Africa-Press – Gambia. United Democratic Party (UDP) Leader and Secretary General, Ousainu Darboe, has called on Gambians to honor the legacy of Ebrima Solo Sandeng by strengthening state institutions, upholding the rule of law, and protecting human rights. Darboe made the remarks on Saturday at the 4th Annual Ebrima Solo Sandeng Memorial Lecture, held at a local hotel in Kololi.
Addressing the gathering, Darboe described the event as “more than a mere lecture,” calling it a sacred moment of reflection and commitment between past struggles and future aspirations.
“Today’s event is more than a lecture. It is a sacred communion between the past and the future-a moment to reckon with who we were, who we are, and who we dare to become,” Darboe said. “When Ebrima Solo Sandeng stepped forward on that fateful April morning, he carried more than a placard. He carried a people’s broken hope in his bare hands. He lifted and vocalized the aspirations of a nation silenced by a brutal dictator who invoked unjust laws to achieve his objectives.”
Darboe praised Sandeng’s courage, emphasizing that he not only stood against dictatorship but also against the despair that tyranny breeds.
“He stood not only against the weight of dictatorship but also against the gravitational pull of despair. And he did so without weapon or armor- only armed with the truth, and a defiant belief that The Gambia could, and must, be better.
Reflecting on Sandeng’s sacrifice, Darboe said that in the suffering he endured, and in the silence that followed his death, the spirit of a new nation was born — a Gambia determined to reject injustice and fear.
“And in the dungeons where he was tortured, in the brutality he endured, and in the silence that followed, the voice, image, and personality of a NEW GAMBIA was conceived. A New Gambia that could no longer sleep through injustice. A New Gambia that could no longer whisper its dreams in the shadows of fear. A New Gambia that rose with the voice of a martyred patriot proclaiming “Enough is enough” He Said.
Darboe further noted that it is both fitting and profoundly just that the day’s reflection centered on a theme that lay at the very heart of Solo Sandeng’s sacrifice: “Building Capable State Institutions through the Rule of Law and Respect for Human Rights.”
“A country may have flags, borders, and governments- but it is only when its institutions are strong, its law just, and its citizens’ dignity protected, that it truly becomes a nation. But these ideals do not build themselves. They require leaders with backbone, not just backers,” He Said.
Darboe emphasized the need for institutions that empower rather than oppress, and for public servants who view leadership as a sacred trust rather than a personal privilege.
“We must dismantle the twin evils of impunity and mediocrity,” he said. “We must reject the culture of appointments based on loyalty over competence. We must no longer tolerate systems where truth is silenced, accountability is optional, and justice is delayed or denied.”
He stressed that Ebrima Solo Sandeng did not sacrifice his life for superficial changes in leadership, but for a profound transformation of both governance structures and national mindset.
“Solo Sandeng did not give his life for a cosmetic change in leadership. He gave it for a comprehensive change in the system and in mindset. He gave it so that no child of this nation will ever again have to die begging for their birthright,” Darboe concluded.
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