Africa-Press – Gambia. Dr. Baba Galleh Jallow, former Executive Secretary of the Truth, Reconciliation, and Reparations Commission (TRRC), has described the continued absence of presidential term limits and the enforcement of the Public Order Act as a “slap in the face” to The Gambia’s democratic aspirations.
Speaking on the state of the country’s governance reforms, Dr. Jallow said The Gambia’s democratic progress remains fragile, largely because the 1997 Constitution is still in force and outdated, and colonial-era laws continue to shape the political landscape.
“The absence of a term limit for the president is a slap in the face of our struggle and our democratic gains,” he stated.
He criticized the 1997 Constitution and the Public Order Act for undermining the efforts of Gambians who fought for democratic change, calling for comprehensive constitutional and legal reforms to consolidate the country’s democracy.
“We do not deserve to have the 1997 constitution in the Gambia right now; the Public Order Act is another Jammeh and colonial-era law that we do not deserve to have in our laws,” Dr. Jallow said.
Dr. Jallow also raised concerns about ongoing security sector issues, particularly the continued use of heavy-handed policing methods against protesters.
“We have seen police brutality; we have seen police throwing tear gas at protesters and arresting protesters because of the Public Order Act, and that is a law that was passed by the colonial authorities to control our fight for independence,” he noted.
While acknowledging progress in areas such as media freedom and a reduction in extreme state violence since the TRRC, Dr. Jallow said crisis management and institutional accountability remain weak.
“But if you are not ready to do that and be held criminally accountable or liable in the future, then you better start working on a better crisis management strategy that you can use to manage some of these crises,” he advised.
Dr. Jallow concluded by stressing that while The Gambia has made notable strides in widening its democratic space since the end of the Jammeh regime, much remains to be done. “There are lots of things to be desired, lots of room for improvement, honestly, but at the same time I think the democratic space has widened compared to what obtained during the Jammeh regime,” he said.
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