, Chad; the rainy
region of Liberia, Ivory Coast, Guinea Bissau, and Sierra Leone and to
the mercurial region of Eritrea and Ethiopia. This has in one way or the
other improved the lives of the personnel of The Gambia armed and
security services, financially, and morally.
Gambian
troops have been sent to East Timor and Kosovo; they formed part of the
UN peace-keeping forces. In all these conflict areas, Gambians have in
the image of their youthful, committed and peace-loving President,
performed with distinction and honour.
The
Gambia also participated in a 12-month peacekeeping mission in the
Sudanese region of Darfur, the first to serve for that duration since
that country began the United Nations African Union Mission in Darfur
(UNAMID) in the year 2004.
Since
The Gambia became independent in 1965 and joined the United Nations in
that same year, it only became a member of the Security Council for the
first time in 1999 under President Jammeh’s regime.
The
Security Council being the organ of the United Nations charged with the
responsibility for the maintenance of international peace, Gambian
membership to this august body is an eloquent expression of the
recognition of The Gambia’s exemplary record of peace, democracy and
stability under the leadership of President Jammeh.
Settlement of disputes and conflicts
Cognizance
of the importance he attached to peace, security and stability, the
Gambian leader did not only advocate this, but has physically
demonstrated it by playing a greater role in settling disputes between
political opponents in countries such as Guinea Bissau when he gathered
all of its stakeholders and political opponents in Banjul to an open
dialogue as means to unite politicians in that former Portuguese colony.
That
political forum was described by many as historic; that has provided
the Gambian leader the opportunity to interact with major political
party leaders of The Gambia such as Lawyer Ousainou Darboe, Hamat Bah
and Lamin Waa Juwara, the party leaders of the UDP, NRP and NDAM
respectively.
The
presence of the Gambian opposition leaders in that forum clearly
demonstrates President Jammeh’s commitment to unity and the promotion of
peace and stability in the sub-region and Gambia in particular.
Jammeh
always calls on the Guinea Bissau politicians to ensure political
stability in their country and to distance themselves from politics of
violence, abuses and castigations, which he said, would retard the
country’s peace and reconstruction processes.
President
Jammeh, in October 1998, succeeded in bringing to the negotiating table
President Joa Bernardo Vieira and General Ansumane Mane for their first
face-to-face meeting in Banjul since the two were locked in a
fratricidal struggle for power in Guinea Bissau. From the Banjul
meeting, President Jammeh flew with the two men to attend the 21st
ECOWAS Summit in Abuja where the two men signed the Abuja Accord which
called for the establishment of a government of National Unity, the
withdrawal of foreign troops and the deployment of ECOMOG, the military
intervention unit for ECOWAS.
Hosting of AU summit
For
the first time in the history of the country, The Gambia hosted the 7th
edition of the African Union summit in Banjul on 1st and 2nd July 2006,
the largest diplomatic gathering in Banjul, which Jammeh’s government
funded 98 percent.
Before
the start of the summit in Banjul, the private sector also contributed
towards its successful hosting. It was a golden opportunity for the
private sector to showcase their business products and services to the
wider international and local participants and delegates to the event.
Gambia’s participation at the international level
As
a man of peace, President Yahya Jammeh continues to play a major role
in peace making and peace keeping in West Africa, other parts of the
Continent and in the World at large. His expressed commitment to the
principle that “development on the Continent will never be possible
without lasting peace and stability” is exemplified by the indefatigable
efforts he deploys and his success achieved to this end.
In
the West African sub-region, President Jammeh initiated the ECOWAS
Mechanism for Conflict Resolution, which was formulated and designed in
Banjul, which became designated as one of the peace observatories in he
sub region.
The Historic Guinea-Bissau Handshake brokered by President Jammeh
President
Jammeh, in October 1998, succeeded in bringing to the negotiating table
President Joao Bernardo Vieira and General Ansumane Mane for their
first face to face meeting in Banjul since the two were locked in a
fratricidal struggle for power in Guinea Bissau. From Banjul, President
Jammeh flew with the two men to attend the ongoing 21st ECOWAS Summit.
In Abuja, the two men signed the Abuja Accord which called for the
establishment of a Government of National Unity, the withdrawal of
foreign troops and the deployment of ECOMOG, the military intervention
unit for ECOWAS.
Significantly
President Jammeh made sure that President Nino and General Mane
travelled with him in the same special flight to the Abuja Meeting, and
stayed an extra day to oversee the signature of the Agreement.
Although
the Peace Accord was short-lived, President Jammeh continued in his
efforts to avert the escalation of the conflict in Guinea Bissau.
Accordingly when the deposed President Vieira was reported to be in poor
health and under house arrest, the Gambian Leader intervened on
humanitarian grounds for the Bissau authorities at the time to allow the
ex-president to travel out of the country. The Gambia then Secretary of
State for Foreign Affairs Dr. Lamin Sedat Jobe was sent to Bissau to
accompany Vieira to Banjul in a special flight for medical treatment in
the Gambia prior to proceeding to Portugal for asylum.
The
Gambia was one of the first to send in February 1999 a Contingent to
make up the 600 ECOMOG troops charged with the responsibility of
enforcing the cease-fire agreed by the ECOWAS Heads of States.
President
Jammeh’s peace initiatives and objective demarches contributed
immensely to the restoration of democracy in Guinea Bissau through multi
party general elections under the supervision of the United Nations and
the assistance of friendly countries including The Gambia.
The
mediation efforts of President Jammeh in the quest for a peaceful
settlement of the conflict between the Movement of Democratic Forces of
Casamance (MFDC) and the Government of Senegal brought new hope for
peace to be enjoyed again by the population of the Southern Region of
Senegal after nearly two decades of war and the loss of more than 1200
lives. Again Banjul was the platform in June 1999, for peace
negotiations which President Jammeh facilitated and which was welcome
and hailed by the two parties in conflict. Much progress was made and
for the first time there was general optimism that peace and stability
would return to Casamance.
Against
this backdrop former Senegalese President Abdou Diouf and MFDC leaders
agreed that The Gambia should continue to host subsequent meetings and
negotiations until the conclusion of a lasting peace. The new Senegalese
Head of State, President Abdoulaye Wade has equally recognised the need
for Gambian mediation in the conflict. On his part, President Jammeh
has express his willingness to join forces with others committed to the
search for the rapid and lasting solution to the internecine conflict in
Casamance.
President
Jammeh is concerned about the conflict involving Sierra Leone, Liberia
and The Republic of Guinea which is destroying the very foundation on
which the Mano River Union was built with great expectations for their
people, for sub regional integration and for African Unity. At the very
early stage of the crisis The Gambian President played a very important
role in bringing about direct talks in Abuja between the warring
factions of Liberia. Spending 16 hours in non-stop dialogue with the
Liberian warlords, the Gambian leader personally undertook the herculean
task of convincing the Liberian warlords of the need to have direct
dialogue. This marathon mediation effort led to the Liberian warlords
embracing each other as brothers for the very first time since the
Liberian civil war broke out. Battle hardened Liberian Generals broke
down in tears on that day.
In
1999, the US Embassy compound was under siege by the Taylor regime and
it was thanks to the mediation of President Jammeh that President Taylor
allowed the Americans to evacuate Roosevelt Johnson and his militants
from the US Embassy compound to Sierra Leone.
Early
in the Sierra Leone conflict President Jammeh was the first leader to
offer to mediate between the Sierra Leone Government and the
Revolutionary United Front (RUF) led by Foday Sankoh. In the same vein
the Gambian leader has played host to the respective leaders of the
countries of the Mano River Union (Sierra Leone, Liberia and Republic of
Guinea) on a number of occasions, and has he visited all three
countries.
In
pursuit of his historic mission for peace for all especially in
neighboring countries and the ECOWAS sub-region President Jammeh, made a
two- day visit to Sierra-Leone to give hope to and as a mark of
solidarity with the Government and people of Sierra Leone who yearn so
much for peace and stability. President Jammeh, who was visibly moved by
the sight of the Sierra Leonean amputees, assured the people of Sierra
Leone that he would forever be on a mission to ensure that such
atrocities never occurred again in this world.
As
recent as April 2001, President Charles Taylor paid a one-day visit to
The Gambia at the end of which President Jammeh succeeded in eliciting
from President Taylor a commitment to resolve the erstwhile problem
between him and President Kabbah of Sierra Leone and President Conte of
Guinea regarding the expulsion of the Ambassdors of Sierra Leone and
Liberia in a fraternal manner. Furthermore The Gambian President is
currently actively involved in the ongoing mediation efforts to forever
silence the guns and restore lasting peace in the sub region.
The
President’s efforts to restore regional peace has also been
characterized by a humanitarian dimension as attested by the various
refugee camps in The Gambia which have become safe havens for refugees
fleeing violence and the ravages of war especially from Sierra Leone and
Casamance and at one time Guinea Bissau. As part of its effort to
improve conditions in camps, especially at the Kerr Alhassan Camp, A
program of food-for-work has been instituted among other positive
community schemes.
As
a champion of African Unity, following the footsteps of the great pan
Africanist the late Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, president Jammeh deployed every
effort to solve the protracted Libyan-Western impasse following the Pan
Am bombing. Thus the Gambian Leader who had sponsored during the Annual
Meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Countries in 1997 the famous
motion denouncing violence as a weapon of solving problems by the
Islamic world, initiated the process to see to it that the whole truth
about the alleged Pan Am bombing was brought out in the open to bring
relief to the families of the victims as well as Libyan people who had
for long suffered under the sanctions imposed because of the bombing
allegations.
The
courageous efforts of the Gambian Leader bore fruits with the Libyan
Leader handing over the two suspects to the Netherlands Courts in the
presence of a Gambian delegation led by the Gambian Foreign Minister Dr.
Momodou Lamin Sedat Jobe. President Jammeh’s proactive diplomacy to
establish the truth and thereby eliminate any excuse to continue to
subject innocent people to exploitation and suffering has been widely
hailed.
A
major consequence of the conclusion of the Pan Am saga has been the
redynamisation of the move towards African Unity with Libya now playing a
major role in this historic process. This eloquently demonstrates the
political foresight, sagacity and genuiness of President Jammeh in all
his actions within his own country or abroad. Through such efforts the
Gambian Leader is promoting a positive image of Africa not as a land of
terrorists but a continent where if peace and stability were given a
chance would develop its vast resources and eradicate poverty.
In
the area of peace keeping, The Gambia’s record is exemplary and
internationally recognised and appreciated. In Africa, Gambian troops
have been sent to Sierra Leone and Ethiopia/Eritrea. In faraway East
Timor and Kosovo Gambian troops form part of the UN as peace-keeping
forces. In all these conflict areas, Gambians have, in the image of
their youthful, committed and peace-loving President, performed with
distinction and honour.
Since
the Gambia became independent in 1965 and joined the United Nations in
that same year, it only became a member of the Security Council for the
first time in 1999.
The
Security Council being the organ of the United Nations charged with the
responsibility for the maintenance of international peace, Gambians
membership to this august body is an eloquent expression of the
recognition of The Gambia’s exemplary record of peace, democracy and
stability under the leadership of President Jammeh.
For
The Gambian President Dr Alhaji Yaya Jammeh, peace and stability are
not mere slogans; rather they should constitute a better way of life not
only for Gambians but also for all Africans struggling to escape from
poverty and to humanity as whole
